Biologically, all women will experience menopause at some point in their life. It’s a part of nature and can’t be prevented. But, how will menopause effect your hair?
Most commonly by the age of 50 onwards, your body experiences many changes. Both physically and psychologically. This can include insomnia, increased facial hair, hot flashes and mood swings. Also, changes to your skin are noticeable. Your skin and hair become dryer, thinning or lack density.
Menopause Effect On Your Hair
Research suggests that hair loss due to menopause is the impact of the hormonal changes in the body. Particularly, due to the decrease in the hormone progesterone making your hairs growth cycle begin to slow down. This results in hair thinning.
The impact of this female hormone slowing down will automatically trigger an increase in the male hormones also known as androgens. These hormones tend to make your follicles shrink. As mentioned before, this hormone can also make women develop facial hair also known as ‘peach fuzz’.
In most cases, the main cause of menopausal hair loss is about the hormonal imbalance. However, it may be suggested that other factors triggered by menopause also contribute hair loss. This can involve an increase in stress, illness or a lack of certain nutrients.
Psychological Impact On Your Hair During Menopause
Most body changes can cause stress. During this time many women suffer from the feeling of self- consciousness. They will tend to scrutinize and over judge themselves. And most likely, scrutiny will be aimed at the change in hair.
Hair to some women is known to have deep importance when it comes femininity. And this can play a big part in a women’s overall wellbeing resulting in stress. As we all know, feeling confident in ourselves allows us to go about our day to day life without feeling as self conscious. Plus, it’s actually beneficial for our mental health too!
Menopause can cause a strain on anyone’s life. But remember that it is not permanent. There are a few steps that can help to improve the quality of your hair and treat hair loss.
Follow these tips that can help you to look after your hair during menopause:
Reduce Stress – We know it’s easier said than done, there are ways that stress can be prevented. It is important during menopause to monitor your stress levels to reduce the risk of hormonal imbalance. Because stress can influence your brain causing anxiety, depression and other signs of psychological factors.
Activities such as exercising, yoga, and other breathing relaxation methods are proven to reduce stress. It is also important to think positive, and separate yourself from anything or anyone causing negativity.
Staying Active – Keeping fit and exercising regularly is a key element to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Exercising can make you feel happier, stronger and more energetic. It can also have a positive effect on prevention symptoms of menopause. This can include weight gain, insomnia and mood swings.
Preventing these symptoms help to maintain the hormonal imbalance in your body. In turn, this can help to promote healthy hair growth. Doctors recommend staying active. At least 30 minuets of exercise a day is a good start. If you can’t make it to the gym, why not swap a bus ride for walking? Take the stairs instead of the elevator? Go on a light jog! There are many different ways to introduce light exercise into your weekly routine.
Hydration – Water is a crucial part of your diet to keep all parts of your body healthy. Try to ease off drinks that contain more sugar than your body needs. This includes beverages such as juices and fizzy drinks. On average, you should aim to drink around 8 glasses of water daily. If you can’t manage drinking this much water, how about adding some diluted juice into the water? This may make it easier for you to stomach the 8 glasses a day!
If you worried about how menopause will effect your hair, it is advised to seek medical advice from a professional. That way, you can rule out any other causes that may be affecting your hair, besides menopause.
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