Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: abbyH on March 23, 2017, 08:12:28 PM
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HI everyone. I wanted to share my hair story and now improvements, in the hope it will help someone else.
So, I always had a ton of hair lovely glossy shiny etc until about age 47 ish.. then it started falling out, and thinning and by about 2014 (aged 50) I think I'd lost about 80% of it.. I had low ferritin stores and thyroid issues as well as being peri.. I wasn't treated or taken seriously when I raised my hair issues, of course! I have Hashimoto's so the auto-immune thing was probably in there too..
So, I carried on losing hair and feeling wretched. My thyroid meds did help I think but then I had total Vaginal Hystertecomy and Ovary removal last year due to heavy periods (fibroids and Ademyosis)
my hair at that point had been 'ok' but about a month after in July it started going bad again, and by Sept/Oct of last year was really in bad condition, falling out, thin, brittle really crappy!
So.. I embarked on the following and I have seen real improvements (March 2017) new hair growth and a feeling that my once abundant locks are springing back. Here's what I did.
1. I have taken Oestrogen. yes, in varying quantities patches and gels and with some off time, as you can find out if you read my posts but Oestrogen does make hair grow.
2. High strength EPO. 3 tabs of 1000 strength a day
3. Biotin. Good quality high strength gel, once a day.
4. Protein. Lots of it.
5. Adequate Thyroid medication I think this has been key.
So, from about January this year I've noticed new growth (both on the scalp) and longer bits.. Although the ends are very fine, the hair near the head is quite thick, so I plan to trim the ends regularly and get it all to grow together (its currently shoulder length)
I've had a few great lengths extensions put in (1 pack of 25 split into finer extensions and scattered through the mid part of my head) and these have made a really nice improvement to the volume..
Hope this gives you all hope, I thought I would have to wear a wig and indeed bought one, but glad I've stuck it out and I can really see the difference in the quality of my hair and condition.. hopefully it will not go through a shedding cycle again I think I can identify also that having a trauma (such as a major op) can trigger a TE episode, as can a death (I lost my mother the first time it started) then, other things might have nudged it into over drive such as HORMONES! and Thyroid..
Good luck everyone struggling with dodgy hair at this time. You can try expensive things like Vivescal or Nourkrin but I think the EPO, Biotin (and probably Zinc and Magnesium) would help too
Abby xx
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Am I being stupid that I can't think what EPO is ?
My ends are sad and thin. But the scalp seems to be filled in slightly but not good enough all over to not need clip ins
Mine can't be oestrogen deficiency as I've been on it constantly x
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Evening primrose oil 😊
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Thankyou Maryjane x
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Yes, mine probably has, but who knows?? the Evening Prim needs to be taken fairly consistently over time with high levels..
I've just added flax oil to the mix as well..
Fingers x'd it will stay on my head now!
:o
Abby x
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Hi abby, did you take iron supplements too? I shed so much more hair than normal when my ferritin was low but it has been a lot better since my levels got closer to 50. Though I suppose that could be a coincidence, always so hard to know!
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I haven't needed to take iron this time, have in the past, ferritin should be 70 and above for hair growth and maintain ace, think mine is finally there but very low when I was menstruating
Abby x
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I haven't needed to take iron this time, have in the past, ferritin should be 70 and above for hair growth and maintain ace, think mine is finally there but very low when I was menstruating
Abby x
70 is what I'm aiming for but I think it will need to wait for menopause to hit!
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:'(
Update. My hair has deteriorated significantly.
Since I started taking Testosterone in April, I can only think that this is having an effect. I have a lot of loss around the hairline and my scalp is showing through at the parting, which has gone really wide. I dont seem to be losing hair as in its falling out, but I guess it's thinning
I'm really depressed as now I really do look balding and its so affecting me
The HRT seemed to be working and I felt really good, but having no hair and feeling better, is that the trade off I have to make?????
anyone else in a similar position? I thought Testosterone was meant to encourage scalp hair to grow
I''m feeling tempted to again, stop the hrt and see what happens...
abby xxx
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Thanks for sharing, this clearly matters to you a lot. I went through a stage when I was obsessed with my hair to the point of vanity but I have got things more in perspective now. My health is more important than how my thinning older hair looks. So I had a really good short style cut (think Judi Dench - ish) It has made such a difference to the condition and the look as the natural wave gives the impression of volume. When it was longer the weight just dragged it all down and it looked very flat and uninteresting. :)
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its not vanity, I guess more being upset about the way it's changed, and it affects self esteem..
I am thinking of going shorter, not quite as short as JD, but yes, perhaps that will help it in the long term
thanks....
Abby xx
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My grandma had thyroid problems and thin hair. She used to wash it and put it in rollers and avoid setting lotions etc - then used to have a gentle perm when things were going well. I think this was to keep the top well covered as she also had a bald patch from having a birth mark removed as a child. (she had the usual granny hairdo of the times ;) )
She was very careful with it and made sure that it was neat. She also used to massage olive oil in once a week, gently massaging her scalp with it and then cover it overnight and wash it in the morning. I've no idea if this actually worked, but she reckoned it was the best thing she had tried and kept it up for a good 20/30 years, until the dementia got her. It does make sense to make the best of the hair you have.
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She also used to massage olive oil in once a week, gently massaging her scalp with it and then cover it overnight and wash it in the morning. I've no idea if this actually worked, but she reckoned it was the best thing she had tried and kept it up for a good 20/30 years, until the dementia got her. It does make sense to make the best of the hair you have.
Could well be. I use Pure organic Argan oil as a conditioner. I find it is better than any commercial conditioner, and no chemicals or additives :)
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Hi Abby
Testosterone I think can work either way, if you lose hair because your T is low, then it'll help, if you add T and it converts to DHT you're stuffed
I've tried loads of things, admittedly not for long periods, that's just the laziness in me. Extensions add stress to weak hair so that could be some of the problem.
My ends are awful, weak, straggly and dry but the scalp seems more filled in and as you know I wear clip ins but they cause loss where they clip, but I'm not stressing so much about it now as I can cover it. I keep thinking about cutting my length, I feel like I'm holding on to the length as a reminder of my healthier days, but I'm not a short hair person, looks lovely on others but not for me, I keep toying with the image of like a shaggy bob, can't think who to compare but I'm sure Meg Ryan had the style a few years back
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I agree - I don't fully understand the effect of testosterone on hair and in difference parts of the body ( eg more hair on face but less on head in some women). T has restored hair growth in er - private areas for me. I can't comment on head hair as mine has always been thick but still falls out in the hairbrush. I need to do some more research on this!
Hurdity x
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Thanks all, very helpful.. I think mine is probably reacting to DHT... but, as has been said, who knows.. it's all so complex
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it's very random. I no longer shave my arms or legs and have lost about 50% of pubic hair and yet I now have to borrow husband's nose trimmer and regularly pluck my chin but not my eyebrows :-\
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How helpful is the testosterone abbyH? Would it be worth while stopping it to see what happens to your hair?
In the mean time, go to a good hairdresser who sells wigs or have a look at [I think] Philip Sorbeis web-site (will do a search and bump).
EPO also stands for the drug that professional sports people take and shouldn't ;-).
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"mynewhair" web-site is where I want to direct you to ......
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"mynewhair" web-site is where I want to direct you to ......
:thankyou:
I've just found a salon near me that could help me x
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As mentioned above, hair loss is so individual and complex.
Sympathies to anyone with hair loss - it is hard to deal with on top of everything else and affects self esteem and one's confidence as a woman. It's not a vanity thing, it's more scary as it makes you feel as if you're disintegrating and old before your time with a very obvious sign for all to see. I have genetic Female Pattern Hair Loss and long bouts of Telogen Effluvium (shedding) which all started when my periods stopped 10 years ago.
Abby, do/did your parents have thin hair - other family members? Often it's genetic and there's nothing we can do about it, as you know it's all hair on the body, not just head hair.
I've been on HRT for c.10 years now and it hasn't stopped my hair loss - my mother had a hyster at 40 and never took HRT and had hair loss. On or off HRT, I think for some women it will happen anyway, maybe it's the about hormonal imbalance (and other multiple factors, digestive health/absorption, adrenal function etc etc).
In the past I've seen two Trichologists - recommended various things which I'm sure you've heard about, eg. Minoxodil. Nowadays I use Neutrogena shampoo every other day in an effort to remove the scalp DHT and use Nanogen hair fibres at the parting and clip the front section back over the parting, make sure I have adequate protein, take supplements and probiotic and recently started on Kelp (not sure if okay to take with thyroid med?) which seems to have helped a tad - but it could be anything, more daylight, who knows.
[By way of comparison, my last hormone blood test results showed T level as virtually zero - however hair loss is ongoing - it's all so confusing.]
Maybe leave off the T and see how it goes - for your individual biochemistry it may be having a strong androgenic/DHT conversion effect. I only used T for a short period of time as it made my menopausal self even more bad tempered and ratty!
Sorry I don't have anything more positive to say - can only sympathise. I find longer hair with subtle, thin tint (not bleach) highlights helps somewhat.
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:thankyou: Night_Owl ....... we are a Mine of Info. ;)
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Thanks everyone, sorry for the delay popping back to reply!
Yes hair loss is frightening, and not because of 'vanity' do i want to restore my locks....
It's also a big indicator of self-esteem for a lot of us, and that is not vanity either, but more about the way we see ourselves and what things we like about our appearance. Having said that, of course identity is not totally about how we look, but it is a big part..
I have felt so much better on HRT I'm loathe to stop, and of course being in Surgical meno, cant' really ...
I've settled on a low dose of both Oestrogen and T.. and I feel ok, my hair is no where near how it used to be, but I'm living with it.. The way it's settled now is the partings are very big, you can see where I've lost chunks of hair and the remaining hair is very thin and brittle... When I wash it and dry it looks fine, but after a day or so goes very stringy and thin again..
I've had extensions but I'm not sure those are so good either..
i would say to anyone who could, see a specialist, a trichologist as NHS are not interested (of course, they have more pressing things to sort out) I'm sure there might be things you can do before you get to the stage where you've lost a lot of hair
I guess it's all part of menopause (for some, not everyone)..
In answer to someone's question was it hereditary? My mums hair also got finer and thinner, but then she had chemo, lost it all and it grew back very thick and curly! so go figure...
Thanks again for all the answers and support. Best of luck to anyone else who is struggling xxx
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Could you have it shaved close over-all? Then tinted ;)
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i'd really rather not! - it wouldnt' suit me...
the idea of shaving it off is not attractive - see earlier post about my mum having cancer, think it would be triggering
I'm just going to wait a few months more and then cut it into a more bob style.. there is hair growing on my head now which there wasnt' before, but the quality of the 'old' hair is rather poor, plus you can see the gaps where it's fallen out
Abby xx
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I have noticed my hair has been thinning at the parting for a while and yes it is distressing. I can recommend a product that will cover it, even if it won't help regrow it. It's called Hair Illusion and is tiny real hair fibers that you sprinkle on the thinning parts. They have a website and also sell on Amazon. It actually works really well. It looks completely natural and stays in place really well. I've been using it daily for months now and will continue to. It makes me so less self conscious. It doesn't solve the actual problem but can make it more bearable. I have shoulder length hair and only use this in the parting but it's undetectable.
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SJ, same here with the TE worse when taking (any) progesterone - and mine too (and other issues, hideous migraines etc etc) is all down to the ghastly hormonal imbalance which, 10 years post last period, is still way out of whack - there's no 'settling down' going on here! The hair loss improves slightly during the estrogen only phase but it's in recovery from the all the loss during progesterone.
Think I remember reading somewhere that estrogen levels of 500+ pg/ml are best for hair growth - however who can or would want to achieve that with the resulting heavy withdrawal bleed when well post-meno.
Every single time I take the vile Utrogestan, it creates so much upset in my biochemistry (intolerance seems to be getting worse as I get older?) I ponder again whether it's all worth it. Then I know I'll be worse off HRT altogether. Round and round in circles, for years on end. Madness? Yes.
Do you think that HRT post meno (for some women) can create MORE hormone imbalance, too much disruption?
[I'm speaking from the highly progesterone intolerant perspective though - how I long just to be 'in a straight line' ... sigh]
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My hair has been coming out since shortly after my ovary failed four years ago, and has only gotten worse. I've lost at least half my hair or more. I have been on continous patch + daily prometrium (oral) for 3 years (Crinone vaginal progesterone gel more recently, I was hoping it'd affect my hair less; still no change.) I have been wondering for a while if progesterone makes my shedding worse. I've just switched to cyclical HRT so am only on the patch right now, and will take Crinone for 12 days every other month. It might be a little better on the patch alone, but I'm not yet sure.
Right now I'm considering a hysterectomy because I've got adenomyosis and an enlarged uterus, and to be honest the idea of not having to take progesterone...if it's the main cause of my intense shedding, it'd be great to not have to take it. I feel crappy enough as it is.
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I've suffered like you ladies but I don't take progesterone.