This is an interesting article showing the effects of varying doses on DHT when finasteride is taken at varying doses.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10495374/
2020-05-01 02:31:462020-04-25 13:36:28Article showing finasteride in scalp
Article on Topical Finasteride worth reading (2015 date)
Effects of a novel finasteride 0.25% topical solution on scalp and serum dihydrotestosterone in healthy men with androgenetic alopecia
Objective: The effects on scalp and serum dihydrotestosterone (DHT) of different doses of a novel topical solution of 0.25% finasteride (P-3074), a type 2 5?-reductase, were investigated in men with androgenetic alopecia. Methods: Two randomized, parallel-group studies were conducted. Study I: 18 men received 1 mL (2.275 mg) P-3074, applied to the scalp once a day (o.d.) or twice a day (b.i.d), or 1 mg oral tablet o.d. for 1 week. Study II: 32 men received P-3074 at the dose of 100 (0.2275 mg), 200 (0.455 mg), 300 (0.6285 mg), or 400 (0.91 mg) ?L or the vehicle o.d. for 1 week. Scalp and serum DHT and serum testosterone were evaluated at baseline and treatment end. Results: Change from baseline in scalp DHT was -70% for P-3074 o.d. and approx. -50% for P-3074 b.i.d. and the tablet. Serum DHT decreased by 60 – 70%. The doses of 100 and 200 ?L P-3074 resulted in a -47/-52% scalp DHT reduction, similar to the 300 and 400 ?L doses (i.e., -37/-54%). A -5.6% inhibition was observed for the vehicle. Serum DHT was reduced by only -24/-26% with 100 and 200 ?L P-3074 and by -44/-48% with 300 and 400 ?L P-3074. No relevant changes occurred for serum testosterone. Conclusions: The novel finasteride 0.25% solution applied o.d. at the doses of 100 and 200 ?L results in an appropriate inhibition of scalp DHT potentially minimizing the untoward sexual side-effects linked to a systemic DHT reduction.
2020-04-03 02:13:012020-03-23 16:32:28Article on Topical Finasteride worth reading (2015 date)
Article on scalp blood flow has it wrong
The authors show that the blood flow in the scalp with less hair is less than with more hair. This is because the hair requires a great deal of blood because it has a high metabolic rate. The body pumps blood to the scalp to meet the need to support the high metabolic hair organ system. The reduced blood flow, long held as the cause of hair loss, has never been proven. This is an issue of cause and effect, less hair produces less blood supply not the other way around.
Subcutaneous blood flow in early male pattern baldness
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive
2020-04-10 16:32:462020-04-19 09:35:58Article on scalp blood flow has it wrong
Article – Fighting Insurance Companies to Pay for Wigs
Insurance companies generally exclude any hair treatment (wigs, transplants, drugs, etc) as a benefit of the insurance plan. For accidents, I have had insurance companies pick up the bills, but that is unusual. Read this interesting article about a woman fighting insurance companies on behalf of those with alopecia…
Article – Fiery Redheads Have More Sex
This article was published last August, but somehow I guess I missed this. Thanks to the two readers that brought this to my attention recently.
- DailyMail.co.uk – Redheads ‘have more sex than blondes or brunettes’
From the article —
The study by Hamburg Sex Researcher Professor Dr Werner Habermehl looked at the sex lives of hundreds of German women and compared them with their hair colour.
He said: “The sex lives of women with red hair were clearly more active than those with other hair colour, with more partners and having sex more often than the average. The research shows that the fiery redhead certainly lives up to her reputation.”
2007-01-17 11:33:362007-01-16 11:00:48Article – Fiery Redheads Have More Sex
Article examining the genetic connections from finasteride symptoms
Has there been any definitive studies done on which genes have an effect on post-finasteride syndrome (side effects that persist after discontinuation of Fin)? ARTICLE: https://www.smoa.jsexmed.org/article/S2050-1161(16)30075-7/abstract
Very interesting. I just read the full article and I will quote the last of the result analysis and the conclusion of the article. My interpretation suggests that the ability to detect men who might get PFS is not understood by any of the genetic findings of this report; however, there are some influences of symptoms reported by men who take finasteride as summarized below:
” A general limitation of this study work is that some symptoms reported by patients with PFS could not be objectively determined. Furthermore, the retrospective design of our study did not allow a clinical assessment of these men before finasteride use. Future studies are necessary to assess the AR genetic profile and testosterone levels in subjects who developed PFS compared with subjects who did not develop adverse symptoms after using finasteride against AGA. CONCLUSION Causes and predisposing factors responsible for the development of long-term adverse side effects in young men who used low-dose finasteride against AGA remain an enigma. Several symptoms were in common in more than 70% of patients with PFS, but a plethora of other disturbances was reported by a minority of patients, with some clearly related and some not to androgenicity. Our study showed that the length of two trinucleotide repeats in the AR gene contribute to the frequency of some specific symptoms reported by patients with PFS. The (CAG)n and (GGN)n polymorphisms were involved in two specific symptoms (ie, scrotal discomfort and increased skin dryness); for other symptoms, only one of the two polymorphisms was involved, which is likely a reflection of the complex modulation of AR activity.16,40 Our investigation using a precision medicine approach suggested genetic implications in symptoms of patients with PFS. Much more genetic and non-genetic research is necessary to elucidate the pathophysiologic pathways leading to the onset and persistence of adverse effects in former finasteride users.”
2019-10-01 03:33:332019-09-30 11:35:46Article examining the genetic connections from finasteride symptoms
Article: Two articles on microneedling
This article requires a lot of patient feedback which can be quite subjective; nevertheless, the focus of the article is interesting and I suspect would be as good with finasteride as with dutasteride.
- Medicine
Topical dutasteride with microneedling in treatment of male androgenetic alopecia
Introduction Male androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss in men. It accounts for more than 90% of all cases of alopecia in men . It occurs when genetically predisposed men are exposed to androgens. AGA may negatively affect patient’s quality of life and can lead to social and job-related problems . AGA can also cause indirect physical harm, such as sunburn as a result of hair loss and exposure to ultraviolet light . AGA may also be associated with increased incidence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and myocardial infarction . The only FDA approved therapies for treatment are limited to topical minoxidil and oral FIN with limited efficacy (40-60%) . As multiple factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of AGA and the existing conventional therapies (i.e. FIN and minoxidil) fail to target all of them; the demand for new treatment techniques for AGA is growing . Dutasteride (DST) is a dual 5?reductase inhibitor, with some reports about the use of oral DST in the treatment of AGA in men . Hesitancy about the widespread use of oral DST in the treatment of male AGA results from its potential side effects on erectile, ejaculatory functions and fertility . Mesotherapy using DST has been used in patients with AGA with promising results (8, . It is believed that systemic absorption after mesotherapy is equal to after oral DST because the scalp is highly vascular. So the possibility of using DST topically with scalp MN would have some advantages . Microneedling (MN) is a relatively new minimally invasive procedure involving superficial and controlled puncturing of the skin by rolling with miniature fine needles . The use of MN in combination with minoxidil showed promising results in treatment of AGA . Furthermore; the addition of MN to minoxidil and oral FIN improved AGA in patients who were resistant to minoxidil and oral FIN . To the best of our knowledge; the use of MN in combination with DST hasn`t been previously reported. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical DST with MN in treatment of male AGA. Patients and methods This prospective, randomized, clinical study was approved by Ethical and Research committees at Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University. An informed written consent was obtained from all participants. The study included 30 male patients complaining of progressive hair loss diagnosed as AGA attending at Dermatology outpatient clinics at Sohag University Hospitals, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University. Exclusion criteria ? Patients with other forms of alopecia including telogen effluvium, alopecia areata. ? Patients with dermatological or systemic illness known to cause diffuse hair loss (as thyroid disorders or anemia).
Another article shows results from adding microneedling to treatment routine: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Response-to-Microneedling-Treatment-in-Men-with-Who-Dhurat-Mathapati/90b0a2dfd226763e0a4c82267d393e638d01923c
2020-02-11 10:40:032020-02-11 10:56:26Article: Two articles on microneedling
Article connects 5-alpha reductase inhibitors to possible benefits on psychosis
This is an interesting twist from what I normally have read. The article in a very prestigious journal, analyzes the connects between 5-alpha reductase inhibitors to possible benefits on psychosis
https://www.nature.com/articles/npp200839
2020-05-14 10:11:102020-05-13 10:14:42Article connects 5-alpha reductase inhibitors to possible benefits on psychosis
Article about Finasteride and prostate Cancer from Johns Hopkins Bradly Urological Institute
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/brady-urology-institute/specialties/conditions-and-treatments/prostate-cancer/prostate-cancer-questions/finasteride-are-the-risks-worth-it
This article certainly put the notion that finasteride may prevent prostate cancer into question. Worth reading from a famous medical institution.
2019-09-03 12:20:452019-09-02 12:20:58Article about Finasteride and prostate Cancer from Johns Hopkins Bradly Urological Institute
Artichokes and Hair Loss?
My Grandmother told me that in Sicily where she grew up it’s widely held that artichokes cause hair loss. I’m not sure what to make of this. Any thoughts?
There is no connection between artichokes and hair loss that I know of. Sometimes I laugh at myself as I put in some quick research to be sure that there are no connections between hair loss and the variables presented to me on this blog time after time. Every once in a while, I am surprised that I actually find an informative connection that makes me wiser and more humble.
2006-10-25 13:31:362006-10-25 08:47:39Artichokes and Hair Loss?