Stephen posts Bryan's hairlosshelp earlier offering of a study that describes an experiment that shows hairs from alopecic human scalp grafted onto immunodeficient mouse skin grows as well as hair from non-alopecic scalp. Especially notable is the skin from FEMALE alopecia to the mice. The mice almost certainly have androgen levels higher than a woman would........yet the hairs grew the same.
Dr. Lee, on minoxidil, has wrote that DHT binds to receptor sites on the dermal papillas, the immune system (at some point) begins to see the hairs as a foreign body and begins to attack them. Immuno attack and edema look very much alike.......so its hard to conclusively prove one of you wrong or right here. Dr. Proctor has stated that immune cells cluster around alopecic follicles in greater numbers than normal, seemingly "marking" the follicles for the immune system. We all know about how effective cyclosporin is for hairloss and have seen Bryan's prox-n 2 year photos where he grew hair, despite using no anti-androgens at all.
Now look at a man in his late fifties with NO HAIRLINE RECESSION AT
ALL.....[url]http://www.theincrowdvlog.com/i ... ouglas.jpg[/url] . Thats actor Michael Douglas, who has the same somewhat arirstocratic brow and hairline that he always has had.
AND NOW
http://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/imag ... 259381.jpg . A picture of late fifty-something (she may be 60 now) actress Catherine Denueve. No recession, she must be post menaupause (so her androgens and estrogen levels are much more even now). Look at the hair characteristics.
Here are my impressions and where Im headed with this guys. Michael Douglas hair (and face) have aged more than Catherine's have. Testosterone ages hair and skin and obviously must slow DNA activity and follicle circumference a little (like the 23% or so like Bryan posted from Sawaya) ON ITS OWN. However, since Michael Douglas apparently does not have male pattern baldness...........his hairline hasnt receeded and he doesnt have a bald spot. His immune system IS NOT attacking his hair and scalp. Catherine, who past menapause, is no longer protected by as much estrogen still has thicker follicles and good hair color. As the years pass though.............I think I'd bet on her hair greying and ageing to get closer to Michael's as some testosterone does find its way into receptor sites.
Apparently the immuno response, oxides, "damage around the follicle (especially the connective tissue sheath)" like Pickart has wrote, is what really DOES HAIR IN. Androgens merely weaken the growth somewhat, but more importantly MARK the follicle for attack. Whether the attack is purely immuno or edema is up to Stephen (its your theory Stephen) to prove conclusively or talk a Doctor or two into testing.
THIS IS THE PIC THAT SAID IT ALL TO ME on androgen's alone "killing" your hair. This woman DID NOT go bald when she shot herself up with testosterone, but look at how aged and "a bit" thinner her hair is vs. her TWIN sister
http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200509/ ... _102.jhtml . She obvioulsy doesnt have baldness genes, but the ageing due to androgens alone indeed show that testosterone or its metabolites do weaken head hair growth at least a little all by themselves.
Please feel free to tell me where you disagree with this..........