Introduction
Male pattern baldness (MPB) is the most common type of hair loss among men and is in most cases permanent. On a molecular level MPB is caused by androgens (primarily dihydrotestosterone) attaching to your hair follicles that are sensitive to androgens.
This starts a chain of events linked to the secretion of negative growth factors which over time will cause the hair follicles to produce thinner hairs, fewer hairs, and ultimately no hairs.
About 80% of men will experience a significant amount of hair loss due to MPB with some having it worse than others of course.
I am the type of guy who has it worse than most when it comes to hair loss, but I am now almost 25 with a full head of hair with good hair density.
I used to have a significant amount of hair recession and thinning (you can see proof of that on this post), so you can take it from me that I have some valuable things to share with you on this topic.
1. Decide whether or not you care about your hair
For most guys hair loss is a major cause of insecurity, and several studies conducted showed that hair loss had some negative psychological consequences for the men who suffer from it.
This was actually the case for me. The idea that I am probably going to be the “bald guy for life” in my friend group was a massive source of insecurity. However some guys legitimately don’t give a fuck about their hair and maybe that is you.
The thing with hair loss is that the sooner it begins, the more challenging it is to address. If you start losing your hair in your 20s and hair is important to you, you have to act fast.
Don’t be the guy who says: “I’m going to wait to do a hair transplant” because hair transplants have limitations, and you will have to take medication anyway to halt further hair loss and maintain your results.
2. Take care of the root of the issue
The root of the issue is androgens, most specifically DHT (dihydrotestosterone), attaching to the androgen receptors in your hair follicles. You have two ways you can take care of this :
-5-alpha-reductase inhibitors
-Topical anti-androgens.
5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5-AR inhibitors)
5-AR inhibitors are very effective drugs to fight hair loss long term.
You have two effective drugs in this category:
–Finasteride
–Dutasteride
Finasteride is the only FDA-approved drug for MPB, but dutasteride is often prescribed off-label and is for most people slightly more effective at fighting hair loss.
Both of these drugs have a ton of studies backing up their efficacy for stopping and slowing down hair loss considerably.
A lot of people also experience a decent amount of hair regrowth and thickening during the first year of treatment (it was the case for me also).
Both of these drugs work in a similar manner, with finasteride being the one generally prescribed as it is supposed to have a slightly lower occurrence of side effects compared to dutasteride.
About 2% of people will get side effects from these medications. Those are fully reversible most of the time by just continuing the treatment and/or lowering the dose, and all the time by discontinuing the treatment.
Side effects include lowered libido, erectile dysfunction, and brain fog.
To this day, there is no credible data to support the possibility that post-finasteride syndrome or post-5-AR syndrome is real.
There is no real data or evidence to support that if you start taking one of these drugs and have side effects, you will experience them for the rest of your life.
Both of these drugs have a ton of data to support that they are both very safe and effective.
Topical anti-androgens
The second type of drugs that you can use to stop hair loss are topical anti-androgens.
There are two compounds that are commonly used in the bodybuilding/hair loss community:
–RU 58841
–Pyrilutamide
If you want to get these compounds, the best supplier I know is:
Topical anti-androgens belong to a class of medications known for their high effectiveness in treating hair loss. When applied in a topical solution on the scalp, they work by attaching to the androgen receptors present in the hair follicles.
These molecules have a strong affinity for the androgen receptors and exhibit minimal to no androgenic activity themselves. By doing so, they prevent other androgens, such as DHT or testosterone, from binding to these receptors and exerting their androgenic effects, which are known to initiate hair loss.
The main limitations of these medications lie in the scarcity of scientific studies conducted on them and the requirement for their application in topical form.
There is a substantial amount of anecdotal evidence supporting the safety of these compounds.
The likelihood of experiencing side effects from these compounds is very low when used at the typical dosages followed by the bodybuilding/hair loss community.
Additionally, Pyrilutamide is undergoing more extensive scientific investigations and has already reached phase 3 clinical trials.
It is highly probable that it will soon be prescribed for treating male pattern baldness, indicating a stronger safety profile on paper compared to RU 58841.
3. Improve your hair quality/appearance
Once the underlying cause of hair loss is addressed by utilizing either a 5-AR inhibitor or a topical anti-androgen, or even both, noticeable hair regrowth can be expected in certain areas of the scalp after six months of consistent use. However, there may still be areas that appear thin. Here are some steps that can be taken to improve the situation.
Growth stimulant therapy
In this category, two effective hair growth stimulants can be used:
–Topical minoxidil
-Stemoxydine
Both treatments are proven to promote hair growth, but minoxidil is by far the most effective one.
However, they could be stacked together as they are supposed to work on synergistic pathways.
Minoxidil can also be used orally for better bioavailability, but I would heavily advise against it as there is a good amount of scientific and anecdotal evidence to support that it can be very dangerous, potentially life threatening even at dosages considered “low”.
Hair fibers and hair transplants
If you have been taking care of the “androgen issue” and have also been on growth stimulants for more than six months and still have weak hair, you can either use hair fibers to make your hair look thicker and/or look into getting a hair transplant.
