I started experiencing severe hair fall during menopause, and despite seeing a trichologist, and spending around vast amounts of money every month on treatments (vitamins and shampoos, mainly), the issue doesn't appear to have gone away.

What sort of treatments should I be using, and how much money should I be spending, in order to stop excessive hair shedding? 

Answer:

Firstly, assess your hair thinning and try to establish what stage of hair loss you are at. There are some treatments that can work well on early stages of thinning, but you may require more advanced treatments for more severe cases of hair loss.

As far as your current treatments go, spending vast amounts of money on vitamins and shampoos seems excessive. It appears that your trichologist is wanting to make money, first and foremost.

Most professionals in this sector would refer you to more advanced procedures, for that sort of money. £500, for example, could get you a PRP session, an LLLT session, or a deposit for a hair transplant. Shampoos and basic supplements like the ones you are using, just won't deliver the sort of results that you are looking for. Certainly not long term, anyway.

If it's just a multi vitamin supplement that you are taking, then it lacks key extracts like saw palmetto, pumpkin seed, nettle leaf, and ginkgo, that you hair would need in order to combat hair loss. The market leader, HR23+ supplement, contains all of these key extracts, which work in conjunction with its vitamins to deliver far superior results. So, if you want to take a hair supplement, then be sure it contains potent extracts as well as vitamins. 

Just a word of advice: Please avoid using minoxidil (Regaine), if it's something you've thought about trying. This medication can cause severe shedding, which is something that you should be looking to avoid. It's ok for early stages of androgenic alopecia in younger patients, but we've had so many of our readers in their 50s and 60s, telling us of their horrifying experiences with using minoxidil. 

Have you tried the Biotin & Collagen Shampoo by OGX? That, along with their Argan Oil Shampoo, is very popular with a lot of our readers. These shampoos do not treat hair loss, but they lather well, and add fullness to the hair. They also contain high protein additives which is always a benefit for the hair.

You may also want to think about trying ketoconazole shampoo (Nizoral), if you haven't done so already. Using it once a week can help with hair loss. It won't work miracles, but it's a good shampoo to use in conjunction with other treatments like HR23+.