Hair is not Life but it's Pretty Damn Close; HRT and Pictorial Posts Prove it.

[JaneyElizabeth]

Fibrosis Theory of Hair Loss and the Mullet Effect

I just had a thought about the Mullet Effect as I call it and males as they age. Could it be that the same fibrosis that might cause baldness causes the mullet effect? At first, it seems that the hair would be too low to be affected. But when one thinks on just how little fringe some males have, this implies that fibrosis might extend fairly far down on the sides and back of the head. Since it tends to arise concomitantly with male pattern baldness, perhaps this diminution in hair quality is due to fibrosis and part of the same phenomenon.

I raise this because white females and Asian females especially, rarely exhibit this mullet effect nor do even balding Asian males typically.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Oral Minoxidil: Dosing Side-Efffects Curve

I am curious if anybody has knowledge of the side-effects curve for oral minoxidil? Meaning, is it very low at say, 5mg but then quadruples at ten mg?

 

[Norwoody]

Oral Minoxidil: Dosing Side-Efffects Curve

I am curious if anybody has knowledge of the side-effects curve for oral minoxidil? Meaning, is it very low at say, 5mg but then quadruples at ten mg?

That's pretty much what I'd say

 

[Pls_NW-1]

New threads popping up in research category! Hope not everything is fake and a scam, doesnt sound fishy to be so the case, lol

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

That's pretty much what I'd say

Hi Norwoody

 

[Norwoody]

I mean idk if it exactly quadruples, but my guess is that the returns diminish and side effects increase a lot more after 5mg. I don't see the point in trying to stick with more than that long-term. That's just my experience though.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

I mean idk if it exactly quadruples, but my guess is that the returns diminish and side effects increase a lot more after 5mg. I don't see the point in trying to stick with more than that long-term. That's just my experience though.

This will give me a good opportunity to compare sides at the two different dosages. My current results are fantastic and my crown has completely filled in for the first time since 1984. Some of this is almost-dream-like since until HRT, there was no hope ever of recovery.

 

[Norwoody]

This will give me a good opportunity to compare sides at the two different dosages. My current results are fantastic and my crown has completely filled in for the first time since 1984. Some of this is almost-dream-like since until HRT, there was no hope ever of recovery.

Congrats! That's incredible! Like I've been telling people, the thing about minoxidil is that during the original studies on it for blood pressure, they had no idea it was going to impact hair, but it ended up being a random impossible-not-to-notice side effect. Sure, it's definitely not for everyone, but if the goal for someone is to get some serious regrowth then it should definitely be in the regimen. I would have to assume that the increased blood flow would also increase anagen. I might be wrong or right on that, but all I know is that my hair quality on OM alone is better than on finasteride even with topical min.

 

[Norwoody]

I probably have mentioned this before too but OM has pretty much cured my shedding. Finasteride seemed to help for a while after the first shed, but then there was a second, third, etc until it basically wasn't even doing anything IMO. It should be mentioned that I got hypereflex and all that though.

My point is that there's a lot of people afraid of OM sheds, or they just downright think that it doesn't slow shedding at all. Well it definitely helped me. Sure, some people might shed a lot, and as you have mentioned Janey sometimes you have to go through big ones to reap the rewards. I personally didn't really even notice much shedding when I first started OM. Perhaps this is because I was already consistently using topical, or the fact that I was already in a steady state of shedding on finasteride. And so the reason I speculate that it has to be increasing anagen is because that has to be the reason that the hair is not falling out as soon/much.

Of course, I would never say that it is going to work for everyone. But just because the mechanism of action does not deal with hormones does not mean it doesn't protect hair or improve the quality.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Congrats! That's incredible! Like I've been telling people, the thing about minoxidil is that during the original studies on it for blood pressure, they had no idea it was going to impact hair, but it ended up being a random impossible-not-to-notice side effect. Sure, it's definitely not for everyone, but if the goal for someone is to get some serious regrowth then it should definitely be in the regimen. I would have to assume that the increased blood flow would also increase anagen. I might be wrong or right on that, but all I know is that my hair quality on OM alone is better than on finasteride even with topical min.

I believe that it almost constitutes a different medication when taken orally or apparently when topical min is supplemented with sulfurtransferase, which is an enzyme that probably should be in our hair loss vocabulary. It is also a great finding because it indicates why some folks are non-responders to topical minoxidil. To me, anagen is the greatly overlooked aspect of hair regrowth/restoration by many people interested in finding a "male" cure as is also scalp flora and the differences therein between the sexes.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

I probably have mentioned this before too but OM has pretty much cured my shedding. Finasteride seemed to help for a while after the first shed, but then there was a second, third, etc until it basically wasn't even doing anything IMO. It should be mentioned that I got hypereflex and all that though.

My point is that there's a lot of people afraid of OM sheds, or they just downright think that it doesn't slow shedding at all. Well it definitely helped me. Sure, some people might shed a lot, and as you have mentioned Janey sometimes you have to go through big ones to reap the rewards. I personally didn't really even notice much shedding when I first started OM. Perhaps this is because I was already consistently using topical, or the fact that I was already in a steady state of shedding on finasteride. And so the reason I speculate that it has to be increasing anagen is because that has to be the reason that the hair is not falling out as soon/much.

Of course, I would never say that it is going to work for everyone. But just because the mechanism of action does not deal with hormones does not mean it doesn't protect hair or improve the quality.

I think also that you kindly mentioned the differences in hair quality that you seem to perceive in my photos. I have written a very short entry above related to that and fibrosis and diminution in anagen and smoothness of the hair shaft resulting in the mullet-effect as I call it which many if not most caucasian XY's experience after the age of 30 although not Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise. Remember Cruise in Magnolia?

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

I think also that you kindly mentioned the differences in hair quality that you seem to perceive in my photos. I have written a very short entry above related to that and fibrosis and diminution in anagen and smoothness of the hair shaft resulting in the mullet-effect as I call it which many if not most caucasian XY's experience after the age of 30 although not Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise. Remember Cruise in Magnolia?

Good point about shedding because at first I was wary but I haven't seen any. This is also the first time that my hair looks attractive when worn below my ears in a very long time. On my blog, I show just how hobo-like my hair appeared on the sides and in the back before HRT, although this might be unfair to hobos who often have great hair. Estrogen has amazing healing properties as does beard removal in my estimation.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Congrats! That's incredible! Like I've been telling people, the thing about minoxidil is that during the original studies on it for blood pressure, they had no idea it was going to impact hair, but it ended up being a random impossible-not-to-notice side effect. Sure, it's definitely not for everyone, but if the goal for someone is to get some serious regrowth then it should definitely be in the regimen. I would have to assume that the increased blood flow would also increase anagen. I might be wrong or right on that, but all I know is that my hair quality on OM alone is better than on finasteride even with topical min.

This is also partly why the search for other hair loss meds is likely to be disappointing. Having two meds like finasteride and oral min constitutes an enormous change for males experiencing hair loss as prior to the mid-80's, there was nothing except maybe for alfatradiol or topical estrogn. Alfatradiol does not seem impressive in its hair regrowth capacity. Have you tried that one, it's mostly used in Germany I think.

 

[Norwoody]

I think also that you kindly mentioned the differences in hair quality that you seem to perceive in my photos. I have written a very short entry above related to that and fibrosis and diminution in anagen and smoothness of the hair shaft resulting in the mullet-effect as I call it which many if not most caucasian XY's experience after the age of 30 although not Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise. Remember Cruise in Magnolia?

Yes great observation. People talk a lot about regrowth and a lot about drugs that don't do much other than provide crappy coverage as you have pointed out numerous times. But people don't look into quality nearly enough. For example, we know Trump has been on propecia forever and he definitely has coverage but even the slightest wind will blow it all around because the hairs are so wispy. To me, the point of regrowth is to be able to be able to achieve hairstyles that you used to be able to. Even ketoconazole makes my hair look terrible and doesn't style right without some time away from it or a styling product after.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Yes great observation. People talk a lot about regrowth and a lot about drugs that don't do much other than provide crappy coverage as you have pointed out numerous times. But people don't look into quality nearly enough. For example, we know Trump has been on propecia forever and he definitely has coverage but even the slightest wind will blow it all around because the hairs are so wispy. To me, the point of regrowth is to be able to be able to achieve hairstyles that you used to be able to. Even ketoconazole makes my hair look terrible and doesn't style right without some time away from it or a styling product after.

Keto destroys my hair now and strips it of all moisture. I will probably switch to a blue/green shampoo since those can be used without hurting the hair's moisture content. I think that Trump also had a scalp reduction which I don't think that they do any longer. They used to also flip or move in the hair on the sides which didn't work well. People talk about cloning but that is likely to be enormously expensive say comparable to veneers on teeth that many either forego or cannot afford. Do you think that you will ever heal enough from traumatic hair loss to be able to post pics? I wouldn't do it if I weren't almost absolutely sure that I have permanently moved on from alopecia.

Do you remember Homer using Dimoxinil? I think that was oral. I still don't know why no one thought of drinking oral minoxidil back in the 80's. Heads are always eating different things for different effects and cannabis can be almost like a psychedelic for some when consumed without tolerance. The paranoia can be overwhelming but with tolerance, it is a far better experience than smoking or vaping. It just takes much longer to come on, which also tricks people into eating a second sweet or brownie.

 

[Norwoody]

This is also partly why the search for other hair loss meds is likely to be disappointing. Having two meds like finasteride and oral min constitutes an enormous change for males experiencing hair loss as prior to the mid-80's, there was nothing except maybe for alfatradiol or topical estrogn. Alfatradiol does not seem impressive in its hair regrowth capacity. Have you tried that one, it's mostly used in Germany I think.

I have not tried alfatradiol, but it doesn't seem very effective from what I've heard. I've thought about it and at least in theory. For one, it's a weak estrogen so it might take up receptor spots in place of our own endogenous estrogens which are much stronger. So it could produce less feminization or even more masculinization. Maybe it would help if someone was very low in estrogen, but I mostly see it as being neither helpful or harmful. For a devil's advocate, the replacement of weak estrogen in place of strong could stimulate the pituitary to generate and disperse stronger estrogen in order to maintain homeostasis. And, the weak estrogen could potentially send the message to that it doesn't need as much androgens to counterbalance that now. However, one problem for this effect would be that alfa is a 5ARI, so that would likely cancel out the chances of reducing endogenous androgen production. Second, we know that things like phytoestrogens in one's diet (which are weaker than our own estrogen) end up stimulating more androgenic production. Lastly I would just say that there are much more effective ways of achieving a feminine scalp environment. Overall I think it doesn't really do much. But a drug that is stronger and works through similar mechanisms would be interesting.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

I have not tried alfatradiol, but it doesn't seem very effective from what I've heard. I've thought about it and at least in theory. For one, it's a weak estrogen so it might take up receptor spots in place of our own endogenous estrogens which are much stronger. So it could produce less feminization or even more masculinization. Maybe it would help if someone was very low in estrogen, but I mostly see it as being neither helpful or harmful. For a devil's advocate, the replacement of weak estrogen in place of strong could stimulate the pituitary to generate and disperse stronger estrogen in order to maintain homeostasis. And, the weak estrogen could potentially send the message to that it doesn't need as much androgens to counterbalance that now. However, one problem for this effect would be that alfa is a 5ARI, so that would likely cancel out the chances of reducing endogenous androgen production. Second, we know that things like phytoestrogens in one's diet (which are weaker than our own estrogen) end up stimulating more androgenic production. Lastly I would just say that there are much more effective ways of achieving a feminine scalp environment. Overall I think it doesn't really do much. But a drug that is stronger and works through similar mechanisms would be interesting.

We often emphasize to MtF's that herbals may crowd out estrogen and estrogen supplementation.

 

[Norwoody]

Yeah I'm definitely not fully healed yet. I've basically stopped hair loss for now but I want regrowth if it's possible. If I can successfully achieve my goal I'd share.

And yeah the Simpsons was great lol

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Yeah I'm definitely not fully healed yet. I've basically stopped hair loss for now but I want regrowth if it's possible. If I can successfully achieve my goal I'd share.

And yeah the Simpsons was great lol

I had posted hair pics but I wouldn't have posted bald-shed pics until I was fairly certain all of this was working. Pictures of one's bald head are like being naked. It is interesting if, that I had to go through being temporarily completely bald to recover from male pattern baldness. I never fretted that horrible shed at all. I knew that estrogen and spironolactone grow hair and it came out so fast, it seemed clear to me so I just shaved it all to one length. The brown concealer powdery stuff did nothing, wouldn't cling and made a huge mess. I was going to try the spray version but the nozzle arrived broken but I thought that it might take me to female thickness even in the front. It does in the videos, grrr.

 

[Norwoody]

It really is baffling how fearful people are of shedding. I get it, but at the same time it's just like anything else. If you want to get in shape and build muscle you're going to be sore. Everything has a cost to it. Results that are significant often require significant changes. There's tons of documentation on people shedding and regrowing after (at least on finasteride and minoxidil). Everything goes in cycles. People want immediate results and often fail to make the sacrifices required to progress. 1 step back 2 steps forward.