Hair today, gone tomorrow: Alopecia areata
Sadly I am still losing hair, and have about a 1/4 of my ponytail left. The loss is more diffuse than patchy so it still looks like I have hair, except my temples are receding?
Alopecia areata is thought to be an autoimmune condition but hair loss can have many factors. People care about their hair, references to alopecia areata (AA) conditions date back to 1500 BCE. [1] (Kesika, et al., 2023)
“Numerous factors affect hair health and the hair growth cycle. Heavy metals (thallium, mercury, arsenic), toxins (Botulinum, Podostroma cornu-damae), drugs, medications, genetics, stress, smoking, menopause, lifestyle, and diet are some of the major factors associated with hair health [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14].” (Kesika, et al., 2023)
Hair has three phases, actively growing anagen, (lasts 2-7 yrs), catagen (lasts 2-4 wks) and telogen (resting phase, lasts 3 months). (Kesika, et al., 2023)
“Anagen (growth phase, lasts for 2 to 7 years), catagen (exponentiation, lasts for 2 to 4 weeks), and telogen (resting phase, lasts for 3 months) are three major phases of the hair growth cycle. The amount of scalp hairs may change based on the anagen (85 to 90.6%), telogen (10 to 15%), and catagen (1 to 2%) phases. Pigmented hair shafts are produced in the anagen phase, and the follicle achieves its maximum length and volume. During the catagen phase, the epithelium of the lower follicle breaks and grows up with the papilla until it lays below the bulge zone, establishing the club hair. Telogen is a quiescence phase of the hair cycle, characterized by the reduction of proliferation and biological activity of hair follicles [2,3,4].
Hair color, density, hair fiber curvature, and diameter are affected by the aging of hair, which overall contribute to the appearance and manageability of hair [5,6].”
“Many phytochemicals include epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), »> caffeine <«, capsaicin, procyanidin, onion juice, pumpkin seed oil, rosemary oil, saw palmetto [21,22], red ginseng extract [22], curcumin, garlic gel, and other natural products such as amino acids, marine proteins, melatonin, vitamins, and zinc [21], were reported to have hair growth-stimulating property [21,22]. Recently, researchers have been interested in herbal-based nanomedicine for hair health [23]. Furthermore, several mechanisms have been proposed and proved for the hair growth-promoting properties of phytochemicals [24,25,26,27,28,29,30].” (Kesika, et al., 2023)
Now I want coffee but pomegranate peel would help too. I have some minced, on salads. Reference 21, Hosking, et al., is extensive and has a review of research treatments used for two hair loss conditions: “androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and alopecia areata (AA)”. The trend in treatments used with positive result is mitochondrial support and glutathione/Nrf2 promoters or amino acid precursors. (Hosking, et al., 2019) Skipping my Cheerful juice has been a flaw in my routine lately.
From Table 1, Hosking, et al., 2019, things that helped reduce hair loss or promoted growth:
Amino Acids: cysteine (2 gr), methionine, lysine (1.5 gr), gelatin. *Dimethylglycine may also help, I add another link later.
Vitamins: retinol (vit. A), thiamine (B1), B2, pantothenic acid (B5), B12, biotin, PABA (a B vitamin group), vitamin C,
Pumpkin seed oil (400 mg daily) - minor #s with pruritis or a digestive side effect. Medicinal yeast (?); Millet seed extract;
Polyphenols/herbals: procyandinin (polyphenol extract, 400 mg), Saw Palmetto (200 mg + 50 mg beta-sitosterol x 21 wks)* Saw Palmetto was used for AGA, male hair loss.
Minerals: zinc (fairly high doses, 50 mg for some - some nausea/gastric upset side effects reported. *Taking high dose zinc with meals is recommended), copper, selenium, iron
Marine extract (Viviscal®) - or another brand - lots of studies, looks fairly effective, headache reported as a side effect.
Topically: Rosemary essential oil promoted hair growth better than Minoxidal, a common hair growth medicine. Another study used a blend of rosemary, cedarwood, thyme and lavender essential oils. (Hay, et al., 1998)
Melatonin, 0.0033% dilution - a little reddening or itchiness reported in a couple of the studies.
Caffeine shampoo or lotion - seems helpful, so I am not supposed to drink it, darn.
Onion juice - it helped quite a lot of the people (86.9%) but also had “erythemia” as a common side effect (60.8%) & was smelly. *I haven’t tried onion juice yet, it sounds smelly. Quercetin seems to be the expected mechanism of action - Nrf2 promoter and antioxidant applied topically.
Capsaicin - only helped tiny hair growth, like soft fuzz hair growth.
Topical Raspberry Ketone - showed efficacy.
Vitamin D topically did not work in an ointment “calcipotriol ointment 50 µg/g” applied daily for 3 or 6 months, but it did work in a solution “calcipotriol topical solution 50 µg/mL applied daily for 3 months” or “topical calcipotriol 0.005% b.i.d. for 12 weeks”. There was skin worsening symptoms though in 31.8% of one of the vit D topical studies and some irritation or hives in others. (Hosking, et al., 2019)
Topical Saw Palmetto - had fairly bad skin reaction side effects in males with AGA.
Other therapies: acupuncture - helped; massage and relaxation - helped; hypnotherapy - partially helped; psychotherapy plus immunotherapy helped more than immunotherapy alone. Our mental state matters. “Essential oils + low-intensity electromagnetic pulses” helped more than electromagnetic treatment alone. Homeopathy - helped; “Traditional Chinese Medicine concoction” - helped but there was some hives/scalp pruritis. (Hosking, et al., 2019)
Lavender essential oil, cedarwood, rosemary and thyme
The lavender essential oil is seriously helpful for the immediate painful feeling of the inflamed hair follicles - and smells good. Whether it is an autoimmune reaction or my having overdone the magnesium sulfate baths for a week, the skin is sore, and inflammation means extra fluid and white blood cells are present. It may be temporary loss if the bath damaged the hair follicles, but I am in the menopause age group, so it may be age/hormone related.
Rosemary, cedarwood, thyme and lavender were found helpful in a blend used for alopecia areata. The experimental and control massage oils could not be made to smell the same. There was a higher drop out rate from the control group than the experimental group who had the essential oil blend. That suggests, and based on my own use, the essential oil blend was symptom relieving in the short term - noticeably helpful more than simply a scalp massage with a little oil. (Hay, et al., 1998)
Retinol, vitamin A, or Retinoid Toxicity may cause hair loss
Retinol, vitamin A helped in two clinical trials, however, telogen effluvium, can occur with Retinoid toxicity too.
I may have been overdoing vitamin A precursors lately with spring dandelion salads and I had recently added two other supplements with beta-carotene within the same ~ two-week time span, an iron supplement in case Chris Masterjohn, PhD, was correct, and I have been tired, and a chlorella supplement after I wrote the pineal gland post. I haven’t had the chapped lips with cracks at the corners though, a symptom I get with excess vitamin A intake.
Excess retinoids cause the skin to stop growing normally and form eczema instead. My scalp does seem eczema like so maybe I was having too much dandelion greens and other beta-carotene sources. I do not have night blindness so I do not think I am too low in retinol as it is needed in rhodopsin for us to be able to see in dim lighting.
Based on the following description of telogen effluvium, I had a much more dramatic loss, sudden, lots, over a few days and it has slowed down but I am still losing some with each hair brushing/combing. That suggests to me that the very alkaline sulfate baths were a direct causal issue, in combination with my being more stressed and less well-nourished than usual. My Cheerful Juice recipe has many of the above listed nutrients, but I ran out of my quick mix and need to make more. »today goal« I have been using some DMG in random spoonful drinks since starting this draft/post last week.
“By definition TE is a nonscarring, diffuse, hair loss from the scalp that occurs around 3 months after a triggering event and is usually self-limiting, lasting for about 6 month. In TE hair loss is usually less than 50% of the scalp hair [5]. This condition was first described by Kligman in 1961, as a disease state of hair follicle, where diffuse shedding of telogen hair are seen [4]. Kligman hypothesized that whatever is the cause of hair loss, the follicle tends to be in the form of premature termination of anagen. Later the follicle precipitates into catagen and transforms into resting stage mimicking telogen [6]. The observation of increased telogen hair shedding does not infer a cause. Establishing aetiology of telogen effluvium requires elicitation of relevant history and appropriate laboratory investigations to exclude endocrine, nutritional and autoimmune disorders [6]. A wide variety of potential triggers have been implicated in the pathogenesis of TE [7].” (Malkud, 2015)
Motivational photo of Persis Khambatta as Lieutenant Ilia, in an early Star Trek movie, (imdb.com), who needs hair anyway?
What else is missing from my diet? Dimethylglycine apparently.
I need to make more of my DMG Cheerful juice mix…I have been slacking and lack of glycine affects the salicylate excess too. It isn’t easy having metabolic gene differences.
“For the first time, we show that N,N-dimethylglycine sodium salt (DMG-Na) promoted the proliferation of cultured human epidermal HaCaT keratinocytes. Even at high doses, DMG-Na did not compromise the cellular viability of these cells. In a scratch wound-closure assay, DMG-Na augmented the rate of wound closure, demonstrating that it promotes keratinocyte migration. Further, DMG-Na treatment of the cells resulted in the upregulation of the synthesis and release of specific growth factors. Intriguingly, DMG-Na also exerted robust anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, as assessed in three different models of human keratinocytes, mimicking microbial and allergic contact dermatitis as well as psoriasis and UVB irradiation-induced solar dermatitis.”
N,N-Dimethylglycine Sodium Salt Exerts Marked Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Various Dermatitis Models and Activates Human Epidermal Keratinocytes by Increasing Proliferation, Migration, and Growth Factor Release, (Lendvai, et al., 2023)
Melatonin topically
Melatonin applied topically helped alopecia but did not help other conditions significantly, that it was trialed for. I had also been slacking on taking that and it is a mitochondrial antioxidant. I had been taking about 10-20 mg three times a day with niacin and tried to continue it but gradually had cut back to once a day and then sometimes forgetting that. Once you are already not well, than maintenance is important to help stay in remission rather than sliding into really not well.
Clearly, I just need to do better about doing my normal self-care routines and stop slacking - I even have missed my niacin occasionally and that leads to low serotonin and feeling like crying for no reason. I also likely need to stop feeling or being overwhelmed and disorganized and/or on the computer so much.
Dust mites and solar radiation (sunshine)
Dust mites might be an extra inflammatory cause, but they aren’t new. They have been in the house all along - nothing new about them. I have been bad about taking my vitamins and Cheerful Juice though and did have the acute onset of a broken toe — which seems much better now. I swept the rooftops and cleaned the gutters two days ago - summer can begin now. Sunshine helps make vitamin D but I will wear a hat more - the excess solar radiation on the newly bare scalp seems to add to a bit of radiation pain to the areas.
Reducing EMF in my home would probably help too - radiation can cause hair loss.
has a new session starting of his EMF course - I recommend it! But I haven’t completed improving the EMF in my home yet.Disclaimer: This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health care guidance.
Reference List
(Hay, et al., 1998) Hay IC, Jamieson M, Ormerod AD. Randomized Trial of Aromatherapy: Successful Treatment for Alopecia Areata. Arch Dermatol. 1998;134(11):1349–1352. doi:10.1001/archderm.134.11.1349https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/189618
(Greco, et al., 2024) Greco G, Di Lorenzo R, Ricci L, Di Serio T, Vardaro E, Laneri S. Clinical Studies Using Topical Melatonin. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 May 9;25(10):5167. doi: 10.3390/ijms25105167. PMID: 38791203; PMCID: PMC11121188. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11121188/
(Hosking, et al., 2019) Hosking AM, Juhasz M, Atanaskova Mesinkovska N. Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Alopecia: A Comprehensive Review. Skin Appendage Disord. 2019 Feb;5(2):72-89. doi: 10.1159/000492035. Epub 2018 Aug 21. PMID: 30815439; PMCID: PMC6388561. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6388561/
(Kesika, et al., 2023) Kesika P, Sivamaruthi BS, Thangaleela S, Bharathi M, Chaiyasut C. Role and Mechanisms of Phytochemicals in Hair Growth and Health. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023 Jan 30;16(2):206. doi: 10.3390/ph16020206. PMID: 37259355; PMCID: PMC9963650. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9963650/
(Lendvai, et al., 2023) Lendvai A, Béke G, Hollósi E, Becker M, Völker JM, Schulze Zur Wiesche E, Bácsi A, Bíró T, Mihály J. N,N-Dimethylglycine Sodium Salt Exerts Marked Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Various Dermatitis Models and Activates Human Epidermal Keratinocytes by Increasing Proliferation, Migration, and Growth Factor Release. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 9;24(14):11264. doi: 10.3390/ijms241411264. PMID: 37511024; PMCID: PMC10379135. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/14/11264
(Malkud, 2015) Malkud S. Telogen Effluvium: A Review. J Clin Diagn Res. 2015 Sep;9(9):WE01-3. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2015/15219.6492. Epub 2015 Sep 1. PMID: 26500992; PMCID: PMC4606321. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4606321/
You might want to read Dr. Robert Yoho article on DMSO, it's possible it might help with hair loss.
Here is a quote from the article..."DMSO reduces baldness, presumably through increasing local blood flow". I have no idea, but remembered this article when I read just now. so maybe check it out.
Thanks for the good articles that you produce. It makes me think about things. Dorothy
It doesn't matter what else you take if you don't get enough quality protein.
I eat 4 jumbo eggs for breakfast every morning and a half pound (before cooking) red meat every day and my hair and nails grow so fast that they require daily trimming.