Are Age-Related Vocal Changes Treatable?

Ever find your voice trailing off when you’re trying to make a point or suddenly sounding frail or weak during a conversation? You're not imagining things.

Just as your skin, joints, and muscles change with age, so does your voice. This condition even has a name: presbylaryngis, also known as presbyphonia or “the aging voice.”

But here’s the good news: Age-related vocal changes are often very treatable. ENT specialist and surgeon Dr. Phillip Ho and his team at Silicon Valley ENT & Sinus Center in Los Gatos, California, offer highly skilled care for voice disorders, including those related to aging.

Here’s a closer look at what can happen to your voice as you age, why it happens, and how we can help.

Common symptoms of age-related vocal changes

You may notice your voice becoming:

• Breathy, weak, or frail-sounding
• Less flexible in pitch
• Hoarse
• Shaky or tremulous
• Reduced in volume or projection
• Difficult to hear in noisy settings
• Unusually fatigued after talking

These changes can impact confidence, social interactions, and even emotional well-being.

What makes your voice change as you age?

As you age, several changes happen in the body that can affect your voice, including:

Thinning of the vocal cords

The vocal cords can lose tone and elasticity as you age. This makes them less effective at vibrating, which affects sound quality. You may find yourself straining to finish a sentence or struggling to add emphasis to your words due to these changes.

Dryness of the vocal cords

Aging reduces moisture production in the throat, leading to dry vocal cords. This dryness can increase vocal strain and make it more difficult to speak for extended periods.

Muscle loss (sarcopenia)

The muscles that support breathing and voice projection weaken with age. This can make it harder to speak loudly or sustain speech without fatigue.

Stiffening of the larynx (voice box)

The cartilage in the larynx becomes stiffer over time, which can affect the quality and range of the voice.

So, are age-related vocal changes treatable?

Absolutely. While you can’t turn back time, you can improve or even reverse many age-related vocal changes.

To determine the underlying cause of your voice changes, Dr. Ho starts with a physical assessment and detailed review of your symptoms. 

Your evaluation may include advanced diagnostic testing, such as video stroboscopy, which allows him to observe vocal cord vibrations during speech.

Depending on the evaluation results, Dr. Ho may recommend:

Voice therapy

Working with a speech-language pathologist who specializes in voice therapy is often the first and most effective step.

Voice therapy can help you:

• Strengthen the vocal cords
• Improve breath support and posture
• Reduce strain
• Increase endurance

Think of it as physical therapy for your voice box.

Medical treatments

If vocal cord atrophy (muscle thinning) is significant, Dr. Ho may recommend vocal fold injections. These procedures are typically performed in-office with minimal to no downtime required afterward.

The medications in the injections can help “bulk up” the cords, improving closure and sound.

Surgical options

In some cases, Dr. Ho may recommend a minor surgery (like medialization thyroplasty) to reposition the vocal cords for better closure. This is rare, however, and usually considered only after other treatments are tried.

Getting older doesn’t mean you have to lose your voice, literally or figuratively. Schedule a visit with Dr. Ho at Silicon Valley ENT & Sinus Center today. Call 408-317-1445 or request an appointment online.