A Guide to the Newest Innovations in Midlife Hair Thinning Treatments, From Red Light Therapy to PRP

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5 days ago

I've never had an abundance of hair, so seeing it get thinner in the past 10 years has been fairly depressing. I attributed breakage to weekly blowouts, but post-Covid and post-office life, I'm no longer paying for those high-heat, hair-pulling salon sessions. My hair still isn't getting any thicker or healthier.
Talking to girlfriends my age, I have come to accept that hair shedding is a common hair condition to develop in menopause. I've also decided to take some action. I'm fortunate that I don't have Androgenetic Alopecia, which is severe hair loss, so I don't need anything drastic (yet). But like many of us, I am not sitting on a pile of money, so I can't throw thousands of dollars at my thin hair, either. I'm going easy first—but there are lots of interesting innovations in hair restoration to explore.
Why Does Hair Thin in Midlife?
When talking about what causes menopausal hair loss, the simple answer is fluctuating hormones. It's the same thing that everyone tells postpartum women: Your hormones are going crazy, so your hair is going to fall out more rapidly. In menopause and perimenopause, it's the natural dip in progesterone that can especially mess with your tresses.
Other factors might also hit hard in midlife. 'Individuals face hair loss due to medical treatments, stress or illness in addition to hormonal shifts,' says Jennifer Donovan, owner of Le Shag salon in Kingston, NY, which has a dedicated program for hair restoration. 'Post-COVID, many clients have reported unexpected hair concerns—from thinning to changes in texture—often linked to heightened stress or long-term effects of illness.'
Experts also point to diet, so critical to hair growth. We could eat chips and drink cocktails in our youth without beauty consequences, but not anymore. Jay Smalls, a Los Angeles-based trichologist (a healthcare professional who specializes in hair and scalp health), has his clients cut down or give up on processed food, alcohol and smoking as the first step to combating hair loss.
'Our bodies don't need hair as a core biological component. We just want hair!' says Smalls, whose company, Arey.com, sells products for aging hair, and he sees clients individually as well. If our diets lack diversity by the time we hit middle age, Smalls says, our bodies de-prioritize hair growth.
Why is Hair Loss Treatment Having Such a Moment?
'People are taking better care of themselves now with so much information being made available. You also have celebrities who are willing to talk about their hair loss issues,' says Ashley Person, a hair stylist in New York City who works with many women (and celebs) over 40. 'I believe women are more comfortable because fewer people are keeping it a secret.' (See: Ashley Tisdale and her alopecia, for example.)
There are a ton of remedies available, so to keep this simple, I'll go from the easiest and least-expensive options to the most invasive, expensive — and innovative — medical procedures. This isn't even an exhaustive list of all you can do, just an overview!
Step One: Reduce Stress
Why it works: Stress can push hair growth into a resting phase, and if stress continues, hair might fall out, as described by the National Institutes of Health.
Cost: You can tackle stress for free. 'If you have no money, . Your cortisol levels are the biggest culprit of future hair loss,' says Smalls.
Pro: Banishing stress helps you sleep and eat better, too.
Con: Easier said than done, right? No one can magically change the outside stressors in life. But you can be in charge of how you react to them.
Step Two: Eat Better and Consider Supplements
Why it works: Your body needs a rich array of nutrients and protein to make hair. A Mediterranean diet, as described in our authoritative guide to thinning hair, is among the best for midlife. Experts also point to supplements to give hair added nutrients.
And then: 'Water water water!' says Donovan. 'Hydration is key.'
Cost: Your food costs might change as you buy lean meat, fruit and vegetables, but eating better doesn't need to break your budget. What might add to your monthly outlay are supplements. I'm currently on Nutrafol (winner of 'best supplement for healthy hair' in our annual Flow Space Wellness Awards) and that's costing about $75 a month through three-month deliveries.
Pro: We all know that most people look better when they eat better.
Con: Theoretically, eating clean should be easy. But it's hard to be disciplined when others are having burgers and fries. It's also tough to make switches when you really like sugar (like me) or your life regularly includes alcohol. Neither of those are great for hair.
Step Three: Protect and Nurture Your Scalp—And Reconsider Hair Dying
Why it works: We obsess about the skin on our face, yet the skin on our scalp is right there too, and takes more of a beating because it directly faces the sun and harmful UV rays. It also takes the brunt of salon treatments, like hair dye. The scalp can not proliferate hair, Smalls says, if it's always working hard to repair itself.
'The scalp ages six times faster than the skin on our face,' Smalls says. 'We scratch our scalp. We don't use sun protection. And if you start dying your hair at 30, in 10 years, at age 40, you'll start to see the results of all of that chemical exposure. Whatever you did five years ago is still showing in your hair now.' (Gulp.)
Cost: It doesn't cost much to wear a hat or other hair covering when you're in the sun. And you save money if you stop highlights and hair dye, though those are hard beauty habits to give up. (Talk to your stylist. I have a friend who embraced her natural gray and it looks stunningly beautiful! But I have yet to give up my highlights so I'm not one to talk.)
Topical scalp medications, like Minoxidil, are another way to go and have been around for years. You can buy an Amazon Minozidil Treatment for $25; the online reviews are mixed but mostly positive.
can help and good ones cost in the ballpark of $50 a month. In our Wellness Awards, many experts recommended Davines Naturaltech Energizing Superactive Treatment, and I am trying it now (it tingles in a good way). Smalls sells a serum called To the Root that aims to neutralize free radicals from sun exposure and deliver antioxidants to encourage growth.
There are also scalp spas. Person turned me on to RejuvaScalp which targets dermatitis, psoriasis, and other scalp conditions through deep-cleaning and massage stimulation.
Pro: Protecting our scalp is smart, and serums are cheaper than hair coloring treatments.
Con: Many of us, myself included, are addicted to our highlights. Growing them out is a commitment.
Step Four: Try Hormone Replacement Therapy
Why it works: The loss of estrogen and progesterone as we age has a profound effect on hair. Talk to your primary-care doctor or your ob/gyn about whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or menopause hormone therapy (MHT) might be right for you. 'If you can start low-level HRT earlier rather than later, you'll notice changes,' Smalls says. I have found it to be true; my hair has gotten noticeably better one year into HRT.
Cost: It depends on what your doctor prescribes and what insurance covers. I'm on an estrogen patch and progesterone pills, and even with my insurance, I probably pay $100 a month. But I have friends whose insurance covers everything.
Pro: Replacing lost hormones through medicine can have benefits beyond helping your hair. I have more energy and sleep better on HRT, and the skin on my face looks healthier.
Con: Not everyone likes the idea of ingesting hormones. And while my ob/gyn is a huge proponent, my primary care doctor wants me to only stay on HRT for five years.
Step Five: Consider a Hair Topper or Extensions
Why it works: Anything mentioned up until now will show positive results over time. But clipping in a hair topper or something like a fake ponytail can provide immediate gratification. There are also elaborate ways to weave in extensions. 'As part of my salon's advanced offerings we have a stylist trained in the InvisaBlend system,' Donovan says. 'With that, we feed individual human hairs into existing thinning areas. This allows the client's own hair to grow while adding density. It's a breathable system that allows all serums and topical treatments to fully reach the scalp for better hair growth.'
Cost: Adding fake hair or human-hair extensions can cost a little or a heck of a lot, depending on what you're looking at. I went down a rabbit hole of trying to price the ones that look super natural and the services are a minimum of a thousand dollars, and often more, plus you need maintenance.
Pro: I can't get enough of the Cinderella stories behind these. Check out @thelaurenashtyncollection (out of South Carolina) or @hairdreaming (out of LA). The before and afters are both compelling and demystifying!
Step Six: Red Light Therapy or Medical Treatments
Why it works: With low-level red light therapy, or a medical treatment like platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP — and also nicknamed the 'vampire facial'), you're taking bigger steps to stimulate blood circulation and hair growth.
Low-level red-light therapy is the less drastic measure. We've reviewed plenty of red-light panels for your face and also a red light therapy hat for hair growth. The good tools get expensive, and results take time — the hat is to be used for 10 minutes a day for 16 weeks, and then three or four times a week forever after that.
PRP is more intense. It involves a blood draw, a centrifuge, and injecting active stem cells into your scalp. Johns Hopkins describes how it can be used for things like injuries and wound healing in addition to male-patterned baldness. But women try it, too, including, apparently, Gwyneth Paltrow.
Cost: According to Smalls, red-light therapy devices can cost anywhere from $30 to $500, but the cheap stuff might not be legit or useful. PRP or any medical treatment can — or certainly should — run you thousands of dollars. If someone is offering it on the cheap, beware, says Smalls. 'You need to do it with a trusted provider. I compare it to Botox. It's something you'd only want to get from a really trusted medical professional,' Smalls says.
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