Tetracycline and Regrowth in 2 months

[Einstein]

My electrician and friend had a lot of regrowth in 2 months from using Tetracycline and getting injections weekly into his scalp. He went to a dermatologist in March and asked for finasteride (I told him to get on it before he goes slick bald), and the dermatologist said no I have something better for you and put him on this regimen. I’ve never heard of Tetracycline so googling it I learned it’s an antibiotic. I asked him how long his derm has him on the drug to which he said he’s staying on.

Wtf? Am I missing something here? Has anyone ever used this stuff and had similar success? I mean the dude had excellent regrowth. I’m seeing his dermatologist next week to get the same sh*t and whatever the injections he’s getting

 

[20YearsOnFin]

No idea, maybe he's been prescribed it for its anti-inflammatory effects or he has signs of scarring alopecia's like lichen planopilaris?

Certain oral antibiotics can induce temporary shedding in some people, so its not something I've heard being used unless there is a specific reason for it..

maybe somebody else has a better explanation.

 

[inmyhead]

Well you're visiting that dermatologist soon, should have your answer quite fast.

 

[FilthyFrancis]

Never heard of it.

I wonder what are the injections also. Where are you based out of curiosity?

 

[Jakejr]

Acne medication w) some scalp fibrosis indications.

 

[Roeysdomi]

This med actually can cause hair thining .

 

[pegasus2]

Does he have androgenetic alopeica? It's been used in other types of alopecia, this is the first I've heard of it working for male pattern baldness. I'm very itnerested to hear how it works out for you. I hope you'll take pictures.

 

[coolio]

That was my first thought too. It's probably not androgenic loss that was being reversed.

Antibiotics have been around & common for generations. If they were visibly reversing male pattern loss (in any circumstances, topical, oral, etc) then it would have been observed by science a long time ago.

 

[mminh]

That was my first thought too. It's probably not androgenic loss that was being reversed.

Antibiotics have been around & common for generations. If they were visibly reversing male pattern loss (in any circumstances, topical, oral, etc) then it would have been observed by science a long time ago.

Add to that 2 months and visible regrowth seems to be too quick.

 

[Moz5x]

My electrician and friend had a lot of regrowth in 2 months from using Tetracycline and getting injections weekly into his scalp. He went to a dermatologist in March and asked for finasteride (I told him to get on it before he goes slick bald), and the dermatologist said no I have something better for you and put him on this regimen. I’ve never heard of Tetracycline so googling it I learned it’s an antibiotic. I asked him how long his derm has him on the drug to which he said he’s staying on.

Wtf? Am I missing something here? Has anyone ever used this stuff and had similar success? I mean the dude had excellent regrowth. I’m seeing his dermatologist next week to get the same sh*t and whatever the injections he’s getting

View attachment 179781

Definitely let us know what these injections are. I’ve taken tetracycline for acne issues in the past with limited success and no hair effects.

Use of antibiotics for treating Androgenetic Alopecia would likely mean longer term use. Long term use of antibiotics for any reason is never a good idea. Bacterial resistance is difficult to treat. Also, there is still so much we don’t fully understand about the relationship between gut microbiome and general health. Seems like playing with fire to potentially disrupt that.

 

[HairOnFire]

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are the likely link between tetracyclines and hair growth. Tetracyclines (doxycycline, minocycline, tetracycline, etc.) are well-known MMP inhibitors.

Edit: Do a search in Pubmed for Mmp and Tetracycline, You'll get back several hundred hits.

Comparative Study

Int J Dermatol

2001 Jun;40(6):385-92.

Identification of clustered cells in human hair follicle responsible for MMP-9 gelatinolytic activity: consequences for the regulation of hair growth​

Abstract​

Background: The control of human hair follicle growth and differentiation is dependent upon several well-identified factors, including androgens, cytokines, and growth factors. In humans, alopecia androgenetica is a common aging process thought to be regulated through complex genetic imbalances, which also involve several of these crucial identified factors (and probably others not yet characterized), alone or in combination. Among these factors, epidermal growth factor (EGF), as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines, play a pivotal role, as evidenced by their direct inhibitory effects on hair growth both in vitro and in vivo. Following such treatments, the in vitro growth of hair follicles was rapidly arrested and deleterious modifications of hair morphology were also observed.
Aim: Because these cytokines act, at least partly, through the induction of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), and because tissue remodeling occurs during the hair cycle, we attempted to identify and localize MMP in the human pilosebaceous unit.
Method: We used zymography to observe human hair follicles in culture in vitro.
Results: We observed that human hair follicles in culture in vitro mainly and almost exclusively produce MMP-2 and MMP-9 gelatinolytic activities. Furthermore, after stimulation with EGF, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), or interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha), MMP-9 production was strongly increased. Using immunohistochemistry, we then precisely localized MMP-9 in the lower part of the inner root sheath (Henle's layer) of control human anagen hair follicles.
Conclusions: Cytokine- and EGF-induced upregulation of MMP-9 in the lower epithelial compartment of the human hair bulb is a major mechanism through which hair follicle involution, observed in alopecia, may occur.

 

[HairOnFire]

That was my first thought too. It's probably not androgenic loss that was being reversed.

Antibiotics have been around & common for generations. If they were visibly reversing male pattern loss (in any circumstances, topical, oral, etc) then it would have been observed by science a long time ago.

Not necessarily. Antibiotics are usually prescribed for a week or two. Which is far too brief to have an effect on alopecia. They are sometimes prescribed longer term for young people with acne, but young teenagers don't present with Androgenetic Alopecia at that age.

 

[pegasus2]

@Einstein Any update on this? I'm very interested to know what the injections were.

 

[Feramon1]

In fact, the topic is quite interesting. My baldness began after suffering a sore throat, which later became chronic. I took amoxicillin for about 1.5 months as prescribed by the doctor, immediately after that the process of baldness started.

 

[Einstein]

I haven’t been able to go in for a visit I’ve been consumed with work. Problem is he doesn’t do appointments, it’s walk-ins only. When you do a walk-in you can be there for 2-3 hrs which is time I find difficult to free up. I want to find out what those injections were and how long he keeps his patients on tetracycline

 

[Get my hair back]

Hi. Any news? Interesting, though.

 

[FromHairy2LarryDavid]

Chances are he had inflammatory/autoimmune hair loss (Cicatricial Alopecia) which is fairly rare in males, but often treated with antibiotics, immunosuppressants, antimalarials etc.

 

[hairDespair]

You don't want to be on antibiotics long term

 

[pegasus2]

You don't want to be on antibiotics long term

Unless it cured hair loss. Spoiler: It doesn't

 

[Get my hair back]

I also don't think antibiotics will help with Androgenetic Alopecia. But what the hell, minoxidil was also originally developed as a pressure reliever.