Hair Loss And My Blood Test Results

[fkedupmylifelol1]

hey guys so over the past 12-18 months i have lost an extreme amount of hair and i'm just trying to figure out what's going on. i'm 23 years old and went through a rough period, over the past 12-18 months i ate like sh*t, washed my hair like every 2 months, didn't exercise and so on. i started a simple regime that included minoxidil 2x daily and dermarolling 1x a week and also nizoral 2x a week about 1 month ago, i'm looking to get prescribed dutasteride this week but i'll take finasteride if i can't get dutasteride.

i have a good amount of vellus hair on my temples and also plenty of vellus-looking hair among all the receeded areas (crown/front hairline) but im thinking those might just be my old weakened hair because it doesn't exactly look like vellus hair, it's like 2-3x the length of my actual vellus hair but it has the same colour. anyway my blood results included extremely low testosterone levels (pic attatched), low shbg levels (apparently causes DHT to run rampant?) and a mildly severe vitamin d deficiency.

my main question is: is it likely that these results were the main factor for causing my hairloss and if rectified i can grow some or most of it back?

 

[recedingornot87]

lets see ur hair. Did ur dad or other relatives bald young? Might not be a good idea to take finasteride when you have low T.

 

[fkedupmylifelol1]

just buzzed it a few days ago, also i added another picture specifically to show those "vellus" hairs i'm talking about. the "vellus" hair picture is showing the area right around my hairline/front section where in the first picture it looks like it's almost completely bald, they're also all over my crown but i didn't take a picture of that. the density of those tiny hairs is giving me some hope that if i jump on finasteride or something they'll be able to grow and strengthen and hopefully turn terminal. especially because 90% of the hair loss occured in the past 12-18 months like i mentioned. the low T shouldn't be a problem for more than a few weeks i'm hoping, either my Doctor gives me trt or i'll just start a cruising dose of test e to get things going, in either case i would like to think i'd be good to take finasteride or dutasteride quite soon?

my dad started losing his hair in his late 20s/early 30s. grandad on my mums side went bald probably in his 40s, though i have 7 uncles on my mums side and they're all bald and age 40+. i definitely have the balding gene, especially because i've had an M shaped hairline since i was like 13 but due to the sudden nature of the hair loss i'm not exactly convinced it's purely because of male pattern baldness. i know i'll go bald eventually and i'm fine with that but i want some f*****g hair for the rest of my 20s.

 

[sunchyme1]

@IdealForehead help this dude out man

 

[sunchyme1]

op i feel u brother

thats very very aggressive hair loss

your young though so get on a solid regimen and u have decent shot at some good regrowth

do some research on this place. lots of things to try

 

[Roberto_72]

a mildly severe vitamin d deficiency.

For that, you could take 50.000 UI D weekly supplements (or monthly, depending on your levels)
Low vitamin D and low T mean poor libido.
I think you must fix T before you fix hair.
I am unsure it would be a good idea to add finasteride before you stabilize T.

 

[IdealForehead]

You seem to have a very typical male pattern baldness.

Vitamin D deficiency can cause testosterone deficiency from what I've read. Take 2000-4000 units a day of D3 and maybe 10-20 mg zinc per day.

You absolutely should not use test-e or supplemental testosterone. Not only will it cause more hair loss, it will suppress your natural testosterone production, which is not viable long term. I've injected test-e and it doubled my hair loss rate while I was on it.

Definitely I would recommend finasteride/dutasteride.

Then get your levels all rechecked in ~2 months and see where you're at then. You might want to get other hormones checked like prolactin too at some stage (now or then). Some guys on here have had weird prolactin issues. "The release of excess prolactin has been found to decrease testosterone as it inhibits the release of a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone which acts to stimulate the testes".

 

[fkedupmylifelol1]

For that, you could take 50.000 UI D weekly supplements (or monthly, depending on your levels)
Low vitamin D and low T mean poor libido.
I think you must fix T before you fix hair.
I am unsure it would be a good idea to add finasteride before you stabilize T.

yeah i take 5000 UI of vit d daily from supplements, i also just sit outside in the sun for 20-30mins a day which should be like 10k UI. i'm going back to the doctor tomorrow to see some more bloodwork results since we did a second round of testing just to double check things. potentially if i score low enough on the second round of testing i could be given TRT so i'll see what happens tomorrow

You seem to have a very typical male pattern baldness.

Vitamin D deficiency can cause testosterone deficiency from what I've read. Take 2000-4000 units a day of D3 and maybe 10-20 mg zinc per day.

You absolutely should not use test-e or supplemental testosterone. Not only will it cause more hair loss, it will suppress your natural testosterone production, which is not viable long term. I've injected test-e and it doubled my hair loss rate while I was on it.

Definitely I would recommend finasteride/dutasteride.

Then get your levels all rechecked in ~2 months and see where you're at then. You might want to get other hormones checked like prolactin too at some stage (now or then). Some guys on here have had weird prolactin issues. "The release of excess prolactin has been found to decrease testosterone as it inhibits the release of a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone which acts to stimulate the testes".

yeah it's definitely in the typical male pattern baldness pattern but it happened so fuckin quick that i refuse to believe i can't do something to get at least some hair back. wouldn't finasteride/dutasteride prevent me losing more hair if i go the test E route though? i know plenty of guys that use finasteride to maintain their hair on high doses of test, i'd only be using a cruising dose. also i believe it'll only suppress natural test production while i remain on it, if i come off it i'm pretty sure things go back to normal. i mostly want to get my T levels up ASAP because being this low in T affects me mentally as well. so i'm envisioning: go on test e or trt to like double/triple my T levels for the time being > fix the rest of my issues/deficiencies that could be causing my low T etc > come off it and hopefully naturally go back to a normal level of T and re assess from there

 

[IdealForehead]

yeah i take 5000 UI of vit d daily from supplements, i also just sit outside in the sun for 20-30mins a day which should be like 10k UI. i'm going back to the doctor tomorrow to see some more bloodwork results since we did a second round of testing just to double check things. potentially if i score low enough on the second round of testing i could be given TRT so i'll see what happens tomorrow



yeah it's definitely in the typical male pattern baldness pattern but it happened so fuckin quick that i refuse to believe i can't do something to get at least some hair back. wouldn't finasteride/dutasteride prevent me losing more hair if i go the test E route though? i know plenty of guys that use finasteride to maintain their hair on high doses of test, i'd only be using a cruising dose. also i believe it'll only suppress natural test production while i remain on it, if i come off it i'm pretty sure things go back to normal. i mostly want to get my T levels up ASAP because being this low in T affects me mentally as well. so i'm envisioning: go on test e or trt to like double/triple my T levels for the time being > fix the rest of my issues/deficiencies that could be causing my low T etc > come off it and hopefully naturally go back to a normal level of T and re assess from there

That is not a good idea. Adding testosterone can only worsen your hair. It can't make it better. More test > more binding to your androgen receptors. Test kills hair too. Not just DHT.

Plus adding test-e will only delay or inhibit any recovery of natural testosterone levels. So unless your testicles are dead and you will never have natural testosterone again, there is no benefit to going on test-e or trt.

You are already losing your hair with low testosterone levels. What do you think will happen if you add more testosterone? Also like I said check thyroid, check prolactin.

 

[fkedupmylifelol1]

That is not a good idea. Adding testosterone can only worsen your hair. It can't make it better. More test > more binding to your androgen receptors. Test kills hair too. Not just DHT.

Plus adding test-e will only delay or inhibit any recovery of natural testosterone levels. So unless your testicles are dead and you will never have natural testosterone again, there is no benefit to going on test-e or trt.

You are already losing your hair with low testosterone levels. What do you think will happen if you add more testosterone? Also like I said check thyroid, check prolactin.

i mean i'll ask my doctor tomorrow and see what he thinks, i'll also double check the blood results and report back but i'd happy to take the risk of worsening my current hair in order to get my T levels back to normal asap to see what happens, because i don't know how long it will take to get my T levels back to a normal range naturally. also wouldn't my very low SHBG levels play a role? i'm pretty sure DHT has a higher affinity for SHBG and since my SHBG level is so low then maybe DHT is just running rampant or some sh*t like that idk. i don't really give a sh*t about the potential risks at this stage.

 

[recedingornot87]

yeah i take 5000 UI of vit d daily from supplements, i also just sit outside in the sun for 20-30mins a day which should be like 10k UI. i'm going back to the doctor tomorrow to see some more bloodwork results since we did a second round of testing just to double check things. potentially if i score low enough on the second round of testing i could be given TRT so i'll see what happens tomorrow



yeah it's definitely in the typical male pattern baldness pattern but it happened so fuckin quick that i refuse to believe i can't do something to get at least some hair back. wouldn't finasteride/dutasteride prevent me losing more hair if i go the test E route though? i know plenty of guys that use finasteride to maintain their hair on high doses of test, i'd only be using a cruising dose. also i believe it'll only suppress natural test production while i remain on it, if i come off it i'm pretty sure things go back to normal. i mostly want to get my T levels up ASAP because being this low in T affects me mentally as well. so i'm envisioning: go on test e or trt to like double/triple my T levels for the time being > fix the rest of my issues/deficiencies that could be causing my low T etc > come off it and hopefully naturally go back to a normal level of T and re assess from there

Male pattern baldness does happen fast for some people, its actually common for people who start balding young. I am one of those people too, I notice changes every week but im still in early stages.

 

[fkedupmylifelol1]

asked the Doctor for some finasteride today and he prescribed it, holding off on trt/test e for another month or two to see if i can raise my T levels naturally. i still see a sh*t load of weak/faded hairs on my scalp so i'm praying i can bring those back to life. ill post some updates if this actually works

 

[infinitepain]

That is not a good idea. Adding testosterone can only worsen your hair. It can't make it better. More test > more binding to your androgen receptors. Test kills hair too. Not just DHT.

Plus adding test-e will only delay or inhibit any recovery of natural testosterone levels. So unless your testicles are dead and you will never have natural testosterone again, there is no benefit to going on test-e or trt.

You are already losing your hair with low testosterone levels. What do you think will happen if you add more testosterone? Also like I said check thyroid, check prolactin.

Can you post your bloodwork? I would like to see how it looks like with your androgen-killer combo. Include thyroid too etc.

Also you mentioned somewhere that LLLT hinders the efficacy of androgen inhibitors, im not sure if you mentioned finasteride, dutasteride or something specifically. Where did you get this from? I would like to know since I may start a treatment with dutasteride which includes use of LLLT. There's a clinic that inyects the dutasteride directly on the scalp, and they include LLLT in the package, so im not sure if I want that or not. This is probably my last card before I off myself.

 

[Retinoid]

I have done a lot of research into the hair loss mechanics when I saw my hair thinning and I feel like the DHT hypothesis is like the bacteria hypothesis to acne.

Bacteria leads to acne, however the most effective treatment does not deal with reduction of bacteria directly (accutane) and antibiotics are really a short to medium term treatment. Everyone has the bacteria that leads to acne on their skin but some people's skin seems to be susceptible to getting acne while others are not.

It is the same with hair loss. DHT causes hair loss...but it seems to be the scalp conditions that lead to DHT becoming a problem. Reducing DHT would be like taking antibiotics...short to medium term success, a lot of side effects and not really solving the problem like what Accutane does for acne. Particularly for someone who has low androgen levels, reducing the further doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense since androgens are not the actual problem.

Seems scalp massage daily, 1.5mm or more dermarolled, minoxidil, topical caffeine all help moreso with the underlying issues.

 

[fkedupmylifelol1]

topical caffeine? did i read that right?

and yeah i agree with the rest of what you said. everyone keeps telling me that DHT is the main culprit but knowing what my hygiene, diet and other lifestyle factors were like compared to before i had any issues with my hair, i'm not exactly convinced it all rests on DHT.

 

[Retinoid]

topical caffeine? did i read that right?

and yeah i agree with the rest of what you said. everyone keeps telling me that DHT is the main culprit but knowing what my hygiene, diet and other lifestyle factors were like compared to before i had any issues with my hair, i'm not exactly convinced it all rests on DHT.

Yes topical caffeine helps hair growth.

If you have male pattern baldness then DHT is the proximate cause of hair loss just like bacteria is to acne formation.

 

[infinitepain]

I have done a lot of research into the hair loss mechanics when I saw my hair thinning and I feel like the DHT hypothesis is like the bacteria hypothesis to acne.

Bacteria leads to acne, however the most effective treatment does not deal with reduction of bacteria directly (accutane) and antibiotics are really a short to medium term treatment. Everyone has the bacteria that leads to acne on their skin but some people's skin seems to be susceptible to getting acne while others are not.

It is the same with hair loss. DHT causes hair loss...but it seems to be the scalp conditions that lead to DHT becoming a problem. Reducing DHT would be like taking antibiotics...short to medium term success, a lot of side effects and not really solving the problem like what Accutane does for acne. Particularly for someone who has low androgen levels, reducing the further doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense since androgens are not the actual problem.

Seems scalp massage daily, 1.5mm or more dermarolled, minoxidil, topical caffeine all help moreso with the underlying issues.

Maybe in la-la-land, but lowering DHT on the scalp is required if you want hair. Dermarolling can f*** your scalp up in some cases, I don't understand how some people do it daily. Also if your scalp can't heal properly it can lead to fibrosis I think.

Maybe your hypothesis makes sense, but in practice, I don't see how you can bypass reducing DHT in any case. And yes we need to reduce it on the scalp, not on the rest of the body, that is stupid.

topical caffeine? did i read that right?

and yeah i agree with the rest of what you said. everyone keeps telling me that DHT is the main culprit but knowing what my hygiene, diet and other lifestyle factors were like compared to before i had any issues with my hair, i'm not exactly convinced it all rests on DHT.

There are bums living in the street surrounded by sh*t and having perfect hairlines.

 

[Retinoid]

Maybe in la-la-land, but lowering DHT on the scalp is required if you want hair. Dermarolling can f*** your scalp up in some cases, I don't understand how some people do it daily. Also if your scalp can't heal properly it can lead to fibrosis I think.

Maybe your hypothesis makes sense, but in practice, I don't see how you can bypass reducing DHT in any case. And yes we need to reduce it on the scalp, not on the rest of the body, that is stupid.



There are bums living in the street surrounded by sh*t and having perfect hairlines.

Again, I do not think DHT is what causes the hair loss but the scalp environment+DHT that does. Which is why targeting DHT does help slow it down but is not really a long term treatment (20-30yrs)... unfortunately it is all we have that is backed up by money at this time.

In terms of your comments on the derma rolling I think you shouldn't make comments like the derma roller will LEAD to fibrosis. Fibrosis is one of the things that balding scalps have a lot of already and is major factor to balding. Derma rolling is controlled damage will leads to a redesign of tissues. It is a very effective tool for anti aging and hair loss. I am referring to once a week rolling not daily.

 

[fkedupmylifelol1]

tried to get some more pics to show the vellus hair i'm talking about, kinda hard to get a high quality pic of them though so it doesn't look quite as promising in these photos as it does to me IRL.

this vellus hair is like the only thing that makes me think it's possible to regrow something passable on my head since there's so many of them. is that just me hard coping or is that actually possible?

 

[recedingornot87]

tried to get some more pics to show the vellus hair i'm talking about, kinda hard to get a high quality pic of them though so it doesn't look quite as promising in these photos as it does to me IRL.

this vellus hair is like the only thing that makes me think it's possible to regrow something passable on my head since there's so many of them. is that just me hard coping or is that actually possible?

It is mostly cope tbh but we will never know until you get on finasteride or in ur case even dutasteride and are on it for atleast a year. Also, along with vitamin D take zinc supplements too. How is your testosterone levels that low at 23? You must have some other health condition that you dont know about yet as well. If you are overweight/obese try to get you bodyfat% to 12-15% range. Good luck bro.