I started noticing my hair thinning in the front when I was 25 years old. I am now 26 and have been on Propecia for a year. My hair has always been thin, even when I was very young. Therefore, I am extremely worried about losing any hair. I have recently stopped smoking and have cut back on alcohol and caffeine. Consequently, I started a workout routine, which consists of intense muscle training. Am I hurting myself by working out? Is my body creating more DHT now? I’m not sure if I should continue working out or not. Also, are the white bulbs at the ends of the hair that fall out the follicle or just scalp build up?


Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Dave

there's no way anyone can give an honest answer to this one because there's no research whatsoever.

theoretically, lifting weights increases free testosterone levels and that testosterone is either used up and manifested in some physiological change (bigger muscles, deeper voice, ect.) or converted to dht. whenever someone asks this question, they never ask about the effect eating has on ones hairloss. afterall, there's NOTHING more analabolic than eating, so wouldn't eating a testosterone-promoting diet be more likely to cause hairloss than lifting weights?

unfortunately, there's just no research to support either theory. i have been an avid lifter for about 7 years now and i am convinced that nutrition is 60% of gaining muscle mass. in my opinion, if the increase in testosterone brought upon by weight lifting is significant, then diet is even more profound.

i take a few dietary supplements and i believe they help slow down hair loss - saw palmetto, pumpkinseed extract, pygeum extract, and lycopene. i also eat lots of soy and drink lots of v8 juice.

Is it possible that my testosterone level is too high? I have already gained 8 pounds doing my new diet/workout routine. This is in a relatively short period of time. I have always been off again on again when it comes to working out. However, when I do get serious about working out, I get strech marks on my arms from my rapid growth, and inevitably, my friends joke around about me taking steriods. The only thing I have ever taken is creatine, which I no longer take. Are there test that can tell you if you DHT or testosterone levels are too high. Moreover, are there medications out there that suppress testosterone levels?

High T-level + MPB hairloss heredity = bad combo.

_________________________________________

This was my problem, hence my earlier hairloss.

Propecia has solved my further loss, HT rebuilt

my recession.

>Is my body creating more DHT now? I’m not sure if I should continue working out or not. Also, are the white bulbs at the ends of the hair that fall out the follicle or just scalp build up?

Any help would be greatly appreciated<

You should continue working out. We have some studies that show that abdominal obesity increases DHT production 10 times in the body. Ever noticed how many fat, bald guys you see? Is there a correlation being being fat and balding? Most likely.

Focus on being fit and lifting weights. It will reduce your DHT in the end. The body is of course extremely complex, but being fit and eliminating your abdominal body fat is one of the best things you can do to reduce DHT in your body.

Please feel free to e-mail me at: petermac@dhi.gr if you want further information.

>Are there test that can tell you if you DHT or testosterone levels are too high. <

Just about any lab can test your serum testosterone levels measuring both DHT and free testosterone quite easily. it takes about five minutes to draw the blood. I think I spent about 30 minutes in the waiting room though. I'd see your primary care physician as he might recommend some other tests too to get a better understanding of your condition.

i would have thought that if you took propecia or proscar, regardless of your testosterine levels, the harmful dht would be eliminated or dramatically reduced. i believe i read somewhere that guys who took roids as well as propecia were able to counteract the harmful impact of elevated dht levels caused by the roids....fyi

Not only that, but wouldn't chicks rather have built guys than fat ones?

dave r

I doubt that weight lifting will cause any significant problems. DHT, in addition to being produced in various areas of the body, is produced in the hair follicle itself and is difficult to measure. It may be that the local production is very significant. Just don't take any hormonal supplements as they will have a negative impact for sure.

The little white bulbs at the end of your shed hairs are normal. Pigment production shuts off right before the hair enters its resting phase.