Frequent ejaculations / excessive sweating cause accumulation of lactic acid, which leads to hairloss

I forgot to mention this as a major inflammatory factor in the scalp. When we sweat hard during exercise, the sweat pores of the scalp release lactic acid from sweat. This is another reason to clean your scalp with water after heavy exercise.

"Sweating is a generally healthy mechanism in which sweat glands help remove impurities and cool the body down from overheating. “But excessive sweating can be harmful to the hair and scalp because of the lactic acid in our sweat secretions,” explained Harris-Wells. The acid strips away the epithelial sheath, which is the outer protective layer of the hair. As a result, hair loses volume and density, and it becomes porous and dry to the point of brittleness. The excess acid can also cause inflammation of the scalp, and if untreated can produce red, sore pustules that will become infected with bacteria. Harris-Wells has treated both genders, from adults to children, for this condition.
“The most notable form of hyperhydrosis is excessive sweating in the hands, feet, underarms and face,” she said. “For example, people with thyroid problems may not outwardly sweat but still undergo the internal chemical processes that lead to lactic acid being secreted onto the scalp and hair.”
Hyperhydrosis cases range from mild to severe in terms of hair loss. Sufferers can include hair transplant patients, men and women with hormonal imbalances, avid gym-goers, sports figures and athletes, highly stressed individuals, and people with medical conditions that are genetic."


http://www.ereleases.com/pr/common-hair-loss-suspected-warns-trichology-expert-17318

*And the following study states that lactic acid increases during ejaculation. This may explain the link between frequent ejaculations and hairloss, in being that lactic acid may circulate to the scalp after ejaculating.

Frequent ejaculation associated free radical and lactic acid accumulation cause noninfectious inflammation and muscle dysfunction: a potential mechanism for symptoms in Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome.
Peng H, Chen Q, Tan Y.
Source
Laboratory Animal Center, Chongqing Medical University, No. 1, Yi Xue Yuan Road, Chongqing 400016, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The prevalence of prostatitis is extremely high, with vast majority belongs to National Institutes of Health Category III: Chronic Prostatitis (CP)/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes (CPPS). The etiology of CP/CPPS is noninfectious, with no precise mechanisms has been elucidated to date.
HYPOTHESIS:
During male ejaculation, the pelvic muscles undergo coordinated intense contraction to expel the semen out of the male genital tract, a process associated with locally increased levels of lactic acid and free radicals as byproducts. In this regards, repetitive sexual activities with frequent ejaculation would impede the drainage and cause accumulation of these byproducts in the pelvic region, triggering consequent local pathophysiological changes such as edema, venous dilation and muscular malfunction, which further leads to common complaints in CP/CPPS patients such as lower urinary tract symptoms, pelvic discomfort and pain.
RATIONALE:
Large cohort studies have revealed that frequent ejaculation is associated with higher risk of prostatitis, especially in young men. Also, clear evidences from sports medical research has shown that intense muscular contraction will lead to locally increased production of free radicals and lactic acid. Therefore, the pelvic muscles during ejaculation would induce substantial increase of these byproducts, which if not cleared effectively, could trigger series of local cellular/tissue damages resulting in inflammation, muscular fatigue and dysfunction. If our hypothesis were validated, it could be suggested that at least in some patients, the treatment of CP/CPPS could be tuned as dealing with post-sports recovery, such as hot bath to promote local blood circulation and free radical scavenger drugs such as vitamin C and E to neutralize free radicals.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19435656

Damn Xenon we are some unlucky bastards. Can't do sports, sex, eat junk food, must sleep in proper position, must wash hair every day...

Biffy wrote:Damn Xenon we are some unlucky bastards. Can't do sports, sex, eat junk food, must sleep in proper position, must wash hair every day...

No, you can do sports and have sex. My point is, TOO MUCH of these activities can cause an accumulation of inflammatory lactic acids upon the scalp, and this is why it is important to keep the scalp clean after TOO MUCH exercise or sex.

The sleep position I suggested is chiefly aimed at keeping the galea free of compression for the 8 - 9 hours our heads are pressing against a pillow. Pillow compression is not the #1 cause of baldness, but it makes sense (if you have done your research) that it can hinder oxygen delivery, cause a build up of respiratory acids / toxins, and heighten inflammation.

As for washing everyday, it's not an issue for me, personally, as I prefer to keep my scalp clean of excess sebum. But each to their own.

I take a shower and rinse my hair everyday, but never shampoo it 2 or 3 days in a row.

Then why is lactic acid in Minoxidil foam?

I definitely can relate to this theory because I trained football 5x a week: was really heavy sweating and didn't wash my hair regularly to remove the buildup. This could be a reason for exacerbating my balding pattern. Do you think this damage can be reversed?

Biffy wrote:Then why is lactic acid in Minoxidil foam?

I definitely can relate to this theory because I trained football 5x a week: was really heavy sweating and didn't wash my hair regularly to remove the buildup. This could be a reason for exacerbating my balding pattern. Do you think this damage can be reversed?

I'm not sure why lactic acid is used in regaine foam, although this may be the reason why some users commonly report a shed after long term use. It is difficult to say. But I read also, that lactic acid bacteria has anti-inflammatory properties, so it is hard to know precisely what the truth is.

BUT I just know for certain that if I exercise heavily and sweat lots, my scalp will later inflame. Yet simply rinsing my head with some water removes any residue which inflames the scalp. So there is definitely something in sweat - after heavy exercise - which is causing inflammation.

I've regrown some hairs on my temples, but hoping more will grow in time, yet it may take years for significant regrowth.

Can you clarify on the exact sleeping position thing?

well women may not ejaculate(mostly), but they produce lactic acid, sleep on theyre galeas, have poor bloodflow, probably have just as tight scalps, etc, how come they dont get baldness in the same pattern and frequency?

theres alot of theories on this wensite, the majority of them dont explain this, other than genetics and hormonal differences.

Those in the know, what are lactic acid inhibitors, blockers and antagonists? As topicals, and as natural food sources.

rofl wrote:well women may not ejaculate(mostly), but they produce lactic acid, sleep on theyre galeas, have poor bloodflow, probably have just as tight scalps, etc, how come they dont get baldness in the same pattern and frequency?

theres alot of theories on this wensite, the majority of them dont explain this, other than genetics and hormonal differences.

Well, androgens have to be the main trigger, due to the simple fact that many female to male transsexuals go bald when on long term testosterone therapy, whereas, when they were female and producing estrogens, they did not go bald. The F2M transsexuals who go bald, must produce more 5AR in their skin, than those who don't or, as you suggested they have tight scalps. Perhaps both.

So, here's my take on this: testosterone / DHT might accumulate within the cells of the scalp (in which there is upregulation of androgen receptors), and gradually causes hypoxia. When this happens, cells start to rely on anaerobic glycolysis in order for them to produce adequate ATP. When cells go through glycolysis too much, they produce too much lactate which causes acidosis and then inflammation of follicles.

This is when secondary factors contribute to oxygen deficiency (and increased lactate), such as sleeping on the temples and crown, or anything else that lowers oxygen to the scalp.

For instance, if I'm in a stuffy room with high C02 and low oxygen, my scalp will always begin to inflame. The exact thing happens when I'm exhausted and cells are in oxygen debt, yet if I open a window to let fresh air in or I get plenty of rest, the inflammation always goes away. So the fact that the scalp is so quick to inflame under low oxygen conditions, must suggest that something is hindering oxygen delivery. Perhaps a build up of DHT within the cytoplasm.

Now, back to the excess sebum issue... lactic acid is largely secreted in sweat from the scalp, yet if sebum is covering the sweat pores, then it will not be able to release large amounts of lactic acid, which will then build up inside the cell and lead to inflammation.

When I sweat lots after exercise, my scalp will later inflame. Yet, if I rinse my scalp with some water, then it will not inflame. This may suggest that lactic acid secretions (as well as sodium chloride) will also cause the scalp to inflame if it is not washed off.

ghai018 wrote:Can you clarify on the exact sleeping position thing?

Yes, I sleep on the occiptalis muscle if I'm sleeping on my back, and if I sleep on the sides i sleep on the temporalis muscles (google them), while allowing the galea to hang over the pillow edge.

And I always make sure that my bedroom is well ventilated, so that plenty of fresh air is always reaching the scalp.

9rugrats5 wrote:Those in the know, what are lactic acid inhibitors, blockers and antagonists? As topicals, and as natural food sources.

CS would likely be able to give you more information on this, but breathing in plenty of *fresh air* always restores blood pH and clears away lactic acid because cells start to utilize oxygen in order to produce ATP, whereas they rely on pyruvate to do this if they don't have enough oxygen.

Air loss leads to hair loss.

Fermented foods which are thought of as being "healthy" contain generous amounts of lactic acid.

yeah I thought about that too besides fermented vegetables/drinks lactic acid is added to sourdough bread, or naturally occurs if fermented long enough. I remember CS saying this lower the insulin spikes having more of a positive benefit.