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An All You Need Guide on Hair Loss Reversal
Please note that the effects of medication and steroids on hair CAN vary significantly from individual to individual. It all depends on your genetic predisposition/health/lifestyle, some unlucky few will still lose hair despite treatment or have side effects despite low dosages.
i also cba formatting this thread, this is just an informational New Years gift.
Please note that the effects of medication and steroids on hair CAN vary significantly from individual to individual. It all depends on your genetic predisposition/health/lifestyle, some unlucky few will still lose hair despite treatment or have side effects despite low dosages.
i also cba formatting this thread, this is just an informational New Years gift.
Reversing Hair Loss:
First, it is crucial to identify the cause of hair loss (if at all possible), which can be due to factors such as diet, stress, hormones, ferritin, and vitamin D deficiency, improper organ function (eg thyroid, liver), androgen use.
1. Early intervention is crucial for hair loss reversal, the earlier the better but you would be surprised at the hair loss that can be reversed.
2. Oral finasteride or at a daily dose as low as 0.25 mg can be just as effective as using 1 mg daily as maximal DHT suppression is at about 0.2mg and it comes with a significantly reduced risk of side effects. Many of the side effects tend to resolve after around 2 weeks. Adding 150 mg of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can help alleviate most of these side effects, particularly those related to erectile function. It's not solely the decrease in serum and scalp dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels, but also the alteration in the testosterone/estradiol/DHT ratio within the hair follicle that contributes to the positive impact on hair growth and overall hair health from 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.
3. Oral minoxidil combined with oral finasteride is highly effective for regrowth and thickening of hair (finasteride stops hair loss, then minoxidil regrows the hair), with noticeable results as early as two months. The recommended dosage for oral minoxidil is usually 2.5 mg daily; half of that can also be effective. A dosage of 4-5 mg is generally the maximum before the ratio of benefits to side effects becomes unfavorable and is considered overkill.
How to Protocol and Reasoning:
Take oral finasteride (or dutasteride) at a minimum effective dose of 0.25-0.5 mg daily or on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays - the half-life is short, but finasteride functions similarly to aromasin - plus daily oral minoxidil at 1.25-2.5 mg. Lower doses result in fewer side effects.
Taking finasteride at a dose of 0.1 mg daily reduces serum DHT by about 50% and scalp DHT by about 70%. At 1 mg daily, you can achieve a 70% reduction in both serum and scalp DHT. However, a dose of 0.2 mg daily can almost replicate the DHT reduction in the scalp and serum achieved by 1 mg daily. Therefore, taking 0.5 mg on MWF or 0.25 mg daily is equivalent to taking 1 mg daily but with fewer risks of side effects.
Some individuals absorb topical minoxidil very well; there are many cases of body hair growth from topical scalp minoxidil applications. However, there is no need to use topical minoxidil if it causes irritation. Oral medication is often significantly more effective than topical solutions, and some people experience fewer side effects with oral than with topical usage. The same applies to finasteride.
For microneedling, once a week is sufficient. The most effective microneedle device is not a derma-roller. In terms of effectiveness: Stamp > Pen > Roller.
Extra Information on Hair Loss + Steroids
The likelihood of hair regrowth is highest for those with miniaturized or thinned hair. It becomes significantly more difficult to fully recover hair once it reaches a "slick bald" stage.
Most men who take a low dose of finasteride, especially in conjunction with TRT, will experience little to no side effects after an initial adjustment period of 2-4 weeks. 90% of men suffering from PFS symptoms are taking 1 mg of finasteride daily. Even a small dose of 0.1 mg can have identical effects. The dose makes the poison.
Some of the side effects of finasteride are not related to the decrease in DHT levels, such as allopregnanolone and estradiol. These side effects occur due to the hormone itself. Finasteride is a steroid hormone, similar to aromasin, and has its own possible "non-genomic" effects. The hormone is active in the body for a short half-life of around 8 hours, but its DHT-reducing effect lasts much longer. If you take the medication three times a week, you may only experience the side effects on the days you take it, even though your DHT levels remain identical. This is why you use a low dose.
Finasteride will still help in a tren/deca/winstrol cycle if you are also running testosterone with them. Likely, it is not just serum and scalp DHT decrease that makes finasteride/dutasteride work so effectively for hair loss prevention/reversal but also the change in DHT to E2/T ratio in the body and hair follicle it makes happen.
DHT is especially androgenic because it binds to the androgen receptor for a very long time compared to other androgens.
On cycle/blast, AAS push hair follicles to the telogen phase & induce miniaturization. Some AAS are more "hair-friendly" than others. Comparing all of them would be too long. If you're excessively worried about hair loss don't do steroids. If you do decide to hop on - don't abuse compounds or orals, possibly stay away from DHT derivatives, do not suddenly do a multi-compound cycle, test each one for an extended period. Personally, my hairline has not moved a CM or has experienced any thinning despite trying out tren, deca, test, anavar, dbol, primo.
DHT derivative AAS may cause an even faster hair loss rate. "DHT compounds" (5α-androstan-3-ones, like Mast, Anadrol, Superdrol) are believed to cause androgenic alopecia, but Anavar is considered "hair safe", proving that people are not good at determining cause and effect. There is no known relationship between potency and hair loss, and no data to place AAS on any continuum.
Obviously, lifestyle and diet affect our hair health, including vitamin D, iron/ferritin, and protein/collagen levels. A serving of 10 grams of collagen peptides per day helps with skin, nails, and joints. Bone broths can provide glycine/proline, the building blocks of collagen, a lot of the benefit from collagen supplementation is from the glycine/proline. Biotin has limited research but may improve hair growth with 10,000 mg/day. For vitamin D, 5,000 IU daily with some fat is usually enough to maintain levels of 40-80 ng/mL.
although the thread seems lackluster, the fin/dut + minox protocol with micro needling is realistically going to work for the majority of the already small population that needs it.
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