Women and thinning hair

[Anonymous]

My hair began thinning in my late 40s, but it was gradual. My dermatologist said it happens to some women as they go through menopause, especially if they have male relatives with balding. My thyroid labs are always normal. Now I’m late 50s and it’s gotten a lot worse. My ponytail is probably half of what it was in my 40s. If it stays like this I’ll be ok, but anymore loss is going to be a problem. Any other older ladies out there with this, and have you found anything that helps? Diet, nutrition, products, whatever?

[Anonymous]

I'm 52 and post-menopausal. I ended up getting cortisone shots in my scalp. It's the only thing that seemed to work. I had my thyroid checked, taking multi-vitamins, Biotin, etc. Made no difference. I've done 2 rounds - shots every 6 weeks for 6 months. It's not as thick as in my 20s but better than it was 4 years ago. FWIW - I had a lot of problems finding good information on this. Research is mixed on the shots but it's the only thing I found that made any difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 52 and post-menopausal. I ended up getting cortisone shots in my scalp. It's the only thing that seemed to work. I had my thyroid checked, taking multi-vitamins, Biotin, etc. Made no difference. I've done 2 rounds - shots every 6 weeks for 6 months. It's not as thick as in my 20s but better than it was 4 years ago. FWIW - I had a lot of problems finding good information on this. Research is mixed on the shots but it's the only thing I found that made any difference.

Do you have the name of the doctor you saw for this? I will ask my derm about this when I see her tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 52 and post-menopausal. I ended up getting cortisone shots in my scalp. It's the only thing that seemed to work. I had my thyroid checked, taking multi-vitamins, Biotin, etc. Made no difference. I've done 2 rounds - shots every 6 weeks for 6 months. It's not as thick as in my 20s but better than it was 4 years ago. FWIW - I had a lot of problems finding good information on this. Research is mixed on the shots but it's the only thing I found that made any difference.

Do you have the name of the doctor you saw for this? I will ask my derm about this when I see her tomorrow.

Following. I’m in my early thirties but have always had fine/thin hair.

[Anonymous]

More protein helped me (I’m 40).

[Anonymous]

Have you tried Rogaine?

[Anonymous]

Also think of dying your hair closer to the color of your scalp so the hair loss will not be as noticeable. And use hair products that keep your hair in control and make it look thicker. The NY Times a while ago had tips on women with hair loss. You might want to Google that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 52 and post-menopausal. I ended up getting cortisone shots in my scalp. It's the only thing that seemed to work. I had my thyroid checked, taking multi-vitamins, Biotin, etc. Made no difference. I've done 2 rounds - shots every 6 weeks for 6 months. It's not as thick as in my 20s but better than it was 4 years ago. FWIW - I had a lot of problems finding good information on this. Research is mixed on the shots but it's the only thing I found that made any difference.

Do you have the name of the doctor you saw for this? I will ask my derm about this when I see her tomorrow.

Following. I’m in my early thirties but have always had fine/thin hair.

19:16 here. I see Dr. Kaufman and Dr. Greene in Alexandria (father/daughter practice). To the immediate PP, if you're hair has always been fine/thin, that might just be the way your hair is. My hair is fine but, until the last 5 years or so, I've always had a lot of it. My hairline was noticeably receding and my part (when I have one) was much wider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also think of dying your hair closer to the color of your scalp so the hair loss will not be as noticeable. And use hair products that keep your hair in control and make it look thicker. The NY Times a while ago had tips on women with hair loss. You might want to Google that.

19:16 here. Believe me, I've read all about the tricks and tried a good number. There's only so much shampoos/products/styling can do. And, if I were to dye my hair a shade closer to my scalp, I'd be in the platinum/white blonde family. That's nowhere near my natural color and one that doesn't flatter me at all - tried it in college. It was a bad idea then and worse now.

[Anonymous]

My hair started thinning after my pregnancies; might have been age, too.

For me, 5% Rogaine Foam once daily has worked. It took a few months. (Aveda also has a product, which I have not tried, mainly due to cost and because Rogaine is FDA-approved.)

I also started using Living Proof "Perfect Hair Day" which lets me go 3-4 days without washing/shampooing my hair. (My hair would really fall out when shampooing, and break during drying.) So that really helped a lot.

Sometimes, I use dry shampoo rather than washing with shampoo/water.

Also, I only blow dry my hair after it has partially air-dried or "Turbie Twist" dried -- less heat, less styling means less damage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also think of dying your hair closer to the color of your scalp so the hair loss will not be as noticeable. And use hair products that keep your hair in control and make it look thicker. The NY Times a while ago had tips on women with hair loss. You might want to Google that.

LOL, my scalp is glow in the dark translucent white

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My hair started thinning after my pregnancies; might have been age, too.

For me, 5% Rogaine Foam once daily has worked. It took a few months. (Aveda also has a product, which I have not tried, mainly due to cost and because Rogaine is FDA-approved.)

I also started using Living Proof "Perfect Hair Day" which lets me go 3-4 days without washing/shampooing my hair. (My hair would really fall out when shampooing, and break during drying.) So that really helped a lot.

Sometimes, I use dry shampoo rather than washing with shampoo/water.

Also, I only blow dry my hair after it has partially air-dried or "Turbie Twist" dried -- less heat, less styling means less damage.

The Aveda "Invati" line doesn't grow new hair. I tried it. It didn't do anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My hair started thinning after my pregnancies; might have been age, too.

For me, 5% Rogaine Foam once daily has worked. It took a few months. (Aveda also has a product, which I have not tried, mainly due to cost and because Rogaine is FDA-approved.)

I also started using Living Proof "Perfect Hair Day" which lets me go 3-4 days without washing/shampooing my hair. (My hair would really fall out when shampooing, and break during drying.) So that really helped a lot.

Sometimes, I use dry shampoo rather than washing with shampoo/water.

Also, I only blow dry my hair after it has partially air-dried or "Turbie Twist" dried -- less heat, less styling means less damage.

The Aveda "Invati" line doesn't grow new hair. I tried it. It didn't do anything.

Rogaine has side effects. I wouldn't recommend it.

[Anonymous]

I just turned 40, but my hair has been gradually thinning in my 30s. I think just bad genes in this area, my mother had it too.

I've heard that Nizoral shampoo (made for dandruff, but fine if you don't have it) helps, so I tried it. I think it reduced shower hair loss slightly.

I'm also thinking of trying a silk pillowcase -- to help with shedding during sleep (that's my problem, I shed a lot of hair). Anyone tried that?

[Anonymous]

I had a little hair thinning and started taking chewable biotin supplements and it helped a lot.