I'm sure Cassin explained that hair normally falls out, and people first notice this when they start finasteride and start checking. I think 50-100 hairs a day is normal, just how many grow back is what matters.
I read the full text of a detailed study on estrogen and hair cycling signals, which Bryan linked me to. That is where I'm getting most of this info, though they did not specifically talk about dutasteride. Mostly just estrogen.
Some of you experienced telogen effluvem like stuff, where profound amounts of hair falls out for six months, as bad as a pregnant or menopause woman. I can explain that. It is NOT a bad sign either. About 75% of the testosterone that enters a follicle is turned to DHT in balding follicles. For some it may be higher than that. Only the left over testosterone can be turned into estrogen by aromatase. When you take finasteride or dutasteride, you more than flip that ratio, so that most of the testosterone stays as testosterone. Suppose 10 molecules of test enter, and before 8 turned to DHT. After finasteride, now only 1 turns to DHT. So instead of having 2 left, you have 9 left. that is a 4x difference in the follicle, but not the scalp, since 2/3 of DHT is made by 5ar1 not 2.
While high estrogen levels are good for scalp hair, sudden big changes in estrogen levels have been proven to make hairs go into tellogen. But they don't get hurt. They just come back later. Now now high estrogen levels make body hair STAY in tellogen, and low scalp estrogen levels make scalp hair STAY in tellogen. But since your estrogen levels went up, the hair will come back. None of the loss is permenant. The hair grows back, same as on pregnant women. Tellogen effluvium can last 6 months, but usually is not permenant, unless estrogen levels stay low.
So if you are one of the guys who got a big shed, that means your hair estrogen levels changed a lot and fast, which is a good thing. Well, fast is not so good, but a lot is. Just stay on and it will grow back. And BTW, since your thinning follicles will see the biggest change, they are more likely to be the ones shedding.
One last thing: if you take Proscar once a week, you might get those estrogen fluctuations and the shed. It is better to take stuff more evenly, though I doubt it EOD is too big a change. I take my doses daily now just to be safe.
I read the full text of a detailed study on estrogen and hair cycling signals, which Bryan linked me to. That is where I'm getting most of this info, though they did not specifically talk about dutasteride. Mostly just estrogen.
Some of you experienced telogen effluvem like stuff, where profound amounts of hair falls out for six months, as bad as a pregnant or menopause woman. I can explain that. It is NOT a bad sign either. About 75% of the testosterone that enters a follicle is turned to DHT in balding follicles. For some it may be higher than that. Only the left over testosterone can be turned into estrogen by aromatase. When you take finasteride or dutasteride, you more than flip that ratio, so that most of the testosterone stays as testosterone. Suppose 10 molecules of test enter, and before 8 turned to DHT. After finasteride, now only 1 turns to DHT. So instead of having 2 left, you have 9 left. that is a 4x difference in the follicle, but not the scalp, since 2/3 of DHT is made by 5ar1 not 2.
While high estrogen levels are good for scalp hair, sudden big changes in estrogen levels have been proven to make hairs go into tellogen. But they don't get hurt. They just come back later. Now now high estrogen levels make body hair STAY in tellogen, and low scalp estrogen levels make scalp hair STAY in tellogen. But since your estrogen levels went up, the hair will come back. None of the loss is permenant. The hair grows back, same as on pregnant women. Tellogen effluvium can last 6 months, but usually is not permenant, unless estrogen levels stay low.
So if you are one of the guys who got a big shed, that means your hair estrogen levels changed a lot and fast, which is a good thing. Well, fast is not so good, but a lot is. Just stay on and it will grow back. And BTW, since your thinning follicles will see the biggest change, they are more likely to be the ones shedding.
One last thing: if you take Proscar once a week, you might get those estrogen fluctuations and the shed. It is better to take stuff more evenly, though I doubt it EOD is too big a change. I take my doses daily now just to be safe.
unk: