Hair Loss News

Drug testing for athletes is an integral part of professional sports today.   We recently reported on an Australian soccer player who was subjected to disciplinary action because he was found to be using finasteride (Propecia).

The reason why finasteride is banned is because this hair loss drug causes changes to the person’s hormonal profile that make it difficult to detect steroid use.

A person could therefore use finasteride to mask their steroid use and thus evade detection.

This study examined the exact reason why finasteride and other 5alpha-reductase inhibitors cause problems with drug testing.

According to the study, the use of 5alpha-reductase inhibitors (finasteride or dutasteride) causes considerable problems because steroid profile parameters, which are commonly considered stable, are highly affected and complicate the detection of steroid abuse. In addition, the suppression of production and renal excretion of 5alpha-steroids such as 19-norandrosterone generated from anabolic agents such as 19-norandrostenedione may lead to false-negative doping-control results, because urine specimens are reported positive only when a threshold level of 2 ng/mL is exceeded.

• Read more: Why finasteride use is banned in professional sports

Researchers in India studied hair loss patterns in 150 male patients who suffer from androgenetic alopecia (AA)

They found the severity of the hair loss increased significantly with age.  They attempted to classify the cases according to the Norwood/Hamilton scale which is a chart grading the severity of hair loss.   They were able to classify 80% of the cases according to the chart, but some did not fit into any of the categories.

This research was done to get some data on MPB within the Indian population which is currently not well documented.

Male pattern androgenetic alopecia in an Indian context: a perspective study.

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2007 Apr
Sehgal V, Kak R, Aggarwal A, Srivastava G, Rajput P.
Skin Institute and School of Dermatology, Greater Kailash, New Delhi, India.

Background Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) has received scant attention, despite it being a common entity that may result in significant psychosocial morbidity. There are some patients who do not fit into any of the proposed types. Moreover, there have been no published studies of pattern and prevalence of AGA in males in an Indian context. Hence, the present study was an attempt to classify AGA in males with the aim of producing a simple, effective and easily reproducible classification.

Methods: In total, 150 male patients were clinically diagnosed as AGA. After obtaining informed consent from all patients, a detailed history/examination was carried out, including a hair pull test, a trichogram investigation and a biopsy. Classification of AGA was subsequently attempted across Norwood guidelines.

Results: A gradual shift in the type of AGA from the earlier types (II and III) to more severe types (VI) with increasing age was significant. Twenty-seven patients did not fit into specific patterns according to Hamilton and Norwood classifications. In addition, type ‘a’ variant was recorded in 20% of patients, clearly indicating limitations of the existing classifications.

Conclusions: It was possible to classify 80% of the AGA, with II (28%) and III (15%) being the most common types of AGA. Twenty-seven patients (18%) could not be classified as a significant finding. There was considerable overlap in types IV, V and VI in the Norwood classification with the ‘a’ variants further confusing the picture.

PMID: 17373973

Caffeine is being used as an ingredient in some hair loss shampoos. The reason for this is that an in-vitro study was done where follicles were treated with a caffeine solution and it was found that caffeine blocks the effects of a DHT, the hormone that causes Male Pattern Baldness and damages the hair follicles

Dr Fischer, who conducted the first trial, took scalp biopsies from 14 men in the early stages of hair loss. He extracted the hair follicles and then placed them in test tubes with solutions containing different levels of caffeine.  The follicles that were being treated with caffeine saw their average growth increase by around 46 per cent and the life cycle of the hair extended by 37 per cent, when compared to the control group.

This study prompted some manufacturers to add caffeine to their hair loss products.

In this study, researchers in Germany wanted to see if topically applied caffeine could be delivered to the follicle when being part of a shampoo.

According to their study they were able to prove that after 2 minutes of shampooing, the caffeine in the shampoo was able to penetrate into the scalp via the hair follicles and stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the skin).

This proves that shampoo is an effective delivery vehicle for caffeine, provided that it’s left on the scalp for 2 minutes or more.

• Read more: Study proves caffeine in shampoo does penetrate to the hair follicle

It has previously been demonstrated, in a study done on mice, that exposure to high levels of environmental cigarette smoke can cause hair loss.   

In the same study the researchers also gave some of the mice an oral dose of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to see if it would prevent the hair loss caused by the cigarette smoke.  This was proven to be successful in preventing this hair loss from occurring.

In this more recent study the same researchers wanted to test a different form of the amino acids on the mice.

They exposed a group of mice to cigarette smoke and then gave some of them an oral mixture of l-cystine with vitamin B6.   l-cystine is the oxidized form of l-cysteine, an amino acid which is a key component of hair.

According to their study data the oral administration of l-cystine and vitamin B6 did effectively prevent the hair loss from occurring.   The results were dose dependent, meaning the higher doses had the more effective result.

While this study was not done on humans, it may be prudent for cigarette smokers who are unable to quit to at least ensure they are getting adequate amounts of l-cystine and Vitamin 6 to help counteract the negative effects of cigarette smoke.

• Read more: Certain vitamins and amino acids may help prevent hair loss caused by cigarette smoke

Dr. Dow Stough, a hair loss and hair transplant doctor in Arkansas, has just published a study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology showing the effect dutasteride has on sets of identical twins.

The object of the study was to compare the efficacy of dutasteride vs. a placebo in the treatment of male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) in 17 pairs of identical twin males with androgenetic alopecia over a 1-year period.

The seventeen pairs of identical twins were all Caucasian males between the ages of 18 and 50. They had a hair loss classification II, III, IV, or V MPHL, according to a modified Norwood/Hamilton hair loss classification scale

The study was randomized and double-blinded meaning that neither the twins nor the doctors knew which twin got the dutasteride and which twin got the placebo.

The twin that got the dutasteride received a 0.5mg/day dose for a period of 12 months.

At the 6 month and 12 month mark the hair growth of the twins was evaluated using standardized clinical photographs, hair counts, and patient self-assessment questionnaires.

The results of the studies showed that Dutasteride significantly improved hair growth at the 1-year mark compared to the placebo. The results were based on the analysis of the investigator assessment and the patient self-assessment questionnaires.

Sixteen of 17 sets of twins completed the study, of which 15 sets correctly predicted the use of dutasteride. Only one set could not determine the active drug from the placebo.

The clinical study proved that dutasteride significantly reduces hair loss progression in men with male pattern hair loss.

Dutasteride is a dual 5-alpha reductase inhibitor which is currently in Phase 3 trials for approval as a hair loss treatment.   It’s currently marketed and available under the brand name “Avodart”, for which it received FDA approval to be used as a drug to treat an enlarged prostate (BPH).

Dutasteride is suitable for use in men only.

The ability for Saw Palmetto to inhibit DHT has been the subject of much speculation.   It has long been established that Saw Palmetto has beneficial effects on the prostate when given to men with an enlarged prostate (BPH).  The question of exactly how Saw Palmetto works has never been fully resolved.  

Some research has suggested it may lower DHT, but the studies have been contradictory leaving many people with the impression that Saw Palmetto has no effect on DHT production.

Well now a study done on mice has provided clear evidence that Saw Palmetto does in fact lower DHT production.

Researchers in Oregon were attempting to establish whether Saw Palmetto has any benefit in treating prostate cancer tumors.  The researchers tested the Saw Palmetto extract on genetically-engineered mice whose prostate mimics that of a human - these mice are used to test prostate treatments because they respond to drugs in the same way as humans do.

In the study the mice were given one of two doses of Saw Palmetto extract, either 50 mg/kilogram/day or 300mg/kilogram/day for 3 or 6 months.

After the conclusion of the trial the researchers examined the prostates of the mice and found that the mice who had received the equivalent of 300mg/kilogram/day had significantly reduced amounts of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in their prostate tissue.

In addition to this, their prostate tumors had also been reduced in size.

Based on this data the researchers were then able to conclude that Saw Palmetto does indeed reduce the production of DHT by inhibiting the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, the enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

• Read more: Saw Palmetto proven to inhibit DHT in study

There is a growing body of evidence showing that obesity caused by a poor diet can affect many areas of your health.   One area that does not get much attention because it’s not life threatening, is hair loss.

Now a recent survey in Finland has shown that young men with moderate to extensive hair loss were also more likely to be overweight.  In addition to being overweight, they also had high levels of a certain protein that’s associated with a low-grade inflammation.   The low grade inflammation is most likely due to the effects of eating a poor diet high in sugars and carbohydrates.

According to the survey, obese men were 17% more likely to have hair loss than their counterparts who had a normal BMI (body mass index).

Does this mean that your diet causes you to lose your hair?  No, male pattern hair loss is a genetic condition.   However your diet can definitely affect your hormone levels since insulin indirectly stimulates testosterone production, and insulin is released every time you ingest carbohydrates like sugar. 

Logically the more your blood sugar increases, the more insulin is released, and the more hormones get produced.   The result of that is your hair loss could start at a much earlier age than if you had been eating a healthy diet due to the high levels of androgens.   Furthermore, it could advance a lot quicker and you could become bald in your 20’s when it may have only happened once you reached your 40’s.

Additionally, the inflammation resulting from the excess fat could also adversely affect your hair loss.

There are many good reasons to start eating a healthy diet and this is just another one.

• Read more: A poor diet can accelerate your hair loss suggests survey