Hair loss understood and explained.

[beatinghairloss]

Here goes. Lets keep comments friendly.

[beatinghairloss]

Hair growth is affected by multiple factors much like the growth of a plant in your garden. You do not simply plant a seed in dry ground and expect the sun to do all the work. You also need water. Additionally this water needs certain nutrients to maintain the optimal level of plant health. Well much like a plant needing sun, water, and nutrients hair needs nutrient rich blood, sun and hormones. Well some hormones promote body and facial hair and some promote hair on the head. It just so happens that the hormone that promotes facial and body hair also damages hair on the head under the “wrong” condition. I will get to that wrong condition in a moment. First what is this hormone that promotes facial and body hair and is also the main cause for Male Pattern Baldness (MPB)? It’s called Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and it’s a potent androgen that is converted from Testosterone (T) in many places but primarily in your Prostate. This is in no way my opinion it is common knowledge that DHT is the culprit behind MPB and all medications on the market aim at stopping this conversion of T to DHT. The only medication that has had any real success with this was first introduced to the public under the brand name Propecia. Propecia claims to block the enzyme responsible for making this conversion of T to DHT and that enzyme is called the 5-Alpha Reductase. If you don’t already know, an enzyme is a catalyst that speeds up or in some cases makes a chemical reaction happen that other wise would not have been possible. Propecia makers originally prescribed the medication for people experiencing Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). In other words BPH is simply an enlarged prostate usually noticed by an increased in urine frequency and in most cases difficulty urinating. Propecia works by reducing the size of the prostate and it was later that it was discovered to grow hair on balding crowns of men. Sense then they have hypothesized that Propecia blocks T to DHT conversion via the inhibiting of the 5-Alpha Reductase. Its mechanism for doing this or to what degree it does is irrelevant because the reducing of the prostate is the key to re-growing hair. As Testosterone leaves the testicle(s) along with Sperm it travels to the Prostate where the semen is excreted through Dermal Cells to join the sperm to make the total ejaculate. Semen from the prostate keeps the sperm alive in the highly acidic Vagina. 95% of the Testosterone that gets to the prostate is converted into Dihydrotestosterone. These hormones are very much essential for reproductions and go on to be key in mammalian hair growth. At age 12 your prostate is only the size of pea where it begins a rapid growth phase that will slow down in your early 20’s. After you have reached this age and subsequently this size prostate you now are able per ejaculation to put out more DHT then ever before. So then DHT will promote hair growth in many places in your body before it affects hair however at high enough levels you begin to experience free DHT that simply has nowhere to go. A hair has growth phase of 6 years so if you have all the hair you need growing and you continue to have high DHT it’s going to be expelled out of your body VIA acne. Now this would be fine if it were not for that “condition” that I mentioned in the beginning. Because of various factors that are being discovered as you read this the scalp of males and females can become vary tight. It is in this tight scalp that DHT can not make it across the tiny capillaries running across the top of your head. The DHT literally gets clogged in the “run off” capillaries to the hair follicle and the hair starves to death. The tightness of the scalp comes in many forms and where that pressure is applied is what will begin this balding process subsequently determining the pattern at which someone will lose hair. Also, how fast the pressure is applied will determine how quickly you lose your hair in those areas. For some people the pressure gives at certain areas so they don’t lose as much hair other its all over and for some they have such thick loose scalps DHT never has a chance to cause hair loss. The list of possibilities in modernized societies contributing to a tight scalp and lack of blood flow is endless. The major players include stress, processed Carbohydrate foods, and medications. Stress is by far the worst because it increases muscle tension in the shoulders and neck subsequently pulling on the 3 major muscles of the head. These muscles in the head are; Frontalis, Temporal and Occipitalis http://medical-transcriptionist-refe...l-muscles.html. If you view the link here you will be able to see why these areas are prone to tightness due to stress and how they connect to the muscles of the shoulders and neck. The next note worthy observation one might make is the absence of muscles on the top of the head where coincidentally the worst cases of hair loss experience an entirely bald head. A very unuseful way of measuring a bald head is picture diagram called the Norwood Scale and the worst is a Norwood 7 .http://www.greathairtransplants.com/.../norwood12.jpg. This area that covers the top of the head is for most your life a generally loose, thick and tough layer of skin called the Galea Aponeurotica http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galea_aponeurotica. The Galea for short, is attached to the muscles of the head and is victim of the downward pulling of these tight muscles. Due to the shape of the skull as it grows into adult hood the downward pressure begins in certain places and has certain pressure giveaways where the pressure is stronger and weaker in different places on the head. This allows for various balding patterns but almost all having similarities. An excellent explanation of this diagram from a mathematical perspective is found here. http://www.worldhairloss.org/index.p...tern_baldness/. Genetics is over simplified which is why genetic hair loss as they say, can come from your mother, father, or distant relative. This fact is most of hair loss comes from genetic skull shape, muscle configuration even inherited habits. These habits may include food or medications. For example, Motrin is a strong Vasodilator that if taken regularly will contribute to hair loss. Studies show parents who rely on Motrin for pain relief often have children who do the same. Food contributes to hair loss because high processed foods cause plaque induced high blood pressure which will slow down free blood flow while fruit and vegetales counteract these substances. To talk of the benefits of whole foods I could go on for hours so I will state very clearly that diet alone will not stop hair loss but if all other contributors are corrected diet too must be addressed.

As Testosterone leaves the testicle(s) along with Sperm it travels to the Prostate where the semen is excreted through Dermal Cells to join the Semen to make the total ejaculate. Semen from the prostate keeps the sperm alive in the highly acidic Vagina. 95% of the Testosterone that gets to the prostate is converted into Dihydrotestosterone.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2055645.

Botox study Shows the importance of circulation and a cushioned scalp
http://journals.lww.com/plasreconsur...ulinum.79.aspx

Minoxodil is a vasodilator that increases blood flow.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6239893

shows the significant decrease in blood flow to the balding areas where as people not balding had no decrease in blood flow at all
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8628793

study showing a rise in testosterone after day 7 of abstience suggesting at the very least a week is how long it takes for your body to balance its hormones out following ejaculation
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12506329

This study shows one ejaculation a week will rise DHT levels and its the only hormone effected by ejaculation.
http://www.bmj.com/content/310/6990/1289.full

Women have one tenth the amount of testosterone as compared to men but by age forty, their level can rise to half that of a 20 year-old man. Mainly for women DHT is converted from T in the brain and skin. This explains why most women never have enough DHT to cause hair loss and the ones who do its usually later in life.
http://wellnessmd.com/index.php?opti...=64&Itemid=106

[greatjob!]

Oh no!! Not this crackpot shit again!!

[beatinghairloss]

No hogwash. Educated, sited, and practical rebuttals only if you must. I have provided my evidence for my theories and conclusions so please either do the same or don’t comment at all.

[8868alex]

I respect the amount of work put into your post, but I have to ask, are you therefore advocating celibacy? I'm sure your research would indicate that ejaculating merely causes a "spike" in Testosterone levels. This has a minimal effect on hair loss.

[beatinghairloss]

I respect the amount of work put into your post, but I have to ask, are you therefore advocating celibacy? I'm sure your research would indicate that ejaculating merely causes a "spike" in Testosterone levels. This has a minimal effect on hair loss.

My research suggests that ejaculating will accelerate hair loss depending on three variables; blood flow, scalp tightness, and amount of DHT per ejaculation. The spike in T is irrelevant because its counterpart is DHT. T only spikes because after 7 days elevated levels of DHT go down. It’s a tradeoff. The prostate and testicles have a refractory period of 7 days so DHT is spiked during this time and when it goes down T shoots back up. Get it? I don’t support celibacy unless someone is using it for hair loss I am not religious. I myself ejaculate about once a week sometimes more this reduced amount has kept my hair line the same for three years. My beautiful wife is sexually active and I won’t trade my hair for the possibility of her losing interest. If I really cared about my hair enough I would quit all together but I enjoy sex more then my desire to keep my hair. Either way people should know that the choice is yours. If I was single I would surely not ejaculate till I met a girl.

[Dave123]

Whatdo you suppose we do though? You listed logical points but you don't offer solutions. Massage the scalp? If so, how?

And how Do you explain the burning sensations in areas that are thinning?

[8868alex]

My research suggests that ejaculating will accelerate hair loss depending on three variables; blood flow, scalp tightness, and amount of DHT per ejaculation. The spike in T is irrelevant because its counterpart is DHT. T only spikes because after 7 days elevated levels of DHT go down. It’s a tradeoff. The prostate and testicles have a refractory period of 7 days so DHT is spiked during this time and when it goes down T shoots back up. Get it? I don’t support celibacy unless someone is using it for hair loss I am not religious. I myself ejaculate about once a week sometimes more this reduced amount has kept my hair line the same for three years. My beautiful wife is sexually active and I won’t trade my hair for the possibility of her losing interest. If I really cared about my hair enough I would quit all together but I enjoy sex more then my desire to keep my hair. Either way people should know that the choice is yours. If I was single I would surely not ejaculate till I met a girl.

No, I'm afraid I "don't get it". You don't even mention the individual's genetic sensitivity to DHT - this is far more significant. Your research only points to theory, not neccesarily fact. In any case, the idea that one should not ejaculate until "they meet a girl" pretty much renders you an extremist and to be honest, a bit odd. But hey, if this works for you then all power to you. I think you've come to the wrong place to sermonise though.

[beatinghairloss]

Whatdo you suppose we do though? You listed logical points but you don't offer solutions. Massage the scalp? If so, how?

And how Do you explain the burning sensations in areas that are thinning?

You have valid questions and aside from reducing ejaculations to comfortable minimum I can’t tell you anything for sure. However, I find something’s to be noticeably practical for instance. I think switching to a healthy diet full of good fats (avocados, fish, seeds, and nuts) will put the things you need in your blood. Then relieving the current tension on the scalp is a must. How? Not fully sure of the best way but massaging has helped my scalp and I do it in a circular motion making sure to do it gently but firmly all over especially in the areas where the three major head muscles are. A towel helps grasp the skin better without creating friction because it doesn’t slide. The blood vessels will bulge making it apparent that not only is blood flow increasing but it also suggests that the blood is not freely flowing enough do to the increased pressure in the galea. I think Tom Haggerty’s scalp exercises also help because it again brings blood to these muscles. Following this with a good brushing (people hype the boar bristles I prefer soft tip rounded brushes) will move blood even more. Once you begin to have a looser scalp by even using laxity exercises in the tight surrounding areas you at least allow nutrients to begin to build regular dermal layers with a fat cushion. Thin skin is bad skin just look at the people balding and touch there scalp then find someone with a lot of hair and this will be very apparent to you. I suppose before doing all this exercising would really kick start blood flow as Nitric Oxide is the only potent vasodilator in your body and it is released during exercise. Minoxidil (Rogaine)…notice oxidil referring to the production of Nitric Oxide….Minoxidil does just that…. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoxidil. If you were doing all of these regularly and keeping DHT productions down via reduced Ejaculations I can only imagine what you could accomplish. As you can see this type of radical lifestyle change has been attempted……well never. If you have better ideas let me know…if it sounds logical Ill try it.

[Dan26]

Interesting.

Do you take Propecia and/or Rogaine beatinghairloss?

Also what do you know about facial hair and how it's effected by DHT and related to balding. You seem some bald guys with full beards, some guy with no beards, some people only get beards in their mid-later adulthood. I've never really got a clear answer on how something like propecia would affect facial hair.