Have you heard of people using RU58841 and results wane over time and their hairloss actually gets worse? If I remember from some years back the theory was that the Androgen Receptors in the hair follicles either upregulates (adding even more androgen receptors) or the receptor mutates in some way where it’s impacted negatively allowing either Testosterone or other hormones to interact with it more resulting in hairloss.

I’m considering adding RU to my regime but I’ve always been a little fearful of this. Thoughts?

Thanks for flagging this — I didn’t realize I hadn’t linked to the study. It’s right here:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X12000423

These studies are also related (and helpful):

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960076010003602

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/66/10/5121

Best,
Rob

HI Rob, could you please share this study? Seems interesting but I can not find anything online about this 6 fold thing, thanks in advance

Is this the reason that Minoxidil works to regrow hair? In that more blood flow = more oxygen.

Hey Anthony,

I wrote a three-part series about the exercise-hair loss connection, which you can read here:

https://perfecthairhealth.com/part-1-of-3-the-exercise-and-hair-loss-connection/

https://perfecthairhealth.com/part-2-of-3-the-exercise-and-hair-loss-connection/

https://perfecthairhealth.com/part-3-of-3-the-exercise-hair-loss-connection/

Cardiovascular disease and pattern hair loss are certainly linked. The confounding factor: androgens! Androgens, under the wrong circumstances, encourage the onset of fibrosis and calcification — both of which are implicated in both AGA and heart disease.

Best,
Rob

Cardiovascular diseases can be linked to lack of exercising, do you think exercising could increase blood flow thus reducing hypoxia ?

Thanks

Hey Nicole,

This is a challenging situation, since androgen receptor blockers like spironolactone can help improve hair loss outcomes drastically for women, but at the same time, create a dependency on the medication to keep the results (like finasteride for men).

In my experience with female readers, female pattern hair loss is often linked to at least one of the following:

-PCOS
-SIBO
-Hypothyroidism
-Hyperparathyroidism
-Nutrient deficiencies (typically vitamin D, B-12, and iron — and often exacerbated by SIBO)

These conditions often compound with each other, and while a medication like spironolocatone (or birth control) can often mask some of their symptoms (like hair loss), you might want to consider getting tested for all of the above. In my experience, the women who test for and successfully treat these conditions quickly see a resolution in their hair loss — and improvements in several other health aspects (including fertility). This could eliminate the need for you to take birth control as a means to stop hair loss, and at the same time, allow you to have children when the time comes.

Best,
Rob

Hey JB,

Just to clarify, are you still taking dutasteride, or have you also stopped taking it in addition to RU? If the former, the challenge here is that there are a few moving variables here re: treatments, and it would be unwise of us to assign blame to RU without also acknowledging the possibility that these side effects may be a delayed onset from Dutasteride use. Research on this is still in its infancy, and while there are a few research teams currently working to identify which polymorphisms or environmental triggers are most closely associated with sexual side effects from 5-AR inhibition, even fewer are studying the side effects of 5-AR inhibitors used alongside other anti-androgens like RU.

Your blood work seems relatively normal for someone taking a 5-AR inhibitor. Total testosterone and estradiol increase in men taking finasteride / dutasteride. RU58841 has a relatively short half-life — one hour, with its anti-androgen metabolites having a half-life of up to 20 hours. Based on this and your blood work, my best bet is that 1) you’re still likely taking dutasteride, 2) you’re likely experiencing delayed onset side effects of dutasteride, and 3) RU may have had an interaction, but based on its half-life alone, it cannot explain your persistent side effects one year later.

I’m also open to being wrong about all of this — but based on the data, that’s my best guess.

Best,
Rob

Hey Charlie,

Thanks for reading and reaching out. And yes, there are several non-surgical approaches to preventing pattern hair loss. For instance, taking Finasteride (or any other drug that reduces DHT to castrate levels) before the onset of pattern hair loss and throughout the rest of someone’s adult life. Unfortunately this option is typically off-the-table for many people — as finasteride use long-term is associated with side effects that many men consider worse than hair loss (like erectile dysfunction).

In terms of natural approaches, it all depends on how you define natural. When it comes to hair loss, prevention is much easier than reversal. A good diet, lifestyle, and mechanical stimulation techniques (pinching, pressing, stretching the scalp) should go a long way toward staving off AGA onset.

Hair transplant procedures won’t prevent hair loss — but they will cosmetically mask hair loss, at least for a while.

Best,
Rob