A very common issue that comes up with our patients is the issues with hair loss. Even though hormones play a role in the hair follicle growth, thickness and longevity, our program does not cause accelerated hair loss. This is due to proper balancing of testosterone with progesterone and estrogen that actually gives the benefit of thicker hair. First let us delve into the hair follicle cycle involving scalp hair. We will then discuss various treatment regiments one can do to maximize the benefits of bio-identical HRT.

For over thirty years we have been treating patients with hrt, we have never seen any drugs that permanently make hair follicles thicker and make hair last longer on the scalp. We have seen certain natural products do just this as long as they are taken continuously and over an extended period of time.

Hair follicles have three stages. These are the anagen, catagen and telogen phases. Basically, the anagen phase is the growth phase lasting 3-4 years. The hai continues to grow and can attain a length of 20-30 inches. Then it enters into the catagen transitional phase that lasts 1-2 weeks. Then during the telogen phase, the follicle rests and the hair falls out. This lasts about 3 months and the cycle is repeated. Approximately 80 hairs a day are lost. This happens on a cyclic basis so that all of the hair does not fall out in any given period.

In our experience, the bioidentical hrt does not affect this cycle except to make the actual hair thicker due to increased levels of progesterone and estrogens in the body. Testosterone in high doses which are seen in pelletes and injection therapy narrows the hair follicle diameter and makes the hair appear thinner. At our prescribed levels at Hormonify this does not happen.

Many of our patients are researchers and share their experiences in an attempt to reduce hair loss. B12 injections as in MIC B12, zinc, essential oils, inositol all have been implicated. Avoiding very hot showers and avoiding harsh chemical shampoos seems to be helpful. Some have reported using onion oil extract with essential oils directly on the scalp.

So what drugs can increase hair loss? As mentioned, high doses of testosterone as seen in pellet therapy is huge. Blood thinners, antidepressants, steroids, cholesterol lowering statins and NSAIDs have all been implicated and should be avoided if possible. Marijuana and its derivatives have been shown to increase hair loss as well.

What patients usually do not want to hear is that stress can increase hair loss. In our experience, it does. Also the human goes through a shedding cycle that is variable and can be the cause of a higher loss of hair for a short period of time.