TRT: Uses, Side Effects, and Cost of Testosterone Replacement Therapy
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The crown of the head, also known as the vertex, becomes bald as well. Oddly enough, hair in different locations on the body can react differently to hormonal changes. For instance, facial hair growth can improve while other areas become bald. There’s no specific testosterone level that you hit that leads to a bald spot, says Calvert. A lot of your risk for male pattern baldness depends on your age and DNA. If your testosterone levels are below normal for your age, you may lose body and facial hair, notes Calvert.
Preventing and treating testosterone-related hair loss
During puberty, DHT is what caused you to sprout body and facial hair. Maintaining proper hair care habits can help mitigate the effects of hair loss. Use gentle shampoos and conditioners, avoid excessive heat styling, and refrain from pulling or tugging at your hair. His commitment to achieving natural-looking results and a personalized approach to patient care sets a high standard in the industry. Dr. Pak’s practice offers a beacon of hope and excellence for individuals considering hair restoration. Embarking on Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) brings about a set of considerations, particularly concerning hair loss for some individuals.
Hair loss in women
Understanding the underlying mechanisms is crucial to comprehending the potential impact of TRT on hair loss. While TRT itself may not directly cause hair loss, it can impact hormone levels that contribute to hair loss. For individuals exploring testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to address low testosterone levels, concerns about hair loss as a potential side effect often arise. TRT is an acronym for testosterone replacement therapy, sometimes called androgen replacement therapy. It’s primarily used to treat low testosterone (T) levels, which can occur with age or as a result of a medical condition. Because the symptoms of low Testosterone can be debilitating, many men still pursue TRT treatment even if they experience androgenic alopecia.
Does a naturally declining testosterone level cause the signs and symptoms of aging?
Dr. Jae Pak, renowned for his proficiency and innovative methods in hair restoration, exemplifies the qualities to look for in a specialist. Also known as the strip method, FUT involves removing a strip of skin from the back of the scalp where hair is more resistant to balding. The strip is then dissected into individual follicular units, which are transplanted to the balding areas. FUT is often preferred for its efficiency in covering large areas in a single session, though it leaves a linear scar. People who are considering TRT need a prescription and appropriate guidance from a doctor or qualified healthcare professional.
A 2021 study suggests that long-term TRT improves liver function and reduces cardiovascular risks. The current scientific literature suggests that TRT worsens breast and prostate cancer. However, TRT may offer benefits to people with early-stage prostate cancer without stimulating the recurrence or progression of cancer. Research has shown a link between TRT raising antigen levels in men over the age of 65 years.
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One of them is that men with MPB are more virile and have higher levels of testosterone. Men with MPB may actually have lower circulating levels of testosterone but higher levels of the enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT. Alternately, you may simply have genes that give you hair follicles that are highly sensitive to testosterone or DHT. It’s not the amount of testosterone or DHT that causes baldness; it’s the sensitivity of your hair follicles. The AR gene makes the receptor on hair follicles that interact with testosterone and DHT. If your receptors are particularly sensitive, they are more easily triggered by even small amounts of DHT, and hair loss occurs more easily as a result.
Experiencing major hair loss since starting TRT (pics included)
Baldness is often hereditary, and is activated by a shift in your hormones. This subreddit is for questions and discussion related to testosterone replacement therapy and testosterone. It also focuses on lifestyle activities like exercise and nutrition for raising testosterone levels naturally or anything else related to testosterone the substance. Unfortunately, male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) occurs due to a combination of genetic factors and the effects of an androgen hormone. These factors largely determine how much hair you’ll have on top as you age.
Owing to a minimum and fewer adverse side effects, saw palmetto is considered a relatively safe alternative to finasteride. External testosterone is administered to the patient during Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). As a consequence, many individuals think that increasing testosterone levels may promote increased DHT within the body, resulting in hair loss and baldness. People already suffering from male pattern baldness tend to observe worsening of the symptoms upon receiving testosterone replacement therapy. Being gentle with your hair while it’s experiencing change is important so as not to exacerbate any thinning.
Men are more affected by this condition—50 million men as opposed to 30 million women, according to the National Institutes of Health. This condition has also been linked to menopause in women and conditions like insulin resistance and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common condition characterized by hormonal imbalance in women. The fact that testosterone has a byproduct further suggests that TRT might have a negative impact on hair loss. Because medication raises the body's testosterone levels, it may create DHT, which disturbs the natural inclination of hair follicles on the scalp. As a result, some persons may notice a decline in hair growth at the start of therapy. People experiencing female pattern baldness may also notice a general thinning of hair on the top of your head, but hair loss typically won’t occur on the front of your scalp, per Harvard Health.
DHT is produced when an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase converts testosterone into a more potent form. This hormone then interacts with hair follicles, particularly those located on the scalp, leading to a process known as miniaturization. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is a treatment used to address low levels of testosterone in men.
A hair transplant is a safe and effective hair restoration treatment of androgenic alopecia, particularly in those individuals who do not derive benefit from pharmacologic treatments. The two techniques involved in hair transplantation include follicle unit transplantation (FUT) and follicle unit extraction (FUE). Saw palmetto is a herbal extract obtained from berries of palm trees called Serenoa repens. Saw palmetto is a natural 5-alpha reductase inhibitor commonly used to treat androgenetic alopecia.
DHT can trigger hair loss in individuals who are genetically predisposed to androgenetic alopecia. Unfortunately, individuals with male androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness) have hair follicles which are especially sensitive to DHT which binds to androgen receptors in the hair follicles. This in turn disrupts the normal hair growth cycle causing the hair follicle to spend less time in the anagen (growth) phase. However, paradoxically, it’s also implicated in male pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia, when it affects the hair follicles on the scalp. The process of hair loss related to DHT involves the miniaturization of hair follicles, which leads to a shorter hair growth cycle and the production of finer, shorter hairs.
According to Harvard Health, many existing studies have limitations, such as being small in size or using larger-than-usual doses of T. If you have health insurance and need TRT to treat a health condition, you likely won’t pay the full cost. The actual cost may also vary based on your location and whether there’s a generic version available. TRT is traditionally used to treat hypogonadism, which occurs when your testes (also called gonads) don’t produce enough testosterone. With a thoughtful transition plan and proactive treatments, you can preserve hair after discontinuing TRT. With close monitoring and adjunctive treatments, most men maintain and even restore their hair on TRT.
If you like the idea of adding supplements to your routine, there are some which are specifically formulated to contain ingredients that increase hair thickness and health. In a nutshell, people with higher levels of testosterone tend to have higher levels of DHT because more of the testosterone is converted to DHT. Hair loss will most likely occur if those people have a variant of receptors in their hair follicles that are highly sensitive to androgen.
For individuals experiencing significant hair loss, hair restoration surgery can offer a more permanent solution than medication and topical treatments. Two of the most common procedures are Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). Unless caused by medical illness, TRT is typically a lifelong treatment. Once a person starts TRT, their doctor will continually monitor their response to treatment. People need to have routine checkups at least every 6–12 months to assess their blood testosterone levels. As hormone levels fluctuate depending on activity levels, diet, and the time of day, doctors usually take two different blood samples before noon.
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