Preventing Hair Loss

Welcome to another edition of the Doctor’s Note where we talk about what's on our minds when it comes to your health.

This week I dove into the ever-relevant topic of hair loss—focusing on men while also touching on women’s experiences. After a recent Sunday in church, noticing more than half the men sporting bald spots from the back pew, I felt compelled to address the widespread misunderstandings and myths around hair loss. While genetics certainly play a major role, hormones, medical conditions, vitamin deficiencies, stress, and even poor nutrition can all be at the root of thinning hair. In men, male pattern baldness—technically called androgenic alopecia—accounts for about 95% of hair loss and appears as receding hairlines or bald spots at the crown and temples. In women, the pattern looks different, often involving overall thinning and part widening. The most important thing for both is early detection and intervention. Once bald spots are permanent, options are largely limited to hair transplants.

It’s also crucial to know that several modifiable factors can help manage or even prevent hair loss. Hormones, especially excessive dihydrotestosterone (DHT), are notorious culprits, along with vitamin and mineral deficiencies like vitamin D, iron, and biotin. Stress is a major factor that’s often underestimated. Effective treatment may include targeted supplements, medications like finasteride (which blocks DHT), oral minoxidil, special shampoos, and even non-pharmaceutical interventions like red light therapy, scalp massage, and PRP injections. While some men embrace baldness, studies show that around 62% report that hair loss negatively impacts their self-esteem—making it all the more important to intervene early and effectively.

PODCAST NOTES

• Hereditary factors certainly play a significant role in hair loss, but it’s a mistake to overlook the impact that hormones, nutritional deficiencies, stress, and underlying medical conditions—such as thyroid problems or scalp infections—can have. Effective hair loss management means considering a broad range of possible contributing causes, not just genetics.

• The timing of intervention is critical. If you start treatment early, you have a much greater chance at slowing or even reversing hair loss. Once baldness is advanced and the follicles have been dormant for too long, your main restorative option becomes hair transplantation, which can be both expensive and uncomfortable.

• In men, the overwhelming cause of hair loss is androgenic alopecia, commonly referred to as male pattern baldness. This typically shows up as a gradually receding hairline or thinning at the crown (the classic “bald spot”). It’s responsible for about 95% of hair loss cases in men, making targeted treatment strategies for this condition especially important.

• Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the most potent active form of testosterone, plays a major part in the process of hair follicle miniaturization and hair loss. High levels of DHT not only contribute to balding but are also associated with prostate enlargement. Monitoring and managing DHT is a key aspect of treating hair loss, especially in men with family histories or other risk factors.

• Nutritional factors make a real difference. Deficiencies in key vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, iron, biotin (vitamin B7), selenium, and others have all been shown to aggravate hair loss. Conversely, supplementing with these—alongside targeted compounds like antigaine—can stimulate hair follicles back into the growth phase and enhance results from medical treatments.

• Prescription medications and topical treatments, especially finasteride and minoxidil, remain the cornerstone of evidence-based hair loss treatment. Finasteride works by blocking DHT but needs to be used at the right dose to avoid unwanted side effects. Oral minoxidil is now preferred by many for its ease of use and efficacy, however, stopping these medications usually leads to a return of hair loss.

• Non-pharmaceutical therapies are growing in popularity and include options like regular red light (laser) therapy, scalp massages, microneedling, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, all of which may help stimulate growth, improve blood flow, and kickstart follicles into an active phase. Even certain shampoos, such as those containing 2% ketoconazole, can have a synergistic effect.

• Hair loss, particularly bald patches at the crown, can be more than just a cosmetic concern. There is a strong association between crown baldness and increased risk for coronary artery disease. Noticing this pattern may, therefore, be an early warning sign to assess broader cardiovascular risk and overall health status.

In closing, if you or someone you love is noticing thinning hair or new bald spots, don’t wait—early intervention makes the biggest difference. Take a look at your nutrition, manage your stress, and consider medical evaluation to check for hormonal or nutritional imbalances. There are real, proven strategies we can use to help to keep your hair healthy and your confidence strong.

For those interested, here is a link to the hair supplement that has everything I like in it with the correct doses: Healthy Happy Hair

Stay educated. Stay healthy. 

Till next week.