Hi folks! First day on here. I wanted to discuss with any of you in regards to any potential hair loss and/or hair regrowth from using any of the two drugs, primarily rapamycin. Thank you!
Kind regards, Eduardo
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I have not heard of hair regrowth from metformin but there is research to suggest that topical rapamycin cream/serum regularly rubbed into the scalp may help with hair regrowth and color (see link below).
Also, a few people have posted in the thread below about trying it, and their results.
See this link:
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Other papers on rapamycin and mTOR and hair growth:
Stimulation of Hair Growth by Small Molecules that Activate Autophagy (full paper below)
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdf/S2211-1247(19)30699-0.pdf
and another:
deng2015.pdf (701.9 KB)
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JuanDaw
#4
Study mentioned alpha-ketoglutarate before metformin.
Hair grew from the pigmented skin area of a-KG-treated mice within 5–7 days, and by day 39 post-treatment, a-KG-treated mice exhibited robust hair growth; in contrast, control mice showed little or no hair growth overall.
Can’t find the formula for the topical AKG in the paper. Will need to poke around for other studies. Metformin looks promising though, based on your other post, with pics of two women, pre and post topical metformin. Proportions were also provided (ten percent metformin).
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Full article on AKG and hair growth.
Hair regeneration by small molecules that activate autophagy
Looks like fisetin also induces hair growth.
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I guess we can also try tretinoin gel (wouldn’t want the cream in my hair):
Bazzano GS, Terezakis N, Galen W. Topical tretinoin for hair growth promotion. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1986 Oct;15(4 Pt 2):880-3, 890-3. doi: 10.1016/s0190-9622(86)80024-x. PMID: 3771854.
Bergfeld WF. Retinoids and hair growth. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1998 Aug;39(2 Pt 3):S86-9. doi: 10.1016/s0190-9622(98)70452-9. PMID: 9703131.
Vestita M, Giudice G, Bonamonte D, Apruzzi D, Filoni A. Beard hair density increase. A possible role of topical tretinoin application? Dermatol Ther. 2017 May;30(3). doi: 10.1111/dth.12450. Epub 2016 Nov 25. PMID: 27886445.
I notice that in the Indian online Pharmacies they have tretinoin gel, which may work for scalp applications (without the residue and color of the white tretinoin / Retin A cream that is the typical formulation). 83 rupees to the US$ approximately.
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Beth
#9
I just saw Dr Doris Day on instagram mention using metformin for certain types of hair loss. I just stopped using oral metformin last month and now wondering if I should go back to help prevent the natural thinning that comes with age.
???
You can see it here
I then went to perplexity and read many answers regarding topical metformin. I also asked it if oral metformin would work, and it said:
“ Oral metformin has shown potential benefits for hair regrowth, particularly in cases of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), a scarring alopecia.
Studies indicate that low-dose oral metformin (500 mg daily) can reduce fibrosis, inflammation, and improve scalp symptoms like pain and pruritus. In a case series, six out of 12 patients experienced clinical hair regrowth after at least six months of treatment, with associated upregulation of hair growth pathways and downregulation of fibrotic markers.
However, its effectiveness for other types of hair loss remains unclear and requires further research.”
PS @RapAdmin Years ago, I think it was David Sinclair who I saw say tretinoin works for hair loss.
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Bob_R
#10
I’m surprised to recently see that I’m having a fair amount of hair regrowth now that I’ve been taking Rapamycin for 3 months. (1st month at 2mg/week, 2nd at 4mg/week, third at 6 mg/week. I’m 66 and have been mostly bald on top of my head for ~ 20 years. Right now it’s not obvious to others, but I’m noticing a lot of new growth when I look close in the mirror. I will try to photograph up close to catch the current state. Unfortunately, I didn’t expect this as a side effect, so didn’t take any close-ups before starting Rapamycin. I’m thinking Rapamycin may only take me part way to regrowth, so I’m considering augmenting the progress with minoxidil, though that would confound things “experimentally”. Any one else seeing hair regrowth?
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I wouldn’t exactly call minoxidil a health product. It’s overall kinda dodgy. Also the moment you stop using minoxidil you’re likely to shed all of the hair gained.
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What about oral Minoxidil… good for blood pressure reduction and hair growth.
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Heart risks concern me. There are some cool things about it like maybe helping elastinogenesis but I can’t justify taking it myself. I felt a little off even using it topically and it took a while to get back to normal.
Have you tried telmisartan for blood pressure?
I would say if you’ve been using oral minoxidil for a long time with no issues keep going I just worry about starting it. It is a good growth stimulant but if you get negative side effects and need to quit all of the progress falls out, and that can be quite stressful.
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