How to Stop Hair Loss Before it's Too Late | Surgeon Reacts to @hubermanlab

Summary

In this video, the host reacts to Dr. Huberman's insights on preventing hair loss, highlighting the impact of stress and anxiety on hair health. They discuss treatments like minoxidil and finasteride, emphasizing their roles in slowing hair loss and promoting growth. The video also explores alternative methods, including caffeine, supplements, and topical solutions, while stressing the importance of ongoing treatment and the potential side effects of certain approaches.

Takeaways

• 🧑‍⚕️ Dr. Huberman discusses methods to slow or reverse hair loss, emphasizing the importance of science-backed approaches.
• 👨‍🦰 By age 50, about 50% of men and women experience noticeable hair loss, which can cause significant anxiety.
• 💊 Minoxidil is a long-standing treatment for hair loss that can increase blood flow and, to some extent, reverse hair thinning.
• 🚫 Minoxidil does not have strong anti-androgenic effects; it mainly changes the hair growth cycle dynamics.
• 💊 Finasteride or dutasteride are 5-alpha reductase blockers and are considered the primary agents for halting hair loss.
• 📉 Minoxidil's effect on slowing hair loss is minimal compared to its potential to maintain existing hair growth.
• ☕ Caffeine, either ingested or applied topically, can be a surprising way to stimulate hair growth.
• 💉 Increasing IGF-1 levels, potentially through prescription drugs or supplements, can help maintain hair growth.
• ⚠️ However, increasing IGF-1 can also increase DHT levels, which may lead to more hair loss, making finasteride even more critical.
• 🌱 Supplements like myoinositol, berberine, or metformin can improve insulin sensitivity and potentially reduce hair loss.
• 🌿 Saw palmetto, with its 5-alpha reductase inhibition activity, can help maintain hair and is included in hair care formulations.
• 🦠 Ketoconazole, an antifungal and anti-inflammatory agent, has been shown to increase hair number and diameter.
• 💊 Finasteride is the major player in maintaining or increasing hair growth, with oral and topical forms available, but the oral form is considered the standard.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is discussing methods to prevent and potentially reverse hair loss, based on scientific findings.

By what age does significant hair loss typically become noticeable for many individuals?

By age 50, approximately 50 percent of all men and women will have experienced significant hair loss that they start to notice.

What is the psychological impact of hair loss on most people?

Most people who experience even marginal hair loss undergo pretty severe anxiety.

What is one of the longest standing treatments for halting and reversing hair loss mentioned in the video?

One of the longest standing treatments mentioned is minoxidil, which can increase blood flow and to some degree reverse hair loss.

How does minoxidil primarily work in relation to hair loss?

Minoxidil primarily works by changing the dynamic between terminal and vellus hair, promoting the growth of thicker terminal hairs.

What is the main agent for halting hair loss according to the video?

The main agent for halting hair loss is finasteride or dutasteride, which are 5-alpha reductase blockers.

What is a potential side effect of using minoxidil for hair loss treatment?

A potential side effect is that minoxidil treatment, if pursued, is likely something that one has to continue for the rest of their life to maintain the hair growth obtained.

What is a surprising method mentioned for stimulating hair growth or halting hair loss?

A surprising method mentioned is the use of caffeine, either ingested or applied topically to the scalp.

What is the role of IGF-1 in hair growth and why is it controversial in the context of hair loss treatment?

IGF-1 can increase hair growth and skin turnover, but it can also increase DHT levels, potentially leading to more hair loss, which makes its use controversial.

What is the role of saw palmetto in the context of hair loss prevention mentioned in the video?

Saw palmetto, when taken at about 300 milligrams per day, is likely to help maintain hair that one would have otherwise lost, due to its 5-alpha reductase inhibition activity.

What are the two major forms of finasteride mentioned in the video and how do they differ?

The two major forms of finasteride are oral and topical. The oral form is typically taken as a 1 mg tablet, while the topical form is a 1% solution or ointment applied directly to the scalp. The bioavailability and effectiveness of the topical form may not be equivalent to the oral form.

What is the recommended starting dose for finasteride according to the video?

The recommended starting dose for most people is 1 mg of finasteride as a tablet per day, which is considered effective and safe.

How does the video suggest monitoring the effects of finasteride treatment?

The video suggests monitoring DHT levels and other hormone levels as an ideal way to assess the effects of finasteride treatment.

Outlines

00:00

🧑‍⚕️ Hair Loss Treatments and Their Effectiveness

This paragraph discusses various treatments for hair loss, emphasizing the role of stress in exacerbating the condition. It introduces minoxidil as a treatment that can slow hair loss and potentially reverse it by affecting hair growth cycles. The main treatment, however, is identified as finasteride or dutasteride, which are 5-alpha reductase blockers that can help maintain existing hair and possibly increase hair growth rates. The paragraph also mentions the long-term commitment required for minoxidil treatment and touches on alternative methods to stimulate hair growth, such as caffeine and increasing IGF-1 levels, while cautioning against the potential downsides of growth hormone supplements.

05:01

💊 Natural and Pharmaceutical Approaches to Combat Hair Loss

The second paragraph delves into natural supplements and pharmaceutical options for preventing hair loss. It mentions the potential of myo-inositol, berberine, and metformin to improve insulin sensitivity and thereby potentially reduce hair loss. The discussion also includes the use of saw palmetto and ketoconazole, both of which have shown promise in maintaining or increasing hair growth. The paragraph highlights finasteride as a major player in hair growth maintenance, with a focus on its effectiveness and the importance of monitoring hormone levels during treatment. It concludes by addressing the forms of finasteride available, including oral and topical, and the importance of starting with the oral form to assess its effects and side effects.

Keywords

💡Hair Loss

Hair loss refers to the falling out of hair from the scalp, which can be a natural process or due to various factors such as aging, stress, or medical conditions. In the video, hair loss is the central theme, with discussions on its prevalence, causes, and potential treatments. The script mentions that by age 50, approximately 50 percent of all men and women will have experienced significant hair loss.

💡Minoxidil

Minoxidil is a medication known for its use in promoting hair growth and slowing hair loss. It is one of the longest-standing treatments mentioned in the video for halting and potentially reversing hair loss. The script explains that minoxidil can change the dynamic between terminal and vellus hair, helping to thicken finer hairs and slow the miniaturization process.

💡Finasteride

Finasteride is a medication that inhibits the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which is involved in the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone linked to hair loss. The video emphasizes finasteride as the main agent for halting hair loss and potentially increasing hair growth rates or maintaining existing hair.

💡Caffeine

Caffeine is highlighted in the video as a surprising element that can be used to stimulate hair growth. It can be ingested or applied topically in the form of ointments, creams, or hair care products. The script suggests that caffeine is included in certain hair growth formulations for its potential benefits in this area.

💡IGF-1

IGF-1, or Insulin-like Growth Factor 1, is a hormone that plays a role in growth and development. The video discusses the potential of increasing IGF-1 levels to stimulate hair growth, but also cautions against methods that could inadvertently increase DHT levels, which can lead to hair loss.

💡Sermorelin

Sermorelin is a synthetic peptide that stimulates the release of growth hormone. The video mentions sermorelin as an indirect way to increase IGF-1 levels and, by extension, hair growth. However, the script also notes conflicting data related to the effects of IGF-1 on hair growth.

💡Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is a condition where the body's cells do not respond properly to insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels. The video points out that being insulin resistant or obese can contribute to hair loss, emphasizing the importance of managing insulin sensitivity for overall health and hair maintenance.

💡Myoinositol

Myoinositol is an over-the-counter supplement mentioned in the video for its potential benefits in improving insulin sensitivity and possibly assisting with sleep. It is suggested as a supplement that may help with hair loss by supporting overall metabolic health.

💡Saw Palmetto

Saw palmetto is a plant extract that has been included in some hair care formulations due to its potential benefits in maintaining hair. The video describes saw palmetto as having 5-alpha reductase inhibitory activity, which may help in preventing hair loss.

💡Ketoconazole

Ketoconazole is an antifungal medication that is also known to have potential benefits for hair growth. The video mentions it as a compound that can increase hair number and diameter, suggesting its use in hair care products for promoting hair gain.

💡Dutasteride

Dutasteride is another 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, similar to finasteride, but with a different chemical structure and potentially different side effect profile. The video briefly mentions dutasteride as a close cousin to finasteride in the context of hair growth maintenance.

Highlights

Dr. Huberman discusses the widespread concern about hair loss and the desire to halt or reverse it.

By age 50, approximately 50% of men and women experience noticeable hair loss, leading to anxiety.

Minoxidil is highlighted as a longstanding treatment for slowing and potentially reversing hair loss.

Minoxidil primarily changes the dynamic between terminal and vellus hair, improving hair thickness.

Finasteride or dutasteride are the main agents recommended for halting hair loss by blocking 5-alpha reductase.

Minoxidil requires lifelong use to maintain its effects on hair growth.

Caffeine, either ingested or applied topically, is suggested as a surprising method to stimulate hair growth.

IGF-1 is discussed as a potential stimulant for hair growth, though its effects are debated.

Insulin resistance and obesity are linked to hair loss, emphasizing the importance of metabolic health.

Saw palmetto is recommended for its potential to inhibit 5-alpha reductase and help maintain hair.

Ketoconazole, an anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory, is mentioned as effective in increasing hair number and diameter.

Finasteride is noted as the major player in maintaining or increasing hair growth, with a success rate of up to 90% in men.

The effectiveness of topical finasteride is debated, with oral finasteride being considered more reliable.

Patients experiencing side effects from oral finasteride may consider a lower dose or topical application.

Regular monitoring of DHT and other hormone levels is advised when using finasteride.

Transcripts

in this video I'll be reacting to Dr

huberman's video on how to stop hair

loss before it's too late and this is a

clip from his full video that we'll be

linking in the description below today

we are discussing hair hair is a topic

that occupies the minds of many people

there are people that are losing their

hair and want to Halt or reverse that

loss of hair and today we will talk

about all the ways that science has

taught us we can slow or even reverse

hair loss what we know is that by age 50

approximately 50 percent of all men and

women will have experienced significant

enough hair loss that they start to

notice it in fact most people who

experience even marginal hair loss

undergo pretty severe anxiety here's why

if you stress too much it can actually

make your hair fall out for instance one

of the longest standing treatments for

halting and reversing hair loss is

so-called minoxidil The increased blood

flow and that minoxidil is not so much

meant to Halt hair loss it can reverse

to some degree it really just mainly

changes the dynamic between terminal and

Villas hair so the Villa's hair are like

the finer hairs you get from the

miniaturization process of hair loss the

terminal hairs are a bit more thick or a

bit longer and so minoxidil can reverse

that process to a degree minoxidil does

not have too many anti-androgenic

effects it has maybe a very small

component of that the main agent for

halting hair loss is going to be

finasteride or dutasteride but basically

a 5-alpha reductase blocker might

increase the rates of hair growth or

more likely increase maintenance of hair

that one already has minoxidil has been

shown to be effective at slowing rates

of hair loss that effect of slowing the

rate of hair loss is really a minimal

type of effect for minoxidil if you're

interested in learning more about

medical therapy and obtaining it head

over to fieldconfident.com people that

are starting to experience some hair

loss I should also man mentioned that

minoxidil treatment if you pursue it is

likely something that you are going to

have to do for the rest of your life if

you want to hold on to the hair growth

that you obtain with Minoxidil or if you

want to maintain the hair that you are

already maintaining with Minoxidil so if

you were to choose one medication to be

on especially as like I say younger guy

who's losing hair the answer would be

finasteride now whether or not you

decide to add minoxidil to that is

really up to you and Dr huberman is

right in that if you do decide to be on

minoxidil you have to continue it

forever to see that same impact that the

minoxidil initially had that is an

important consideration so now I'd like

to discuss the ways that one can

chemically adjust certain things within

the hair growth pathway in order to

stimulate hair growth or halt hair loss

the first thing on this list is actually

going to be pretty surprising to a

number of you and that's caffeine by

ingesting caffeine or by applying

topical caffeine ointment or cream to

the scalp in the shampoo poo conditioner

and thickening foam that we formulated

we've included caffeine for the reasons

that I think he's about to go into those

products will be available at feel

confident.com at the end of 2023 if you

want to stay updated on the products as

they're being developed make sure to

sign up for our listserv so there's one

very direct way to increase hair growth

and maintain the hair that you have on

your head and that's to increase igf-1

that can be accomplished through

prescription drugs such as growth

hormone and things that stimulate the

release of growth hormone yeah I'm gonna

have to disagree with Dr huberman here

because if you go back to our video

that's called can steroids cause hair

loss you'll see that many supplements

have growth hormone contained within

them the growth hormone can actually

increase igf-1 and then the igf-1 will

actually increase DHT levels so by doing

that you actually can get more hair loss

so finasteride is even more important in

a patient who's on all those things

compared to someone who's not and they

increase hair growth they can increase

turnover of skin they can make skin look

more youthful all these things sound

wonderful that said a number of people

are using sermorelin as an indirect way

to increase igf-1 and thereby to

increase hair growth it does seem to be

fairly effective in doing that this is

running counter to what I've experienced

in the literature but keep in mind that

there is conflicting data related to the

effects of igf-1 on hair growth the

other thing about stimulating the

natural production of igf-1 is that as

its name suggests insulin growth factor

one you want to avoid being insulin

resistant because being insulin

resistant and being obese can indeed

lead to hair loss there are a few

supplements so these are

over-the-counter supplements such as

myoinositol taking at dosages of about

900 milligrams before sleep which by the

way can also assist in sleep or things

like berberine or metformin which are

known to improve insulin sensitivity

each and every one of these has its own

profile of positive of negative effects

but remember that if you are overweight

and you lose a significant amount of

weight that too can trigger hair loss

that is a lot of stress on the body and

we know that rapid weight loss is

associated with hair loss as well it's

also known that when taken at about 300

milligrams of salt Palmetto per day

divided into two or three doses that's

going to very likely help you hold on to

some of the hair that you would have

otherwise lost soft Palmetto does have

some five Alpha reductase inhibition of

activity and this is why we put saw

palmetto into the formulations for the

shampoo conditioner and thickening foam

that I mentioned earlier another

commonly discussed and used commercial

compound for offsetting hair loss and

stimulating hair growth is Ketoconazole

sometimes this is known as Nizoral where

Nizoral is the brand name of a shampoo

so Ketoconazole has been shown to be

effective in increasing hair number it's

also been shown to be effective in

increasing hair diameter Ketoconazole is

both anti fungal and anti-inflammatory

and that's why it's thought to help with

promoting some degree of hair gain the

major player in this whole story to

maintain or increase hair growth is

going to be finasteride and its close

cousin dutasteride last but not least it

can increase hair count by as much as 20

percent finasteride treatment done

properly can reduce hair loss in 90

percent of all people that take it I

would say that the 90 is more for men in

women the effects are less dramatic 20

to 30 percent overall also should point

out that finasteride comes in two major

forms there's an oral form and there's a

topical form topical finasteride is

typically taken in one percent solution

or ointment and rubbed into the head

many places offer a smaller

concentration of like 0.3 percent as

well that people rub into their head and

it is thought that the one percent

Solutions are equivalent to one

milligram of systemic finasteride yeah

there definitely is not enough data to

support that I always think of the oral

form of one milligram as being the

standard form the pill form the one

percent topical is not going to have the

same bioavailability as the oral

formulation so I don't think that

they're equivalent I don't think we have

enough data to support that claim so I

still put people on one milligram oral

form to start and if they experience

side effects then we down titrate the

oral formulation to usually half a

milligram every two to three days and if

that still gives them side effects then

we might propose a topical formulation

0.5 milligrams to one milligram of

finasteride as a tablet per day seems to

be an effective and pretty safe starting

place for most people exactly thereby

taken for a long enough period of time

should offset hair loss and stimulate

hair growth the effect on stimulating

hair growth is usually not as impressive

but it definitely works to prevent

further hair loss get a prescription I

would hope that you're monitoring your

DHT levels and other hormone levels that

would be ideal and you can get that

prescription at feel confident.com for a

very reasonable price thanks Dr huberman

for raising awareness for hair loss and

make sure to subscribe and I'll see you

in the next video