• Specific Questions About Hair Loss
THE HAIR LOSS DIRECTORY
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A:
Sometimes treatments will cause follicles to "wake up" a few weeks early in initiating hair growth. This causes the old dormant hair that's still present to suddenly be ejected prematurely. Thus you may see a temporary wave of increased loss. It's only an apparent increase in actual loss, however, as this falling hair had stopped its growth cycle many weeks earlier and was just waiting to drop out. Increased fallout of this sort should normalize within a few weeks. If it continues over a prolonged period of time (a few months) it may be that the treatment is contraindicated. Note that the majority of people do not notice any increased shedding with various treatments. Increased shedding is most often a positive sign, but its absence is not a negative sign.
Note also that hair fallout is not perfectly uniform throughout the year, so sometimes increased or decreased shedding is simply coincidental with normal hair cycles. Also bear in mind that it is perfectly normal to lose hair every day. The problem with pattern loss is primarily one of having insufficient regrowth.
Note also that hair fallout is not perfectly uniform throughout the year, so sometimes increased or decreased shedding is simply coincidental with normal hair cycles. Also bear in mind that it is perfectly normal to lose hair every day. The problem with pattern loss is primarily one of having insufficient regrowth.
A:
Unless you're experiencing incredible irritation and redness, acute inflammation, or are undergoing an extremely toxic medical treatment, this week's loss has nothing to do with what you've been doing the last few days. The hair fallout you see this week is actually of hair that ended its growth cycle many weeks ago. Thus today's loss is a picture of the state of your scalp from at least 2 - 4 weeks (and probably more like 6 -12 weeks) ago. This hair was already in the loss phase, in other words, before you even started your recent treatment. Thus, short of mechanically pulling hair out prematurely or undergoing a course of chemotherapy or radiation, this week's falling hair is completely uninfluenced by what you're doing this week. Any loss you're seeing now is coincidental to other events. Similarly, what you're doing treatment-wise today won't be reflected in your hair fallout until several weeks from now.
Unless you're experiencing incredible irritation and redness, acute inflammation, or are undergoing an extremely toxic medical treatment, this week's loss has nothing to do with what you've been doing the last few days. The hair fallout you see this week is actually of hair that ended its growth cycle many weeks ago. Thus today's loss is a picture of the state of your scalp from at least 2 - 4 weeks (and probably more like 6 -12 weeks) ago. This hair was already in the loss phase, in other words, before you even started your recent treatment. Thus, short of mechanically pulling hair out prematurely or undergoing a course of chemotherapy or radiation, this week's falling hair is completely uninfluenced by what you're doing this week. Any loss you're seeing now is coincidental to other events. Similarly, what you're doing treatment-wise today won't be reflected in your hair fallout until several weeks from now.
A:
Many agents grow some hair in certain people. The question is whether or not a given treatment will grow a significant amount of hair in a significant percentage of people. Personal experimentation will provide the only sure answer for any given individual. On the other hand, there clearly are "snake oil" treatments that only make the seller's bank account grow, so be wary.
A:
Sometimes it can, as a percentage of the active ingredients gets absorbed into the scalp and left behind after rinsing. For instance, seborrheic dermatitis ("seb derm," a bad case of dandruff) is now thought to play a minor role in pattern loss. In the Propecia trials, researchers had test subjects use T/Gel shampoo (one of the many treatments for seb derm) as a means of leveling the field and cutting out this factor as a variable in determining results. Also, 2% prescription strength Nizoral shampoo used 2 - 4 times weekly was shown in one study to produce hair growth results comparable to 2% Minoxidil used once daily in a small group of group of test subjects. It was also shown in a larger group to increase the number of hairs in the anagen (growth) phase and to increase average hair shaft diameter. There are almost certainly other shampoos that can positively influence hair growth, as medication can reach the hair follicle fairly easily when the scalp is in a well-hydrated state. Water is a superb penetration enhancer that is, in fact, added liberally to many medicated penetrating creams.
A:
All treatments that work on the crown also work to some degree in the front--just not as well. Treatments are generally more effective the further back you go. Confusion arises because of the way some studies were conducted. With Minoxidil, for instance, studies only measured vertex balding; i.e., the traditional bald spot. Accordingly, the only hair growth results that the manufacturer--Upjohn--is allowed to claim pertain to the vertex.
A:
Unfortunately some of this hair regrowth is likely a direct consequence of minoxidil stimulation. Any such "Minoxidil-dependent hair" will return to baseline if you drop the Minoxidil. You might be able to lessen the frequency of Minoxidil applications and still maintain the hair, but don't count on finasteride alone being able to protect and retain all the new hair grown from the combination protocol.
A:
DHT is produced from testosterone by two 5-alpha reductase isoenzymes, called Type I and Type II. Type I 5AR is much more prominent in the scalp than Type II. However, immunostaining techniques reveal that Type I is abundant in sebaceous glands, while significant Type II is present in the dermal papilla itself. Glaxo Wellcome is currently testing a medication (Dutasteride) that inhibits both isoenzymes. It is noteworthy that Dutasteride also appears to inhibit more Type II 5AR than finasteride does. What remains to be seen is whether the incidence of side effects will increase with the dual inhibitor above the level seen with finasteride and whether results will be greater or not.
A:
DHT stands for dihydrotestosterone, which is produced from testosterone by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. DHT is the androgen thought to be most responsible for male pattern baldness. DHT has a very high affinity for the androgen receptor and is estimated to be five to ten times more potent than testosterone. Other androgens that may be significant in pattern loss include androstenedione, androstanedione and DHEA (especially in women). All of these fall into hormonal pathways that can potentially result in elevation of DHT downstream via various enzymes. It is possible that certain DHT metabolites may play a role in pattern loss as well.
A:
Saw palmetto has been used successfully in prostate enlargement. Accordingly it may have utility in pattern loss, though it has not been formally tested for this. Saw palmetto and finasteride are not really equivalent, since saw palmetto has a much broader range of anti-hormonal activity than finasteride. As for side effects, these are certainly possible with saw palmetto, though everyone will respond uniquely. It must be borne in mind that saw palmetto is as much a chemical concoction as finasteride; it was merely produced in nature's laboratory instead of a conventional one. Like anything, if it's potent enough to cause a biochemical change in the body--especially involving hormones--it's potent enough to cause side effects in some people. Saw palmetto may be useful topically.
A:
When the effects of androgens in the body are lessened, e.g. through lowering DHT or by systemic hormone receptor blockade, the body seeks equilibrium through a process called upregulation. This can take the form of increased hormone production and/or increased tissue sensitivity to the remaining hormones. The reason side effects usually gradually disappear with finasteride is probably due to such upregulation. In a small percentage of individuals, it may be that this process overshoots the mark, resulting in significant hyperandrogenicity. This is marked by such signs as greatly increased facial oil, increased pimples, and greatly elevated libido. It's possible that in certain cases such hyperandrogenicity overcomes the hair-protective effect of, say, finasteride, though this does not appear to be the case for the vast majority of people.