Age related hair loss, May

[Blondiesturn]

Hello my friends, it has been awhile since I have visited you.
Well, now that I'm "50", things are a changing and I am not
too happy about a few of them.
Losing my hair is really getting me frustrated!
I have been in menopause seems like 4ever, and in the past
year or so, my hair loss has increased. I am in remission from
Crohn's, (yea), so I don't want to be quick to blame that. I stopped
coloring it about a year ago after 35 years... So now I
have these 4-5" white hairs at my temples that have a
mind of there own. Good times... My hair lady gave me a
Brush for extensions to avoid ripping out the many tangles
I always have in my very fine hair.
Any suggestions?
Thanks, Eve

[swearnsue]

Hi and welcome to the 50 year old club! I'm not sure your hair loss is age related. Since I've joined LHC and changed my diet and habits my hair has gotten thicker. There are so many things that could be causing hair loss including the type of shampoo you are using! I'm glad your crohns is under control, that must be horrible to live with, like menopause isn't a struggle enough, right? Anyway, I don't have any suggestions but just wanted you to know you are not alone with being in your 50s and having issues.

[Silverbrumby]

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. My first thought is get a few blood tests if you can. I'm with Kaiser and they seem to be ok if I request them.

* Iron
* Vit. D
* Thyroid

You can play the symptoms up a bit if they seem reluctant to do the tests e.g., feeling tired and breathless (iron), not going out in the sun at all (Vit D) and putting on weight with hair loss and puffy (thyroid)

Once those are cleared you might want to look into the following. It can be a long hard road but you can do as little or as much as works for you.

* Is your dad bald? Is your mother very thin?

* Get a good quality multi vit. Some women swear by prenatal vitamins and they are usually pretty cheap.

* Biotin. Might help, is not that expensive and you can get it on amazon. I take 5mg a day without side effects but some get acne

* Biosil. Has been shown to increase diameter of hair shaft, make nails harder and reduce wrinkles. BUT it's a fussy supplement. Twice a day 6 drops. It's tastes awful unless you add it to juice

* Stop smoking if you are

* Laser light treatments. Have shown to be mod. successful. On Amazon there is a hand held one that goods a tad cheap but if I ever try this I'd probably get one. The research says it night actually help

* Get a tangle teaser. I love it as a scalp massage tool.

* Rogaine is fussy and expensive. Only for the super committed

* I'm currently trying Monistat on my scalp 3 x a week. I do it after washing just squeezing 1/2 inch out of the tube on my thigh and dipping my finger tips into it and working through each section. It's apparently has merit because it reduces the effects of increased testosterone on the scalp which is an issue when your estrogen decreases with age.

* Oils, evening primrose is apparently a good thing to add in.

Find something which feels right for you and give it a good try. I'd not recommend doing everything btw. It's too overwhelming.

Don't forget Amazon has reviews of products which I sometimes find helpful.

[Silverbrumby]

Oops, just read about the Crohns. I'm not sure how this effects and you said it's under control.

[Danni5173]

I'm in my late 30's and already having issues. I have always had thick full wavy hair until now. Now- I'm a finey and have no idea how to take care of it...Sigh.
Nizoral seems to help the loss though and CO washing.

[swearnsue]

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. My first thought is get a few blood tests if you can. I'm with Kaiser and they seem to be ok if I request them.

* Iron
* Vit. D
* Thyroid

You can play the symptoms up a bit if they seem reluctant to do the tests e.g., feeling tired and breathless (iron), not going out in the sun at all (Vit D) and putting on weight with hair loss and puffy (thyroid)

Once those are cleared you might want to look into the following. It can be a long hard road but you can do as little or as much as works for you.

* Is your dad bald? Is your mother very thin?

* Get a good quality multi vit. Some women swear by prenatal vitamins and they are usually pretty cheap.

* Biotin. Might help, is not that expensive and you can get it on amazon. I take 5mg a day without side effects but some get acne

* Biosil. Has been shown to increase diameter of hair shaft, make nails harder and reduce wrinkles. BUT it's a fussy supplement. Twice a day 6 drops. It's tastes awful unless you add it to juice

* Stop smoking if you are

* Laser light treatments. Have shown to be mod. successful. On Amazon there is a hand held one that goods a tad cheap but if I ever try this I'd probably get one. The research says it night actually help

* Get a tangle teaser. I love it as a scalp massage tool.

* Rogaine is fussy and expensive. Only for the super committed

* I'm currently trying Monistat on my scalp 3 x a week. I do it after washing just squeezing 1/2 inch out of the tube on my thigh and dipping my finger tips into it and working through each section. It's apparently has merit because it reduces the effects of increased testosterone on the scalp which is an issue when your estrogen decreases with age.

* Oils, evening primrose is apparently a good thing to add in.

Find something which feels right for you and give it a good try. I'd not recommend doing everything btw. It's too overwhelming.

Don't forget Amazon has reviews of products which I sometimes find helpful.

Good advice for her but I have a question. What does having a very thin mother indicate? I'm curious because Mom has always been very thin.

[Silverbrumby]

Oops, mums 'thin' hair

[Sisgoldenhair65]

Oops, mums 'thin' hair

Lol....I knew what you meant. :).

Hmmm, my mom has extremely thin hair. So far it doesn't seem that I have inherited her hair gene, though. I do worry that it will catch up to me at menopause. Crossing my fingers!

[swearnsue]

LOL, well I was thinking about osteoporosis that is more likely in thin women and I thought, wow maybe there is some kind of connection between osteoporosis and hair... both needing calcium. I obviously take things too literally. LOL. I'm so embarrased!

[Quetiepi]

Every decade brings a new surprise. When I turned 50, an elderly lady I know told me that 50 is the youth of old age! I like being this age, even with the stuff that comes with it. It is so much more fun than being 30.
My ex MIL had Crohn's. She was first diagnosed 30 years ago. Treatment options have improved since then, I hope. I am glad you are in remission. I hope you remain in good health!

[Sisgoldenhair65]

LOL, well I was thinking about osteoporosis that is more likely in thin women and I thought, wow maybe there is some kind of connection between osteoporosis and hair... both needing calcium. I obviously take things too literally. LOL. I'm so embarrased!

Nooooo, don't be embarrassed. It was very cute! :)

[Blondiesturn]

Thanks Swearnsue :) I am taking vitamin D, biotin, super-b, multi and flax oil as my supplements. My rheum. dr did a blood test and found I am deficient in D. He prescribed me a potent D2 to take one a week for 6 weeks and then I am to continue with the over the counter D3 I had been taking. Strange that I would be low on D since I live in Mesa AZ and get lots of sun year round.
My mother never was very thin, but, she has had Hypothyroid all her life. I have had thyroid tests, but I'm at a good level.
As for dad.... don't know...
I always thought that an increase of testosterone would help with the hair since men are hairy creatures, LOL!
I have been on Vivelle 1mg dots (patch) hormone replacement for 7years now. (when will this end?)
I will check out the Biosil, and the Monistat sounds interesting. thanks :)
Yes, the Crohn's has behaved for the most part. I still have 4-5 flare ups a year and never know when they will hit... They take a long time to get over. That probably has a lot to do with my hair as well, since Crohn's robs the body of nutrition.

[heidi w.]

Have your doctor check for the two types of thyroid diseases to rule that out. Even if you're borderline, don't ignore it. Hair thins as we age, for everyone. So if you are thick haired now, count your lucky stars cause you'll have a a lot more hair than most when you age and your hair begins to thin. My hair has thinned in volume somewhat. I do not have overly thick hair. I figure it's part of the process, so I don't worry about it.

Are you shedding in globs or anything like that? Or is it somewhat normal shedding volume? Since you're reporting being in Menopause, I'd check testosterone levels. This could contribute to increase in shedding, more testosterone than estrogen floating in the system. Are you eating well enough and don't have Anemia? Anemia can cause an uptick in hair shedding. You may need to eat more protein. You have Crohn's so there may be an association there. You could ask your doctor or do an online search to see if you find any info about that. Don't ignore borderline situations. These can cause enough disturbance that things should be addressed. Since you have Crohn's, I would advise you work WITH your doctor on this project. Most docs don't really pay attention to hair plights. But a lot of data can be gathered from hair info. A lot of times an issue shows in the hair first before it does elsewhere. So it's not a bad thing to check out and learn about.

I wish you all the best. Frustrating getting older and losing strength and energy. That's what pisses me off.
heidi w.

[Blondiesturn]

Lady your hair is incredibly beautiful! I must commend you for the awesome care you give your beautiful locks,
Thank you for the great feedback.
I have lost aprox. half of my thickness. It isn't coming out in globs, but, my brush needs emptied each time I brush it. (twice a day)
My hair lady gave me a special brush made for extensions to use even when wet. I have never brushed my hair wet, but I was ready to try anything to avoid snap snap snap! Even anti-snap wasn't working anymore :(
It actually works quite well. The brush is flimsy so it glides over tangles.
Don't really like to use it when dry as it causes static flares lol!
I have mentioned hair loss to my Rheum dr, he's not too concerned...
My nails are buggered up from Crohn's as well, getting better with the vitamins I've been taking.