Hair Aging in Menopause: Why Hair Thins and What a Seoul Clinic Offers

What is hair aging, and why does it show up around menopause?

Hello, I'm Dr. Won Woo Choi, a board-certified dermatologist (M.D., Ph.D.) trained at Seoul National University Hospital and Chief Director of WELLS Clinic in Apgujeong, Seoul. This article on hair aging is based on my YouTube video from May 2025 above, about why women's hair changes around perimenopause and menopause.

Hair aging is hair growing older along with the rest of the body. For women it is tied to the physiological changes of menopause, and perimenopause is usually when women first notice their hair won't hold a style, feels weak and looks thinner.

Most people start to feel their skin aging from their mid-to-late 30s, with wrinkles and some looseness. Hair is the part we tend to overlook, yet a full, healthy head of hair is a large part of looking young.

Why does hair thin after menopause?

In menopause, hair becomes thinner, falls out, and new hair grows in sparse and limp. The main cause is the sharp drop in estrogen after menopause, and more precisely a change in which estrogen you have.

• Humans have roughly four types of estrogen, usually written E1, E2, E3 and E4.
• E2 is the main form in women of reproductive age. It is biologically very active, and for hair it is the key factor in growing it thick and long.
• In perimenopause E2 falls sharply and E1 fills the gap. E1 is far less active, so even though some estrogen remains, the ability to keep hair thick and long drops.

The result is that the growth phase of the hair, called anagen, gets much shorter. Hair thins, sheds suddenly and stops growing long. Together, these changes are what we call menopausal hair loss.

Why not simply replace estrogen?

It sounds logical: put the estrogen back and hair grows thick again. There was a time when E2 was given to women in menopause to counter changes throughout the body, hair included.

But long-term use of E2 became known to raise the risk of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer, and E2 replacement is no longer a routine recommendation. A gynecologist may still suggest an estrogen preparation, but today they test carefully and prescribe very cautiously.

Some doctors prescribe an oral hair-loss medicine instead. The problem in menopausal women is that this medicine lowers blood pressure, and some people have become dizzy and fainted. Younger people may not notice a small drop, but a body already going through many changes can, so it needs great care.

What alternatives for hair aging are being researched?

The alternatives aim to do what estrogen used to do: lengthen the anagen phase and help hair grow strong and faster. Among the research results is CeraXosome, a substance shown in experiments to lengthen anagen and keep it long, so hair grows thicker. Stem-cell approaches are also being discussed.

One interesting line of research comes from pregnancy. A baby in the womb produces its own estrogen, a type called E4, which is known as an unusual estrogen that does not cause cardiovascular disease or breast cancer even with long exposure. Synthesized E4 is already used in a contraceptive pill, and similar alternatives are emerging.

Over decades in dermatology, I have seen interest in wrinkles and loose skin grow, and now interest in thinning hair is growing alongside it. For women, menopause is exactly the point where skin aging and hair aging meet.

How does WELLS treat thinning hair in Seoul?

At CutisBio, the company I founded, we developed CeraXosome, and at WELLS it is the core of our CeraXosome Scalp & Hair Program. The visit includes a scalp microbiome test and photos, CeraXosome delivered with a fine microneedle system after lidocaine spray, an AQ injection and electromagnetic therapy, followed by three months of NMN chews at home.

The package is ₩770,000 (VAT excluded) for the microbiome test, one session and three boxes of chews. Postmenopausal and postpartum shedding are among its listed uses, and it is often combined with medicine, so bring your current prescriptions for the dermatologist to review.

One session fits a Seoul trip, and the chews continue at home. In the clinical program sessions are repeated every two weeks, so we discuss whether return visits make sense. For other options, see korean hair loss treatment and scalp treatment.

Send photos of your hairline and crown with your travel dates on WhatsApp; we reply in English. WELLS is five minutes on foot from Apgujeong Station Exit 3. Results vary from person to person, and your plan is decided in consultation with your dermatologist.

This article explains general medical information from the video. It is not a diagnosis; results vary by person and are decided in consultation.