Age-Related Alopecia: How Can You Manage It?
Hair loss, or alopecia, can happen at any time during our lives and can have various causes. Though it's relatively uncommon early in life, many of us will experience some degree of age-related alopecia as we approach menopause.
For women, alopecia means a gradual hair thinning due to a reduction in the number of strands. As a result, you may notice more hair on your pillow or in the shower drain, or less bulk in your ponytail and a widening part line. Thankfully, there are actions you can take to manage this condition.
Why Is Your Hair Thinning?
To manage alopecia, it helps first to understand what is causing it in the first place. In the case of age-related alopecia, the primary culprits are hormones. More specifically, the androgen hormones like testosterone that regulate sexual development and function.
The exact role that androgens play in female pattern hair loss is unclear, and their impact varies based on genetic predisposition. However, nearly all women will have at least some hair loss after menopause. This is usually a diffuse thinning, often most pronounced at the crown.
Our hair growth cycle changes with age-related hormone fluctuations. The growing phase shortens, so each hair falls out sooner, and the resting phase lengthens, so more time passes before a new hair grows from the same follicle. Plus, follicular miniaturization makes each strand finer so that the overall thinning effect can be dramatic.
Treating Age-Related Alopecia
Talk to your doctor if you are worried about the amount of hair loss you are experiencing. He or she can rule out other health problems related to hair loss and might prescribe or recommend medicine to boost your hair health.
- Topical serum: Topical medications like minoxidil or scalp serums like Better Not Younger’s Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum are applied directly to your scalp. They work by nourishing and stimulating the follicles to promote thicker, healthier hair.
- Dietary supplements: Vitamin and mineral deficiencies become more common with age as our bodies are less capable of storing and metabolizing nutrients. Supplements that contain vitamin A, biotin, iron and vitamin D can help correct these deficiencies and offset the hair loss that often occurs as a result.
Other Ways to Manage Hair Loss
In addition to taking steps to promote healthy hair, you can also manage potential hair loss by preventing it from happening in the first place. Here are some styling and maintenance techniques to help you keep your hair and make the most of it!
Shampoo Less Often
Over-washing is a common mistake that many women make with their hair, especially if they had greasy hair that needed daily washing in the past. However, aging hair has unique needs and challenges, so what worked for you before may not be the best for your tresses today.
Take stock of your hair’s condition between shampooing, and switch up your routine if you notice any dryness, brittleness or frizz. These are signs that you are washing away too much of your natural sebum oil. Without this protective substance, your strands are less resilient and more prone to damage.
When you shampoo two or three times a week instead of every day, your hair becomes stronger and healthier. To freshen up your look between shampooing, try our Fresh Start Scalp Renewing Dry Shampoo. This light, talc-free powder will add volume to your roots and make your hair look and feel cleaner. It’s also noncomedogenic so it won’t clog pores.
Hydrate Your Hair and Scalp
Shampooing less frequently will help you retain moisture to a point, but your body produces less sebum oil than it used to. This means your hair might still be dry and vulnerable. So instead, smooth and protect your strands daily with moisture-rich conditioners from Better Not Younger.
For an extra hydration boost, replace your daily conditioner with a deep conditioner like Hair Redemption Restorative Butter Masque once or twice a week. Infusing your strands with the intense moisturizers in this five-butter blend will make your hair instantly softer and shinier without weighing it down.
Protect Against Heat Damage
The heat from your styling tools can also weaken your hair, causing breakage along the strands that worsen the thinning you are already experiencing. Thinner and finer hair often doesn’t need as much heat as coarse hair to hold a style, so be careful not to use more heat than you need to.
Try reducing the temperature on your styling tools to the lowest setting, and increase it gradually until you find a level that works for your hair. Always spritz on a thermal protection product like No Remorse Heat Protectant & Taming Spray before applying the heat to guard your hair against damage.
Add Volume
Sometimes despite your best efforts, you might still have less bulk in your aging hair than you’d like. You can create the illusion of fuller hair with a volumizing shampoo, conditioner and thickener like our Lift Me Up Hair Thickener. This award-winning formula wraps around thinning hair strands and lifts your hair at the roots while also nourishing your scalp and follicles.
Manage Age-Related Alopecia With Better Not Younger
Take a holistic approach when managing your age-related alopecia by stimulating new growth, protecting the strands you have, and using products designed to meet the needs of your aging hair.
Better Not Younger has an array of hair-care products to help with every stage of your beauty routine. Look at our Shop page today to find out more.
Tell Us: Which products and styling techniques help your age-related hair loss look thicker and fuller? Share in the comments below!