15 replies to this topic

[lecithin]

Hair loss runs in my family. I haven't had any significant hair loss yet, but I suppose it's just a work in progress for my body. Anyways, I don't like the idea of rubbing minoxidil into my scalp every morning for the rest of my life (unless it's that VS being bald).

Are there any herbal or pharmaceutical treatments for hairless that are ingested orally? I don't know how an oral supplement could just stimulate hair follicle growth on the head and not elsewhere, but maybe I'm ignorant.

I already maintain a healthy lifestyle and healthy diet / supplements. Is there any preventative stuff I could be doing now that doesn't involve rubbing crap in my hair every morning?

Cheers

[amonavis]

Hair loss runs in my family. I haven't had any significant hair loss yet, but I suppose it's just a work in progress for my body. Anyways, I don't like the idea of rubbing minoxidil into my scalp every morning for the rest of my life (unless it's that VS being bald).

Are there any herbal or pharmaceutical treatments for hairless that are ingested orally? I don't know how an oral supplement could just stimulate hair follicle growth on the head and not elsewhere, but maybe I'm ignorant.

I already maintain a healthy lifestyle and healthy diet / supplements. Is there any preventative stuff I could be doing now that doesn't involve rubbing crap in my hair every morning?

Cheers

Yes! Propecia is the gold standard oral treatment for hairloss. If you cant affort propecia since it is cosmetic, use proscar and divide the tablets in quarters and you will get a similar dose to propecia. Some doctors will also prescribe Avodart off label.

[nowayout]

Yes! Propecia is the gold standard oral treatment for hairloss.

But be aware that this drug can have rather serious side effects (the anecdotal wisdom on various forums is that side effects are more common and worse than those reported in FDA approval studies). At least read www.propeciahelp.com before using this.

[Ghostrider]

Yes! Propecia is the gold standard oral treatment for hairloss.

But be aware that this drug can have rather serious side effects (the anecdotal wisdom on various forums is that side effects are more common and worse than those reported in FDA approval studies). At least read www.propeciahelp.com before using this.

If you are concerned about hair loss, you should consider starting Propecia immediately. I wish my parents put me on it when I first noticed hair loss at the age of 17. Fortunately, I have lost little or no hair since then up until recently. I think the hair loss recently was due to stress and less than ideal nutrition. I have fixed both, started using Propecia and Minoxidil and I think I am starting to see some regrowth. I have a prescription for proscar, but checkout Alldaychemist. It's cheaper to get from there.

[tintinet]

IIRC, dutasteride was found to be more effective than finasteride, no?

1: J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 Dec;55(6):1014-23

The importance of dual 5alpha-reductase inhibition in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: results of a randomized placebo-controlled study of dutasteride versus finasteride.
Olsen EA, Hordinsky M, Whiting D, Stough D, Hobbs S, Ellis ML, Wilson T, Rittmaster RS; Dutasteride Alopecia Research Team.

Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA. olsen001@mc.duke.edu

BACKGROUND: Male pattern hair loss (MPHL) is a potentially reversible condition in which dihydrotestosterone is an important etiologic factor. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of the type 1 and 2 5alpha-reductase inhibitor dutasteride in men with MPHL. METHODS: Four hundred sixteen men, 21 to 45 years old, were randomized to receive dutasteride 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 or 2.5 mg, finasteride 5 mg, or placebo daily for 24 weeks. RESULTS: Dutasteride increased target area hair count versus placebo in a dose-dependent fashion and dutasteride 2.5 mg was superior to finasteride at 12 and 24 weeks. Expert panel photographic review and investigator assessment of hair growth confirmed these results. Scalp and serum dihydrotestosterone levels decreased, and testosterone levels increased, in a dose-dependent fashion with dutasteride. LIMITATIONS: The study was limited to 24 weeks. CONCLUSION: Dutasteride increases scalp hair growth in men with MPHL. Type 1 and type 2 5alpha-reductase may be important in the pathogenesis and treatment of MPHL.

PMID: 17110217 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[JLL]

Yes, and more side effects.

A lot of the hair growth studies I've written about on my blog are about topicals, but there are a couple of hair-in-a-pill claims as well.

[JLL]

This may be good news for preventing balding:

Soy isoflavones reduce DHT, increase testosterone

Rats on the soy flour diet had significantly lower DHT levels than rats on the control diet. Similarly, the DHT levels of the rats on the soy isoflavone diet were about 60% lower DHT than in the control group.

Rats on the soy flour diet had similar levels of testosterone + dihydrotestosterone (T+DHT) as the control group. Since their DHT levels were lower, however, this means that there was an increase in testosterone from eating the soy flour diet. In the soy isoflavone diet, this effect was even clearer; not only was the reduction in DHT balanced by an increase in testosterone, but the total T+DHT levels were much higher than they were before the diet.

[miklu]

An overview of proven baldness treatments:

Baldness (more specifically, male-pattern baldness, MPB) is ultimately caused by male hormones, androgens; this is why women (very rarely) suffer from it. Treating MPB with orally administered drugs that block androgens is therefore simple in principle, but carries the risk of side effects, for example, erectile dysfunction and breast growth. Topical products, which are applied locally on the head, are safer since they don't affect the rest of your body.

The top three proven MPB treatments, with complementary mechanisms of action, are:

1) Minoxidil (sold under names Rogaine or Regaine). It works by boosting hair growth, although the exact mechanism is still somewhat unknown. Sold over the counter. Applied locally.

2) 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs). These include the standard finasteride (sold under names Propecia and Proscar) and the more aggressive dutasteride (sold under name Avodart). They work by reducing the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the androgen principally responsible for MPB. They are typically administered orally, although topical solutions exist too (albeit at a higher price); the oral solutions have (relatively) little side effects.

3) General anti-androgens. For example, spironolactone and flutamide. These block all androgens, and therefore have the most side effects when administered orally. Very rarely prescribed for male patients. Topical solutions exist too, albeit at a higher price.

A standard, tried-and-true regimen for MPB is minoxidil plus finasteride. If this doesn't work you, you may wish to try replacing finasteride with dutasteride, although dutasteride for MPB is still somewhat experimental.

A gold standard for MPB treatments are proprietary topical products which combine all three proven MPB treatments, for example, minoxidil, dutasteride and flutamide. Naturally, they tend to be rather pricey (daily costs starting at $2). I'm not sure if I should post commercial links here, but you should be able to google them easily.

[nowayout]

2) 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs). These include the standard finasteride (sold under names Propecia and Proscar) and the more aggressive dutasteride (sold under name Avodart). They work by reducing the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the androgen principally responsible for MPB. They are typically administered orally, although topical solutions exist too (albeit at a higher price); the oral solutions have (relatively) little side effects.

I am not sure the "little side effects" part is accurate. It has become common wisdom in some circles, albeit without quantitative proof, that the incidence of side effects is almost certainly larger than the official FDA inserts based on the original studies indicate. Could trials have been biased? Who knows... The percentage of users experiencing side effects such as lowered libido, gyno, loss of nocturnal erections, and changes of body composition over longer periods appears to be quite significant.

For some users the side effects can be very serious. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that some users can experience long term or even permanent hypogonadism, ED, loss of libido, brain fog, depression or brain fog, gyno, and so on. Reports can be found all over, including at propeciahelp.com, on bodybuilding sites, a couple here on imminst.org, and so on. It is fairly typical to find threads starting with "I used propecia for x amount of time" posted by users desperate to find a way of reestablishing a normal hormonal profile and/or recover normal sexual, physical and mental functioning.

As for dutasteride, hair loss trials were initiated but a decision was made not to apply for FDA approval. It is unknown why but the possibility exists that side effects were too severe.

Edited by andre, 26 May 2009 - 06:18 PM.

[miklu]

I am not sure the "little side effects" part is accurate. It has become common wisdom in some circles, albeit without quantitative proof, that the incidence of side effects is almost certainly larger than the official FDA inserts based on the original studies indicate. Could trials have been biased? Who knows... The percentage of users experiencing side effects such as lowered libido, gyno, loss of nocturnal erections, and changes of body composition over longer periods appears to be quite significant.

Sorry, I meant little side effects relative to the more general anti-androgens, such as flutamide. 5-ARIs are more selective, and only inhibit DHT formation.

For some users the side effects can be very serious. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that some users can experience long term or even permanent hypogonadism, ED, loss of libido, brain fog, depression or brain fog, gyno, and so on. Reports can be found all over, including at propeciahelp.com, on bodybuilding sites, a couple here on imminst.org, and so on. It is fairly typical to find threads starting with "I used propecia for x amount of time" posted by users desperate to find a way of reestablishing a normal hormonal profile and/or recover normal sexual, physical and mental functioning.

I feel sorry for these fellows, but it could also be self-selection bias: the people who had side effects flock to these support sites, creating an illusion of widespreadness.

I'm not denying the existence or the severity of possible side effects of finasteride, or any other drugs. Naturally, anyone starting a new drug regimen should keep an eye on side effects, and intervene quickly if they were to occur.

[sentrysnipe]

Interesting tidbit:
Vitamin D Analogues reverse Hair Loss (e.g., Calcitriol, etc.)
You can try applying topical D3 to your scalp + using DermaRoller
or You can also use the more bioavailable Calcitriol, topical "Vectical" cream marketed by Galderma, Rx for Psoriasis released last Feb.

Um you could also try Tocotrienols by Carotech (Tocomin SupraBio):
Vitamin E may reverse male pattern baldness: Study
http://www.nutraingr...-baldness-Study
http://www.vitafoods...er/SpeakerID=15
http://www.carotech....x/news/219.html

Here's one with before/after results, using DermaRoller and PRP:
(Platelets Rich Plasma)

http://doctorgreco.b...lls-in-prp.html

And then there's Follica:

http://tressless.com...rbs-and-spices/
http://www.wipo.int/...mp;DISPLAY=DESC

DermaRoller + EGFR Inhibitor (like Genistein from Soy) = permanent hair lol (really?)

[Ghostrider]

There are 2 companies working on hair cloning, Intercytex and Histogen. I think Intercytex just completed phase 2 trials. Probably will be available although very expensive in a few years.http://www.hairlosst...t...=33&t=51330

[eddy_123uk]

Lecithin:

1. To elaborate on my post in the other forum, it may be beneficial to find out how old your family members were when they first showed signs of mpb as this will be an indicator. But even then, if you haven't showed signs yet then BY NO MEANS does it follow that you'll experience it at all!

2. A healthy supplement regimen for someone who isn't tackling mpb is very different from that of someone who is. Google mpb research.

[JLL]

Do Flax Lignans Reduce Hair Loss from MPB?

Over a six-month period, 10 men, between the ages of 20 and 70 and in varying stages of AGA, consumed one 250 mg capsule of LinumLife EXTRA. Photographs were used to document hair loss conditions at the beginning of the study. At the end of the test period, eight men reported modest improvement of their hair loss condition, one reported much improvement and one subject reported no effect. Initial effects were noticed, on average, within one to two months of starting supplementation with flax lignans and no side effects were reported. Throughout the study, the daily number of hairs lost decreased and 50 percent of subjects noticed a decrease in oil secretion in their scalp. More noticeable improvements were noted in subjects with more severe conditions of AGA.

[alexd]

Ok this works. I went bald. I am not as bald now. Both a friend and
I have experienced regrowth of hair which seems to be due to taking fairly high doses of resveratrol . Buy the shampoo Nizoral it is available otc. Wash your hair with reg shampoo first then use a tiny amount of the Nizoral and rewash. This simply lets you use less of it. The reason to use this is that it was discovered that it removes the chemical that causes hairloss. It was also found to work better in conjunction with rogaine. If I had these things at a young age I probably would not have lost my hair.

Propecia also has to be kept away from pregnant women they are not supposed to even touch it for it causes birth defects, so if you are going to cut it up and there is even a possibility of a woman being around, clean up very carefully and dispose of all materials used carefully. Better still do not use it.

[JLL]

Ok this works. I went bald. I am not as bald now. Both a friend and
I have experienced regrowth of hair which seems to be due to taking fairly high doses of resveratrol . Buy the shampoo Nizoral it is available otc. Wash your hair with reg shampoo first then use a tiny amount of the Nizoral and rewash. This simply lets you use less of it. The reason to use this is that it was discovered that it removes the chemical that causes hairloss. It was also found to work better in conjunction with rogaine. If I had these things at a young age I probably would not have lost my hair.

Propecia also has to be kept away from pregnant women they are not supposed to even touch it for it causes birth defects, so if you are going to cut it up and there is even a possibility of a woman being around, clean up very carefully and dispose of all materials used carefully. Better still do not use it.

How much & what purity resveratrol? How much regrowth? Any pics?