Hormonal Replacement Therapy & Hair Loss

Hair loss, or thinning hair, is a common condition people experience as they age. Often the loss of hair is due to changing hormone levels. As hormones fluctuate, you may have hot flashes, dry skin and mood swings if you are a woman. Men may experience an enlarged prostate. Both sexes tend to have weight gain and hair loss.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

• Over the last several decades, women have been treated with animal-derived or synthetic hormones to try to alleviate some of the more uncomfortable symptoms of hormone imbalance. These traditional therapies did not help with thinning hair. In the last few years, minoxidil and finasteride topical treatments have shown some success in men and women to help with pattern baldness. But they do not work for everyone, and you have to keep using these solutions or the results will not last.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

• Dr. John Lee was a pioneer in the field of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. He showed that plant-derived progesterone cream metabolizes in the human body as if it were human progesterone. This can have the effect of helping to balance the other hormones. Progesterone cream is available over the counter at your local pharmacy. Rub 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of the cream into the skin of your inner arm, inner thigh, abdomen or chest (alternate location daily).

  Another hormone that may need to be supplemented is DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone). Genetic, or hereditary, baldness is thought to be caused in part by testosterone being converted into the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT attacks the hair follicles by creating a waxy substance at the root of the hair, essentially strangling your hair. DHEA can minimize this effect. Supplements of this hormone are also available over the counter or online.

  Some men benefit from testosterone replacement, but DHEA can convert to either testosterone or estrogen, so your body chooses which one it needs, according to the research group Life Extension Foundation. Taking testosterone supplements can have adverse effects such as lower voice and excessive body hair growth in women. It should only be taken under doctor’s orders. Since there may be other causes for your hair loss, you should consult your health care provider before deciding on a course of treatment.