Blond

Ah, now I understand completely where you are coming from. I can be more specific now. All the medication you take work through different mechanisms. Niz primarily helps by reducing inflammation and I don't think (although it has anti-androgenic properties) we know if it reduces DHT serum levels. Even if it did it would be unlikely to as it doesn't act at the enzyme level. Minox will also not affect DHT levels but helps DHT independently, to stimulate hair growth. Remember DHT is not the only factor in hair loss. As for your regime, something for you to think about??¦. You are right that more T may = more DHT however, you haven't considered E (Estrogens). The more T that builds up, the more it will get converted into E via aromatase activity. Basically you'll get breasts. Now it's up to you whether that is a good thing or a bad lol. From what I have read, most people wanting to do what you are considering take the approach of using an aromatase inhibitor whilst taking something like finasteride. That would result in more T levels as you have a reduction in T to E metabolism, whilst potentially warding off hair loss. I do not condone supplements to increase T. I think they are potentially very bad for you however, trying to stop all conversion of T to DHT sounds even worst. It's a double edged sword??¦ This is my opinion based on being a scientist however, I'm not a medical doctor.

O.K. I'll try to answer this, as it is quite difficult without stating what the drugs are and potentially do. We know there are two main enzymes involved in the conversion of T to DHT, so to theoretically get 100% inhibition of serum DHT you would need to block 100% of both enzyme types. To my knowledge there are no current drugs that can achieve this, even in combination. I don't believe that you can ever inhibit 100% DHT unless you become castrated (as I believe the body will adapt even to make a small amount). Why do you ask? Do you want to inhibit 100% serum DHT because that would be a crazy thing to want to achieve. Best wishes and regards,

Hi Einstein, Do you mean combining drugs available now to reduce 100% serum DHT? Initially, I assumed that you had three drugs in mind (e.g. Ketoconazole, finasteride, dustasteride)? It later occurred to me that you may have meant, is it theoretical to create drugs that can inhibit 100% serum DHT? to which I don't know the answer! Regards,

Short answer - No.

Oh I forgot to mention, they do hair loss therapies like many of the other well known hair replacement studios (like advanced hair studios). Keep clear from those type of treatments as they do not work and cost a lot of money. Regards

They're a hair replacement company... i.e. wigs not transplants. I think as far as they go they have an O.K. reputation but are well over priced in my opinion.

People believe in all sorts of crazy stuff! Let them be is what I say, ignore the ignorant.

Thanks : )

Hey TheHairGuy, Is there any chance you could post some pics of your hair 'upclose'? I think it could help prove your point. I have always been interested in hair systems but know of them to be very user dependent in terms of realism. Many thanks,

BeHappy, This is EXACTLY my plan! I always thought the reason why sometimes this approach doesn't work was due to the patient not being brave enough to go for a high density at the front hair line and temples. Perhaps there is more to it than that, like hair characteristics etc. In terms of wearing a hair piece behind a thin transplanted hair line, I believe hair systmes now-a-days can be of a low density. Do you think that would help or not?

Thanks for clearing that up mmhce. I have never thought about my style of writing before. Although, I am starting to think my profile name is somewhat effeminate lol! VeniVidiVici, well put!! All the best.

Hi VeniVidiVici, I know that hair growth was discovered as an observed side effect with oral minoxidil therapy, just like with finasteride. That is not debatable and I completely agree with you on the money making patent strategies of pharmaceutical companies. What I am saying is that Minoxidil was patented as a topical because it has a better safety profile than the oral route whilst being effective. Propecia did not (as it doesn't work on the follicles directly like minoxidil, it has an indirect effect by reducing circulating DHT). If propecia was to have a direct effect at the target site then it would have been marketed as a topical treatment, claiming low systemic absorption (like minoxidil does). As minoxidil is delivered to the intended target site you can use lower doses than required if trying the same approach orally and hence systemically. This lowers the risk of systemic side effects. Now taking the approach to just divide minoxidil tablets by the 'propecia factor' hoping that it will work is shear guess work with unknown consequences. It could be effective but in my opinion I don't think it's a great idea and I would advise someone against doing it. Minoxidil can cause serious health problems and is normally used as a last resort in terms of hypertension medication. Don't just take my word though, consult a physician and see what they say. Sorry about the wordy response ??“ it has been a long day and I'm too tired to re-type : ) All the best.

O.K. Your right, everyone deserves an opinion. All I really care about is that people get good advice and that they don't cause themselves unnecessary harm. I just felt the example you gave didn't make sense. I don't think they are comparable. Proscar and propecia are both taken orally. Whilst Minoxidil has only been approved to be taken topically for MPB. But this is just my opinion??¦??¦

It's not your English you should be apologising for. What kind of advice is that?? It makes no sense! Julius, just use topical formulas of minoxidil. I understand it can be a pain to have to apply but it's not worth risking possible systemic effects. I personally do not think you would see any difference in efficacy. So it comes down to effort on your part ??“ there's no easy fix!

Your right! No ethical doctor in the world would because it is crazy!! I think you guys need to seriously think about the long term consequences of what you propose here. Hair is very important to me - but it's certainly not worth screwing up your body over. What girl will respect someone who has castrated themselves in a vanity attempt to stop hair loss? I guess if you were chemically castrated you probably wouldn't care as you essentially are a man no more! And if not for attracting more girls but to improve one's own self confidence/wellbeing ??“ then I would seriously recommend counseling. Estrogen use is likely to lead to breast enlargement, increased risk of breast cancer and feminine fat distribution ??“ depending on amounts taken/absorbed etc. Do you guys do you really want to be a big boobed, curvy, ball less man with a some hair left? ??“ Think about it seriously, there's more to life!

Hi, Something I thought I would bring attention to is finasteride use and alcohol consumption. A recent study has suggested that heavy or significant alcohol consumption may alter the protective effects of finasteride in reducing low grade prostate cancers (abstract link provided below). My point is that perhaps alcohol consumption may interfere with finasteride's beneficial effects on protecting our hair (or perhaps not). Does anyone have any stories about alcohol consumption and finasteride use and how they feel it affected them? Abstract link - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu...anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Hi, Something I thought I would bring attention to is finasteride use and alcohol consumption. A recent study has suggested that heavy or significant alcohol consumption may alter the protective effects of finasteride in reducing low grade prostate cancers (abstract link provided below). My point is that perhaps alcohol consumption may interfere with finasteride's beneficial effects on protecting our hair (or perhaps not). Does anyone have any stories about alcohol consumption and finasteride use and how they feel it affected them? Abstract link - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu...anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

For anyone who is interested ??“ go to www.pubmed.com and use search words; finasteride & bone. This will give you a list of all the recent peer reviewed scientific studies on finasteride use and effects on bone density. People have speculated about as hormones are important in calcium absorption but I think you'll agree most studies suggest finasteride does not influence bone density. Interestingly, human osteoblast-like cells (responsible for bone formation) express predominantly steroid 5alpha-reductase type 1, which finasteride doesn't really inhibit. Perhaps this is why finasteride doesn't interfere with bone density!

Not sure about that. I believe that most studies on finasteride and loss in bone density have concluded that there is no link. Will be interesting to see your blood results post-propecia. Please let us know the results.

I would ask your doctor why he thinks propecia may cause a calcium deficiency. Is he likely to just be guessing??¦??¦

Hi Yomommyz, I have no proof (to hand) and I do not mean to scare you against trying it. But as you like I will give you my brief opinion??¦ Quote: 'Your body has to get used to everything you put in it'. Your right! The body does get use to what you put in it. In fact your liver changes to adapt to your diet, medication and supplements. For everything you put in your body, your liver will evolve to become more efficient at removing it. The problem I have with hi potency phytosterols is that indeed they may help in reducing DHT but as you state they also have other health effects on your body. Phytosterols interfere with cholesterol absorption and have weak estrogenic effects. Now these can be beneficial if you are at risk of heart disease etc but what if you not at risk. Do you want to reduce cholesterol absorption... cholesterol can be very important. Will this effect synthesis of other hormones (as they use cholesterol as their backbone structure)? I do not think it has been properly studied! Also what happens if you stop taking it? How will your body readjust? The thing that I don't like about natural DHT reducing supplements is they do not work 'naturally'. You would not obtain those levels of phytosterols from a normal natural diet. Now with finasteride, that is of course not natural. But it has been well studied and we know how it affects other hormones etc. Also, I don't understand why you would expect the 'natural' way to reduce DHT to be any less severe on the body then the synthetic way. Best wishes.

Dr. Lindsey, I couldn't agree more with you. I also think there will be a lot more of messy, biased and even perhaps somewhat staged results before someone is likely to invest some real money and produce a scientific study to back up claims. You are in a fantastic position to try PRP for yourself and I for sure (as well as others) would really value your unbiased opinion on its effects. Do you plan to try PRP in the near future?

Although I think it's good to do research into all treatment options I would strongly protest against Beta sitosterol. Who knows what that would do to your body. It's a lot safer to keep to finasteride??¦..

I completely agree with mmhce. This whole topical finasteride etc annoys me as when you think about it there is absolutely no reason to why a topical 5alpha reductase inhibitor should work.... DHT is in the blood. Anywhere that receives blood e.g. your scalp, will receive DHT. Now, blocking androgen binding to follicles etc is probably worth discussing??¦