Hair loss/thinning on TRT- No MPB

[ZoomyR6]

Hey guys,

I am going into week 7 of TRT. Protocol:
100mg/wk Test Cyp (1x/week)
500iu HCG/wk (split into 2x/week)

I am 31 and have ALWAYS had a full, thick head or hair. NO ONE on my dad's or mother's side has EVER had issues with their hair so that leaves male pattern baldness out of the question. That also leaves out the theory of DHT playing a role since now everyone says it only comes into play if MPB runs in the family, which it doesn't (read above).

Starting last week (week 6 into TRT), I have noticed significant amounts of hair loss when washing my head. I would estimate anywhere from 15-20 strands on my shampoo bar soap alone, not to mention more when drying my hair with a towel. I am noticing thinning specifically around the crown area. I get a few strands when just running my hand through my head during the day. This is worrying me and am getting paranoid about washing my head now (I wash it in the morning and at night in the shower-I have greasy skin and hair my whole life). My face has been more oily as well. You get the picture.

I guess my questions are:
1. Is this something normal that people experience in the beginning stages of TRT from the hormones?
2. Will it get better or continue to get progressively worse?
3. What can I do to help stop this, other than propecia?

Going for BW this week for the first time being on TRT and will post results.

Any input greatly appreciated.

P.S.- This pic was taken an hour after i showered. Hair was dry and I ran my hand through it 3 times.



Edit- I am not looking for products to help with this. I am looking to find out WHY this is happening to someone with no family history of MPB or any other hair issues.

 

[CoastWatcher]

It may not be male pattern baldness - consider telegen effluvium. This thread, particularly Dr. Saya's comments, should be reviewed. There are a number of excellent threads on how hair loss can be treated topically. The search function can help you locate them. I urge you to avoid finasteride/propecia...unless you want to out your entire endocrine system at great risk. It's a nasty drug. https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...n-hair-thinning-hair-loss&highlight=Effluvium

 

[Vince Carter]

Bloods would be nice to see esp DHT and CoastWatchers link is very informative. Some other approaches you could use would be to use Nizoral Shampoo. In that link it references one of the active ingredients in Nizoral: 1% Ketocanazole(?), 2% is avail by script in the US, OTC in Canada.

 

[lexer]

Whether you are prone or not, we all have a threshold to dht. Even your dad who has thick hair could thin out if dht reach a certain level.
get your dht levels checked.
this is why i like using smaller amounts of test 2x per week. This way dht spikes are much less.

 

[ZoomyR6]

It may not be male pattern baldness - consider telegen effluvium. This thread, particularly Dr. Saya's comments, should be reviewed. There are a number of excellent threads on how hair loss can be treated topically. The search function can help you locate them. I urge you to avoid finasteride/propecia...unless you want to out your entire endocrine system at great risk. It's a nasty drug. https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...n-hair-thinning-hair-loss&highlight=Effluvium

I did search before posting. I don't know how I missed the thread you posted, thank you for this. It eased my mind since it is due to the increase in hormones in my body. Am I correct for interpreting it this way? That it is in fact not permenant and will get better with time? I may give rogaine a try although I read it can take months to start working.
I also read that HCG can be the cause of hair shedding. I read that mostly on those HCG diet forums when I searched on google but I speculate that theirs is due from poor nutrition.

Bloods would be nice to see esp DHT and CoastWatchers link is very informative. Some other approaches you could use would be to use Nizoral Shampoo. In that link it references one of the active ingredients in Nizoral: 1% Ketocanazole(?), 2% is avail by script in the US, OTC in Canada.

As a matter of fact, I purchased this shampoo a few days ago from a dandruff issue I also came down with recently. I will continue to use this. BW will be getting pulled in 2 days and will post the results to help shed some light (and hopefully no more hair) on this issue.

Whether you are prone or not, we all have a threshold to dht. Even your dad who has thick hair could thin out if dht reach a certain level.
get your dht levels checked.
this is why i like using smaller amounts of test 2x per week. This way dht spikes are much less.

Thanks for bringing this up as it was my next question. Is it really true that 2x/wk injections can prevent this from happening?

 

[Eager]

hair loss is not as easy to pin genetically as people think and genetics in general are like that

 

[SoCal Guy]

I had some hair loss from TRT. I have a bald spot on my crown and regression at front left and front right. It did not reverse when I stopped TRT. Rather, it continued slowly for another year or so.

My prescriber had me doing daily injections, but I believe the dose was too high.

I can't know what loss I would have had without TRT. But the TRT definitely commenced the hair loss.

YMMV

 

[CoastWatcher]

Telegen effluvium is a discreet entity and, as Dr. Saya noted, is usually of limited duration. Is that what you are dealing with? Quite possibly, and you should know soon enough.

In in respect to your other question, would twice-weekly dosing prevent hair loss in general, the answer is no. DHT and genetics are going to be factors that should be considered when assessing what is actually taking place.

There are topical treatments, both prescription and OTC, that work well for many. I apply minoxidil twice daily and use Nizoral 2% shampoo - a very basic approach - and (though I'll be 60 in January) hair loss has been kept in check since adopting that regimen. There are more sophisticated, compounded treatments available that can be explored.

I'll again note that propecia/finasteride is bad news. Not all men who use it wind up with post-finasteride syndrome, but there is a good chance that anyone using the drug could find themselves dealing with it.

 

[ZoomyR6]

I had some hair loss from TRT. I have a bald spot on my crown and regression at front left and front right. It did not reverse when I stopped TRT. Rather, it continued slowly for another year or so.

My prescriber had me doing daily injections, but I believe the dose was too high.

I can't know what loss I would have had without TRT. But the TRT definitely commenced the hair loss.

YMMV

Did you stop TRT because of hair loss?
Does hair loss run in your family? Regression in the front would mean MPB which you may have been prone to from the beginning.

 

[ZoomyR6]

Telegen effluvium is a discreet entity and, as Dr. Saya noted, is usually of limited duration. Is that what you are dealing with? Quite possibly, and you should know soon enough.

In in respect to your other question, would twice-weekly dosing prevent hair loss in general, the answer is no. DHT and genetics are going to be factors that should be considered when assessing what is actually taking place.

There are topical treatments, both prescription and OTC, that work well for many. I apply minoxidil twice daily and use Nizoral 2% shampoo - a very basic approach - and (though I'll be 60 in January) hair loss has been kept in check since adopting that regimen. There are more sophisticated, compounded treatments available that can be explored.

I'll again note that propecia/finasteride is bad news. Not all men who use it wind up with post-finasteride syndrome, but there is a good chance that anyone using the drug could find themselves dealing with it.

You say I will know soon enough if what I am dealing with is Telegen Effluvium. How so?
I didn't know you were dealing with issues with your hair. Was this something that started once you began TRT or is it something you dealt with before? Does male pattern baldness or thinning run anywhere in your family?
I do not intend on using propecia.

 

[SoCal Guy]

Did you stop TRT because of hair loss?

That was part of it. Another part was BPH was triggered.

Does hair loss run in your family?

On my dad's side, none in the males on my mom's side.

Regression in the front would mean MPB which you may have been prone to from the beginning.

Maybe, but I had absolutely zero hair loss before TRT. And immediately after TRT, hair loss began. I think TRT can switch on genes that were previously dormant. Anyway, my experience was enough evidence for me that TRT can trigger hair loss. (Though some hair loss doesn't completely rule out TRT in my opinion -- for me, it's just something that needs to be weighed.)

But there's always people on boards like this who will swear up and down that there is no link between TRT and hair loss. Or if it happens, it's definitely temporary. And there will be people who will be similarly emphatic about TRT and BPH being completely unrelated.

But I experienced both, so I now take certitudes like that with a grain of salt. (By the way, my BPH did reverse.)

 

[ZoomyR6]

That was part of it. Another part was BPH was triggered.

On my dad's side, none in the males on my mom's side.

Maybe, but I had absolutely zero hair loss before TRT. And immediately after TRT, hair loss began. That's enough evidence for me. But there's always people on boards like this who will swear up and down that there is no link between TRT and hair loss -- as there will be people who will be similarly emphatic about TRT and BPH.

But I experienced both, so I now take certitudes like that with a grain of salt.

You are 100% correct about people on the boards saying TRT wont cause hair loss unless you are prone, which clearly I am not and you, possibly. I guess I am just trying to figure all this out and fine someone that is 100% not prone to hair loss that actually did experience it. To much conflicting info, thats for sure.
How old are you and how old were you when you started noticing hair loss? Di it start as shedding like mine did in the pic above in the bathroom sink?

 

[SoCal Guy]

You are 100% correct about people on the boards saying TRT wont cause hair loss unless you are prone, which clearly I am not and you, possibly. I guess I am just trying to figure all this out and fine someone that is 100% not prone to hair loss that actually did experience it.

Well, before TRT I would have confidently told you that I was not prone to hair loss as well.

In my view, the question is how prone are we AFTER we have injected testosterone? (As that is now our condition.) I turned out to be prone to hair loss after a few days of TRT. To be nerdy about it, we have a genotype (our coding) and a phenotype (which parts of our coding are expressed, at a given time.) At least from your photo and what you say, I'm not sure you're not in the same boat as far as phenotype.

How old are you and how old were you when you started noticing hair loss?

I'm now 57. My earlier TRT experience was when I was probably 52. I noticed hair loss within a week or two of starting TRT.

Did it start as shedding like mine did in the pic above in the bathroom sink?

Yes, but I noticed it on the floor of my shower, and on my hands while shampooing.

 

[ZoomyR6]

Well, before TRT I would have confidently told you that I was not prone to hair loss as well.

Is anyone in your family known to have any hair issues? If yes, then that would explain why you experienced it. In my case, no one in my family has ever had issues with their hair and I have a huge family.

I'm not sure you're not in the same boat as far as phenotype.

What do you mean by this?

Thats crazy you started losing it within days of starting therapy. I wonder why it took about 2 months for me.

 

[user_joe]

31. Could just be an aging thing. Doesn't mean it will continue to get worse. You are also looking for it now. I did the same thing. Noticed the hair when I looked for it. 2 years later I'm not sure my hairline has changed significantly. Would have to have an old pic side by side. My hair grows even faster.

 

[ZoomyR6]

I wasn't looking for it at all. I seen it when I went to put my shampoo bar away after rubbing in atop my head and seen about 20 hairs stuck to it.
Aging? I doubt it. Too coincidental that clomid was initaiated 3 months ago, then switched to trt 6 weeks ago and this started happening.

 

[madman]

That was part of it. Another part was BPH was triggered.

On my dad's side, none in the males on my mom's side.

Maybe, but I had absolutely zero hair loss before TRT. And immediately after TRT, hair loss began. I think TRT can switch on genes that were previously dormant. Anyway, my experience was enough evidence for me that TRT can trigger hair loss. (Though some hair loss doesn't completely rule out TRT in my opinion -- for me, it's just something that needs to be weighed.)

But there's always people on boards like this who will swear up and down that there is no link between TRT and hair loss. Or if it happens, it's definitely temporary. And there will be people who will be similarly emphatic about TRT and BPH being completely unrelated.

But I experienced both, so I now take certitudes like that with a grain of salt. (By the way, my BPH did reverse.)

Testosterone will definitely accelerate balding but only in genetically susceptible individuals and even than at what point is that threshold reached in different individuals. Nelson also states that hair loss in genetically prone individuals tends to stabilize around 40 years old so if one has already experienced hair loss issues before their 40s it is unlikely they would see further hair loss on trt. There are also many cases of individuals in their early 20s using supra-physiological doses of testosterone/aas that are genetically prone to hair loss and notice balding at an earlier age as oppose to the process maybe happening in their 30s-40s if they never used hormones and let natural process happen on its own timeline.

 

[madman]

I wasn't looking for it at all. I seen it when I went to put my shampoo bar away after rubbing in atop my head and seen about 20 hairs stuck to it.
Aging? I doubt it. Too coincidental that clomid was initaiated 3 months ago, then switched to trt 6 weeks ago and this started happening.

As far as being genetically prone it can skip family generations even your grandfathers parents generation.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

I would give this product a try (by prescription)

https://www.empowerpharmacy.com/drugs/latanoprost-topical-solution.html

 

[lexer]

Guys, i spoke with a very well known dermatologist in New York who specializes in hair loss.
whether you are gentetically prone or not, exposure to high levels of dht over a certain amount of time will cause hair loss issues.
When i was doing 100 mgs per week just as the OP has done, my dht was over 150 the day after injection. Thats very high and constantly being exposed to high levels will eventually cause issues.
breaking up the dose in half and doing it twice per week ( tuesday and friday ) will certainly help prevent this- high dht spikes.