Acquired Progressive Kinking

[creda]

Hello,
this is my first post here.
I would like to ask for you guys' insight into this condition because I am 90% sure I have it.
From when I was about 14, my soft, stick straight, medium brown hair started to turn into kinked, curly, wiry, 'pubic' type hair, and feels very coarse and dry. It looks unnatural and very strange and I hate it, it's made me extremely depressed, and It's still like this - I am 18. But it's not as curly as it first was.

There are still, however, some parts of my hair that are 'normal', like the sides just above my temples and the crown and middle-top part.

After some research into this condition, it seems it's very similar to male pattern baldness in the way that it occurs because DHT binds to the hair follicle receptor sites and causes the bulb to change shape and causes a 'pubic' looking hair to shoot out from the head.
Therefore, from what I've gathered, anti-androgens are the best way to solve this problem. Having to take propecia for a while to see how things go is a small price to pay to regain my self confidence in my opinion.

This condition does also relate to male pattern baldness because in most cases the person does go bald, so I am very worried about that too.

I have now been taking propecia for 1 week and so far nothings changed. I imagine it would help the kinked hair more quickly than it would if I were actually going bald, because I am not waiting to regrow any hair.

So I am really asking for your insight into this condition and if anyone has it/had it and has successfully treated it and made the hair go back to normal?

Any help would be very much apreciated. Thanks!

 

[cuebald]

I've heard about it like one might have heard of trichotillomania, in that I know what it is, but I don't know a great deal about it.

I have, like you, heard that it is caused by DHT and that it alters the actual shape of the follicle. I think a great deal of men who are in the later stages of balding have this "wirey hair" (when NW3+). You can tell the difference between a person's straight, slinky NW1 hair and the wirey hair he might have at NW4.

I have thought it rare for someone to get kinking of the hair and NOT go bald, but perhaps the two are similar but separate phenomena; the follicle is altered in male pattern baldness while being miniaturised (and alters further), yet in progressive kinking the follicle is only altered slightly then the process stops.

The only known treatments I've heard of are basically the anti androgens; but you won't see results on finasteride after just 1 week, not by far. In 1 week not enough hair will have grown to protrude through the scalp, so even if it had restored your hair perfectly, you wouldn't know it. It won't change your current hair because it is just dead keratin; it will only change new hair growth. Expect to wait months to see if any difference will arise.

 

[creda]

Thanks very much for the reply.
You've boosted my spirits in saying nothing would have changed in just 1 week, as now i can be hopeful for the coming months.

I don't know if I will go bald because I am only 18, but I think the odds aren't on my side with this condition.

Maybe if I the Propecia it can help restore my old hair and possible prevent any potential baldness.
I haven't any serious sides from it yet, apart from slightly lower libido, but I expected that.

 

[Todd]

Check your family history. That is the only and the most reliable clue as to whether you will go bald or not.

Hair changes with age, and for many people, the first change is in puberty (typically, blonde hair turns a lighter shade of brown, dark brown turns almost into black, straight hair tend to get a bit more wavy, curly hair gets straighter etc, and a few unlucky guys starts shedding)
As we age, the hair naturally loses its color, darkening, paling, then eventually turning shades of gray. As this happens, the texture can also change; coarser, finer, thicker or thinner.

This is a process that is independent of the balding process; this will happen to hairs on the back and on the side of bald men.

 

[cuebald]

Hair naturally changes very mildly over the course of many years; this isn't what we are talking about - we are talking about "Acquired progressive kinking" which is much rarer (except in balders) and happens much quicker.

 

[creda]

Yep, exactly as Cuebald says; this isn't a simple ageing process, it's almost like a genetic defect that causes hair to become very sensitive to androgens and it makes the hair go very wiry, coarse, kinked and 'pubic' (for a lack of better descriptions). It's not a common part of the hair ageing process, and although i might be exaggerating a little, I have never seen anyone with hair the same texture as mine.

 

[boyberm]

Same problem to me ... lifeless and pubic-like. I've start propecia for 1 month. I will update any improvement.

 

[creda]

Boyberm, do you possibly have any pictures of what your hair looks like just so i could compare. I am very willing to exchange some pictures of mine in return if I can find my camera.

The main thing that I'm battling is actually whether I do have this condition, because if I do then Finasteride will help. It will take months, but it will and that will make me very happy. I imagine you're in a similar state?

Also can I ask your age, when it came on, and whether there are still parts of your hair that are 'normal' as there are with mine?

If you're not willing to give this info i'm fine with that I'm just desperate for any more information!

Thanks

 

[Slime707]

In my opinion, this kinking of the hair is more the work of other androgens other than DHT. These 'kinked' hairs seem far more prevalent in women suffering from androgenetic alopecia than men, which leads me to think (as because women suffering from Androgenetic Alopecia generally have normal levels of DHT, but raised levels of Androstenedione and Testosterone) that DHT is not really the major player here. If that is the case....and I'll emphasise here that it's merely my opinion at the moment......then Propecia will perhaps not help this condition.

Interestingly, I've heard reports of people with either Hyperthyroidism or Hypothyroidism developing these kind of hairs, too. Not to say you have either of those - it is very likely you don't. But, thyroid hormones are intrinsically linked to hair structure, growth and pigmentation.

I've often thought that herein this 'disease' (apparently so deeply connected to hair follicle structure and the production of 'healthy' hairs) lies some VERY important information regarding our understanding of hair growth and perhaps male pattern baldness itself.

 

[creda]

Hi,
thanks for the reply.

I have thought much the same as you at times, because it seems strange that DHT miniaturises hair follicles most of the time, but in some people it just affects the production of the hair shaft without any hair loss.

I have also read about the Thyroid gland being linked to hair production and I have been meaning to get mine checked out.

Thanks again

 

[boyberm]

After I try to use Apple Cider Vinegar and Miconazole , the hair texture at hairline seems to be straight than before. I am not sure if this regimen could help my hair follicle work better. Moreover , I'm on propecia and MSM too.

I try everything that could help me hair look better. Would you please try and tell me for the result ?

 

[creda]

Hi,
I will try it but I'm not sure it will work for me - I've tried a lot of things such as mayonnaise conditioner and vinegar too, but they never make the hair a great deal better.

Has the propecia helped your hair yet?