Male Balding help??

[queenofheartz44]

Hello, my name is Niquole and quite new here (I just registered). Is there anything that can be done to help stimulate regrowth in my fiance's scalp? He had MPB (genetically) and in searching Google and adding LHC to the search I've only found a handful of posts discussing it and as far as I saw were a year or two old.

I know herbal supplements can be taken to help with hair growth so in theory, would it work for regrowth? The site has been a bit overwhelming with all of the amazing information on here and I've fried out my brain several times trying to absorbs all of the information. :eek:

I have so many questions about growing out hair and such and honestly don't know where to start posting, some of the questions I have seem to have been answered in some way or another. I guess this would be my first one!

[Firefox7275]

Welcome! Has your partner seen his family doctor or a dermatologist? The most effective treatments by far are medical/ pharmaceutical so nobody here should be 'prescribing' anything like that.

[queenofheartz44]

Welcome! Has your partner seen his family doctor or a dermatologist? The most effective treatments by far are medical/ pharmaceutical so nobody here should be 'prescribing' anything like that.

He said "no, not for that."

I'm trying to gather information and recipes for more natural (read: homemade) hair care. I know of the herbally section here so that will be tomorrows tackling of the site:)

[Firefox7275]

He said "no, not for that."

I'm trying to gather information and recipes for more natural (read: homemade) hair care. I know of the herbally section here so that will be tomorrows tackling of the site:)

AFAIK there are no proven homemade topical remedies that reverse male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia). IMO get a formal diagnosis and treatment backed by published research, the longer you mess about trying things that are unlikely to be effective the more hair that is lost so the harder the journey back and may even get to the stage of requiring transplantation. Whilst awaiting an appointment he might clean up his diet making it as nutrient dense and anti inflammatory as possible - probably won't have any effect alone, but will put his body into the healthiest state to produce new hairs when the right pharmaceutical product is introduced. Being physically active on a daily basis is beneficial to health, excessive intense formal exercise in males can contribute to MPB by messing with hormone levels.

[queenofheartz44]

Thank you so much for your speedy response, I passed the information along to him. We're looking at Bosely because it may be what's needed, will also head to the doctor.

[piney674]

I agree. Everything about your body and mind is so intricately intertwined. Your diet and activity level, lifestyle and mental state affect everything! He can try eating as healthy as possible ( though EVERYONE should be trying to take care of these beautiful body vessels we have, we only have one!) and scalp massages everyday twice a day to get those follicles stimulated and don't die. Blood flow to them is very beneficial!

[queenofheartz44]

I agree. Everything about your body and mind is so intricately intertwined. Your diet and activity level, lifestyle and mental state affect everything! He can try eating as healthy as possible ( though EVERYONE should be trying to take care of these beautiful body vessels we have, we only have one!) and scalp massages everyday twice a day to get those follicles stimulated and don't die. Blood flow to them is very beneficial!

He eats sort of healthy...there's a ton of room for improvement. I can do the scalp massages, I don't think he'd mind. Do I use any thing for those, oils, creams?

[gthlvrmx]

my father lost his hair cuz of the male pattern thing but the doctors recommended weird stuff like....the hair stuff rogaine?
it sucks. they gave him weird stuff that didnt work and amde his hair dry which broke off a lot of it. creams and stuff ointments that had weird stuff in it XD

doctors sometimes dont know eveyrhting or they do and keep the info away from you and say its somehting else. sounds dumb and crazy but its true. and when you find hte proof and find your own way, they look at you like ur dumb and laugh at you and say its too crazy but watever works! :)
sometimes the chemicals in the water can cause hair loss, food, stuff youre ingesting, stress, all that.

my moms hair loss was due to other stuff not genetically but the doctors and dermatologists said its female balding pattern but its not true we know it its the water here. they put weird stuff in it.

[SimplyViki]

Welcome! Has your partner seen his family doctor or a dermatologist? The most effective treatments by far are medical/ pharmaceutical so nobody here should be 'prescribing' anything like that.

Seconding this. All our other advice is not going to help, what you describe is a medical condition. If he doesn't want to seek medical attention for it, he's probably going to have to just roll with it.

[Nightshade]

While it is true that some of the prescription creams can be drying to some people's hair, everything in them is documented and disclosed.

As for all natural topical creams and oils, there are some thing that essential oils can help with related to hair loss. If your scalp has poor circulation, essential oils and scalp massage can help with that. If your scalp has a fungus problem, or is overly dry, or is prone to buildup, or is over-producing oil, those are all things that essential oils can impact.

MPB is caused by two things: genetic predisposition and hormones that cause each hair follicle to shrink, eventually strangling off the hair attempting to grow in it. Essential oils don't impact either of these things. Increasing circulation and reducing fungus or any number of other things might help and might seem to improve things slightly in some people, but they don't treat the underlying causes.

I agree that if he's serious about treatment he can start by talking to a medical professional and get his hormone levels checked. There's nothing wrong with using holistic treatments alongside traditional medical ones, but an official medical diagnosis is always the place to start :)

[jacqueline101]

I'd recommend going to the doctor.

[Alun]

Probably prescription drugs. Rogaine (minoxidil) seems the best bet, although I don't really know what side effects it has.

Some guys use Propecia (finasteride) instead and are OK with that, but that is the one that can have 'sexual side effects'. There is a study saying the side effects themselves can lead to depression and suicidal ideation (people paid money to figure that out?). Personally, I'd rather lose my hair than take the risk, but it doesn't affect everyone that way and some are willing to risk it.

Not a doctor, but I don't think it hurts to know these things going in, to say the least.

Fortunately, I have a full head of hair. Most men who develop MPB are pretty threadbare by age 30, and I'm just a little (!) on the wrong side of that.

ETA: Oh wait! We've been talking only about drugs. There is another option - hair transplants. I think those can work pretty well.

[fairview]

There is genetic balding and there is MPB and the two are distinctly different. Genetic balding is caused by encoding in the DNA. THE DNA has been preprogramed to have no more hair growth after certain conditions are met. Very similiar to the old school programing 'If a certain condition is met, then hair growth stops' resulting in balding.

MPB, which btw women can also be subjected to during and after the change when the E/T ratio becomes favored to T is caused by the formation of DHT. DHT is a catalyst for many of male puberty changes but after that pretty much it is know to cause begin prostrate enlargement, excessive amounts of body hair and MPB. It has nothing to do with muscle formation or maintenance and contrary to reported side effects has little if anything to do with libido or ability to perform. There is a living model of men on some nondescript island that are incapable of producing DHT but the mind is the strongest drug in existence. Nuff said about that, you can look up the sides of the meds I'm talking about and then make an informed decision. DHT is a natural metabolite of T. Essentially it strangles the hair follicles on the scalp by decreasing blood flow. After each dormant/resting stage, the diameter of the new hair that emerges is finer, eventually turning to vellus and then nothing.

Certain prescription drugs block the formation of DHT. The topical drugs previously mentioned act by blocking the formation of DHT at the follicle level. They need to be applied daily, some consider them messy and smelly. Generally they will cause a dramatic shed as they cause amny follicles in the resting stage to immediately go into a growth cycle. Many men panic and stop the application. The shed can last for up to 2 months and can be pretty severe. If daily applications cease the hair loss will return. If no results can be seen in six months, there will be no benefit.

Propecia and Advodart are drugs originally created for treatment of beging prostrate enlargement that work on the systemic level blocking DHT formation. Hair regrowth is a labelled use for Propecia. It is an off label use for Avodart. Avodart is more effective at blocking DHT formation. These two have the most side effects. They are also highly mutagenic to male fetus so a woman should not even handle them.

None of these meds are labelled or claimed to be effective for recession hair loss because they were not tested for that. They will work for recession loss for most (personal success experienced) but not everyone just as these meds will not prevent or cause regrowth in MPB. If no improvement is seen in six months, no improvement will be realized. These are life long meds. Stopping them will aloow the hair loss to return again.

Hope this helps.

BTW, great question that actually pertains to hair growth. They are few and far between.

[queenofheartz44]

While it is true that some of the prescription creams can be drying to some people's hair, everything in them is documented and disclosed.

As for all natural topical creams and oils, there are some thing that essential oils can help with related to hair loss. If your scalp has poor circulation, essential oils and scalp massage can help with that. If your scalp has a fungus problem, or is overly dry, or is prone to buildup, or is over-producing oil, those are all things that essential oils can impact.

MPB is caused by two things: genetic predisposition and hormones that cause each hair follicle to shrink, eventually strangling off the hair attempting to grow in it. Essential oils don't impact either of these things. Increasing circulation and reducing fungus or any number of other things might help and might seem to improve things slightly in some people, but they don't treat the underlying causes.

I agree that if he's serious about treatment he can start by talking to a medical professional and get his hormone levels checked. There's nothing wrong with using holistic treatments alongside traditional medical ones, but an official medical diagnosis is always the place to start :)
Is rosemary one of the essential oils toted for hair loss??

Probably prescription drugs. Rogaine (minoxidil) seems the best bet, although I don't really know what side effects it has.

Some guys use Propecia (finasteride) instead and are OK with that, but that is the one that can have 'sexual side effects'. There is a study saying the side effects themselves can lead to depression and suicidal ideation (people paid money to figure that out?). Personally, I'd rather lose my hair than take the risk, but it doesn't affect everyone that way and some are willing to risk it.

Not a doctor, but I don't think it hurts to know these things going in, to say the least.

Fortunately, I have a full head of hair. Most men who develop MPB are pretty threadbare by age 30, and I'm just a little (!) on the wrong side of that.

ETA: Oh wait! We've been talking only about drugs. There is another option - hair transplants. I think those can work pretty well.
Why aren't there more things for hair loss without such severe side effects? It makes no sense! That's as bad as medications used for allergies or anything really. The side effects are worse than the problem their treating. "Hey, guess what your runny nose will go away but in exchange you'll have heart palpitations, eye ticks, and possibly stop breathing, but hey! No more runny nose!" Bloody ridiculous! Pardon the language.

There is genetic balding and there is MPB and the two are distinctly different. Genetic balding is caused by encoding in the DNA. THE DNA has been preprogramed to have no more hair growth after certain conditions are met. Very similiar to the old school programing 'If a certain condition is met, then hair growth stops' resulting in balding.

MPB, which btw women can also be subjected to during and after the change when the E/T ratio becomes favored to T is caused by the formation of DHT. DHT is a catalyst for many of male puberty changes but after that pretty much it is know to cause begin prostrate enlargement, excessive amounts of body hair and MPB. It has nothing to do with muscle formation or maintenance and contrary to reported side effects has little if anything to do with libido or ability to perform. There is a living model of men on some nondescript island that are incapable of producing DHT but the mind is the strongest drug in existence. Nuff said about that, you can look up the sides of the meds I'm talking about and then make an informed decision. DHT is a natural metabolite of T. Essentially it strangles the hair follicles on the scalp by decreasing blood flow. After each dormant/resting stage, the diameter of the new hair that emerges is finer, eventually turning to vellus and then nothing.

Certain prescription drugs block the formation of DHT. The topical drugs previously mentioned act by blocking the formation of DHT at the follicle level. They need to be applied daily, some consider them messy and smelly. Generally they will cause a dramatic shed as they cause amny follicles in the resting stage to immediately go into a growth cycle. Many men panic and stop the application. The shed can last for up to 2 months and can be pretty severe. If daily applications cease the hair loss will return. If no results can be seen in six months, there will be no benefit.

Propecia and Advodart are drugs originally created for treatment of beging prostrate enlargement that work on the systemic level blocking DHT formation. Hair regrowth is a labelled use for Propecia. It is an off label use for Avodart. Avodart is more effective at blocking DHT formation. These two have the most side effects. They are also highly mutagenic to male fetus so a woman should not even handle them.

None of these meds are labelled or claimed to be effective for recession hair loss because they were not tested for that. They will work for recession loss for most (personal success experienced) but not everyone just as these meds will not prevent or cause regrowth in MPB. If no improvement is seen in six months, no improvement will be realized. These are life long meds. Stopping them will aloow the hair loss to return again.

Hope this helps.

BTW, great question that actually pertains to hair growth. They are few and far between.
Both his father and older brother are balding as well. I guess it started in his late teens and is slowly progressing like theirs. It really bothers him and I feel bad that while my own hair grows like a weed his is leaving him.

[Firefox7275]

[FONT=Book Antiqua]
[FONT=Book Antiqua][COLOR="#800080"]Why aren't there more things for hair loss without such severe side effects? It makes no sense! That's as bad as medications used for allergies or anything really. The side effects are worse than the problem their treating. "Hey, guess what your runny nose will go away but in exchange you'll have heart palpitations, eye ticks, and possibly stop breathing, but hey! No more runny nose!" Bloody ridiculous! Pardon the language.


Drugs (and some active 'herbal' remedies) reduce or increase the activity of one of more bodily chemical or hormone. None of these hormones or chemicals play one role only, neither do vitamins minerals or essentials fatty acids, they are have multiple actions - positive, neutral, negative, affecting absorption or conversion of other chemicals or hormones. It's incredibly difficult to just stop the one negative effect yet retain any positive effects. EVERY drug has unwanted side effects in some patients, no drug works for all and no drug cancels out poor lifestyle choices.

For many common health problems there is a scientifically proven partial or complete treatment that has few negative side effects: lifestyle modification. Most people are not willing to change their diet/ weight/ physical activity/ exercise regime/ sleep patterns/ smoking/ drinking (any relevant or all, not one) to get the proven benefits. What they want to do is pop pills, be that supplements or prescriptions.

Having said that AFAIK androgenic alopecia is not going to be 'cured' by lifestyle modification. There is however fascinating research in hayfever and other mild allergies or inflammatory conditions that might lead to a runny nose. It's bloody ridiculous that medical professionals are not routinely sharing this research with their patients. It's not bloody ridiculous that we can't completely control the human body, given we can't research the human body in an uncontrolled manner - we would have to accept all embryo research or using prisoners/ pregnant ladies/ those who are disabled/ other minority groups as UNwilling subjects, and I hope we have advanced beyond that.

[queenofheartz44]

OOH! Doctors telling their patients everything??! Be careful now that could be blasphemous. :bigtongue: Doesn't make it any less depressing though.

[Firefox7275]

OOH! Doctors telling their patients everything??! Be careful now that could be blasphemous. :bigtongue: Doesn't make it any less depressing though.

Ha ha ha, very true! It is very frustrating for those of us who work in lifestyle healthcare and know the sheer power of targeted healthy eating and physical activity. I know some US citizens feel the reason self care is not pushed to patients is financial, but it's the same here in the UK with our National Health Service which is funded by the state in a totally different way to your insurance based system.

[VixenWolfMare]

I really think soy can mess with guys a lot. Its in pretty much everything and is harder to iliminate from your diet then HFCS. I have many male friends who are in there 20s and starting to go blad and i find it just insane.