Going BALD before 60? It's time to deep dive your sex hormones...
Many men nowadays are beginning to lose their hair at early ages. A lot of this is chalked up to genetics, or your mother’s father, God’s will, etc. The list of excuses for letting this happen keep getting longer and more bizarre the more people you talk to. Ignoring it will also not make it go away.
Personally, I come from a family where one side is very bald and the other side isn’t. I made it to my 30s before I noticed a little thinning. Once it started to happen, it did bother me a bit and I decided to figure it out and end it for good. A lot of what I am going to discuss is taken from my personal experience, along with some highly smart doctors like Theirry Hertoghe, and of course, cutting edge science.
HORMONAL HAIR LOSS. There are quite a few different types of hair loss. This article is written for standard male pattern baldness. This is losing hair in the crown, or back of the head and also along the hairline on the forehead, or both together. This type of hair loss is an indication of some hormonal shifts that are not only a problem for your hair. These types of hormonal shifts are a major problem in terms of heart disease and maintaining peak testerone levels and function well into late adulthood.
STRESS & THE STEROIDOGENIC PATHWAYS. Stress, in almost every case of hair loss, is the main predisposing factor. Remember, this doesn’t have to necessarily be mental stress. Stress to your body where your testosterone is depleted counts. This can include living a terrible lifestyle, eating fast food, not drinking water, diabetes, working out too hard with little recovery, nutrient depletion, lack of sleep and more. Testosterone has to be viewed as a fuel. It can be used up, and it also has to be replenished with lifestyle, nutrient and stimulatory ways.
Below is a very simplified diagram of this pathway system. A discussion of why this is important will follow.
Cholesterol is the precursor for both testosterone and cortisol, among other hormones. When stress is too high this pathway will prioritize cortisol production over that of testosterone. We are limited by the amount of cholesterol in the body, so in times of stress the body must choose which path to follow. The human body is programmed to prioritize cortisol/stress hormone production over sex hormone production. The reason for this is simple. Cortisol will keep you alive longer, and when you are fighting for you life (in a sense of stress) you don’t need to reproduce. The problem then grows because 21st Century stress is not life or death.
DHEA is the master regulator of this whole system, in the sense of testing. It works synergistically with testosterone to improve health outcomes and genetic expression. It has anti-cortisol activity, meaning it help buffer and neutralize cortisol expression. DHEA is the most abundant adrenal steroid in the body. This is important to remember. If DHEA is low, it means all hormones made by the adrenal glands are impacted because the adrenals can’t keep up. Also, simply looking at the graph above you will notice DHEA is a precursor to testosterone as well. It helps feed the testosterone system in a number of different ways, both directly and indirectly.
This pathway is the main starting point of all male pattern hair loss. Hair loss is triggered when hormonal balance waines. It is this hormonal imbalance which sets up the main circumstances for hair loss.
TESTOSTERONE, DHT & THE RATIO. Testosterone is the most important male sex hormone overall. Total Testosterone is the most stable test in the family of androgens and gives the best overall indicator to a problem with the system. Testosterone is responsible for all the attributes of a man, specifically his virility. Some indications of low testosterone are as follows: aging prematurely, decreased muscle mass and strength loss, lack of decisiveness and mental firmness, depression, persistent fatigue, lack of sex drive, sex drive dysfunction, loss of hair, pale skin, etc. As you can see, these symptoms are not very appetizing.
DHT or dihydrotestosterone is the most potent testosterone we have. Contrary to what most people know about it, does not directly cause hair loss. It is more of a symptom of hair loss. We want our body to convert testosterone into DHT, as this will help us use the testosterone more efficiently. The other hormone testosterone converts to is estradiol, and as a man, you do NOT want your testosterone being aromatized to estrogen. That is where man boobs come from.
Testosterone levels for a healthy and viril man will be greater than 700. This is the goal of all men. If you get tested and the levels aren’t that high, it is time to figure out why and get it corrected. Low testosterone will literally take years off your life, and is an absolute must to get fixed. DHT levels ideally are around 10% of Total Testosterone numbers, or around 70. If these levels are not balanced, this will set up a circumstance for hair loss.
The most common pattern I see here is low testosterone (200-450) and high DHT (90-110+) (ng/dL units). The reason the DHT will be higher than normal when the testosterone is low is because of the body’s resilience. DHT is the powerful testosterone and since your body is low, it will try to make more. The issue of hair loss comes up because this higher than normal DHT will impact the hair follicles. Is this beginning to make sense? It is not as simple as blocking DHT. This will NOT lead to ideal Testosterone production and function. Total system optimization is the key.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. I hope all who are reading this begin to see the importance of tracking hormones and body systems. I will list all the hormones and basic tests to fully understand hair loss below and if we get enough feedback, may write a full article on how to test and fix completely.
DHEA sulfate
Total Testosterone
DHT
Estradiol
Prolactin
LH and FSH
SHBG
This is the list of tests required to assess male sex hormone function. This is not necessarily the full list to completely tune up the testosterone system to its max. That is a 2 day seminars worth of material. Below I will touch on some lifestyle factors that are absolutely necessary to maximize your sex hormone function.
Paleo Diet - Meat is essential for maximum testosterone
Eating enough calories - calorie deficits will lead to low T
Water - 1+ gallons clean, filtered water per day
Organic, toxin free life - foods, PCP, etc.
Lifting Weights - maximize strength - Deadlifts, Squats, Bench, Rows, Pullups
Avoid excessive cardio - it suppressed testosterone
Avoid tight underwear - see my article here on Testicular Hyperthermia
Maximize nutrients and biochemistry - D3, Magnesium, Zinc, Protein, etc.
Supplement everything you need to maximize T - DHEA, Estrogen Detox, TRT, etc.
Balance your mental health. High mental stress will kill your T faster than anything.
The key is you must have your lifestyle, biochemistry and mental health in check. When you get this all in check and are living the high testosterone life, you have the possibility to getting and regrowing your hair. I must admit this is a very slow process. It may take 1-2 or more years to regrow what was lost, and sometimes the best we can do is simply stop the hair loss and strengthen the existing hair. The good news is you now will be experiencing and fully living the high testosterone lifestyle and this is absolutely priceless.
If you know someone beginning to thin, please forward them this article. This article is more about saving men from a life of low testosterone than it is truly about hair. Hair is simply of the very visible signs testosterone is dropping and immediate action is necessary.
For the exact plan I use to keep my Testosterone high and my hair growing check out My Personal Testosterone Plan.