Summary of hair loss mechanisms and solutions?

[ataman]

I've become a regular-ish visitor / poster on this forum and have read a lot about various substances promoting growth through various mechanisms...but other than having an idea of what different guys (and girls) have tried, and what works, I still don't really understand the main root causes of hair loss.

Is it possible to summarise these in any way? Something along the lines of:

'There are 7 main factors leading to baldness.
1.) Insufficient ABC1 factor; this can be helped by taking DEF2 herb
2.) Estrogen dominance; this can be...
3.) DHT production;....'

...if you get the idea. I don't know if the whole area is just too complex to summarise, but it would be very useful to have a high-level summary of causes and current solutions. CS?

[Amaranthaceae]

ataman, I think you are spot on, except we still have to clarify the abc1 factors

[CausticSymmetry]

ataman - I might have to make a briefer explanation than usual, I have temporary limited Internet access.

Balding scalps have lower levels of endogenous antioxidant defense systems, such as Glutathione, Superoxide Dismutase, etc.

That said, correcting oxidative stress is paramount in importance. Lipoic acid is vital for correcting mitochondrial ATP free radical generation while boosting up endogenous free radical protection.

Inflammation with respect to PGE-2 Prostaglandins. Certainly diet has a profound effect on this aspect. Fried foods, especially vegetable oils generate this--inflammation. Liberation of AA (Arachadonic Acid) from fatty acids, via Phospholipase A2. The inflammation can also be bacterial, yeast (Malassezia).

This is where natural COX-2, LOX and PGE-2 inhibitors are very useful (Ecklonia Cava, Omega-3, etc.)

Insulin resistance or simply high glucose in the blood from eating refined foods that breakdown rapdily into glucose. This raises insulin levels and anything that raises insulin levels accelerates the aging process in almost everyday possible. So keeping insulin levels lower will prevent a number of age related factors from stunting hair vitality.
Power antioxidants go a long way in reducing the potential insulin/glucose level from the food being eaten. So timing of supplements (before/during meal) is critical.

Thyroid is a another factor and is often overlooked because most tests for thyroid are absolutley useless and do not reveal anything useful. Subclinical hypothyroid/low thyroid creates hidden inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, etc. This is huge in hair loss. Iodine replenishment and possibly glandulars may help.

Thymic involution (shrinking of the thymus gland). It's effect on estrogen and other tissues can have an effect on hair.

IGF-1/Growth Hormone levels. If these levels are too low, hair quality is poor.

Fibrinogen, propensity for clotting and fibrin build-up. Hypercoagulation and adversely affect hair. Ecklonia Cava helps with this problem. Nattokinase may also be useful and some other enzymes that could be mentioned (short on time).

Perhaps Lp(a) as it may link DKK-1, a highly negative protein stimulated by DHT that kills hair to a terminal end. DKK-1 is highly upregulated in balding scalps. Saturated fat, (coconut oil for vegans and meat eaters alike) is very good for this.

I guess that is closer to 8 things, but some of them can be tied together.

[CausticSymmetry]

TGF-beta and MMP-9 is very huge and these upregulated/expressed in balding scalps by due influence of the previously mentioned factors.

I forgot something huge. Neurogenic inflammation. For reasons uknown, it seems that only balding types are susceptible to this--stress is a lot like an accelerant to an arson fire, except that the fire is inflammation in the form of hair loss. Stress mediated neurogenic inflammation (neuropeptides) cause extremely destructive hair loss.
I believe this primarily affects the temporal regions.

[ataman]

Thanks CS, that will take a while to absorb

At first read, I notice that DHT barely gets a mention. Given that most of the current pharmaceutical hair loss treatments (and some herbal ones) are based entirely around its suppression, I thought this would have been nearer the top of the list? Or is it that the other supplements stop DHT from causing damage?

[CausticSymmetry]

ataman - Kind of a joke but DHT is soooooo 20th Century, LOL!

But seriously yeah you're right, I think of DHT as the messenger (no need to shoot it), but rather buffer, inhibit, minimalize the proteins and enzymes that DHT triggers instead.

But DHT can be minimalized also by the supplements already mentioned and also by not over doing certain foods.

For example, refined starches, sugars, grains, etc. increase DHT. Fried foods and Vegetable oils, especially canola oil increase DHT.

Coconut oil, palm oil decrease DHT. They are also better under high heat.

Omega 3 fatty acids, especially Krill oil or the right kind of Cod liver oil (there's only one decent one left in existence, Blue Ice Fermented Cod Liver Oil) can decrease DHT also.

Fortunately in all of the above cases they prevent excessive DHT but do not inhibit it to levels that will result in poor libido, anxiety or depression.



Keeping insulin and glucose levels normalized will keep DHT at bay also. This is what the antioxidants do.

[ataman]

That makes sense.

I'm trying to stop taking dut just now (seperate thread). I am concerned that having been on DHT blockers for so long (~ 11 years!) it will be very tough to switch to naturals. But I digress. - Thanks for the detailed info.

[CausticSymmetry]

ataman - I wonder if using Pueraria Mirifica would act as a good way to transition from Dut or fin for that matter off of it.

[edony]

Coconut oil, palm oil decrease DHT. They are also better under high heat.

CS, what do you mean " ... better under high heat " ?

[edony]

Drinking a couple of TBS pure organic coconut oil per day won't do the trick?
You need to eat food fried in coconut oil?

[CausticSymmetry]

edony - What I meant to state was, that coconut and/or palm oil can tolerate high heat without sustaining free radical damage compared to most other oils. So if there is any desire to fry a food, this oil would be far safer and would present significantly less risk to our hair.

But as far as what state is preferable, the less heat the better.

[hapyman]

The part about neurogenic inflammation really stuck out at me. This seems to hit home and I believe this may be a major player in my hair loss. I have asthma, mild rosacea (or eczema) and used to get horrible migraines. A lot of these symptoms, have decreases since I have detoxed and cleaned up my diet but some of them are persisting still although to a lesser degree.

Neurogenic inflammation is a general term used to describe the local release of inflammatory mediators from afferent neurons such as substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide.

This process appears to play an important role in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases including asthma, fibromyalgia, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and migraine.

I haven't quite finished reading through this article yet but plan on later this evening. Found the picture below interesting although it is kind of hard to decode at first:

From: http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v126/n9/full/5700429a.html

Neuropeptide Control Mechanisms in Cutaneous Biology: Physiological and Clinical Significance

Abstract

The skin as a barrier and immune organ is exposed to omnipresent environmental challenges such as irradiation or chemical and biologic hazards. Neuropeptides released from cutaneous nerves or skin and immune cells in response to noxious stimuli are mandatory for a fine-tuned regulation of cutaneous immune responses and tissue maintenance and repair. They initialize host immune responses, but are equally important for counter regulation of proinflammatory events. Interaction of the nervous and immune systems occurs both locally – at the level of neurogenic inflammation and immunocyte activation – and centrally – by controlling inflammatory pathways such as mononuclear activation or lymphocyte cytokine secretion. Consequently, a deregulated neurogenic immune control results in disease manifestation and frequently accompanies chronic development of cutaneous disorders. The current understanding, therapeutic options, and open questions of the role that neuropeptides such as substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide/pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide, neuropeptide Y, or others play in these events are discussed. Progress in this field will likely result in novel therapies for the management of diseases characterized by deregulated inflammation, tissue remodeling, angiogenesis, and neoplasm.



Neuropeptides are key players in neurogenic inflammation. This schematic drawing depicts neurogenic inflammatory signaling pathways and up- and downstream regulatory and effector modules (modified from Steinhoff et al., 2003). Along the brain–skin axis, neuropeptides are involved in cutaneous inflammation on several levels including central transmission, neurogenic inflammation and cellular infiltration. SP and CGRP released from sensory nerve endings upon provocation mediate mast cell degranulation and regulate blood flow and plasma extravasation. Cytokines are recruited from keratinocytes and mast cells to initiate subsequent cutaneous infiltration. Positive feedback loops involving proteinase activated receptors on sensory nerve endings and neurotrophins that enhance innervation further promote this process. Degrading enzymes expressed, for example, by schwann cells and mast cells serve to terminate the process.

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