The Strength of Knowledge: Fixing an Everyday Problem

When it comes to problems, world advancement, or simple daily annoyances, I’ve always focused on finding out more — knowledge is power; with knowledge, solutions are more easily found.

Hair loss is beyond common in the U.S. In fact, 65% of men and 40% of women deal with visible hair loss before they’re 35! It’s rather frustrating that the beginning of hair loss isn’t even noticeable. Until about 50% of hair is lost, it won’t be readily obvious.

Ok, so KNOWLEDGE.

To start: an enzyme in the human body (5α-Reductase) converts excess testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In proper amounts, the body uses DHT to regulate prostate size. In excess, DHT causes hair loss, increases sebum production, and more.

DHT causes hair loss by gradually shrinking hair follicles. As follicles get smaller, hair has a more difficult time growing. As follicles grow too small, hair can’t grow anymore. When this happens, an empty hair follicle is left behind. The body sends less and less nutrient supply to the empty follicle, and biological debris fills in the empty spaces. After >50% of hair follicles have gone through this process, hair loss becomes visible. The length of time of this process can vary greatly; this is because of the lifespan of the stages of the natural growth cycle. More on that info, later though. Perhaps later this week? I’ll definitely link it here.

After I learned all this, my questions were:

What point in this cycle is the ideal point to stop hair loss?

Hmmm. This is a good question. I’d say blocking the enzyme would stop the whole thing closest to the source. It would also only effect the local DHT (by the scalp), reduce side effects, and work really well.

Why don’t we have a readily available fix yet, if all this science is available and deducible?

I dunno. Hair loss kills self confidence, but it isn’t a life threatening condition, so research probably hasn’t focused it.

The commonly recommended solutions have FDA approval, but don’t work too well. They also don’t explain the method of action behind the drug, which is kinda strange for pharmaceuticals. Why?

Minoxidil and finasteride are most commonly recommended. Minoxidil was originally a blood pressure medication; health care providers noticed that some hair growth was a side effect. Finasteride was (and still is, more details later) used to treat benign prostate hyperplasia — aka benign prostate enlargement. 30% of users experienced hair loss stopping as a side effect, and finasteride is now commonly used for BPH and hair loss.

Summed up: prescribed solutions come from observed side effects, and are now used as a sort of last hope solution. We know they effect hair loss in ~35% of people, but we’re not too clear on how.

What can I do to change this??

Aha. Spoiler: it’s been done. More later. For now, do some of your own research into all of this! Go do some research on the terms above, and see where we currently stand when it comes to stopping hair loss.

TLDR: DHT is good in moderation. Too much of it isn’t good. Much like your mom said, too much of anything isn’t good.

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If you’re looking to learn more, hit reply, or do some of your own research! Google some of the terms in this post for more.

❤,

Your Hair