Hormonal Issues

Hi the community,
I've been a reader for a while now and I currently follow a regimen that I beleive can only be positiv or my hair loss.

I'm a male, 23 yo, and have had acne since the beggining of my puberty Right now, I still have active acne, even though it's far less active as it used to be.
My acne form is specific, all my red pimples turns with white head Anyways, it's like papulo pustule acne.  I still have many red area on my face, kind of scars undernith my skin, especially on temples.
That's why I changed my diet very soon (aroud 19 yo) with stop of milk and any milk derivates, stop junk ood and eat many vegetables , and when I can raw foods. I avoid white bread and high glucemic index foods, sugar etc.

Moreover, two years ago I didn't had dermite sebhoreic dermite, but I do now and it worsen my hair loss.

I have started to loose my hair 5 yo, with a routine of 150 hair per day, until I use many complements, some I have stopped, some continued. However, my concern today is real, since I still am NW 1 NW 1.5 but my hair and much thinner now than 2 yo. My problem is simple: any complement I take have side effect, and therefore now I don't know wich one to use.

I did saw palmetto for 6 month 3 years ago, it did a good work rom I recall (hair loss significantly reduced) but caused me very severe insomnia, and today I still have very bad sleep (many awakes during the night, no more than 5 to 6 hours of total sleep).
I did Zinc Gluconate, because it seems to be a good complement for both my acne and my hair loss but here again, it prevents me to sleep, if i take it a morning, the night I don't get sleep.
I did and still do omega 3, but here again it increases (slighty though) my numbers of wakening during night.

Today, I use stinging nettle root (900mg) as well as pumpkin seed oil, (800mg). I also use trans resvertaol, astaxanthine (8mg/day with luteine) as well as curcumin supplement. All of this are supposed to be good antioxident and have anti-inflammatory proprieties, wich would seems to be nice for my condition.

However, now my problem (sorry for long post, the context is important for you to understand) : since my puberty, I had kind of baby hair on my temples, between my eyebrown and my hair. I have a lot of hair on my body, everywhere upper arms, belly, back, under my eyes. For most of theses uncommon area it's ffuzz, baby hair, but slowly but surely turning into real hair...More paradoxal thing, it's that I don't have a beard ! only a few hair on my jaws, it's still growning.....  
Now I take theses complements for about 4 months, I started to noticed that my baby hair on temples became bigger, and worst, i start to have baby hair on my forehead, in the middle and in the extension on my eyebrowns to my hair front line..

I'm desesperate, I don't know what to do, what complement should I stop, if any thing I use to stop my hair loss will result in increasing my facial/body hair?I'm doomed  
If I come here to ask for help, it's because I didn't see any clue of information about the problem I face today, I think I'm the only one or among a few to encounter theses issues..

Thanks for any help any of you guys could give me. sincerly.

Nettlo wrote:Hi the community,
I avoid white bread and high glucemic index foods, sugar etc.

I'd remove all gluten and grains (although I still have some brown rice on occasion), and sugar. When I did this, this red area on both my arms cleared up within about a month or so, and it'd been there for like...years I guess

Thanks for your answer
Actually, I try to avoid gluten at maximum or about a year now, didn't see real improvements (but because maybe I should do it 100% gluten free).
I drink soja milk every morning since I stopped cow milk, I dunno if it has an effect on my issue.

Anyone here can help me to see this through?

If you're concerned about male hormonal imbalance, I'd recommend staying away from soy. Generic cow's milk is also a concern given the exogenous growth hormones (including estrogens) used in common practice today. Although many brands are now offering hormone free alternatives. I'm still not decided fully on how I feel concerning the A1 casein.

Ok well you are right, even though I'm still confuse about the interactions o all theses homrones. If i have a little bit more estrogen, and less test, it should be good for my hair losss, should it not.?

Besides, any of you guys have any idea what causes me to have uzze growing on my forehead and temples while my hair loss still here?

And is there not a connexion between my 3 problems : hair loss, acne, sleep issues? I dunno why but I'm convinced there is one, even though I can't put my finger on it.

The connection of estrogens to male pattern baldness is not understood, although you can be certain there is one. Estrogen is a class of hormones that includes several different types which complicates it further. And there are estrogen receptors alpha and beta which each exert different effects.

You are absolutely right that there is probably a connection between all of these things, however, the putting your finger on it part is the wrong idea. You put your finger on the name of that actor you forgot the name of. You don't put your finger on this one. Understanding the full scope of how these things are connected is an undertaking of years upon years of your life. And that will still leave you short of your answer because the most modern research still hasn't got us there.

In terms of practical application, correct sleep issues at almost any cost possible. Do not aim to balance your estrogen/androgens by consuming phytoestrogenic foods.

Thanks for this valuable answer.
I tried to correct my sleep, it considerably get better over the years of trying supplement, but it still isn't quite a normal sleep, since I have at least 1 or 2 wake up in the night, mainly in the beginning (range between 1 to 4h after going to sleep) so it's kind problematic.
And of course it probably worsen my condition...

Today i made some blood test to check both my thyroid and my testosterone, here are the results...

✔ Blood count
blood cells ................................ 4 880 000 /mm3 ref: 4 600 000-6 200 000 previous test(1year ago): 5 230 000
Hémoglobin ................................... 14,6 g/100ml ref: 13 à 18 previous test: 15,4
Hématocrite .......................... ........... 43,5 % ref: 40 à 54 previous test: 46,3
V.G.M. .......................................... .. 89 µ3 ref: 82 à 98 previous test: 89
T.C.M.H. ......................................... 30 picog ref: 27 à 32 previous test:29

Leucocytes ...................................... 5 900 /mm3 ref: 4 000 à 11 000 previous test:7 900
Lymphocytes ....................... 25,7 % 1 516 /mm3 ref: 1 100 à 4 400 previous test:1 920
Monocytes ............................4,2 % 248 /mm3 ref: 200 à 800 previous test:537

✔ Thyroïd check
TSH ultra sensible ............................. 1,38 mUI/l ref: 0,34 - 5,60

(T3L) ....................... 4,5 pmol/l ref: 3,8 - 6,0
Immunoenzymatic compétition DxI Beckman 2,9 pg/ml ref: 2,5 - 3,9

(T4L) ...................... ... 12,2 pmol/l ref: 7,9 - 14,4
Immunoenzymatique compétition DxI Beckman 9,5 ng/l ref: 6,1 - 11,2


✔ hormones check
Testosterone ........................... ......... 2,90 ng/ml ref: 1,75 - 7,81
Immunoenzymatique compétition DxI Beckman 10,06 nmol/l ref: 6,07 - 27,10

Cortisol Morning.................................. 329 nmol/l ref: 185 - 624

What do you guys think?
I'm surprise, i though i would have much more testosterone since i have many hair on my body my belly, ma arm, my back even my forehead...

My thyroid seems normal though i though I might be hyper throid.

I'm even more confuse now...

Yes this can be confusing.

The thing to consider is that a blood or saliva test is measuring the total hormone in that tissue only. With testosterone, a good deal of the free fraction may not be "visible" to blood tests because it is taken up by tissues, namely skeletal muscle.

What often happens with guys who are balding is that they'll show lower than normal total testosterone ranges, but their free fraction is often higher, EVEN IF THE FREE FRACTION ON THE BLOOD TEST DOESN'T ALWAYS SHOW CLINICALLY HIGH. This is because free testosterone is easily converted to other metabolites, like DHT and estradiol. It is also more freely taken up by the skeletal muscle. You really need a more comprehensive panel to get a better picture of what's actually going on, and even then, you're still missing a big fraction of the picture because you're missing what's happening at the level of other tissues.

While everybody is different and we can't make generalizations about what's happening with you, just realize that what you're experiencing is pretty common for guys with MPB, and you can be fairly sure that, in a nutshell, you're testosterone levels aren't out of whack. What's out of whack is the ratio of your free fraction to the bound fraction (which has to do with your SHBG, which can be effected by many things - not the least of which is sugar metabolism). In other words, what's happening with your body's testosterone isn't very visible to these kinds of tests, and so they aren't very useful to you in that regard. As a consequence of the upset balance of free-test:bound-test, downstream of this you'll have an upset balance of testosterone:estrogen and testosterone:DHT.

And this is a common profile amongst men with MPB. Begin to research ways to increase SHBG, to control estrogen balance, etc. There are some lifestyle things that can play a part, but be wary of anything/one who says you can shift this whole balance the other direction with supplements and food. That's not likely. We do what we can. If I were you, I'd start with blood sugar. And I'd start with exercise. Use muscular stress as a way to "steal" some of that free testosterone floating around. The wound repair process in skeletal muscle will use it for protein synthesis.

Thanks for this very complete and constructive answer Gates.

Many points I would like to be clear:

> Is it relevant then to make a blood test to check my SHBG level, my ree tes level, my DHT level and my IGF-1? because it can be possible that my SHBG level is normal and my problem root is somewhere else (even though I doubt it, since your thinking process makes a lot of sense regarding my situation). I say that because I think I have the symptoms of hyperthyroid because of my nervosity, my weight (55kg 168cm, used to do a lot of sport until 1 year ago), my heart rate and my awakening during nights.

> Exercice:
I have been doing it since I'm young but I stopped 1 year ago because I have no free time to do it. I'm in shape, so I definitly have no fat issue for now but I understand the idea of musculation to repair the fibers using the free testosterone. But I have read many times that exercice isn't good for hair loss (nor acne) mainly because of the stress it creates to work out. (And i have seen it especially for my acne, when I used to do many push up pull up, dips and some weight lifting) . So is it really a good solution, and if yes, how to find the proper ratio?
Cortisol implication?

>Diet:
Low carb regimen seems to be the key to increase SHBG, but then it lowers free testosterone levels and testosterone in general, then exercice is counter productive because working out without bringing enough carb will create a stressful situation for the body, and then we go back to the problem: hair loss and acne.. It's kind a loop, I can't see a solution where the effects would not bring side effects..
High protein diet is very bad because it decreases SHBG level, but protein is necessary for muscle build up and good alternative to sugar diet.
I may have made some mistakes, but that what I understand from what i have read about metabolism.


> Supplements:
- Omega 3 is bad because it seems to decrease SHBG level so I will stop to use it.
- Vit D decrease SHBG so it's bad?
- Resveratol? neutral?
- Stinging nettle root extract. Is it good or bad?  I take 1200mg a day because it lower the conversion of test into DHT. But now i have read that it can decrease SHBG.. Maybe stinging nettle is the factor why i have unwanted little hair starting to grow on my temples and my forehead (around my eyebrows area). But maybe not.
- Any supplement to recommand? glycerin? K vitamine? B5?

Thanks for any help to get me see through.  

Up please

For info, I've just received my Zinc blood test that I have had checked at the same time that other tests but results came later because it wasn't the same lab :


Zinc - Plasma sodium Heparinate

999 µg/l ref: 551−925
15,3 µmol/l ref : 8,4−14,1

Well, this time it's not in the normal range ! It explains why whenever I took Zinc supplement, i had trouble for get sleep. But is it bad to be out of range with zinc? iron deficiency?

Nettlo,

I do not think it would be worth it to get your SHBG level tested. The ratio of your free testosterone:total testosterone is enough of a guideline to give you a picture about SHBG. I made the point I did before to say only that a total testosterone level is not very useful by itself. I would go about testing your levels of androgen if and only if you are dealing with symptoms of low testosterone that may be indicative of a clinical condition, whether it be the thyroid, or pituitary, or gonadal. But if you aren't dealing with any symptoms of very low testosterone, I wouldn't bother. If you aren't planning on an androgen blockade with drugs (Fin/Dut), then knowing your levels just for curiosity's sake isn't going to do you much good.

Concerning the thyroid, have your levels tested. That includes free T3 and rT3 in addition to total T3 and T4 and TSH. Also the thyroglobulin antibodies. If there seems to be an issue you can take things from there. An ultrasound may be necessary if that's the case. But its easy to chalk things up to a thyroid condition when there isn't really a problem.

The exercise/stress relationship is really misinterpreted on the internet. Stress in general, really. Stress is essential for health, for long life, for proper function and well-being. Your body - from the evolutionary correct perspective - is basically a vessel that lives/thrives as a response to stress. You are alive because things react to an outside force with an adaptation. Stress is what drives your growth, your healing, your ability to adapt and become stronger and more robust. We shouldn't be trying to be in a zero stress state. That said, a state of low-level chronic stress (such as the psychosocial variety) is an aberration that will shorten your life. But chronic stress is all-too-often confused with short, intermittent bursts of stress (physical types), the latter being beneficial to your health.

Exercise represents one of those useful, healthy types of stress. In the context of exercise, cortisol is actually a good thing. You want it to increase during exercise. Its vital for lean tissue adaptation. Now, like with anything, you don't want to go overboard and over-stress the body beyond reason. If you keep your exercise limited to 1-1.5 hours in duration, you have nothing to worry about. It would seem the world has gone and gotten really sensitive and panicky about working our bodies. We've forgot how to actually *use* this body. I don't care how hard you work, if you do it for an hour or less, you aren't over-training. Get under some heavy-ass weight and lift it. Push yourself. Stress yourself. And then stop. Recover fully - adequate sleep and great nutrition being part of that. Then repeat. Stress. Refuel. Repeat. This is how the body adapts and becomes more resilient. When you do this, and use a concept called progressive overload, by which you adapt to greater levels of stress over time, then the little stressors of life become less impactful and you are more resilient to all of life's challenges. This is really the idea behind HORMESIS.

Yes, in general a lower carbohydrate diet will raise levels of SHBG. But in my concept of testosterone and its evolutionary purpose, this has everything to do with the fact that you are signalling energy sufficient (low stress) to the body so it is perceiving no challenge, hence no requirement for higher levels of free androgen.

So to your question about a proper ratio...don't worry about the stress associated with exercise. Its good. That said, don't overkill. Don't train for 3 hours a day. Don't distance run for miles at a time. Give the body a challenge it isn't used to, but keep it within reason. For example, find a weight you can squat at max 6 or 7 times. Get under the bar and do 4 sets of 6 reps after warming up. Your body will increase protein synthesis for a solid 24 hours after you are done training, meaning your basal metabolism is at work synthesizing new muscle tissue and your energy requirements have increased. Your body will reactively better allocate its energy use/storage.

The key with carbohydrate is to realize that its not so much about the amount, but HOW you use it and WHEN. After a bout of intense exercise, glucose transporters are upregulated in the cell membrane. The cell becomes more insulin sensitive. You are able to use sugar MORE EFFECTIVELY with less oxidative byproduct. You are literally training the cell to be a better oxidizer. So instead of worrying so much about overall carb intake - even if you want to go lower - try timing your carbohydrate intake to get most of it (75% or better) in the 2-4 hours after a workout is overwith. Insulin is really the thing you're trying to control here. By doing this, you'll ultimately lower chronically elevated insulin levels, and increase your overall sensitivity to the hormone. So go work your ass off with some heavy weights, refuel with most of your carbohydrate in that post-workout period.

Do not worry about your protein consumption and your SHBG levels. Keep your protein intake to about 1 gram per pound of body weight, if you are training.

I have not seen any of the data regarding the effects those supplements have on SHBG, so I cannot speak to that. But most of those supplements are pro-health, anti-inflammatory and necessary for proper hormone production. As far as the nettle root, I think you could drop if from your regimen and never take it again, and never see an effect either way. Don't waste your money on that.

Gates, I thanks you very much ! your answers are always insightful and complete, that's what I needed.

Nettlo wrote:Gates, I thanks you very much ! your answers are always insightful and complete, that's what I needed.

No problem Nettlo.

Here is exactly what I would do if I were you right now. I'm not saying this is a 100% sure-fire solution, so take what you will from this.

Diet & Exercise
-----------------

Begin a workout regimen centered on weight-bearing resistance training. Train w/ heavy loads around 80-85% of your 1-rep maximum for work sets. This is required for the hormonal and tissue-level response we're after. Incorporate aerobic (energy systems) work moderately, but don't exceed more than 30 minutes of aerobic work, and preferably, if you'd like to perform cardiovascular work, use high intensity interval training (i.e. cycling short bursts of sprinting with periods of rest). Perform 3-5 workouts per week and prioritize recovery. Do not work muscle groups that are blatantly sore, and ensure you are giving yourself at least two days per week of total recovery.

Try to consume the majority of your daily carbohydrates in the period after your exercise. Preferably in the first several hours. This means up to 75% of your carbs. The rest can be reserved for a pre-workout meal. Any simple sugars should be consumed in the post-workout period, preferably within an hour of completing the workout. Simple carbohydrates are preferable in that short window.

Fats are key. Use a tool such as Self Nutrition's food lookup to analyze the fats in your diet. It is imperative that you start to control the ratio of omega-6-to-omega-3 in your diet. Aim for a ratio as close to 4:1 or 3:1 as possible. This is a huge thing. You aren't always going to be able to do it perfectly, but try. Using things like fish oil can help you to boost the levels of omega-3 to swing the ratio more in your favor. Cutting out omega-6 is easier and can be done by removing processed vegetable oils (soy, corn, cottonseed, canola, etc.). Packaged/processed foods have a terrible 6:3 ratio so eliminating them from the diet is essential.

Take a healthy (but not overboard) dose of antioxidants. Vitamin C and Vitamin E daily.

Immune System
------------------
Support your immune system by getting adequate Vitamin D and Vitamin A, as well as all of the minerals. Get vitamin D in the range of 5000 IU daily and A in the same amount. Get enough zinc, and balance it with copper. Use supplementation marginally to bring up what you aren't getting through diet. This is very important. Consume the vitamin A and D supplements with a fat-containing meal.

Topicals
---------
- Use a solution of 50% tea tree oil and 50% of another oil (walnut, for example) on affected areas, both where you have acne and hair loss.
- Apply once with a cotton swab and gently abrade the area with the tip to sort of "rough it up".
- Re-apply the topical in 10 minutes.
- Rinse topical off and apply a hydrocortisone cream or spray and allow to absorb. Cream is likely to be more practical for acne spot treatment while
the liquids are more applicable for regional application on the scalp. They can be diluted. When you kill bacteria/fungus/mites (especially the mites) the
physical bodies of these things will be broken down and the parts will cause an inflammatory immune reaction. This steroidal is to buffer that reaction.
- After this, make a 50:50 mixture of vegetable glycerin and boric acid (Borax). Apply to the treated areas and can also be used as a general facial.
will correct the pH of the skin and make it difficult for organisms to come back.

The materials are relatively cheap and can be purchased online. Start by doing this nightly for three nights or so and then you can do it a few times a week. Do the boric acid treatment a little more frequently, perhaps every other day.

Also worth mentioning:

Sleep
------
Make sure you are getting enough of it, and more importantly than amount is quality. If you have any suspicion that you may have a sleep issue (waking up feeling groggy and not rejuvenated, morning headache, under-eye bags, snoring, morning anxiety, waking in the night) it is highly worth it to go and have a sleep study performed. Its not that big of a deal and can reveal to you something that is undermining your health and longevity - meaning the earlier you recognize it the better.

Learn to fall asleep properly as well. Shut off lights and electronics prior to sleep and give yourself time to sit in darkness and acclimate. Melatonin can be a godsend for helping to correct the circadian cycle and get back on track. Don't stay up late into the evening using artificial light to drive you. Try to fall asleep when the sun goes down, or closely afterward. This can be difficult in certain latitudes, but at the very least try to turn off lights and just lay down & relax in the dark for 20 minutes or so prior to the time you'd actually like to be out.

Oral Health
-------------
CS and others will hit heavy on this one. The oral cavity can be a source of pathogens that undermine health. Gut infections and yeast overgrowths can originate in the mouth. See a dentist as you should. In between, take care of your teeth and gums. Don't skip flossing. Really. And if you have bleeding gums whatsoever or gum pockets, you need to resolve this situation. A certain poster here actually bought his own water pik which I think is a great idea. But brush, floss, and use a baking soda/sea salt rinse regularly. If there are greater problems present, see a biological dentist. Support the teeth with all of those things you would for bone: vitamin D, vitamin K, calcium (elemental), magnesium, and boron.

Digestion
-----------
If you are dealing with indigestion, heart burn/acid reflux, the brick-in-the-stomach feeling after meals, irritable bowel, or passing undigested food stuffs in your stool...use a digestion aid. First thing would be to identify problem foods for you, but you appear as if you have a handle on what you're trying to avoid, i.e. gluten-containing grains and dairy. You might also consider corn. But secondly, it doesn't hurt (and could truly help) to take a simple betaine tablet with meals. It aids digestion and will help you assimilate foods better. Bile salts or a digestive enzyme can also help.