Is Facial Hair A Sign Of Poor Health?

[Constatine]

Under the influence of testosterone, males will take more chances and generally expend more energy towards development of the environment and acquisition of resources. Many times this involves fighting and recovery from injury. This frame can be applied to cellular physiology - cells under the influence of androgens will work towards the higher goal of supporting these endeavors. They will "grow" at the expense of the most efficient energetic framework, but they will be very adapted towards high performance. Without some kind of balance, this could be ultimately a fatal adaptation. Estrogen is the balance, and works to "throttle" the cell. Primitively that is the mechanism of estrogen, to prevent the excessive chemical reduction that occurs when a cell is excited. It is a protective measure and we could not survive as organisms without it. So a male with a lot of testosterone will require the action of estrogen to balance it. The environment created by a lot of androgens, with the balance of estrogen, will encourage the growth of body hair - and hair is a protective adaptation. It protects against cold, mechanical injury, etc. And so I think that hair represents a certain robustness in a male - he ultimately will be harder to kill, and that is a very attractive trait.

This is why energy consumption and general mitochondrial health is so important for androgenic activity. Under the right circumstance a very small amount of estrogen is needed to balance a very large amount of androgens. This will also make the androgens more efficient as the destructive effects of estrogen will not counterbalance androgenic activity. But it is a very rare thing in the modern world for someone to be in a healthy enough state to have high androgens and low estrogen while still being well. As for beard growth overall it is definitely a good thing but I have seen people of vastly different lifestyles and body structure possess beards. The only common factor in my experience is that bearded people tend to be more calm and collected than non bearded people. Obviously beard growth is due to androgens but primarily 5-ar derived androgens, thus I am bewildered that some people living very anti-androgenic lifestyles still have beards. I think that overall calorie consumption plays a huge factor in this as people living "bad" lifestyles who still have beards tend to heavy but not fat.

 

[Wagner83]

I see a lot of fatsos with very nice looking beards. I'm not sure how being hairy makes it harder to be killed, except for the potential disgust part.

 

[Dessert_All_Day]

It's complicated. Seems similar to cholesterol in that more can be--but isn't necessarily--better, depending on a multitude of other variables.

I think the best way to analyze these sorts of questions is in the context of aging, as aging is the closest thing we have to an antithesis of optimal health. And we know as people get older, they tend to lose hair. So all else equal, more facial hair is probably healthier than the alternative. This assumes the person is genetically predisposed to having lots of facial hair, of course.

 

[Gadsie]

This is why energy consumption and general mitochondrial health is so important for androgenic activity. Under the right circumstance a very small amount of estrogen is needed to balance a very large amount of androgens. This will also make the androgens more efficient as the destructive effects of estrogen will not counterbalance androgenic activity. But it is a very rare thing in the modern world for someone to be in a healthy enough state to have high androgens and low estrogen while still being well. As for beard growth overall it is definitely a good thing but I have seen people of vastly different lifestyles and body structure possess beards. The only common factor in my experience is that bearded people tend to be more calm and collected than non bearded people. Obviously beard growth is due to androgens but primarily 5-ar derived androgens, thus I am bewildered that some people living very anti-androgenic lifestyles still have beards. I think that overall calorie consumption plays a huge factor in this as people living "bad" lifestyles who still have beards tend to heavy but not fat.

I also notices

It's complicated. Seems similar to cholesterol in that more can be--but isn't necessarily--better, depending on a multitude of other variables.

I think the best way to analyze these sorts of questions is in the context of aging, as aging is the closest thing we have to an antithesis of optimal health. And we know as people get older, they tend to lose hair. So all else equal, more facial hair is probably healthier than the alternative. This assumes the person is genetically predisposed to having lots of facial hair, of course.

They lose scalp hair yes, facial and body hair usually increases with aging

 

[nikolabeacon]

Excessive hair on upper body( chest, shoulders, back, arms) definitly increases with bad hormonal profile. But From my own observation beard is thining with aging and loses its volume( just look old enough people). And also on legs hair in males is thining in high estrogen state and with aging. I see beard as an aesthetic thing only. It can look splendind if it fits with shape of the head and hairstyle and body constitution. In ancient greek sculptures of ideal male body they were always represented with thick beards and muscular body. So beard is not in the same category as upper body hairiness and is definitely more pronounced and thicker in high testosterone state. But probably it has to do also with "nationality" and race.I shave because i dont like how it goes with my face and 6 ' 1,6 " body. In Peat point of view of regenerative metabolism of a 10 year old and its hormonal profile there is no hairiness but we must go throygh puberty and develop into an mature male( with beards).

 

[rw39]

Excessive hair on upper body( chest, shoulders, back, arms) definitly increases with bad hormonal profile. But From my own observation beard is thining with aging and loses its volume( just look old enough people). And also on legs hair in males is thining in high estrogen state and with aging. I see beard as an aesthetic thing only. It can look splendind if it fits with shape of the head and hairstyle and body constitution. In ancient greek sculptures of ideal male body they were always represented with thick beards and muscular body. So beard is not in the same category as upper body hairiness and is definitely more pronounced and thicker in high testosterone state. But probably it has to do also with "nationality" and race.I shave because i dont like how it goes with my face and 6 ' 1,6 " body. In Peat point of view of regenerative metabolism of a 10 year old and its hormonal profile there is no hairiness but we must go throygh puberty and develop into an mature male( with beards).

Bad hormonal profile as in what: High E? I've noticed increase hair on chest and stomach

 

[nikolabeacon]

Bad hormonal profile as in what: High E? I've noticed increase hair on chest and stomach

Elevated Estrogen is main factor in back , arms, shoulders hairiness i think...Peat mentioned it can delay beard growth on the other hand

 

[PUTFOT]

I'd like to grow a thick beard.

 

[TheHound]

I believe I remember reading @haidut say DHT promotes hair growth in the extremities. So forearms, calfs, beard. My beard has gotten thicker since peating but I am only 21 so it could be just coincidence

 

[miki14]

DHT is protective against excess estrogen. Chronic stress raises estrogen levels. I think of hair as a protective organ, therefore a link to DHT seems logical. DHT also promotes male fascial features, like bone growth, brow ridge etc. Exposer to moderate levels of stress promotes slight masculine features which is attractive as it shows adaptation to stress. High stress promotes excessive masculine feature which is unattractive as high stress in young age predictes bad health & shorter life span.

 

[sladerunner69]

This is why energy consumption and general mitochondrial health is so important for androgenic activity. Under the right circumstance a very small amount of estrogen is needed to balance a very large amount of androgens. This will also make the androgens more efficient as the destructive effects of estrogen will not counterbalance androgenic activity. But it is a very rare thing in the modern world for someone to be in a healthy enough state to have high androgens and low estrogen while still being well. As for beard growth overall it is definitely a good thing but I have seen people of vastly different lifestyles and body structure possess beards. The only common factor in my experience is that bearded people tend to be more calm and collected than non bearded people. Obviously beard growth is due to androgens but primarily 5-ar derived androgens, thus I am bewildered that some people living very anti-androgenic lifestyles still have beards. I think that overall calorie consumption plays a huge factor in this as people living "bad" lifestyles who still have beards tend to heavy but not fat.

I actually think beard growth is primarily determied by genetics, as even after crahsing on finasteride and recieving blood work tha tindicated I had next to no DHT and testosterone levels below 100, I was still able to grow a full beard in a couple weeks. I have always been in the upper percentile of hairiness too, I was the first boy to grow a beard in my middle school despite being a year younger then the standard age. And before taking finasteride I was shaving every day in the morning and seeing a 5 oclock shadow form by the early afternoon...

Nowadays my beard and body hair grow way too fast, especially during a period when I am taking 5-ar reduced steroids. My arms are incredibly hairy, and I am now growing hair on my back, shoulders, upper arms, just everywhere. I can grow a beard in a few days, it is a little annoying actually. So the 5-ar steroids enhance ebard growth but what determines the baseline level is genetic coding.

 

[haidut]

I believe I remember reading @haidut say DHT promotes hair growth in the extremities. So forearms, calfs, beard. My beard has gotten thicker since peating but I am only 21 so it could be just coincidence

Actually, DHT is known to promote hair growth everywhere, including scalp. There are quite a few studies on Pubmed challenging the current dogma of DHT being bad for hair and they back up their assertion with tests showing DHT promoted hair growth in follicles obtained from tissues all over the body, including scalp. That combined with the fact that AR antagonists like flutamide do NOT help conditions like MPB to me is a pretty solid indication that whatever DHT is doing in the scalp is probably not detrimental. There is something else causing the hair loss and DHT is probably there to mitigate the damage.

 

[TheHound]

Actually, DHT is known to promote hair growth everywhere, including scalp. There are quite a few studies on Pubmed challenging the current dogma of DHT being bad for hair and they back up their assertion with tests showing DHT promoted hair growth in follicles obtained from tissues all over the body, including scalp. That combined with the fact that AR antagonists like flutamide do NOT help conditions like MPB to me is a pretty solid indication that whatever DHT is doing in the scalp is probably not detrimental. There is something else causing the hair loss and DHT is probably there to mitigate the damage.

do you have any guesses as to what's actually causing the damage?

 

[haidut]

do you have any guesses as to what's actually causing the damage?

As I mentioned in another post, excessive reductive stress which manifests most strongly on the scalp and gonads. People with MPB often have lower serum levels of androgens. In the state of such reductive stress, steroids like DHEA and pyruvate are used as emergency oxidants and generate harmful byproducts, which accelerate hair loss. But a lot of the initial hair loss is due to suboptimal metabolism. I think topical ATP can be even better than T3 and other similar substances for regrowing hair.

 

[BibleBeliever]

Men are supposed to have beards and be hairy, it is a sign of strength, health and testosterone.
I would be concerned about a lack of hair, as in the case of a male that implies femininity and weakness.
A boy is unable to grow body hair, he is not developed, doesn't have the testosterone, when he hits puberty he grows body hair, facial hair, etc. If this doesn't happen, then it should be considered abnormal.
A shaving society is an effeminate society; one can find the historical correlation between the rise of shaving and weakness/effeminacy.

The only strange combination seen is hipsters, who somehow manage to have a beard, but their faces look very feminine somehow.

 

[TheHound]

As I mentioned in another post, excessive reductive stress which manifests most strongly on the scalp and gonads. People with MPB often have lower serum levels of androgens. In the state of such reductive stress, steroids like DHEA and pyruvate are used as emergency oxidants and generate harmful byproducts, which accelerate hair loss. But a lot of the initial hair loss is due to suboptimal metabolism. I think topical ATP can be even better than T3 and other similar substances for regrowing hair.

you say DHEA is used as an emergency oxidant and generates harmful byproducts in these circumstances, so would using topical DHEA result in these same harmful byproducts being produced?

 

[haidut]

you say DHEA is used as an emergency oxidant and generates harmful byproducts in these circumstances, so would using topical DHEA result in these same harmful byproducts being produced?

Peat has always cautioned about DHEA potentially turning into estrogen or having other potential side effects in a stressed/hypothyroid person. It would depend on the dose and lower doses DHEA have less chance of doing damage. The pregnenolone in Pansterone could mitigate some of that damage but metabolism and oxidation state NAD/NADH should also be supported when using DHEA.

 

[hef911]

Actually, DHT is known to promote hair growth everywhere, including scalp. There are quite a few studies on Pubmed challenging the current dogma of DHT being bad for hair and they back up their assertion with tests showing DHT promoted hair growth in follicles obtained from tissues all over the body, including scalp. That combined with the fact that AR antagonists like flutamide do NOT help conditions like MPB to me is a pretty solid indication that whatever DHT is doing in the scalp is probably not detrimental. There is something else causing the hair loss and DHT is probably there to mitigate the damage.

Do you think application of Androsterone or 11-keto DHT on the beard area, will increase the hair growth in that area?

 

[Name1]

Actually, DHT is known to promote hair growth everywhere, including scalp. There are quite a few studies on Pubmed challenging the current dogma of DHT being bad for hair and they back up their assertion with tests showing DHT promoted hair growth in follicles obtained from tissues all over the body, including scalp. That combined with the fact that AR antagonists like flutamide do NOT help conditions like MPB to me is a pretty solid indication that whatever DHT is doing in the scalp is probably not detrimental. There is something else causing the hair loss and DHT is probably there to mitigate the damage.

If it's not too much trouble, would you be able to post links to these studies? Thanks

 

[Ukall]

A boy is unable to grow body hair, he is not developed, doesn't have the testosterone, when he hits puberty he grows body hair, facial hair, etc. If this doesn't happen, then it should be considered abnormal.
A shaving society is an effeminate society; one can find the historical correlation between the rise of shaving and weakness/effeminacy.

And today, more and more, hair is known as a disgusting thing. I would say, unfortunately, I have always had too much hair and when it comes to beauty, girls seems to prefer a shaved man than with tons of hair. And, of course, I always hated how much hair I have. I remember even in my elementary school being very worried and not liking my appearance, because I had already hair in my arms, back and pubic area while other boys didn't have any. And even there, at that age, my colleagues would say that I was disgusting (this, of course, didn't help to my mental health).

A shaving society is an effeminate society; one can find the historical correlation between the rise of shaving and weakness/effeminacy.

On the other hand, now that you are saying this, when I went to Middle School, when we had sports class, in the changing room, most guys older than me would be very impressed and jealous, because I was looking much more masculine than them (my muscles, bones, hair, etc).
Still, those guys would always be the number one choice to girls because of their clean, young and feminist appearance. Bieber like, basically. And, now, those guys still look clean and have developed hair like beard, on armpits, on pubic area and few hair on chest. While me, I just have hair everywhere.

Sometimes I think if non-hairy guys are more evolved since our existence comes from primates as we seem to get less hairy during evolution.