Hair loss and testosterone

[1more]

Hi,

I'm a young guy and unfortunately my hair is starting to thin. Not to the point where other people will really notice but having a full head of hair is very important to me. I have started to use proscar and it has stopped the thinning but I am wondering what real effects this will have on my testosterone levels. I've read up on a lot of articles etc explaining DHT and bodybuilding but they all seem to be related to gear. I'm only natural (and cannot move onto gear or test boosters) so this information has been hard to translate to my situation.

So basically if you are a young natural guy trying to bulk, will proscar decrease your testosterone at all? Also will this be to the point that it will impact on your gains? If so will a natural product like tribullus help and if so will it negate the effects of the proscar?

Thanks

[The Luke]

I'm a bit on the busy (and sick) side at the moment 1more (see my "Notice: Fellow Natural Boarders" thread for details), but I will answer this question to the best of my ability as soon as I can. Just posting this answer to let you know I haven't forgotten about your query.

The Luke

[1more]

Thanks mate

[littleguns]

1 more....how was/is the hair like of your grandfather on your Mom's side.

Genetically you get your hair genes from your Mother's side.....

[Ursus]

i am literally just turned 20 and i think ive receeding hairline. thing is it may just stop and not go ne furthur a la jack nicholson or it could go really far back.

opefully stops where it is as it makes me paranoid. i never really noticed it but ppl slag me about it. i dunno maybe cos its so short. heresa pic tho i def believe high test makes ya balder.

my bro is 27 and hair receeded badly and now hes gettin a  bald spot. dads only got hair round his side. mums father had lots of hair.

[The Luke]

There is a very strong tendency/correlation to (male pattern) balding carried by the female line (as the genes involved are carried on the X sex determinant chromosome).

Hence the fastest way to determine (relatively reliably) your.... follicular future... is to survey the crowns of your uncles... but only on your mothers side (mothers brothers), likewise the forehead quotient of your grand-uncles (maternal grandmothers brothers) is highly

The bald/non-bald status of your father; paternal uncles; paternal grandfather; maternal grandfather; grand uncles on your fathers side (paternal grandmothers brothers).... all have very little involvement.

Sorry lads... if you have bald brothers or bald uncles on your mothers side... you are most probably going to go bald yourself.


Soon as I can (see my previous post in this thread) I'll write a small article explaining the reasons, and perhaps more interestingly... what you can do about it.


The Luke

[Ursus]

ive only one uncle and he aint bald yet. there is hope

better go about knocking up a 17yr old so i can pin her down to me lol

[The Luke]

This uncle, is he your mothers brother or your fathers brother?

It only counts if he's your mothers brother.


The Luke

[Ursus]

my mas. my das brothers are balding with one a pure fuckin egg lol dads bald also

[The Luke]

Well then there's hope.


The Luke

[1more]

If your really worried about your hairline receeding any further get on the proscar/propecia. It stops your hair falling out dead in its tracks...but as I said before I would like to know how it affects your ability to build muscle. I know it alters your body's DHT levels but I'm not sure its 'real life' effects. The information I've found basically says you can offset this with increasing your test levels but because I'm natural this isn't an option. Anways... some direction would be much appreciated.


Thanks again



Also my mum's dad is bald so I'm fukt without the proscar

[The Luke]

1more,

Mum's dad doesn't count, doesn't have any effect... only:
-your brothers
-your mums brothers (maternal uncles)
-your mums mums brothers (maternal grand uncles)
etc etc

I agree with you about finasteride (I take it myself), however here in Ireland 1mg and 2mg finasteride tablets packaged as Propecia simply aren't available... you have to order them in at $90-$120 per pack of 28 (I still don't understand why a packet of 28 one mg tablets costs the exact same as a packet of 28 two mg tablets though). Otherwise, you have to get a prescription for the prostate treatment Proscar (28 five milligram finasteride tablets) which surprisingly is partially covered by health insurance.... and amazingly is only $70!

Simply take a tablet every three days, or 1/3 of a tablet every day (1.6 mg per day) and that pack of Proscar will last three months!!! Five times the finasteride... only one sixth the cost, go figure.


Strangely I'm also very concerned that DHT suppression (and the accompanying slight increase in estrogen levels) may well hinder the progress of natural trainees. Perhaps by keeping our hair a little longer we are slowing our muscle gains, or maybe even making it harder to lose bodyfat. Does that make us Super-naturals?

Remember guys, the only guaranteed method of stopping male pattern baldness is castration.

Suddenly the prospect of a crew-cut of thinning, fine hair (or ostentatious comb-over as might be to your taste) doesn't seem so bad.

The Luke

[BallzDeep69]

High test doesn't mean shit when it comes to balding.  Old ladies don't have any test in their system, yet we always see those little old grannies walking around with thin to almost no hair.

It's just bad genes, plain and simple!  You could cut your nuts off and you'd still go bald eventually, it's just meant to be for alot of people!

[blondmusclhunk]

I think its mostly genitics some freinds and myself have used gear off and on for 3 yrs and none of us have lost hair.  I think if your pre disposed and you use gear you will definatley see a dramatic loss.  Some people loose it when theyre natural too.

[The Luke]

Actually castration stops MPB (male pattern baldness). Eunuchs keep their hair all through their lives.... however age related alopecia (thinning hair due to old age) is not gender specific, being more a measure of general cell health within the body. If you carry the gene which produces the enzyme that converts testosterone to the active isomer of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) then you will suffer male pattern baldness once you produce enough testosterone (6% converts to DHT).... stress, illness and poison/exposure related balding is specific to risk, not genetics. Women with enlarged adrenal glands produce enough testosterone to cause MPB, which shows the gene is actually on the X chromosome and therefore maternally inherited. There are other biochemcal annd genetic components to MPB, but isoformic (immune reactive) DHT is the biggest culprit

As a matter of interest, electric shocks can kill every hair follicle in the body at one. Over the course of a fortnight (two weeks) every hair sheds... head, body, pubic hair, eyebrows... even eye-lashes... as famously happened to the Irish folk singer Brush Shields.

The Luke