Addendum

Long and detailed article questioning DHT as the cause of baldness.

Here’s an extract:

“We’re attempting to answer one of the most challenging paradoxes in hair loss research:

If the male hormone DHT causes hair loss, but DHT-inhibiting drugs like Propecia only stop or partially reverse hair loss… then how come hormone replacement therapy for male-to-female trans patients (reducing DHT + increasing estrogen) can lead to near-full hair recoveries?

I know that’s a mouthful, so let’s slow down the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) paradox more:

Research shows the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) causes hair loss but research also shows that stopping DHT production doesn’t regrow all lost hair.  It typically just stops hair loss, and sometimes leads to partial hair recoveries. However, male-to-female HRT patients (who take drugs to decrease DHT and increase estrogen) have achieved full hair recoveries. The question is… why? If DHT causes hair loss, but reducing DHT typically only stops hair loss… then how come reducing DHT + increasing estrogen can lead to major hair regrowth?

This is a complex and caveated question — with a complex and caveated answer. And in order to explain why MTF hormone replacement therapy regrows hair, we actually need to answer two questions:

First — if DHT causes hair loss, why doesn’t stopping DHT production regrow all lost hair?
Secondly — how can stopping DHT production + increasing estrogen lead to full regrowth?
In the next few sections, we’ll tackle that first question. We’ll reveal the evidence behind the “DHT causes hair loss” claim. Then we’ll explain why that claim is wrong. Finally we’ll uncover the two likely drivers of hair loss — calcification and fibrosis — where DHT fits in, and how calcification and fibrosis explain why stopping DHT halts hair loss, but doesn’t necessarily reverse it.”

Thanks guys for your assistance.

On this page:

The link is In boobycreek’s first post on this page (I can’t find a permalink to the actual post so you will have to scroll down the page to find it).

The link he quotes, when clicked on, brings me back to this page.

I'm using a PC to access it.

How come none of the links in this forum work?

When I click on one it takes me back to the forum discussion I clicked it in.
 

Is there a causal connection between seasonal hair shedding and daily hair shedding?

Thanks. That makes sense.

Why is that do you think?

17 hours ago, DrTBarghouthi said:

@Melvin-Moderatoranswered your initial question. As for growth treatments for eyebrows, many doctors use bimatoprost eye drops (brand name Latisse) as an off-label use topically. It is FDA approved for eyelash growth, but it is being used on eyebrows too with good effect. 

Thanks.

I ask not for myself. I’m just curious to know if Alpecin and Nizoral would have any effect on eyebrows.

Thanks. 

By the way, do you know if Alpecin shampoo, Alpecin Liquid and Nizoral shampoo work on eyebrows? Logically I suppose they would have to, seeing as they work on head hair.

Do transplanted eyebrow hairs keep growing, due to being taken from the back of the head, a place where hair never stops growing? If not, how come?

And if so, do the transplanted eyebrow hairs need to be regularly trimmed to stop them growing too long?
 

True, baldness makes some men look older, but there are bald men who have young-looking faces, and are handsome as well, and so baldness wouldn’t be as aging to them as it is to men with old-looking faces and who are not handsome.

So maybe it’s the face that’s the real problem in relation to baldness. In many cases, a facelift would be a good solution to being bald for men who are not handsome.

Why is baldness seen as being “bad”? I know some men don’t consider it bad, nor do some women (probably a small percentage, aged mainly over 40) but why do most men consider it bad. I’m assuming that most men do, given the increasing popularity of hair transplants, hair systems and DHT blocking lotions and medications etc.

What is it about baldness exactly that is seen as so unappealing? I myself see it as such. To me hair makes a plain looking man less plain looking, and a handsome man more handsome. Few men look good bald. Some men can get away with it, such as Sean Connery because his hairy arched eyebrows compensate for his lack of scalp hair. Most men, though, don’t have hairy arched eyebrows. If they did, perhaps going bald would be less traumatic for them. 

What are your theories (if any) as to why baldness is seen as being “bad”?

If there are any women here (there might be one or two) could they also join the discussion. It would be interesting to hear what women have to say about this.

7 hours ago, harry_potter1 said:

A dermatologist. 

Because after 7 years, it is more likely it has more to do with your hair not your  surgery,. And that is the job of dermatologist.

A surgeon job is to do the surgery, a dermatologist job is to take care of your hair and see all the medical factors.

Sure, there is a lot of common areas in their work (in fact, many of the FUE only surgeons are actually dermatologists)  and there is a good chance that many clinic has a dermatologist in its team, but I won't take the risk and will ask a specialist immediately

Not sure how it is hassle to ask a specialist and provide him with your history, but whatever suits you 

You could be right but I need my surgeon to tell me if I am going through the telogen stage or not. And as he knows how many grafts were transplanted, and has post op photos, he is in a better position at this stage than a dermatologist is to tell me this. I'm not ruling out a dermatologist. I may need to see one eventually. But the chances are that if my surgeon says it is not telogen related, I'll just accept that, for me, my hair transplant wasn't successful in the long term due to my scalp skin biology. It would be a waste of time seeing a dermatologist in that case -- what could they do to correct the situation? Very little I imagine.

11 hours ago, Curious said:

It depends on how far you are destined to go genetically without an anti-DHT med.  Are you someone who is on his way to a NW7 or worse?

The chances are that genetically I have reached my peak hair loss, as I am in my late 50s and my donor area is still thick.

Surely, though, an increase in DHT would only put at risk hair that is not in the DHT resistant donor area — i.e. the sides and back of the head. That’s why those areas never go bald in the first place despite the body being naturally having DHT it it anyway. I can’t really see how an increase in DHT can affect this area.

I’m not a scientist, though, and there might be good scientific reasons why you are right. Are there any that you can mention here?

8 hours ago, harry_potter1 said:

I would advice you to see a dermatologist, think that is even more important than going back to your surgeon 

I'd rather see the surgeon first. It's too much hassle at this stage to see a dermatologist and have to explain my hair history to them. Seeing my surgeon is quicker, and who better to see than the person who worked on your hair?

10 hours ago, Curious said:

Why do you take niacinamide?

It's a good anti-aging supplement.

I don't think it could be contributing to my lack of density after all, as any DHT increase it causes would be unlikely to affect transplanted hairs that are taken from the DHT-resistant donar area.

Thanks. 

I'll contact the HT surgeon who did it to see if he has any idea what caused it.

A long shot cause is that it could be due to a niacinamide (also known as nicotinamide) supplement I've been taking for about a year. I found out just today that it might increase DHT. See this article called “Best DHT Supplements”. It lists some DHT supplements, and niacinamide is included in the list:
 
https://athleticmusc...ht-supplements/

I can't find a definite link between it and DHT though. I've spent hours looking for such a link in a few other hair loss forums but so far haven't found any. 

Hi, the donor is still very thick. It was a FUT procedure.

Hi, I’ve just joined here.

I was a Norwood 6 and had a hair transplant 7 years ago. 

I was pleased with the result, and though I didn’t have enough hairs transplanted to cover the crown of my head, the front part of my head was fairly well covered. I would have had another HT later to add more density but couldn’t afford it.

In the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that the density of the transplanted hair has diminished, and I can see through to my scalp. I’m hoping that this is due to the telogen phase of the hair cycle rather than the transplanted hairs beginning to fall out permanently. I read that the telogen phase comes every 6 or 7 years so one is due for me around now.

In the past 5 months (until I discovered the hair loss) I had been using dry shampoo and also volumizing mouse on my hair, and maybe this has something to do with the hair loss.

Also I have been drinking whey protein shakes each day for about 8 months, and maybe this is also is connected to the hair loss. I read that whey protein can have negative affects on hair growth.

I don’t think the hair loss is due to seasonal shedding, as I haven’t noticed any such shedding to a great extent—just a few stray hairs now and then in the sink.

The current lack of density problem looks as if it could be more serious. I hope not.

I’d be grateful for any advice.