Steroids and Hair Loss

While steroids can improve your muscle mass, they can have an unintended consequence for your appearance. By themselves, steroids will not cause thinning hair. However, if you already have a genetic disposition to hair loss, the medications can accelerate the process.

Hormonal changes are the primary reason for male pattern baldness. In particular, increased levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) will damage hair follicles. DHT will attach to follicles, causing inflammation. Eventually, these damaged hairs will start to fall out. Many steroids will raise the levels of DHT in your body, leading to significant hair loss. Not everyone is prone to balding, however. Your hair follicles may be genetically programmed to withstand higher levels of DHT. In these cases, steroids will not cause balding.

What are the Worst Steroids for Hairloss (and the “Safest”)

Remember, not all steroids have been created equal, and the composition of different compounds means that some are likely to do more damage to your hair than other.

The majority of these have a direct influence on the bodily production of DHT, and are commonly used for enhancing muscle mass.

However, this list also includes compounds that aren’t classed as anabolic steroids, whilst many can be prescribed by doctors for a number of different reasons.

These include:

Anadrol, Anavar, Dianabol, Masteron, Primobolan, Proviron, Trenbolone, Winstrol

Now, in the case of Dianabol and Trenbolone, we’re dealing with steroids that are not exclusively DHT-based. As a result, they’re less likely to act as a trigger for hair loss in people who aren’t genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness.

However, they are capable of accelerating the process in people who are susceptible to this condition, so if you’ve already begun to notice the hair thinning around your crown and temples then it may be a good idea to avoid these compounds completely.

At this stage, it’s important to reiterate that there are no steroids that have been clinically proven to be safe for hair loss. It’s also hard to determine how different and complex compounds will impact on each individual, particularly when you consider that some are more sensitive to DHT than others.

Whilst a steroid that causes hair loss in one individual may have no effect on another, however, there are a selected few compounds that are generally considered to be less damaging to scalp hair. These include:

Anavar:

This is one of the least androgenic steroids on the market, and one that generally does not convert estrogen to DHT when taken in small doses. In larger doses of 100mg or more, however, it may begin to impact on hair follicles and the androgen growth cycle.

Deca-durabolin:

Generally considered to be a fairly safe steroid for hair, this compounds converts 5-alpha reductase into the relatively harmless DHN rather than DHT. Once again, smaller doses are particularly safe, but it’s still wise to check in with a medical professional before taking this steroid.

Oral Turinabol:

According to some sources from a theoretical perspective, this means that the compound won’t cause any hair loss at all, and it’s widely considered to be the safest product of its type on the market. Still, large enough does can still disrupt your body’s hormonal balance and accelerate genetic hair less or premature baldness.

Medication

Steroids can possibly cause men to start balding if they have a genetic predisposition towards Male Pattern Baldness. The gene for baldness is thought to reside in the X (male) chromosome exclusively, so a good general indication of whether someone is genetically predisposed towards being bald is to look at the men on their mothers side. Chances are that if the majority of them are bald, then the person will be carrying that gene too. The reason steroids can cause premature balding is that the scalp reacts to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) quite strongly, and many steroids can either convert to DHT or are derived from it. Some anti-baldness medications can prevent this, such as Finasteride.

Finasteride

Beyond the original purposes of use, in recent years Finasteride has found a welcomed home among some anabolic steroid users in an effort to combat androgenic side effects. Androgenic side effects can occur with many anabolic steroids, but with many the total androgenic action isn’t strong enough to warrant concern.

Effects of Finasteride:

The effects of Finasteride are specifically designed to inhibit the reduction of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone that occurs due to the testosterone hormone being metabolized by the 5-alpha reductase enzyme. When we inhibit DHT, this can protect against hair loss. DHT has the ability to deteriorate the hair follicles, but when the effects of Finasteride are present this can reverse the problem or rather prevent it. High levels of DHT can also lead to prostate enlargement, a far more concerning issue than hair loss. The effects of Finasteride are so strong on the prostate data has shown that 6 months of Finasteride therapy can significantly to even completely reduce prostate enlargement.

When examining the effects of Finasteride, we must look at them a little differently when considering its use with anabolic steroids. Many anabolic steroids are already DHT based; steroids like Oxymetholone (Anadrol), Methenolone (Primobolan) and Stanozolol (Winstrol) are DHT derived anabolic steroids. There is nothing for the 5-alpha reductase enzyme to metabolize, and as a result, nothing for a related inhibitor like Finasteride to inhibit. Then we have testosterone derived anabolic steroids, and this is where the effects of Finasteride can prove useful to the anabolic steroid user. However, this will only apply to specific testosterone derived anabolic steroids, specifically Testosterone (all forms), Methyltestosterone (Metandren) and Fluoxymesterone (Halotestin).

When high levels of testosterone are present in the body, there is more of the hormone to be metabolized by the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, and as a result, potentially a larger buildup of DHT. This can promote androgenic effects that can be combated by the effects of Finasteride. This can protect against hair loss and prostate enlargement, but with hair loss it’s only a benefit for those predisposed to male pattern baldness. If you are not predisposed, hair loss is impossible. If you are predisposed, you’re going to lose your hair at some point no matter what you do, but the high levels of DHT may speed up the process. The use of Finasteride in this capacity can also help with acne that sometimes occurs due to a strong androgenic atmosphere.

Side Effects of Finasteride:

Finasteride is generally well tolerated by most men, but moderate to severe androgen imbalances are possible due to use. The most common side effects of Finasteride will surround sexual performance. Of those who use the inhibitor, 6% will notice a decrease in their libido while 8% may suffer from impotence. Some men may also find they suffer from ejaculation disorders and very low ejaculate volume; however, such side effects of Finasteride are rare. Some men, although extremely rare have reported to show gynecomastia symptoms, and in extremely rare cases rashes.

Finasteride Administration:

For the purpose of combating hair loss, standard Finasteride doses will be 1mg per day with Finasteride doses reaching 5mg per day in order to combat prostate enlargement. For the purpose of combating the androgenic side effects of specific anabolic steroid use, Finasteride doses will be 1mg per day during steroid use.

11.08.2022