Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a treatment that can help women who are experiencing hair loss. The therapy uses hormones that are identical to the ones naturally produced by the body, and it works by replacing the hormones that are no longer being produced. BHRT has many additional benefits and may help to improve overall health, including hair health. It can also help regulate the menstrual cycle, reduce hot flashes and night sweats, and enhance sleep quality. BHRT is available in various forms. Working with a healthcare provider is important to determine the best option for you. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has helped many women regain their hair health and achieve their overall wellness goals.
Youre Using The Wrong Products
The shampoo and conditioner you choose as well as how often you use them can be another reason for hair loss in women and men.
First, make sure that youre using a high-quality shampoo that wont strip your hair of its natural oils, leaving it brittle and prone to breakage. We recommend Hair Growth & Repair Shampoo for women and Hair Growth & Repair Shampoo for Men. Thanks to the addition of vegan micro-proteins and natural moisturising ingredients like organic aloe leaf juice, these shampoos actually improve the condition of your hair as they cleanse.
Then make sure to always follow your shampoo with a conditioner! Shampoos and conditioners are usually formulated to work together with their partner shampoo, so we recommend using Hair Growth & Repair Conditioner. Using a conditioner works to strengthen the hair shaft, preventing breakage and split ends! This is especially important if you have longer hair!
Learn more about how a shampoo for hair loss works, and which ingredients to look for!
Hair Growth & Repair Set
You May Like: How To Care Hair Loss
Hair Loss During Menopausal Transition
Hair loss during the menopausal transition can be just as dramatic as menopausal hair loss. The two are both related to the same changes in hormone levels. The menopausal transition is the time leading up to menopause and can last several years. During the menopausal transition, fluctuating hormones can cause some of the same symptoms typically associated with menopause.
Don’t Miss: How To Get Rid Of Acne From Testosterone
Bioidentical Hormones And Hair Loss
Some researchers believe that bioidentical hormones do fight the symptoms of menopause, hair loss included. Bioidentical hormones have the exact molecular structure of the hormones that a womans body produces naturally. In other words, these hormones are no different from the hormones that womens bodies produce from about age 12 through 51. Bioidentical hormones are just as effective in eliminating symptoms of menopause as synthetic hormones at balancing the fluctuating hormones that cause hair loss and other menopausal symptoms.
About Hormonal Hair Loss
When hormones are not in balance, hair loss can occur. A womans hormones can begin to decline and lose balance as early as when she is in her 30s.
There are many hormones that could cause hair loss.
Male hormones, called androgens, are responsible for both female and male pattern hair loss. Female pattern baldness occurs when dihydrotestosterone levels become elevated in the scalp. Additionally, low levels of female hormones may cause male hormones to become relatively elevated in women, resulting in hair loss.
Progesterone, produced during ovulation, decreases after menopause. In the absence of hormonal replacement therapy, the body tries to fix the hormonal imbalance itself by producing an adrenal cortical steroid called androstenedione. The production of this hormone causes hair loss
In pregnancy, hair loss may occur when estrogen levels first become elevated and then decrease suddenly. When the estrogen levels are high, this interrupts the normal hair-growth cycle, causing hair follicles to remain active when they should have entered the resting phase. Hair continues to grow throughout the pregnancy. When the pregnancy ends, estrogen returns to pre-pregnancy levels and hair follicles enter the resting phase in bulk. The mass change to the dormant phase severely retards growth and results in dramatic hair loss.
Did you know?
Being overweight or obese affects insulin, testosterone and estrogen levels so that condition is also causing hair loss.
Read Also: Pros And Cons Of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Coping With Hair Loss
While losing hair at a young age may be concerning, hair loss is a reality for many people as they age. One study posted to the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology noted that up to 75% of females would experience hair loss from androgenetic alopecia by the time they are 65 years old.
While many females look for ways to treat hair loss while they are young, at some point, most people accept hair loss as a natural part of the aging process.
Some people may choose to wear head garments or wigs as a workaround to hair loss. Others work with their aging hair by wearing a shorter haircut that may make thin hair less apparent.
Dhts Connection To Balding
Hair everywhere on your body grows out of structures underneath your skin known as follicles, which are essentially tiny capsules that each contain a single strand of hair.
The hair within a follicle typically goes through a growth cycle that lasts about two to six years. Even if you shave or cut your hair, the same hair will grow back out of the follicle from the root of the hair contained within the follicle.
At the end of this cycle, the hair enters whats known as a resting phase before finally falling out a few months later. Then, the follicle produces a new hair, and the cycle begins again.
High levels of androgens, including DHT, can shrink your hair follicles as well as shorten this cycle, causing hair to grow out looking thinner and more brittle, as well as fall out faster. DHT can also make it take longer for your follicles to grow new hairs once old hairs fall out.
Some people are more susceptible to these effects of DHT on scalp hair based on variations in their androgen receptor gene. Androgen receptors are proteins that allow hormones like testosterone and DHT to bind to them. This binding activity typically results in normal hormonal processes like body hair growth.
But variations in the AR gene can increase androgen receptivity in your scalp follicles, making you more likely to experience male pattern hair loss.
proven to work by specifically targeting DHT production and receptor binding. There are two main types:
Don’t Miss: Hormonal Methods Of Birth Control
What Causes Male Pattern Baldness
DHT
The hormone dihydrotestosterone is a major contributor to male pattern hair loss. Dihydrotestosterone is a byproduct of testosterones interaction with Type II 5-alpha reductase. Type II 5-alpha reductase is contained in the oil glands of hair follicles.DHT shrinks sensitive and susceptible hair follicles. As follicles shrink, hair becomes progressively thinner. Total pattern baldness occurs when thinning hair becomes so miniaturized that it stops growing altogether. Unfortunately, this hair-follicle sensitivity is genetic, shared by men within familial lines. While DHT is present in all men and women, not everyone has the same level of DHT-sensitive hair follicles.
Hair follicles that are sensitive to DHT grow back thinner with each hair growth cycle. If left untreated, these hairs will eventually disappear altogether.
There are areas of the head that are genetically resistant to the effects of DHT, even in the baldest men. These areas are where donor hair is taken during hair transplants. It is important to note that follicular unit extraction method of graft harvesting takes donor hair from outside this permanent zone, as this method cannot obtain as many grafts as follicular unit transplantation , also known as the Strip Method.
The donor area/permanent zone is an area of hair that is genetically resistant to DHT, so it is not prone to thinning. This limited area is where grafts are taken for hair transplants.
Also Check: Is It Good To Take Melatonin Every Night
How Is Hair Loss Defined
Hair loss, a medical condition called alopecia, can affect your scalp or your entire body, and it may be temporary or permanent.
While anyone can lose the hair on their head, its more common in men than in women. Still, some hair loss in both men and women is normal on a daily basis, usually around 100 hairs each day. The difference is that with a healthy head of hair, the old hairs are quickly and continually replaced by new ones.
As a result, it may be difficult to notice thinning hair at the crown, often a first sign of male baldness. This is the most common type of alopecia and accounts for nearly 95% of hair loss in guys. While thinning at the crown is fairly common, if patches of hair are falling out of your beard or other areas of your body, you may have a much more serious type of alopecia.
Don’t Miss: How To Boost Testosterone Naturally Fast
What Causes Hair Loss In Women
When most people hear the words hair loss, they think of balding men. However, hair loss can also be a significant problem for women. Female hair loss can occur for several reasons, from a genetic sensitivity to certain androgenic hormones to reactive factors.
Weve listed the most common causes of female hair loss below, as well as the specific ways in which each cause can affect your hairline.
What Hormones Cause Hair Loss In Males
If you are a man, the stats for maintaining a full head of hair can look grim.
Approximately 35 million men in the United States will suffer some type of hair loss during their lifetime.
And roughly 25 percent of men with hereditary male pattern baldness begin losing their hair before their 21st birthday.
By the time they reach 35, around66 percent of all menwill have some degree of hair loss.
While genetics play a major role in hair loss, hormones are also a huge piece of the hair loss puzzle.
Ultimately,testosterone and thyroid levels are to blamefor hormonal imbalance hair loss in men.
Read Also: How To Boost Testosterone Level
How Hair Loss Changed My Life
Its funny to think I have to be thankful for a pill that made my hair fall out. My doctor had just prescribed the latest and greatest birth control pill, a magical pill that allowed you to have a period only four times a year.
But what my doctor didnt bother to find out was that having a period four times a year was something I was used to. It was something I often felt strange about as a young girl, when all of my friends had their menstrual cycles working like clockwork.
About two months into the magical birth control pill, my hair began to fall out. Not a little bit, but in chunks. I was horrified and called my doctor straight away. Her advice? To go on taking the pill because it probably had to do with something else. She asked, are you stressed at work?
Desperate for answers, I took to the Internet to see what other women were saying. I was shocked when I came across a forum of women talking about their hair loss and Seasonique. One woman said she had been off the pill for years and her hair continued to fall out.
I ignored my doctors suggestion and threw the pill in the trash. The next day, I made an appointment with my dermatologist to see what I could do about my hair. A chunk of hair had fallen out in the front and it was embarrassing and scary.
Understanding The Hair Cycle
Generally, the average adult human loses about 50 to 100 strands of hair per day . Thatâs a natural part of the hair cycle. Some hairs fall out while others grow. The anagen phase is the active growth period when new hairs grow from their follicles. Next, the hair continues its growth cycle while the root of the hair gradually detaches from the follicle. Lastly, during the telogen phase, the hair has stopped its growth and eventually gets shed .
For those with female pattern hair loss, also known as androgenetic alopecia, the anagen phase gets shorter and shorter while the telogen phase gets longer. Eventually, there are no new hairs to replace those that have fallen out .
Recommended Reading: Hormone That Regulates Blood Sugar
With Supplements Or Organic Treatments
There are so many supplements available for healthy hair. In particular, look for those containing iron, zinc, biotin, and vitamin A when trying to curb your hair loss. Some organic treatments you may like to try to encourage hair growth are by massaging Aloe Vera or coconut oil into the scalp a few times a week. Additionally, you can add some essential oils, like, for example, rosemary oil or geranium oil to your shampoo to improve the condition of your hair.
Hot Flashes And Night Sweats
One of the most common symptoms of perimenopause is hot flashes, which often coexists with night sweats. Almost 80 percent of people who are in perimenopause or transitioning into menopause have hot flashes. Also, most women who receive chemotherapy or undergo surgery to remove their ovaries will experience hot flashes.
Scientists know that hot flashes occur as a result of low estrogen levels. Each hot flash involves a sensation of heat that starts in the chest area and travels to the neck and the head. It can last for a few minutes and may cause sweating. Some women also develop a faster heart rate during hot flashes.
If a hot flash happens during sleep, they are called night sweats. Women who have night sweats often wake up in the morning feeling tired.
Some people experience redness along their neck and face during a hot flash. This is called a hot flush.
On average, each hot flash lasts for about three to four minutes. Hot flashes can occur for a few months to several years. In a few rare cases, some people had hot flashes for 10 years.
Other signs of hormonal imbalance include:
- Heavy or irregular periods, missed periods, frequent periods, or stopped periods
- Vaginal dryness and itching
- Pain in the muscles, tenderness, and stiffness
- Pain and swelling in the joints
Also Check: How To Lower Testosterone In Males
Why Is My Hair Falling Out Causes Of Female Hair Loss
Its in your brush, on your pillow, in the bathroom sink, everywhere but where it should be on your head! Hair loss is a common complaint among women who are concerned not only about their appearance, but fear thinning hair is an indication of other health issues. In most cases, female hair loss can be tracked back to a hormonal imbalance. Its often experienced by women who are menopausal, perimenopausal and postmenopausal. The good news is, hormone replacement therapy can restore estrogen levels, ward off menopausal symptoms and slow hair loss.
How To Use Treatments
Although there are many possible causes of hair loss, one ofthe most common is an imbalance of hormones. When levels of testosterone andother androgens increase, they can cause the follicles to miniaturize,resulting in thinner, weaker hair.
In order to combat this, itâs important to use treatmentsthat can help regulate hormone levels. Some options include birth controlpills, anti-androgens, and estrogen replacement therapy. Talk to your doctorabout which option is right for you. Anti-androgens work by blocking theeffects of male sex hormones, so if your problem stems from high levels ofthese substances then this may be a good option.
Itâs also a good idea to stay away from products containingcaffeine or alcohol because these substances have been shown to make hormonalimbalances worse.
Recommended: Low estrogen hair loss â How to deal with it?
Read Also: Does Estrogen Stop Facial Hair Growth Mtf
The Best Hormonal Hair Loss Treatment
Prevention, early detection, and treatment of the root causes that bring the progress of hormonal hair loss to a halt early on is the only sure-fire way to address the problem.
If you think you may be experiencing the signs and symptoms of hormone imbalance, we recommend getting a thorough examination and a proper diagnosis as quickly as possible.
For more information on the causes and treatments of female hormonal hair loss, click the button below.
Recommended Reading: Does Truvada Cause Hair Loss
Female Hair Loss Causes It Could Be A Medical Condition
There are some fairly common medical conditions that could present as female hair loss causes could include the following:
Again, womens hair loss is due to hormones most of the time. Its important to talk with a medical provider and look into the root causes to prevent more serious health concerns from developing.
Once you determine that underlying cause and begin receiving treatment, you could begin to feel much more like yourself and see your overall quality of life increase drastically it could really benefit your health beyond maintaining or improving your looks!
Recommended Reading: How To Reduce Cortisol While Fasting
Causes Of Hirsutism In Women
Some of the possible causes of hirsutism in women include:
- polycystic ovary syndrome about nine in 10 women with hirsutism have PCOS
- androgen-secreting tumour an abnormal growth on the ovary or the adrenal gland that produces androgens
- Cushings syndrome the umbrella term for a collection of hormonal disorders characterised by high levels of the hormone cortisol
- adrenal hyperplasia a group of disorders in which adrenal gland hormones are produced in the incorrect amounts
- hyperinsulinaemia the overproduction of the hormone insulin, usually linked with diabetes
- hyperprolactinaemia abnormally high levels of the hormone prolactin, which is normally associated with breastfeeding
- certain medications for example, anabolic steroids cause unwanted hair growth as a side effect
- uncommonly, anorexia nervosa, hypothyroidism and acromegaly.