https://trello.com/c/LdHlDvYQ/67-azelaic-acid-vitamin-b6-zinc
As for hair loss, there are no clinical studies that proves that it helps, just like the fact that there are no clinical proof for any other natural substance. Still, a study from 1988 found that Azelaic acid, combined with zinc & vitamin B6 is a strong type 5-Aalpha Reductase Inhibitor (5AR is the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT). Blended with testosterone, over 90% of the enzyme was inhibited, and only small levels of DHT were detected. That makes Azelaic acid a potent DHT blocker. As DHT is the cause for pattern baldness in men and women, once you reduce it to low levels – the cause is gone (even a mild reduction can stop baldness, it depends on your genetic sensitivity level to DHT) .
Azelaic acid is normally found as a skin cream that is used topically. You can also find it in many other hair loss products.
Using Azelaic Acid for Baldness
You have few options:
- Get Hair loss products that already contain it, such as Xandrox and Revivogen.
- Get Azelaic acid cream and apply it on the thinning areas (must be very careful, it may cause skin irritation so apply a thin layer). These creams are usually defined as acne medications.
- Get Azelaic acid flakes – these can be purchased online from manufactures and wholesale vendors. There are people who buy Azelaic acid flakes and add it to their Minoxidil bottle.
Combination
A study that appeared in the November 1998 issue of the "British Journal of Dermatology" was designed to test zinc and azelaic acid as mechanisms to eliminate the activity of 5-alpha reductase, which is the enzyme responsible for pattern hair loss. Both zinc and azelaic acid did slow enzyme activity and zinc was shown to be more effective when mixed with vitamin B-6, while azelaic acid was not. When the three were used together at low doses that had no positive effects when used alone, there was a 90 percent reduction in 5-alpha reductase activity.
Read the citation summarized below from British Journal of Dermatology, 1988 Nov;119(5):627-32.
Inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase activity in human skin by zinc and azelaic acid, by Stamatiadis D, Bulteau-Portois MC, Mowszowicz I., Laboratoire de Biochimie B, Hopital Necker-Enfants-Malades, Paris, France.
The effects of zinc sulphate and azelaic acid on 5 alpha-reductase activity in human skin were studied using an in vitro assay with 1,2[3H]-testosterone as substrate. When added at concentrations of 3 or 9 mmol/l, zinc was a potent inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase activity. At high concentrations, zinc could completely inhibit the enzyme activity. Azelaic acid was also a potent inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase; inhibition was detectable at concentrations as low as 0.2 mmol/l and was complete at 3 mmol/l. An additive effect of the two inhibitors was observed. Vitamin B6 potentiated the inhibitory effect of zinc, but not of azelaic acid, suggesting that two different mechanisms are involved. When the three substances were added together at very low concentrations which had been shown to be ineffective alone, 90% inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase activity was obtained. If this inhibition is confirmed in vivo, zinc sulphate combined with azelaic acid could be an effective agent in the treatment of androgen related pathology of human skin.