Exploring The Hormonal Route. Hair=life.

[keepcoolmybabies]

The qualities of Boron are highly questionable. Again the quack Dr Powers is basing his recommendation on a study called there is nothing boring about Boron. After that study was published, 3 other studies were published debunking the first one. Since then, people take their pick between good or nothing for some reason. It did nada for me. I was on the 27mg daily. So I dropped it. The goal obviously was to raise my free E. because as you say it has more affinity to bind to T/DHT. What I am more looking at these days is lowering my prolactine for good measure which some other posters don't seem to mind raising with progesterone.

I take 100mg prog nightly, which hasn't adversely affected hair

 

[recedingyt]

I should have the money for a hairline advancement / Type III brow sometime around the midway point next year though which by itself may be enough to get me off of relying on wigs.

 

[John Difool]

I'd like to get away from wigs one day, but I know ultimately I'll need a hair transplant/hairline advancement for that anyway, unless things really start popping off on my recovery sometime soon.

that won't happen with higher prolactin, just saying. Just keep that in my when you have the desired mensurations.

 

[recedingyt]

that won't happen with higher prolactin, just saying. Just keep that in my when you have the desired mensurations.

First of all, we don't actually have any proof of the prolactin model working in humans yet. I'm a believer myself, but it's by no means a bulletproof theory yet. Especially when you consider most cis women have elevated prolactin compared to balding men and they don't lose their hair in the same way often times. I'm not saying it's a BS angle, but I also don't think it's a 1:1 comparison to MTF bodies nor do I think that the PRLR angle will completely solve the issue in men either. And besides, idk if you are in any of the discords but no one has had any real results from the PRLR angle yet. It could be that HMI-115 is different, but we just don't know, and I'm not willing to wait until it's here to find out. We're talking like 2025, minimum. Why would I wait that long when I can fix the issue with a hairline advancement (which I will already be getting because I need browbone work as well, so it literally adds hardly any additional cost) followed by a small hair transplant of 2000-3000 grafts? That is literally all I need to be effectively cured. Everything past my hairline is pretty solid. I'm not waiting years on a "maybe" when a functional cure for me already exists.

 

[keepcoolmybabies]

I should have the money for a hairline advancement / Type III brow sometime around the midway point next year though which by itself may be enough to get me off of relying on wigs.

I did type 3, but was a coronal incision so it actually raised my hairline unfortunately

 

[recedingyt]

I did type 3, but was a coronal incision so it actually raised my hairline unfortunately

Who did yours if you dont mind me asking? You look great.

I can accept losing a little bit of hair along my hairline if it just overall results in everything being lower. I plan to get at least like 2k grafts to cover the scar and fill the temples anyway. The surgeon I'm going to does an advancement basically for free if indicated for the patient if you are already getting browbone work.

 

[keepcoolmybabies]

Who did yours if you dont mind me asking? You look great.

I can accept losing a little bit of hair along my hairline if it just overall results in everything being lower. I plan to get at least like 2k grafts to cover the scar and fill the temples anyway. The surgeon I'm going to does an advancement basically for free if indicated for the patient if you are already getting browbone work.

DB was the surgeon. Who are you considering.. my brow was my biggest insecurity so it helped a ton with my dysohoria.

 

[John Difool]

I should have the money for a hairline advancement / Type III brow sometime around the midway point next year though which by itself may be enough to get me off of relying on wigs.

No problem. it's your choice but since you are posting on a hair loss forum not a trans forum, it seemed right to point out that your choice wasn't the best one for your hair.

 

[recedingyt]

DB was the surgeon. Who are you considering.. my brow was my biggest insecurity so it helped a ton with my dysohoria.

I hope I am as cute as you someday lmao

I'm gonna be doing my surgeries in stages, partly because of finances, partly because I don't like the results of any one surgeon for all aspects that I want done. Stage 1 for me is hairline advancement, type III, and trach shave and I will be going to Dr Cardenas in Mexico. ~$9k, not including travel. I don't trust him for rhino or any lower FFS work though, other than trach. Dr Nadimi for my hair transplant after that. Probably going to try to go to Keojampa for genioplasty/jaw/upper lip lift for my stage 2 FFS, but that's more about vanity than passing imo.

Below is an example of his forehead work, and the before pic is similar to my brow. I'm hoping for a similar result

 

[keepcoolmybabies]

I hope I am as cute as you someday lmao

I'm gonna be doing my surgeries in stages, partly because of finances, partly because I don't like the results of any one surgeon for all aspects that I want done. Stage 1 for me is hairline advancement, type III, and trach shave and I will be going to Dr Cardenas in Mexico. ~$9k, not including travel. I don't trust him for rhino or any lower FFS work though, other than trach. Dr Nadimi for my hair transplant after that. Probably going to try to go to Keojampa for genioplasty/jaw/upper lip lift for my stage 2 FFS, but that's more about vanity than passing imo.

Below is an example of his forehead work, and the before pic is similar to my brow. I'm hoping for a similar result

View attachment 172784

Hah that's interesting. I largely feel the same way about ffs surgeons. I had a consult with keo last week for a lip lift that I'll likely get done in January (which at this point is also for vanity)

 

[Almas_NW0]

I never said his hair formula is the best. Although, if you can point to some specific thing in his hair formula that is bad I'm all ears. As far as I can tell, it's a pretty solid formulation especially considering that first and foremost, hair is not his primary concern.

Yes that is the primary thing. However, it's like saying minoxidil (being the best thing for regrowth we have at the moment) 2% is just as good as minoxidil 5%. We know it isn't. If you're comfortable leaving potential results on the table by not caring about stuff like SHBG, I'm not stopping you. Just don't pretend like you're doing all you can be, because you aren't. All I'm trying to say is to go as far as you have, but chicken out by looking at things through a very narrow lens of "Low T, High E = hair" is kind of a deluded half measure that leaves a lot of potential benefits on the table for no good reason. The good thing about the Powers method is that even if it doesn't work, it doesn't hurt you either. Literally nothing to lose except the potential gains and a VERY miniscule amount of money that boron costs you and the slight inconvenience of dosing twice as frequently as you currently do.

How is it nonsense? If you are blocking all of your androgen receptors in your body, it shouldn't matter what your testosterone level is because it can't do anything in your body due to bica blocking all of its potential receptor sites. The only way you wouldn't experience menopause symptoms is if a significant amount of T aromatizes into E as a result of your bica usage (which at that point, again what is the point of bica monotherapy? Are you starting to see why he recommends against it yet? I don't know how much clearer it can be made for you). I don't really know how you're coming to the conclusion that blocking all the ARs in your body with bica is any different than nuking T entirely through something like CPA.

You know what menopause is, right? And that it causes decreased bone density? It shouldn't matter whether or not your T is nuked from something like CPA, or just rendered useless from something like Bica. Either way, if you are not supplementing with E you will run into the issue of not having any sex hormones, resulting in menopause symptoms. I feel like I'm going on like a broken record at this point but the only way Bica in a sufficient dose to block all ARs through monotherapy wouldn't cause this is through aromatase into E. If you're already aromatizing E, you're still going to feminize. Additionally, with the doses required for this (200-300mg) you are talking about a much higher incidence of liver problems. Why would anyone ever choose to use bica mono only to end up still feminizing (with worse results than if supplemental E was used) while also putting their general health at risk? There's very little benefit to it and a lot of risk. Hence Dr Powers recommending against it. This isn't rocket science.

Bicalutamide monotherapy preserves bone mineral density, muscle strength and has significant health-related quality of life benefits for osteoporotic men with prostate cancer - PubMed

• Bicalutamide preserves BMD, muscle strength and HRQL in osteoporotic men with non-metastatic locally advanced prostate cancer. It provides an alternative to medical castration for well informed men at high fracture risk and those wishing to retain physical and sexual activity, with luteinizing...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Bicalutamide is very different from the destruction of T CPA. It preserves muscle, fertility, bone density. It also does not affect the brain and does not have the effects of estradiol on the psyche. And ... It doesn't stop baldness. Your main hormone will still be T. And doses above 150mg do not make sense because higher doses are not absorbed. And yes, Bicalutamide does not have the side effects of menopause symptoms because T is still active and fulfills many of its functions.
My priority was to lower T and increase E above 200 pg / ml. When it comes to level stability, I see no evidence that it is more effective, just as I see no evidence that level jumps are more effective. Therefore, I decided to just do it the way it is more convenient for me. I knew it was preferable to have an E level somewhere between 300 and 900 pg / ml, but I decided that there was no point in fooling my head with accurate calculations. Therefore, my level during the cycle is between these values, so I am not as far from the optimal levels as you think. I took SHBG theory into account when adjusting the dosage.

Okay I got it. You are in the cycling theory of pregnancy pre and post. i don't buy that at all but it's up to you to think this is the way. Your E with your current cycle is "fluctuating" in the 100% range from baseline. That's crazy. Unfortunately people will read your post and think that's the right way to go.


You read the old posts from that doctor. Hie version "6" as he called it has been updated to know take SHBG into consideration. He also recently understood a few things about hair loss, after stealing the ideas from other subs (stealing is taking the ideas, not giving credit to anyone and renaming them with funky names to accredit them to him.) The version you read from him shows that he has learned a lot from the community. Dr Powers is definitely not an authority, especially when it comes to hair loss. In version 7, he finally discovered DHT is bad for feminization. His latest lotion for hair has 100x less Latan in the mix that the studies have demonstrated works for hair. And he manages to still sell it and make profit. I guess wearing a white blouse, you can do these things I would be careful about what you read on reddit too even in his channel. Actually especially in his channel. I've seen people much more knowledgable than him posting there and he simply blocked them when their educated views differ with his own.
Are you under any doctor supervision with blood levels tracking or just a DYI and apply what you read randomly somewhere?

PS: we are getting closer to 1000 pages.

I have never pretended to be correct. I only argued that it is convenient, because I do not like to give injections. The only recommendation I gave was to keep T below 50 ng / dl while raising E above 200 pg / ml.

In version 7, he finally discovered DHT is bad for feminization

He's a damn genius

Are you under any doctor supervision with blood levels tracking or just a DYI and apply what you read randomly somewhere

Given what 99% of doctors are, self-medication is a pretty smart decision.

 

[Almas_NW0]

It is believed that higher E levels are preferable to those recommended by mtf. The argument is to improve the quality of hair in pregnant women, for some it is personal observation or guesswork. I do not know and have no opinion on this matter
Bridgeburn, Noah didn’t have any blood tests, but the dosages were high.
Also, aromatase levels are different in different parts of the scalp. They are the lowest in the temples. Perhaps if we want to raise the E level in the temples, we need a higher dose. I do not know.
Therefore, T <50 and E> 200 - the only thing that can be said for sure.

 

[Almas_NW0]

Will you consider minoxidil topical and switch finasteride to dutasteride if you see no desired thickenning regrowth after 1 year??

No. I do not believe that the change of Finasteride to Dutasteride will play a role. Moreover, I assume that the blockers 5AP and Bicalutamide do not play a role in my regimen. Minoxidil has many unpleasant side effects. And I just don't trust him

 

[John Difool]

No. I do not believe that the change of Finasteride to Dutasteride will play a role.

What makes you say that?

	Dutasteride (0.5 mg)	Finasteride (5 mg)
5AR inhibition	Type 1 and 2	Type 2 only
% DHT inhibition (serum)	93%	70%
Half-life	5 weeks	6 to 8 hours

 

[Almas_NW0]

What makes you say that?

	Dutasteride (0.5 mg)	Finasteride (5 mg)
5AR inhibition	Type 1 and 2	Type 2 only
% DHT inhibition (serum)	93%	70%
Half-life	5 weeks	6 to 8 hours

I am well aware of these differences. I say that I think this change is insignificant in my regimen and in my baldness, because I do not react to 5AP blockers, like all young people with aggressive baldness. More importantly, HRT plays a big role in destroying my DHT, so this difference between Duta and finasteride is a drop in the ocean under my regime.
If you are using HRT, chances are you will not notice the difference, even if you do not use 5AP blockers altogether.

 

[Derelict]

I think im going to stop estradiol, gyno on left side is too bad for my liking, i knew i would get some more gyno but not to this extent. Im not trying to recover tremples or anything, they are fine, it is just my crown. Maybe estradiol is overkill. Im not sure if there is any point in 1mg estradiol, i was fine with that but when i increased to 2mg things took a turn for the worst.

 

[John Difool]

I am well aware of these differences. I say that I think this change is insignificant in my regimen and in my baldness, because I do not react to 5AP blockers, like all young people with aggressive baldness. More importantly, HRT plays a big role in destroying my DHT, so this difference between Duta and finasteride is a drop in the ocean under my regime.
If you are using HRT, chances are you will not notice the difference, even if you do not use 5AP blockers altogether.

You are obviously very knowledgeable about HRT and if you don't mind: can you please clarify what are "5AP blockers" and what in your regimen is "destroying" your DHT? Thanks in advance.

 

[Almas_NW0]

5AP blockers

finasteride/Duta

what in your regimen is "destroying" your DHT?

Estradiol. He does this not directly, but by lowering my T

 

[Norwoody]

Maybe bica didn’t work for you, but that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t help someone else with less severe hair loss. Obviously it is nowhere near the level of estradiol, but it’s also not a growth agonist either. Bica could be a potentially topical option for someone who is not having success on RU or other topical antiandrogens. It is cheaper and has a much longer half life, so tissue concentrations can accumulate over time and create another line of defense. Again, it is obvious that AR antagonism is likely redundant in the presence of a full HRT regimen. But it can be a step up for guys on the typical big 3 who don’t want to do HRT.

Regarding dutasteride, a lot of people look at the serum values and the half life, but this isn’t so valuable once you realize that dutasteride doesn’t reduce scalp DHT much more than finasteride does. IIRC finasteride reduces scalp DHT around 40-50% and dutasteride reduces it by 50-60% maximum. Anecdotally, very few get more results on dutasteride than finasteride and this is the reason why. So you get drastically diminishing returns, even if you took 2.5mg of dutasteride and reduced your serum down 98%, because 5AR is present in the tissues and will just use all of the T available to convert to DHT. Also, you could have AR upregulation and negate any of the benefits of the drug anyways. But this is why HRT is so effective, since it even nukes T, thus scalp DHT is nearly nuked as well.

Again, not to be redundant, but those seeking a more powerful regimen without going full HRT are better off trying to attack the issue at other angles that they are missing. If you are already doing okay on finasteride then there is no reason to upgrade to dutasteride if you aren’t using a growth stimulant or an AR antagonist. I speak from experience. I also recognize everyone is different. But in general, this should be the path of progressing treatment: finasteride -> minoxidil -> RU -> oral minoxidil -> topical bica -> dutasteride. If this does not help you then HRT is your only hope.

 

[Norwoody]

You all might have a different take, but the line of defense for HRT might be:

A base of estradiol, if that isn’t strong enough then add bica, if bica isn’t helping then low dose CPA, and if all those fail you can then try increasing the E to the highest dose, otherwise there is probably no hope. But I would say CPA is likely unnecessary for most unless you still have too high of T. I would consider bica as an adjunct before CPA since bica should be beneficial to aromatization whereas CPA is not. The choice of treatment is likely to come down to how genetically prone you are to aromatize.