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Anyone have anything to say about this? Does it work? Is it harmful...for a man?
It seems to be a herbal supplement, so the first question is, does it actually block DHT?
There are some drugs that are intended to block DHT, and they restore hair, but may reduce testosterone in some men. Some guys are using those kind of drugs with success, but personally that one dice I wouldn't roll. I wouldn't want to risk having sexual side effects regardless of how good it was for my hair.
So, even if it really were to block DHT I would have my doubts about taking it. That is, I wouldn't. YMMV.
Hi,
I've been taking saw palmetto for about a year, with some small results. I have noticed some growth of fine downy hair around the temples that was not evident before-around the "edges" of where my hairline is receding. This stuff is supposed to block DHT as well. The one I use is called Prosern, it's aimed at guys with enlarged prostates which I understand is apparently caused by DHT as well-bottle says nothing about hairloss so I'm just going off what various websites etc say.
I'm in Australia though I'm sure there are plenty of brands around.
I also note multiple websites say it may help with hairloss but there is nothing conclusive proof it heps with hairloss, so who knows if it really works. Maybe they are just preying on our fears to make a buck? Myself I'm willing to keep trying it for another year to see if things progress. I did try minoxydil for a while about 10 yrs ago but I got heart palpitations from it so obviously stopped that... Oh BTW I notice no reduction in my "functioning/performance", at least nothing beyond the natural results of being nearly 40y/o age!
What you are showing could just be the same sort of thing as Prosern remarketed for hairloss? See if it's got saw palmetto in it?
Cheers,
MattT.
I read on http://www.groganics.com/ that "Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is a natural but powerful metabolite of the human body and the main cause of hair loss in both men and women. It’s a chemical derivative of testosterone, created when the metabolism of androgen gets involved with an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrotestosterone
Something more scientific: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/68082.php
I had never heard of this before. You could ask a doctor what he thinks.
I have heard of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoxidil too. Apparently you spread it on your scalp some time before washing your hair.
I have never used any of these these things.
I find it strange that many men who get pattern baldness have very or moderately hairy bodies. I seem to be quite the other way round: thick hair with the slightest receding at the temples, light facial hair, a tiny bit on my chest and decreasing amounts of hair elsewhere on my body. I suppose the explanation would be that I have normal testosterone and little DHT - for my head hair. But I have less hair on my legs than my wife! She is quite jealous! :-)
I'll be interested in hearing more about why these things happen to us.
Anthony
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My blog
Hi Anthony, I never thought about that, but guys I know who have fast growing head hair are in that 2nd category, I am in the 1st...
oh well, the beard is growing though...
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Thanks for sharing.... The Spaf Man
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I would have to agree. Personally, I find that I have very thick, fast growing head hair, but not much in the way of face, chest arms, legs, etc. My brother, who has significantly more facial/body hair than I do, also has slower growing, and receding hair.
This doesn't seem to be an absolute and universal rule, and there are many exceptions - men who are smooth-skinned and bald, and conversely, having think hair, thick beards and lots of body hair.
Obviously, it's genetics and hormones. I have often wondered if I was low on testosterone, but I function normally sexually (even though I seem to be moderately "driven"). The DHT content seems to make sense, if it is scientifically founded, which it seems to be. My father and brother have much more body hair than I have, and my head hair seems to be the thickest of us three. None of us is bald. It's a mystery, we we are completely mixed in genetic terms.
There's no reason to complain. Having good head hair is a reason to grow it out and take full advantage of it. There's no reason why we men can't be as coquette as our womenfolk and concerned for our beauty at any age. Even if we are a little more "feminine" (smooth and soft skin) than other men, we can and should be ourselves.
Anthony
My blog
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Hallo out there, maybe I could contribute something to clarification.
There are tons of studies about hair loss.
It hasen't much to do with hormones, ok it has but there is usually no difference between hormone levels of bald and not bald men also it has nothing to do with the amount of bodyhair.
There is a DHT receptor in our genes which should prevent baldness, the balding genes affect this receptor and makes it weaker, people with weak balding genes go bald at higher ages because this receptor decreases because of aging. Normally it loses it's function too but at apoint in life when the testosterone level decreases too so the DHT can't cause any problems anymore since only 5% of all testosterone are converted into DHT (by the age of 80 your testosterone levels decreasd about 80% so there is only 20% left and 5% of 20% aren't much).
Last but not least the amout of body hair: Every human has a complete fur in a inactive state how much of it will be converted into normal hair is inheritence, it's like having to people with 20l of fuel one of them drives a car with 20bhp and the other one drives a car with 2000bhp, one is faster and the other one is slower (the foel stands for the DHT).
PS. I am so sorry for my typos Iam multitasking right now.
-Christian