Collagen Peptides Seem To Be Doing...something

[MKP05]

Just some background. I’ve been on the big 3 for 15 months now. At the 6 month mark I completely bottomed out. My hair thinned out across my entire scalp. At the 12 month mark I started to “stabilize” if you can call it that. I’m still receding at the temples just at a seemingly slower pace. I’m well below baseline and I don’t ever expect to recover what I’ve lost. I’m fairly sure finasteride hasn’t worked for me and probably sped up the process. I like to think that I would’ve eventually gotten to where I am today anyway. If there’s anything positive I can say is that maybe my hair loss is slower right now than it was when I jumped on the meds so maybe in the long run I will come out ahead.

But another side effect of finasteride for me was that it “fried” my hair. I can’t explain it any other way but I’ve seen others on here make similar comments. About 3 months ago I started taking Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. Since I started the peptides my hair feels alive again. I felt a noticeable difference after only a couple weeks but wanted to wait a few months to be sure. My hair feels better and (just maybe) looks a bit thicker than a few months ago. Could it be the finasteride finally kicking in? Maybe. But I was in a pretty steady decline for almost 12 months on finasteride and my hair only started feeling alive again once I started the peptides. it’s made an improvement to the look, feel and texture of my hair and there’s no doubt in my mind that it is having some sort of positive effect...so much so that I felt compelled to share.

 

[Michael1986]

The improvement you are noticing is much more likely to be the finasteride than your use of collagen peptides. Finasteride is one of only a very small number of things that have been proven to be highly effective at treating hair loss. If you find that you start losing ground on finasteride in the future, switching to its more powerful alternative dutasteride is one option.

 

[MKP05]

The improvement you are noticing is much more likely to be the finasteride than your use of collagen peptides. Finasteride is one of only a very small number of things that have been proven to be highly effective at treating hair loss. If you find that you start losing ground on finasteride in the future, switching to its more powerful alternative dutasteride is one option.

It’s possible. All I know is that my hair was fried, stringy and dry. Like straw. And this was the case from month 3 to month 12 on finasteride. Once I started taking the peptides the texture of my hair completely reverted back to the way it was prior to taking finasteride. I’m not suggesting that the peptides are making my hair grow back or stopping the loss. If anything is doing that it’s most certainly the finasteride. I’m saying that it’s made the hair I have feel and look much better. I don’t believe it is a coincidence and I wouldn’t have posted if I wasn’t sure that it is having a positive impact for me.

So I don’t think collagen peptides are a cure for hair loss but if there are others out there who feel that their hair texture and quality has changed since taking finasteride this might help them. And it’s not expensive or risky to try for a month in my opinion.

 

[Slid]

Your hair was ''fried'' because of minoxidil and nizoral,not finasteride.

 

[Michael1986]

Your hair was ''fried'' because of minoxidil and nizoral,not finasteride.

I agree. There's certainly no scientific basis at all as to why finasteride would "fry" a person's hair.

 

[fauxhawk]

Its minoxidil. The alcohol base causes your hair to dry out especially if your tryna grow it out and have thinish straight hair

 

[MKP05]

Your hair was ''fried'' because of minoxidil and nizoral,not finasteride.

Right. Because God forbid someone says something negative about finasteride on here.
I have only ever applied minoxidil to my hairline. I didn’t have any hair loss anywhere else but the hairline before I started taking finasteride and 6 months in I lost density in a perfect horseshoe pattern across my scalp and the texture totally changed everywhere. So these changes could not have been caused by minoxidil since Ive never applied minoxidil in those areas. I use Regenepure Dr with Ketoconazol 3 times a week. I suppose that could have caused the texture change. i tend to doubt it but I could be wrong. Anyway this isn’t a discussion on the pros and cons of finasteride or nizoral or minoxidil. I believe this regimen works for most and fails for some. I’m at 15 months and I’m sticking with it but the jury is still out. All I wanted to say is that I started taking this supplement and my hair feels much better and resolved whatever was causing my hair to look and feel like crap.

 

[Screeech]

Interesting.

Collagen supplementation (bone broth/ peptides) are purported to assist skin, hair and nails - all that biotin kinda stuff.

The jury is meant to be out on whether it (collagen peptides) is utilised by the body successfully or not.

The collagen molecule in bone broth is purported to be too big to be utilised and so the reductive form found in the peptides is meant to be much more apt, but opinion on whether it works or not differs.

I stopped taking collagen peptides because I didn't think it was doing anything for my skin personally, and I don't like the taste of it and find it an inconvenience to take each day, but I guess your anecdotal observations are going to be enough to impel me to start using it again.

All the stuff you describe about your hair quality is what is meant to result if it's effective.

 

[Mandar kumthekar]

I am taking collagen peptides too. I think collagen peptides increases collagen in the body esp skin .skin hydration would be expected on collagen supplement which is beneficial. More collagen in the skin makes it resistance to stretch induced by gravity so pressure on follicles and nearby vasculature decreases and hence god hair growth.

 

[MKP05]

Interesting.

Collagen supplementation (bone broth/ peptides) are purported to assist skin, hair and nails - all that biotin kinda stuff.

The jury is meant to be out on whether it (collagen peptides) is utilised by the body successfully or not.

The collagen molecule in bone broth is purported to be too big to be utilised and so the reductive form found in the peptides is meant to be much more apt, but opinion on whether it works or not differs.

I stopped taking collagen peptides because I didn't think it was doing anything for my skin personally, and I don't like the taste of it and find it an inconvenience to take each day, but I guess your anecdotal observations are going to be enough to impel me to start using it again.

All the stuff you describe about your hair quality is what is meant to result if it's effective.

I mix it with orange juice and really don’t notice a taste. Good luck.

 

[MKP05]

I am taking collagen peptides too. I think collagen peptides increases collagen in the body esp skin .skin hydration would be expected on collagen supplement which is beneficial. More collagen in the skin makes it resistance to stretch induced by gravity so pressure on follicles and nearby vasculature decreases and hence god hair growth.

Thanks for the info. I’ve read similar things about the potential role it can play for hair health. This certainly wouldn’t ever be considered a first line defense and is not intended to stop hair loss or grow new hair. To me it’s just another piece of my arsenal to make the hair I have feel and look better.

 

[Timii]

Unlike some people here, I also think that finasteride makes your hair straw-like. Don't know why but my hair feels more "artificial" than natural

 

[OldnBald]

Another goofy thread.

 

[MKP05]

Unlike some people here, I also think that finasteride makes your hair straw-like. Don't know why but my hair feels more "artificial" than natural

Exactly. I’m not saying this happens to everyone using finasteride. But it can’t be a coincidence that multiple people have reported the same thing. Give the peptides a shot for a few weeks. I feel that they’ve given my hair some life. Maybe you’ll notice a difference and maybe not.

 

[MKP05]

Another goofy thread.

Awesome contribution. Well done.

 

[brownhair]

Same thing happened to me on finasteride, among other side effects, including definite increased hair loss, dry brittle hair and my hair thinned out. Posted on here and was told it was all in my head and it must be something other than finasteride, despite not taking anything else and none of this happened before taking finasteride.

I've been off of finasteride since December and my hair quality has somewhat returned to it's previous state not entirely but some days it seems to be better than others so I'm going to look into what you're suggesting! Thanks for the post and good luck for when the finasteride till I die squad arrive.

 

[MKP05]

Same thing happened to me on finasteride, among other side effects, including definite increased hair loss, dry brittle hair and my hair thinned out. Posted on here and was told it was all in my head and it must be something other than finasteride, despite not taking anything else and none of this happened before taking finasteride.

I've been off of finasteride since December and my hair quality has somewhat returned to it's previous state not entirely but some days it seems to be better than others so I'm going to look into what you're suggesting! Thanks for the post and good luck for when the finasteride till I die squad arrive.

Yeah I mean I’ve documented my story multiple times and included pictures so there’s no sense in rehashing but the same happened to me including thinning/hair loss in places I had no previous hair loss and a complete deterioration of the texture of my hair in the first 4-6 months. . I will say that things slowed down around the 8-12 mark and now at month 15 I’m definitely still losing ground but mostly just in the temple areas (which ironically was the only place I had loss originally and was the entire reason for getting on finasteride.). Even though I’ll probably never recover what I’ve lost I do like the fact that the hair I’ve got feels and looks good again.

 

[Hangin'on Hair]

Be wary though, excess collagen is linked with tumor growth.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3980040/

I was actually taking a collagen powder supplement about a year and a half ago. Took it religiously, everyday for about 3 months. After that time, I started experiencing severe pains in my neck and shoulders. My hands also started turning bluish red and we're freezing cold.
Long story short, an MRI found a tumor growing in my spinal cord in my neck. A very severe location. I had to have a very risky surgery. They were able to remove some, but not all of it. I had radiation and now I have to get it looked at every 6 months. Not blaming the collagen, but all this happened in the time period of me taking it.

 

[MKP05]

Be wary though, excess collagen is linked with tumor growth.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3980040/

I was actually taking a collagen powder supplement about a year and a half ago. Took it religiously, everyday for about 3 months. After that time, I started experiencing severe pains in my neck and shoulders. My hands also started turning bluish red and we're freezing cold.
Long story short, an MRI found a tumor growing in my spinal cord in my neck. A very severe location. I had to have a very risky surgery. They were able to remove some, but not all of it. I had radiation and now I have to get it looked at every 6 months. Not blaming the collagen, but all this happened in the time period of me taking it.

Yikes. Sorry to hear that man. Thanks for the heads up. I will look into that. No amount of hair is worth dying for.

 

[Thrillowpl]

Your experience with finasteride echoes what some others have felt, and it's great you've found relief with collagen peptides! The positive changes you've noticed in the texture and vitality of your hair after starting the peptides are fantastic.Sometimes, our bodies respond differently to various treatments. Have you considered trying organic grass fed whey protein? It's known for its rich nutrient profile, potentially aiding in hair health and overall wellness. Finding what works best for your body can be trial and error, but it's amazing to hear about the improvement you've seen with the collagen peptides.