Progesterone and Hair Loss

Hasson & Wong: Progesterone and Hair Loss

This editorial is created in collaboration with Hasson & Wong (Vancouver, Canada), a top 3 hair clinic in the world according to HairSite's patient result statistics. Hasson & Wong is one of the most celebrated names in hair restoration. You will be amazed what they can do even for people with extensive baldness.

Progesterone Hormone

Background: Progesterone is a C-21 steroid hormone. It is one of the most important hormones manufactured by the female body. It is responsible for the health of virtually every cell and organ of the body.

Progesterone plays a major role in regulating the menstrual cycle in women. Since progesterone is a top level master hormone, it is used as a precursor for the production of other important hormones, such as estrogen and cortisone. Specifically, progesterone is the precursor of the mineralocorticoid aldosterone, and after conversion to 17-hydroxyprogesterone (another natural progestogen) of cortisol and androstenedione. Androstenedione can be converted to testosterone, estrone and estradiol.

According to some studies, Progesterone can be used as an anti-estrogen agent to correct abnormalities of the menstrual cycle. Progesterone is also used in conjunction with estrogen as a contraceptive. Progesterone is synonymous to corpus luteum hormone.

Progesterone Hair Loss Treatment

Progesterone as a hair loss treatment for men and women with hair loss or thinning hair?

Topical progesterone has also been used in the treatment of hair loss. However, there has not been a lot of studies and research on the subject. It is unclear exactly what role does progesterone play in treating hair loss. That being said, some believe that progesterone can be effective in treating hair loss and have formulated topical products in the market that incorporate progesterone as one of the main ingredients.

According to Dr. Klein, ""Progesterone is the chief inhibitor of an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. Progesterone inhibits the body from converting testosterone to di-hydrotestosterone (DHT) by binding to 5 alpha reductase; 5-AR is the enzyme that converts human serum to testosterone, then into DHT, which is the compound thought to be responsible for damaging hair follicles and an important factor in hair loss."

Progesterone hair loss studies:

1) Dr. Norman Orentreich, in his article: "Biology of Scalp Hair Growth", Clinics in Plastic Surgery -- Vol. 9, No. 2, 1982:

"Local Therapy {...} Progesterone was found to be a natural and significant 5aR inhibitor when tested in vitro, in the human skin microsome system, a rich source of 5aR, and in human scalp hair follicles. When a solution of progesterone in alcohol was applied to the pubic skin of normal males, it caused an average decrease of 75.2 per cent in 5aR activity after 24 hours of treatment.

"Moreover, while less DHT is made, more dihydroprogesterone (DHP; 5a-pregnane-3,20dione) is made. DHP competes with the residual DHT for the cytosol-nuclear binding protein for a further reduction in the amount of DHT interacting with genetic material.

"Progesterone works in reducing DHT production locally by competing for the active site of 5aR and would need to be present at the active site continuously because of the reversible kinetics. Treatment lapses result in the resumption of DHT production from testosterone.

"Since progesterone only partially inhibits DHT production and since DHP only partially inhibits binding of residual DHT, local progesterone at best can only ameliorate androgenetic alopecia and not arrest it.

"Because more than 70 per cent of topically applied progesterone is metabolized in the skin to weak, nonandrogenic by-products, it can be used in women at the rate of 1 ml of a 2 per cent solution BID, whereas higher doses result in menstrual irregularities."

Progesterone and Hair Loss Forum Discussion

Discussions on progesterone and hair loss can be found in the following archive.

1) 7/23/06 discussion on progesterone. (archive URL https://www.hairsite4.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=35415&mode=full )

Progesterone Hair Loss Treatment: What to Expect

Topical Progesterone alone is rarely enough as a hair loss treatment. Very often, doctors will prescribe progesterone together with Minoxidil, azelaic acid and other ingredients known to be beneficial for hair growth  for enhanced potency and effectiveness.

Progesterone may help slow down the progression of hair loss for some people. However, it is unlikely that you will experience any significant regrowth using topical progesterone hair products.

Questions about Progesterone Hair Loss Treatment?

If you have questions about using topical progesterone as a hair loss treatment or if you want to learn about other cutting edge advanced hair restoration options, contact Hasson & Wong for a free consultation. No cost, no fee, just good honest information. Email info@hassonandwong.com or visit www.hassonandwong.com.

Hasson & Wong is a top ranked sponsoring clinic of HairSite. They have performed over 20,000 hair restoration procedures with over 13 years of uninterrupted patient records on HairSite.

See below for some of the amazing transformations created by Hasson & Wong.

Hasson & Wong - Before & After Transformation
Real Patients. Real Stories