My transplanted hair is starting to thin

I haven’t posted here for a number of years, not since I had hair transplant in 2019. All was going well it seemed until I noticed diffuse thinning of the transplanted hairline.

I made many threads in the past about how there seemed to be a strong correlation between metabolic heat release from the scalp and hair loss. Well, I’ve been working out a great deal, experienced lots of heat and sweating from the scalp, and lo and behold: thinning (transplanted) hair.

I was reading about how transplanted hair can succumb to thinning throughout the galea - in the same way native hair can, and it’s due to a condition known as recipient site influence. So, this may refute the ‘balding clock’ theory after all.

From what I concluded before I disappeared off grid, in the heads of balding men we tend to release too much body / brain heat from the scalp, and this temperature issue 1) prevents cells functioning at core temperature 2) causes cellular dysfunction 3) leads to autoimmune attack 4) hair loss.

I think that the heat overload issue prompts the follicle to stop producing hairs because hairs add to the problem by retaining heat, and it instead causes an increase in sweat gland activity so that evaporative cooling becomes more proficient. In fact, studies prove this happens when the follicle enters into the telogen / rest phase — cessation of terminal hair production / increased sweat gland activity. So, the follicle hasn’t been destroyed, just the hair producing stem cells have been switched off.

To add and FWIW: I had chance to talk with a number of non balding men, and I questioned them where they tended to sweat most during hard exercise or just in general. They all told me they don’t sweat at all from the scalp and instead only experience it from the body.

If metabolic / cerebral heat overload is the primary cause for autoimmune attack / thinning hair, then it prompts the question: why? I’m not 100% certain but it may tie in with the radiator theory.

According to anthropologist Dean Falk, “the brain size of man's ancestors began to increase dramatically once hominids stood erect and developed a network of cranial veins capable of cooling the brain. Those blood vessels control brain temperature in the same way that a radiator cools a car engine.“

^^In other words, the human brain tends to produce more heat, thus needs a more efficient cooling system: the scalp.

I definitely think there’s a connection to baldness here, but why some men and not others?

Where male hormones are concerned in hair loss, they only influence a follicle’s behaviour. For instance, they can increase sweat and sebaceous gland activity, and reduce hair production, but hormonal influence (from my personal observations) is only a knock in effect in response to the heat problem / auto-immune attack. If I’m not exercising heavily or experiencing lots of mental stress, and just feeling generally relaxed, then I won’t experience any hair loss whatsoever. Therefore, androgens only program follicles to enter into telogen phase when terminal hair becomes problematic in retaining scalp heat. Other than that, androgens pose no problem.

But it still doesn’t answer why this only happens in some men and not all. Perhaps this became an epigenetic issue at some point in prehistory (with some ancestral tribes) due to the continuous wearing of thick and heavy headwear? Maybe hunter gatherers became over reliant on headwear for warmth, and this lead to heat issues in the scalp. Over time, epigenetic alterations created the solution to this problem: baldness of the scalp.

To note, my hairloss was massively exacerbated when wearing hats in the past. Massively Every time I had my baseball cap on for considerable length of time, I’d experience lots of scalp heat, then prickly heat / itching (immune attack), and baldness.

Interestingly, the first signs of hairloss I noticed was in my teens (at 15) - during kung fu lessons. I began wearing a bandana over my scalp, then underwent gruelling exercises. This caused intense heat overload throughout my scalp, and after every lesson it would be sore and tender. Again, immune attack caused by heat overload. Also interestingly, other fellahs who wore bandanas in the club also ended up going bald.

So, yeh, I now know that transplanted donor follicles gradually succumb to the same effects of native hair follicles, and it must be related to the ongoing heat problems throughout the galea.

So, perhaps it’s not worth your while wasting thousands of your hard earned cash when there’s a good chance it will eventually start thinning.

Xenon - I developed a topical product that will be available either at the end of this year or close. It utilizes some of the principles you brought forth some years ago. Also there is research that backs up your hypothesis, probably more of a real theory now.

On the primary *why* that some people bald worse than others, I believe about 75% of it is attributed to the architecture or development of the mandible which is fully determined or developed by the age of 8.

The mandible (lower jaw) has a complex relationship with the superficial temporal artery and the condyle of the mandible, which is an important part of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) complex.

Before getting into the weeds here, it essentially all points towards reduced blood flow...or think if higher friction, elevated cytokines, (more heat), etc.

Superficial Temporal Artery:

The superficial temporal artery is a major branch of the external carotid artery and is responsible for supplying blood to the scalp, face, and other structures in the head.

It travels in a superficial position, typically running just above the zygomatic arch (cheekbone).

The artery's path takes it close to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which is the joint connecting the mandible to the skull.

Condyle of the Mandible:

The condyle is the rounded, bony prominence at the posterior (back) end of the mandible.

It is one of the two articulating surfaces (the other being the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone) that form the TMJ, which allows for jaw movement and function.

The condyle plays a crucial role in the hinge-like movement of the jaw during activities like chewing, speaking, and yawning.

The relationship between these structures is anatomical, as the superficial temporal artery and the condyle are located in close proximity to each other. However, it's important to note that there are several anatomical structures, muscles, and nerves in this region, and their relationships are essential for proper jaw function and the blood supply to the surrounding tissues.

In some clinical procedures or surgeries involving the TMJ or related structures, the proximity of the superficial temporal artery and other critical structures is carefully considered to avoid damage or to ensure proper blood supply. These relationships are of significance in oral and maxillofacial surgery, dentistry, and other medical fields that deal with the jaw and head anatomy.

That all said, here are two relative threads to this whole complex.

https://immortalhair.forumotion.com/t13173-malocclusion-and-hair-loss-an-intimate-relationship

&

https://immortalhair.forumotion.com/t13442-why-are-so-many-carnivores-bald

Hi CS,

That's cool news about your coming out with a topical toward the end of the year.

Keep up the great work. We appreciate ya!

Thanks CS. I’ll check out your topical when available, and I’ll look more into the malocclusion links you provided.

Super interested regarding the topical in the pipeline CS. Can you tease us with any details and let us know the best place to keep an eye open for its launch?
For those of us who have had transplants, is there anything we should be doing differently to transplanted hair to maximise its longevity. Sad to hear about your transplanted hair thinning Xenon.

golder wrote:Super interested regarding the topical in the pipeline CS. Can you tease us with any details and let us know the best place to keep an eye open for its launch?
For those of us who have had transplants, is there anything we should be doing differently to transplanted hair to maximize its longevity. Sad to hear about your transplanted hair thinning Xenon.

One of the aims to is deal with how the scalp responds to excessive heat, corticotropin-releasing hormone, improving growth factors and signaling molecules that affect the dermal papilla. Also protection against immune privilege collapse, which is a fancy way of stating, immune regulation.

golder wrote:Super interested regarding the topical in the pipeline CS. Can you tease us with any details and let us know the best place to keep an eye open for its launch?
For those of us who have had transplants, is there anything we should be doing differently to transplanted hair to maximise its longevity. Sad to hear about your transplanted hair thinning Xenon.

Thanks. Maybe a “balding gene” isn’t the answer we’ve been looking for per se, but maybe it really is the galea environment itself. I mean, how else could my transplanted hair start to fall out in the typical balding areas? If they’re left in their native areas, they grow for life.

It so happens that every time I experience intense scalp heat - generally via exercise - that inflammation and baldness later follow. There’s definite connection, but who knows precisely why this causes the follicle to enter into the telogen phase? Perhaps this happens because hair traps heat, thus becomes a hinderance in restoring core temperature to cells. Another possibility is an increase in reactive oxygen species, and resulting inflammation leads to premature aging of cells.

CausticSymmetry wrote:

golder wrote:Super interested regarding the topical in the pipeline CS. Can you tease us with any details and let us know the best place to keep an eye open for its launch?
For those of us who have had transplants, is there anything we should be doing differently to transplanted hair to maximize its longevity. Sad to hear about your transplanted hair thinning Xenon.

One of the aims to is deal with how the scalp responds to excessive heat, corticotropin-releasing hormone, improving growth factors and signaling molecules that affect the dermal papilla. Also protection against immune privilege collapse, which is a fancy way of stating, immune regulation.

CS, something else I’ve discovered, but didn’t really know if there could be a link between hairloss or not… maybe a day or so after strenuous exercise, I experience trapped gas in the scalp. I can feel a pressure at the top of my head where emissary veins feed into the dural sinus of the skull, and also temples and back of eyes. When this happens I experience nervousness and stuttering, but after gentle tapping with my finger tips, this gas is gradually released, so is the pressure and other associated issues.

Just out on a limb here… but do you think this is a build up of waste metabolic gas (carbon dioxide) resulting from strenuous exercise? Also, could this trapped gas be playing its part in scalp hypoxia / inflammation? If so, then this may tie in with the malocclusion theory.

Xenon wrote:

CausticSymmetry wrote:

golder wrote:Super interested regarding the topical in the pipeline CS. Can you tease us with any details and let us know the best place to keep an eye open for its launch?
For those of us who have had transplants, is there anything we should be doing differently to transplanted hair to maximize its longevity. Sad to hear about your transplanted hair thinning Xenon.

One of the aims to is deal with how the scalp responds to excessive heat, corticotropin-releasing hormone, improving growth factors and signaling molecules that affect the dermal papilla. Also protection against immune privilege collapse, which is a fancy way of stating, immune regulation.

CS, something else I’ve discovered, but didn’t really know if there could be a link between hairloss or not… maybe a day or so after strenuous exercise, I experience trapped gas in the scalp. I can feel a pressure at the top of my head where emissary veins feed into the dural sinus of the skull, and also temples and back of eyes. When this happens I experience nervousness and stuttering, but after gentle tapping with my finger tips, this gas is gradually released, so is the pressure and other associated issues.

Just out on a limb here… but do you think this is a build up of waste metabolic gas (carbon dioxide) resulting from strenuous exercise? Also, could this trapped gas be playing its part in scalp hypoxia / inflammation? If so, then this may tie in with the malocclusion theory.

I'll make a conjecture based on some of what you wrote.

After activity, there can be changes in pregnenolone levels, which is a natural hormone that is involved in the production of other hormones, such as progesterone, DHEA, and estrogen. It's also a neurosteroid that effects on the brain and nervous system. Changes  in it can affect body temperature and metabolism. It can also lead to some of the other effects mentioned.

Just an example here:

Tests conducted over several weeks showed that the ability of all subjects to fly the simulated airplane improved significantly after taking 50mg pregnenolone before each test run. The improvement was especially noticeable after the subjects had taken pregnenolone for at least two weeks. This suggests pregnenolone’s anti-stress benefits may be cumulative.

"The professional pilots also reported that they performed better in their real flying jobs and that they suffered less fatigue during their pregnenolone-supplementing period."

So moving on to other possibilities could be many, such as a condition called subcutaneous emphysema, which  air becomes trapped in the tissues beneath the skin. This can happen as a result of trauma, injury, infection, or certain medical procedures. Quite rare and unlikely.

Another condition called occipital neuralgia, this where the occipital nerves that run through the scalp, are injured or inflamed. This can cause headaches that feel like severe piercing, throbbing, or shock-like pain in the upper neck, back of the head, or behind the ear.

Yet another possible explanation is that you have a condition called gas embolism--very rare.

Thanks CS.

I think I’ll lean towards latter explanations. I had meningitis as a baby, so could be some slight damage left to the diploic veins that pass through the dural sinus… perhaps having trouble regulating venous gases. This only seems to happen when I exercise heavily on a daily basis. Other than that… no issues.

CS,
Just wondering if you have any update on your topical?

waitingforit wrote:CS,
Just wondering if you have any update on your topical?

Unfortunately, I have heard nothing. I'll try to get an update, however the last I heard there were some issues concerning an unrelated product, and that probably created a delay overall.