Hair Changes Through the Years

When most of us think of our hair getting older, we think of going gray. But color aside, there are other more subtle ways in which our hair changes as we age.
Most of these changes are due to the inevitable hormonal shifts that happen as we get older. Many women begin to see their hair change around the onset of menopause, or roughly when they reach their late forties, early fifties. Menopause brings a new balance of hormones to the body, and more specifically, male hormones now take the precedence over female hormones. (This is why you may see grandma sprouting more than a few hairs on her chin!)
As we get older most of us will also experience thinning hair (again, thank you hormones!) as the hair shaft’s diameter shrinks with age.
Our hair will also get drier as sebum production slows down. This is normal and should not come as a surprise. You can condition your hair more often to make up for loss moisture and remember to keep your product use to a minimum.
A more dramatic result for many women is hair loss. The hair we lose, which is normally replaced by a new strand, will no longer necessarily grow back. This can manifest itself as thinner hair on the top of your head and along the sides (yes, just like men), while your locks at the nape of the neck are usually safe, they rarely thin out. Like the rest of our bodies, our hair spends less time growing as we age, and more time resting!
If you notice your hair falling out dramatically when you reach menopause you can consult your doctor or an endocrinologist for further tests. Many women take the hormone replacement route, but that should also be a topic of discussion with your doctor.