Is Hair Loss Normal with Aging?

It’s no secret that aging affects the color of your hair. Gray hair is one of the most visible signs of aging. But aging affects more than just your hair color. It also affects hair thickness and growth, which means hair loss is a normal part of the aging process.

However, the rate of hair loss varies from person-to-person. That being said, about 56 million adults experience significant hair loss as they get older. Some may lose as much as 70 to 80% of the hair on their head before they reach age 80.

Though you can’t stop the aging process, you can take action to slow down the visible signs of aging, including your hair loss.  

At Montclair Rejuvenation Center in Verona, New Jersey, Dr. Kelly Distefano and our team of experienced aestheticians can help slow down your rate of hair loss and improve hair thickness and health with our PRP hair restoration treatments. 

Your aging hair

Hair grows in cycles and one strand of hair has a normal life of 2 to 7 years. When your hair falls out, a new strand of hair grows to take its place. 

It’s normal to lose 50 to 100 hairs from your head every day. However, because your hair grows in cycles, you may not notice any change in the thickness of your hair.

As you get older, the life cycle of your hair shortens and the new hair that grows in tends to be finer, thinner, and lighter. When this happens, you may start to notice that your hair isn’t as thick as before. 

The color of your hair also changes as you get older. Melanin is a dark pigment produced by your hair follicle that creates the color of your hair. Production of melanin decreases with age, creating the gray and white strands of hair. 

About hair loss

In addition to a shortened growth cycle, many hair follicles stop producing hair altogether as you get older. Though the degree of hair loss varies, some people may start showing signs of baldness by age 30. 

For those with male- or female-pattern baldness, the severity of hair loss worsens as they get older. By age 60, some may have lost almost all of their hair. 

Though hair loss is common and a normal part of the aging process, it can negatively affect your self-esteem and self-confidence. But there are effective treatments for age-related hair loss. 

Taking charge of your hair loss

We know how much hair loss affects your appearance and how you feel about yourself, which is why we offer PRP hair restoration. PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, is a type of regenerative medicine that contains a high concentration of your body’s own platelets.

Though best known for stopping cuts from bleeding, platelets also contain growth factors and specialized proteins that regenerate cells and repair damaged tissue. 

For hair restoration, we inject PRP directly into your scalp and the healing properties reactivate your dormant hair follicles and lengthen the hair growing cycle. We recommend at least three treatments set at one month intervals to get the best results.

You’ll get better results from your PRP hair restoration treatments if you start during the early stages of your hair loss, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It’s harder to reactivate hair follicles that haven’t been working for a long time. 

If you’re starting to notice a change in the thickness of your hair and have concerns about balding, we can help. Contact us today by calling the office or requesting an appointment online.