Biohacking Baldness
“Hair loss and other changes affect different people in different ways. If you are suffering from hair loss or hair thinning and want to do something about it, we urge you to do your research, ask us questions, and then take action. When you are ready, we are here to help you restore and maintain a great-looking head of hair.
In general, the vast majority of patients we treat are experiencing mild, moderate, or severe hereditary hair loss–also known as male or female pattern hair loss or Androgenetic Alopecia–which is the most common type of hair loss. We also have effective medical solutions for many other types of alopecia (hair loss).”
Some Types of Hair Loss We Treat at Bauman Medical:
- Male Pattern Hair Loss or baldness (Hereditary Androgenetic Alopecia)
- Female Pattern Hair Loss (Hereditary Androgenetic Alopecia
- Plastic Surgery-Related Hair Loss (brow lift/facelift scars or hairline distortion/recession)
- Traumatic Scars from Injury or Burns
- Eyebrow Loss
- Eyelash Loss / Weak Eyelashes (eyelash hypotrichosis)
- Hereditary High Hairline
- Hair Loss due to Medications, Nutritional Deficiencies, Stress, Hormone Imbalances
- Hair Loss due to Hair Breakage
- Hair Loss due to Scalp Inflammation
“Before we elaborate on the types and causes of hair loss, it is beneficial to review basic information about how hair grows. The hair follicle, which appears as a tiny opening in the skin from above, is actually located a few millimeters under the skin. The hair follicle is responsible for producing the hair fibers we see as hair growing from the scalp. The follicle is very much alive, however, the hair fiber we touch, feel, see, style and cut are “dead” tissue much like your fingernails. Each hair’s root resides within the follicle which is connected to the body’s blood supply. The hair follicle which produces the hair is an incredibly tiny, yet complicated, micro-organ in the skin. It is connected to our blood circulation, nervous system, as well as oil (sebaceous) glands. Connected to each follicle is also a small muscle (that causes your hair to stand up on the back of your neck or your arm!) Hair follicles communicate within themselves and with other nearby follicles with small protein molecules and are also responsive to changes in your body’s hormones, stress level, medications you may take, the food you may eat, the health of your scalp, and many other influences.”
“A highly accessible dermal appendage which is a musculo-neuro-vascular-endocrine mini-organ containing a stem cell niche capable of degeneration and regeneration that en masse can elicit a significant emotional response in the owner or observer!" -Dr. Alan Bauman
Every hair follicle produces hair in a three-stage cycle that repeats over time. The first stage of this cycle is active growth, known as the anagen phase. The intermediate stage is the catagen or degradation phase. And, the third stage is the resting or telogen phase. Each hair follicle continually undergoes and repeats the cycle of hair growth, independently. And, at any given point in time, most of the hair on your head is in the active growing Anagen phase, which lasts on average from two to six years. While the active stage of hair growth is the longest in duration, the Catagen intermediate degradation phase is the shortest, lasting approximately two to three weeks before entering the Telogen or resting phase which lasts about three to four months. During Telogen, the hair is not actively growing but usually remains within the hair follicle. Finally, it is at the end of the resting phase, as Telogen turns into Anagen when a new Anagen hair pushes out the hair currently in the follicle. This phase typically has a duration of three to four months. It is the Telogen hairs that you see when they come off into your brush or comb.”
"For men, male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss. It is characterized by thinning and receding hair beginning at the temples and weakening of the coverage at the crown or vertex of the head. Over time, the hair at the temples continues to recede, leaving a central patch of hair at the front of the hairline and a growing bald spot at the crown. Eventually, as the hair loss in these areas widens, the baldness at the front and crown meet to form one large bald spot. Depending on the rate of progression of the hair loss, all that remains is a ‘border’ of hair around the side and back of the head. Male pattern hair loss is a concern for many men because as the hairline recedes, the face takes on a more aged appearance. Hair loss is seen by many as an unwanted sign of premature aging.
Male Pattern Hair Loss is considered “Chronic” and “Progressive:” It is well documented that men who are prone to male pattern hair loss will continue to lose more hair over time if the condition is not treated."
“If you are a woman experiencing shedding or thinning hair, you are in the company of an estimated 20 million American women who also suffer from hair loss. Unfortunately, many women mistakenly believe they are the only females with this condition because it is a common misconception that hair loss is something that only happens to men.”
Multiple Factors Affect Hair Growth & Hair Loss:
- Genetics, Medications, Illness, Diet/Nutrition, Stress, Hormones, Toxins, Surgery, etc. Female Pattern Hair Loss (FPHL) or Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA): Gradual miniaturization, not typically "baldness"
- Loss of Frontal Density/Coverage, Receding Temples, Volume Loss - Telogen Effluvium (TE): Excessive Shedding, Acute or Chronic
In most cases, unlike male pattern baldness, hereditary hair loss in females does not typically result in a total balding of the affected area.
"Insults" to Hair & Scalp:
Extrinsic - Environmental
- Toxins, Pollution
- Styling Products
- UV Exposure
- ROS (Oxidative Stress)
- Catagen &
- Apoptosis (Cell death)
Intrinsic - Internal
- Stress / Cortisol
- Hormone Fluctuations & Sensitívity
- Genetics, Aging
- Nutritional Deficiencies
- Illness & Fever
- Inflammation - Fibrosis
“Once you understand the cause of your hair loss, you need to determine the best way to stop losing more hair, enhance the hair you have and restore the hair you’ve lost. For most patients, this means using a combination, or ‘multi-therapy,’ approach: non-invasive treatments to protect the hair you have and hair transplantation to restore the hair you’ve lost. Some patients might accomplish their goals using ONLY non-invasive treatments.
A complete medical history, hair loss history, scalp exam (with and without a microscope), laboratory tests, etc. may be required to ‘get to the root’ of your hair loss problem. Then recommend one, two, or more various therapies designed to maintain and enhance the hair you have as well as restore the hair you may have lost. A multi-therapy regimen may include nutritional supplementation, medications, laser therapy, PRP, specific haircare products or regimens, and/or hair transplantation. For some, a non-invasive approach will be worthwhile and for others, transplantation may need to be added to the regimen.”
Treatment Stratagems:
- Low-Level Laser Therapy - increases mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP production
- Nutritional Modification - supplements like Biotin, Collagen, Nutraceuticals & Herbs
- Finasteride, Dutasteride - blocks dihydrotestosterone production
- Minoxidil - potassium channel opener, vasodilator, promote/prolong the anagen
- Prostaglandin Analogs - promote/prolong the anagen
- Peptide Therapy - GHK-Cu, Zinc-Thymulin (ZT), PDT-VPA, etc.
- Platelet Rich Plasma - injectable autologous growth factors, anti-inflammatories
- Stem Cell Therapy - injectable exosomes, growth factors, conditioned media
- PDOgro' - synthetic, absorbable polydioxanone "threads"
- FU Hair Transplantation - redistribution of DHT-resistant follicles from the back of the scalp to the severely depleted area leaving NO LINEAR SCAR
Because medical research has yet to identify the specific trigger for the pattern of hair loss, there is no one particular treatment option that is the ‘magic bullet.’ While most people are looking for the ‘miracle cure,’ the answer for the vast majority of hair loss sufferers will be a multi-therapy approach.
BiohackingCongress Team is very grateful to Dr. Alan Bauman, Board-certified Hair Restoration Physician at Bauman Medical, for joining the BiohackingCongress and giving a life-changing lecture.
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Based on the lecture by Dr. Alan Bauman
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