Son 16, loosing hair

[aniciete]

How do you get low iron as a male?

Avoiding meat and taking iron chelators?

 

[Jkbp]

No idea how he would get low iron… but my son was diagnosed with low iron at 9 years old. He had dark circles under eyes and a small stature for his age. He ate very little meat at that age. He grew 6 inches in the 6 months we supplemented iron. From then on, I fed him meats 3-4 nights a week and he has not had low iron since.

 

[Adf]

Please help and advise the best way I can help my son. He has thinning hair. It started at the sides and is now also thin on the crown towards the back of his head. You can see through the sparse hair to his scalp where it has thinned. I first noticed it about a year ago. It could possibly have started after he got c vid or around that time. A year later and it has not improved, with no new growth.

He is physically active (cycles and walks, dance and sailing etc) but is not doing any crazy gym work or anything intense.
He is well built, 6ft. Slim.
I have noticed a slight loss in muscle strength in him.
I have noticed he feels cold often
I have noticed he gets massive hunger pangs and needs lots of food (beyond the normal teenage boy eating levels)
I have noticed that he gets stressed and wired and emotionally unstable, especially after a long day and this resolves after eating.
He is involved in a lot of extra curricula activities and lives a full life which can sometimes raise stress levels but otherwise has a relaxed home and social life.
His teeth are not strong (crumbling and enamel not quite right since birth but no fillings)
I had some liver supplements and he really liked taking those, said he felt better and had more energy.
Was a low birthweight baby (badly formed placenta) so possibly didn't get everything he needed to develop.
Not jabbed. Not other health problems.

I have not done any testing or bloods on him. I am trying to keep this all very low profile or he will get paranoid and stressed.

What does this picture say to you? What can I do to help him, either through diet or supplements.
All thoughts and advice greatly appreciated. Thank you

I think the number 1 thing is stress. Here is a video giving an alternative theory to hair loss. The theory is that DHT does not cause hair loss like other people here have suggested. DHT is the result of the thing that does cause hair loss. That thing is tightness in the scalp, caused by tight facial muscles, caused by stress. The hair follicles get suffocated and die as the scalp gets tighter. Any substance or supplement taken that leads to an increase in DHT might further choke the hair follicles in a stressed state.

This video talks about hair regrowth by daily massages of the facial and cranial muscles. It also talks about a study on hair regrowth from Botox injections. This study.

"Botulinum toxin was found to be safe and effective therapy for the management of androgenetic alopecia in this pilot study. Studies with larger sample size and randomized controlled trials are required to establish the role of botulinum toxin in the management of androgenetic alopecia."

That is essentially a band-aid for the real issue. Stress. Stress caused tightened facial muscles, most likely through constant unconscious frowning. Stressed people will frown unconsciously, so much so that they have a slight frown permanently.

Here's a quick example. Pay attention to your own face, how you hold your face naturally, then willfully relax your face. Do you notice that you had a slight frown? Did your eyebrows or ears change position ever so slightly?

The teenage years is arguably the single most stressful time of ones life, generally speaking. From the pressure on the child by school, to pressure by peers, to stress from puberty and a growing body. The teenage years is usually the first time when one begins to experience a massive increase in stress, something they don't yet have the life experience to know how to cope with. On top of that, the world has been forced into hyper stress from the non stop fearporn starting with Covid, then Russia/Ukraine war, and now media casts fear about a soon to be World War 3.

This forum is all about reducing stress, so any tips regarding stress reduction I think may be your best bet. My tips for your son would be:
- A daily ritual of Wim Hof therapy, or some other breathwork, including cold showers.
- Daily meditation
- Taurine and potassium bicarb (K-water), or other form of potassium to combine with Taurine.
(A common hair regrowth drug, Minoxidil, works by enlarging the potassium channels in the scalp. You could try Minoxidil, but in my opinion it's better and healthier to supplement Taurine and Potassium.)
- Face massages
- Avoid harsh music like heavy metal, listen to only calming and soft music. Eg. Swap out death metal for melodic rock.
- Cut ties with people or 'friends' who are toxic and regularly cause stress
- Ensure adequate sunlight every day.
- Avoid the news.