The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka - 44. Alopecia, Causes and Treatments for Hair Loss | Ultimate Human Short

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hair loss is a condition that just doesn't affect our scalp, but it often affects our self-esteem and our well-being. Replace that fatty tissue with your own stem cells in permanently reversing hair loss. Indeed, a study pointed out that the significant impact of environmental pollutants and psychological stress on hair loss. My personal preference coming off the backs of a lot of the way that our clinical team treats thinning and baldness is that we apply. I might also add that I just did a podcast. You might want to find this podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple with Dr. Chestnut. And Dr. Chestnut, Cameron Chestnut, is an incredible facial and cosmetic surgeon. And we go deep, deep, deep into the world of alopecia,

Starting point is 00:00:52 male and female pattern hair loss. And there's some very, very specific recommendations on that podcast. But today we're going to take a look at how hair loss can be a complex web of causes from genetic predisposition to lifestyle factors. A landmark study in the Journal of Integrative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings mentions that androgenic alopecia, or male and female pattern baldness, affects millions globally.

Starting point is 00:01:18 It's linked closely to hormonal changes and genetic factors, with the primary driver being something called DHT, dihydrotestosterone. But what about the environment we live in or the stresses we endure? Indeed, a study in the archives of dermatological research pointed out that the significant impact of environmental pollutants and psychological stress on hair loss. It's a clarion call for cleaner living and stress management. Nutritional aspects cannot be overstated. The American Journal of Clinical Dermatology has highlighted the correlation between specific nutrient deficiencies and hair loss. And as you know, I am an enormous fan of nutrient deficiencies in the human body as a starting place for the expression of disease and pathology. Lack of proteins, specifically

Starting point is 00:02:06 amino acids, vitamin D, which is called cholecalciferol, specifically referring to vitamin D3, vitamins E, and essential fatty acids directly contribute to thinning of your mane. We also know that dihydrotestosterone, which is heavily linked to male pattern baldness, is one of the root causes of the thinning of the hair shaft. And we hit this dihydrotestosterone with systemic medications, chemicals, and synthetics that reduce this hormone in an effort to stop binding it to the hair shaft. We know now that these traditional routes like finasteride or propesia often lead to increased incidence of erectile dysfunction and increased reduction of libido and sexual dysfunction. So my personal preference coming off the backs of a lot of the way that our clinical team

Starting point is 00:02:58 treats male and female hair thinning and baldness is that we apply these things topically rather than take them systemically. Now let's talk about a couple of solutions. The traditional routes, as I was just mentioning, minoxidil and finasteride have their merits, but they're proven to stimulate hair growth and slow the loss of hair, yet they're not without side effects and their effectiveness can really vary. Merging treatments are broadening our horizons. Low-level laser therapy using red light therapy and photobiomodulation, for instance, has shown very promising results in stimulating hair growth

Starting point is 00:03:29 by energizing the cellular activity in the follicles. One of the interesting things that Dr. Chestnut and I explore on our podcast is actually the effect that gravity has on the scalp's dome, reducing the amount of fatty tissue that is there for the hair follicle to implant and nourish itself with. And some of what he does is replace that fatty tissue with your own stem cells. And he's having tremendous success in permanently reversing hair loss. So this has shown a lot of promise in stimulating hair growth by energizing cellular activity in the follicles. There was a study in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology which confirmed its efficacy, especially in those who

Starting point is 00:04:10 respond poorly to conventional treatments. Let's not overlook the power of platelet-rich plasma, using our own platelets from our own body to heal our body. This is one of my favorite therapies because I love the fact that we can actually take all of the healing power of the human body and concentrate it in one area of the body so we can have a specific outcome. This is well-documented in sports injuries, repetitive use injuries, but by using platelet-rich plasma

Starting point is 00:04:37 and harnessing the growth factors in your own blood, PRP injections have become a very sought-after treatment for alopecia with multiple studies, including one in the Dermatologic Surgery Journal, showcasing significant hair regrowth in the participants that received platelet-rich plasma injections directly into the scalp. So male pattern baldness is something that's actually very near and dear to my heart. I have been experiencing it for the last decade, decade and a half. And so I've been

Starting point is 00:05:05 deep down the rabbit hole of what we can do from a functional standpoint to really support hair growth. My own personal journey, I've used topical exosomes, which are microneedled into the scalp, and they are applied directly to the scalp. Exosomes are phenomenal. They are derived from stem cells. They are about 1 800th the size of a stem cell, so they actually get into tissues and areas much more easily than larger size molecules. They carry with them high molecular weight hyaluronic acid and growth factors, so there is an emerging body of evidence that says the topical exosomes, as well as topical platelet-rich plasma, which is your own blood platelets, spun down and concentrated with growth factors, re-injected into the scalp

Starting point is 00:05:54 to sort of neutrify and help regrow hair. I've also been fascinated by some of the orals and the topicals that are used, but I am not a big fan of taking medications like finasteride and propicia orally because they have a massively negative impact on sexual function, on arousal, on erectile dysfunction, and all different areas of mood and emotional state. Because when we start to negatively impact hormones, especially in men that are taking finasteride or Propecia, you see a much more increased level of erectile dysfunction. So what I do personally, this is my own personal journey, I use a ketoconazole minoxidil finasteride topical. You use very little of this applied to the scalp, much less of it gets into the serum concentration of the blood,

Starting point is 00:06:44 and it doesn't crush your hormone levels in order to save your hair follicles. The second thing that we've really explored a lot, and I go deep into this on the podcast with Dr. Chestnut, is less conventional therapies like transplanting fat, which actually contains high amounts of your own stem cells. Dr. Chestnut talks about a fat procedure where they extract very, very small amounts of fat from the abdominal area and from the flanks because evidence shows that these areas of the body are the highest in active stem cells, your own stem cells, which is fascinating because rather than take somebody else's stem cell and DNA and put it into your body, you're taking your own stem cells with your own DNA and reinserting them into places where you

Starting point is 00:07:30 can have a therapeutic effect. He puts these beneath the scalp layer, above the skull layer, what's called the periosteum, and this, he's having tremendous success in hair regrowth. There's also hair transplantation surgical procedures. I'm actually inviting one of the top hair transplant specialists in the world onto a podcast in the very, very near future. So look out for that podcast. But I think this whole myriad of options for regrowing hair and male and female alopecia has three major prongs. One is nutrition and supplementation, and the second is other actions that we can use outside of nutrition and supplementation, things like topical finasteride minoxidil, red light therapy to the scalp, platelet-rich plasma, exosome therapies, and even

Starting point is 00:08:19 stem cell transplant therapy into the scalp. For those exploring the natural route, supplements like salt palmento and pumpkin seed oil have been studied for their potential to combat hair loss. While more research is needed, early findings such as those published in the Journal of Alternative Complementary Medicine are very, very encouraging. In closing, tackling hair loss is a journey, one that requires patience, persistence, and a holistic approach. From cutting-edge science to age-old wisdom, the path to regrowth and recovery are many. But remember, consulting with a healthcare professional

Starting point is 00:08:50 and experts in hair restoration can provide a personalized guidance tailored to your unique situation. Your hair's health deeply is intertwined with your overall well-being. Nutri it, protect it, and when in doubt, reach out for help. Stay informed, stay healthy,

Starting point is 00:09:06 and let's continue this journey together. I promise I'm going to remain diligent in this area and continue to bring experts onto the podcast in the area of male and female alopecia so that I can bring you practical solutions that will not break your budget for how you might be able to reverse your hair loss. If you're one of those sufferers just like me, I know how near and dear this is to your heart and how conscious you are of the top of your head. And that's just science.

The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka - 44. Alopecia, Causes and Treatments for Hair Loss | Ultimate Human Short

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