Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I've heard/seen a lot of talk about head hair becoming thicker/fuller with HRT. So I did a search and surprisingly found bits and pieces of answers but really couldn't find a thread or even group of threads that really addressed people's experience with this more cohesively.

Call it a poll or whatever, but for those that are experiencing or have experienced their hair becoming thicker or fuller over time on HRT, can you answer the following questions:

1. How long had you been on hormones when you started to notice your hair becoming thicker?
2. Did you notice any increase in hair loss before it started to thicken?
3. What HRT prescriptions were you taking (Spiro, Estradiol Pills, Injections, Finasteride, etc)?
4. Were you using any other methods to thicken your hair (Minoxidil, Hair Transplants, etc)?

I really appreciate anyone that can offer some insight here.  In interest of full disclosure, I'm not quite 3 months in yet but have been noticing an increase in hair loss. I'm wondering if possibly this is a pre-cursor to new and improved hair growth (Minoxidil talks about this effect in their literature). I do plan to talk with my doctor about it but just wanted to hear what others' experiences were.

My head hair is much thicker, since starting HRT.

I do use an Argan oil shampoo, biotin and collagen conditioner, and wash my hair about 5 times a week. I also dose the thinner spots (corners of my hairline) with Lipogaine once per day (for about 2 years now).

Iv'e been on HRT for over 10 months now (Estradiol and Spironolactone). I also took Finesteride for several months preceding and during my HRT start. I discontinued Finesteride several months ago, as I was concerned about the emotional and sexual side effects associated with it.

I've never experienced any shedding or thinning phase, as some report starting hair restoration medication. Discontinuing the Finesteride didn't seem to change my hair consistency either. Iv'e seen some moderate regrowth happen where it had thinned out (mostly on the hairline) during my "male" years.

All in all, my hair looks and feels thicker than I can ever remember it being, and I've had my hair long for most of my life.

I'm curious to see if this is something I might benefit from. Even if E does not promote 'new'  hair,  it does increase the duration of the anagen (growth) phase,  this means statistically, more hairs growing at any one time,  therefore more density,  gotta love maths!

Sent from my MI 5s using Tapatalk

On HRT since 2004. No balding at all upon starting HRT. No real change at first. 1 yr and a half post-op, hair started thinning but no hair loss. Slight improvement upon switching to higher dose of estrogen. Hair is very long and keeps on growing for several years.

Quote from: meganjames2 on June 19, 2017, 02:29:59 PMit does increase the duration of the telogen (growth) phase,  this means statistically, more hairs growing at any one time,  therefore more density,  gotta love maths!

Not telogen but anagen phase.

KayXo,  you spotted my deliberate mistake 😉,  you pass the test hehe. Corrected now... X

Sent from my MI 5s using Tapatalk

 :D

In answer to your questions -

1. How long had you been on hormones when you started to notice your hair becoming thicker? About 6 months

2. Did you notice any increase in hair loss before it started to thicken?  I don't believe so.

3. What HRT prescriptions were you taking (Spiro, Estradiol Pills, Injections, Finasteride, etc)?  I am on EV injections and have taken Finasteride and Avodart.  I was never on Spiro.

4. Were you using any other methods to thicken your hair (Minoxidil, Hair Transplants, etc)?  I had a hairline reduction done as part of my FFS procedures but haven't done our used anything else.

Hi Alyssa,

Quote from: AlyssaJ on June 19, 2017, 12:45:13 PM
1. How long had you been on hormones when you started to notice your hair becoming thicker?
3. What HRT prescriptions were you taking (Spiro, Estradiol Pills, Injections, Finasteride, etc)?

I'm almost 55 and I've been balding for at least the last 10 years.

Two years ago I started taking spiro and dutasteride.  I switched from spiro to low dose oral estradiol pills 1 year ago.

Really noticed thicker hair in the last couple of months.  It's still thin on top but the individual hairs have gotten much thicker and a little more dense.  It use to be very wispy now it has body to it.  I'll still need a hair transplant but I think with the growth I've gotten in the last 2 years, I'll have much more success.

Quote
2. Did you notice any increase in hair loss before it started to thicken?

Maybe, not sure it was pretty thin on top.  I'm somewhere around a norwood 4.

Quote
4. Were you using any other methods to thicken your hair (Minoxidil, Hair Transplants, etc)?

I use liquid minoxidil 5%.  I also used a dermaroller every once in a while.  I also stopped using shampoo as much.


Hope this helps,
Paige :)

I noticed hair changes within the first year. I should qualify though, I had never had much in the way of receding or thinning hair. I've noticed.

Considerably softer hair
Thicker hair in general
Some new hair along hairlines

I noticed no hair loss when starting out. I am on Spiro, Progesterone and Estradiol

At about 3 months on S & E, I noticed a change in hair texture (more body, or at least less lack of body!), a slight increase in growth in the thin patches, and hair loss reduced about 50%.

1. 3 months
2. no
3. S and E
4. no

I didn't pay attention to the when it happened, but I kept my head shaved prior to starting HRT so it kind of all grew in together.  As it lengthened I did note that the bald spot that was there previously had hair growing out of it, and at about the same length as all the rest, now I can't even find where that bald spot was. Now I am a little over 9 months on HRT; Spiro and Estradiol Pills, and no other hair growth products are being used.

Quote
1. How long had you been on hormones when you started to notice your hair becoming thicker?

I think it happened before the 6 month mark, but I'm not really sure (this was pretty long ago). Anyway in my personal case, most of the thickening came from hair dryness: I had pretty oily hair pre-HRT and so much oil helped the hair to look way more thin and with almost no volume.

Quote
2. Did you notice any increase in hair loss before it started to thicken?

I think not, but I can't remember, this was pretty long ago. I think that I experienced a reduction im hair loss (shedding), but again, phew, too long ago and too bady memory lol.

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3. What HRT prescriptions were you taking (Spiro, Estradiol Pills, Injections, Finasteride, etc)?

Flutamide and Estradiol Valerate pills.

Quote
4. Were you using any other methods to thicken your hair (Minoxidil, Hair Transplants, etc)?

Minoxidil 2% (spray), Retinyl Palmitate capsules (recommended by my grandmother, who was a nurse) and a multivitamin complex.

Quote from: AlyssaJ
In interest of full disclosure, I'm not quite 3 months in yet but have been noticing an increase in hair loss.

Keep in mind that hair shedding is usually seasonal and also related to other causes aside of sex hormone levels. When hair loss is linked to T or DHT always comes in form of Male Pattern Baldness: this is not a "fuzzy" hair loss equally distributed troghout all your scalp; it is a located loss specially in the temples (usually ONLY across the entire hairline when it is in a pretty advanced state, say NW3 and beyond) and sometimes in the crown too.

Quote from: AlyssaJI'm wondering if possibly this is a pre-cursor to new and improved hair growth (Minoxidil talks about this effect in their literature).

Yup, it may be a change in hair follicle phase: switching to telogen phase (fall) before starting anagen phase (growth).

Quote from: AlyssaJ on June 19, 2017, 12:45:13 PM
1. How long had you been on hormones when you started to notice your hair becoming thicker?

Bear in mind that I'm an older transitioner, and I've only been on HT for about seven months. I've been growing my hair out for years. At some point, it just stopped getting longer. Every now and then, I'd have the ends trimmed off but not enough to keep it from growing out longer. I don't know the science behind it, but for whatever reason, it just wouldn't get any longer than about mid chest.

At about the four month mark, I suspected that it might be getting a little longer but it in my mind, it was too soon to say for sure. At the six month mark, I could say for sure. :) Based on the amount of length that I'd gained, I'd say something tipped about three months into HT.

Quote from: AlyssaJ on June 19, 2017, 12:45:13 PM
2. Did you notice any increase in hair loss before it started to thicken?

No.

I'm assuming that you mean hair loss after starting HT, I had some MPB prior to HT but that might have been mitigated by the spirolactone that I've taken for seven years or so prior to starting HT.

Quote from: AlyssaJ on June 19, 2017, 12:45:13 PM
3. What HRT prescriptions were you taking (Spiro, Estradiol Pills, Injections, Finasteride, etc)?

I started on E2 pills and an increase in the spironolactone dosage. The doctor added medroxyprogesterone acetate at my three month checkup, but I didn't really add it to the regimen until last month (six months in).

Quote from: AlyssaJ on June 19, 2017, 12:45:13 PM
4. Were you using any other methods to thicken your hair (Minoxidil, Hair Transplants, etc)?

No. But I still consider it from time to time. Pre-HT, I asked my GP about taking finasteride for hair loss and he said, "That's nasty stuff. Wear a hat." When I told him about adding the MPA, he said "that's nasty stuff" again.  :)

You didn't ask specifically about regrowth, but I'm cautiously optimistic. I've had some regrowth at the very back of the MPB line. It's not that many hairs maybe as much as a 100, but they're about a half inch long and brown, not grey, or blonde. I'm hoping for more regrowth.

All the best,
AshleyP

Quote from: AshleyP on June 21, 2017, 12:17:25 AMI started on E2 pills and an increase in the spironolactone dosage. The doctor added medroxyprogesterone acetate at my three month checkup, but I didn't really add it to the regimen until last month (six months in).

Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) can be slightly androgenic so beware, especially if you have or had issues with MPB.

Alyssa,

I'm only 2.5 months in (and 5 on Finasteride) but my experience has been generally positive, albeit slow going and with a fair amount of shedding going on. It isn't uncommon to see an increase in hairloss at first as old, unhealthy, miniaturized hair falls out to make way for better stuff on minoxidil and Finasteride (Spiro can do this to some extent, but specifically targets androgen production rather than conversion of T to DHT, so sometimes fin is supplemented to help with hair) I saw the first signs of actual growth after 2 months on Finasteride, and the pictures I've been taking monthly started to show visible improvement around the beginning of May. I would be utterly could convinced that no growth was happening if I wasn't taking these pictures.

In addition to hrt I've also used minoxidil on and off for 5 years, and I'll be completing week 12/12 of a microneedling experiment. I've also been taking some vitamins: a prenatal multivitamin (has iron which helps because i bruise easily now and no potassium), folic acid, biotin & L-taurine and cysteine, as well as Revita Shampoo & conditioner.

Here is a comparison of mid March (when I first noticed new hair in the mirror but couldn't see it in pics) to mid june where there is some pretty clear progress happening both along the hairline and on the crown. I'll probably still need hair restoration to fill in a couple of the extremely sparse spots, but I think in 3-6 months I'll be good to let it start growing out. I can already pull off a side part much better than I used to and I'd say my hair looks better than it did at this time last year! There is hope!

https://m.imgur.com/a/C3AfL (https://m.imgur.com/a/C3AfL)

It's important to remember that it typically takes 4-6 months just to start seeing any progress with fin and minoxidil with recommendations to keep using them for at least a year to get an idea of how well it is working because of shedding cycles & growth phases. Give it time and be patient lady, and in the mean time we can complain about how we can't wait to ditch the wigs!

Edit: fixed Link

Allysa   I started noticing after the second month. All the meds I was on including spiro were thinning my hair pretty drastically. But once I started E my hair filled in and is growing  like it once did. Until a few years ago my hair was thick. I just learned that you can use caster oil on your lashes to lengthen them and supposedly it will help regrow hair in bald spots. I think I am going to try it out at the part and see if it works. Beats 50 bucks for Rogaine.

Quote from: DawnOday on June 21, 2017, 07:19:22 PM
Allysa   I started noticing after the second month. All the meds I was on including spiro were thinning my hair pretty drastically. But once I started E my hair filled in and is growing  like it once did. Until a few years ago my hair was thick. I just learned that you can use caster oil on your lashes to lengthen them and supposedly it will help regrow hair in bald spots. I think I am going to try it out at the part and see if it works. Beats 50 bucks for Rogaine.

You can get a 6 month supply of Kirkland brand minoxidil from Amazon for like $25 with shipping. That's twice the amount for about half the price you'll find generic minoxidil in drug stores and works just as well as the name brand.

Hard to tell. Maybe, maybe not. The thinning patch on top seems a little denser. The receding line in front may have some little sprouts coming in that weren't there before. On the other hand I know for sure that my hair, which is long - almost shoulder length - is far less oily. I can go 3,4 sometimes 5 days without washing it (I mean I rinse though every day). That's very noticeable to me because before HRT, I had to wash every other day (with same length hair). My skin, like most, is drier and softer. I wish I had snapped some pics of the top of my head.

Quote from: AlyssaJ on June 19, 2017, 12:45:13 PM

1. How long had you been on hormones when you started to notice your hair becoming thicker?
2. Did you notice any increase in hair loss before it started to thicken?
3. What HRT prescriptions were you taking (Spiro, Estradiol Pills, Injections, Finasteride, etc)?
4. Were you using any other methods to thicken your hair (Minoxidil, Hair Transplants, etc)?

Answers 1 I noticed about  2.5 months in to HRT
             
             2 No

             3 Suprefact nasal spray Estradiol pills and progestorone
           
             4 No nothing 

Thanks girls, this is all super helpful and it did also help me feel a little better too.  As you can imagine, seeing hair loss increase was nerve wracking for me.  I'm really hoping my hair thickens up a bit.  I'm not bald in any areas but definitely am thin front and center.  My fingers are crossed and it sounds like if I just sit back and relax for a while things could possibly work out fine.

I've thought about Minoxidil but I've also heard that it can spur additional body hair growth (which I obviously don't want).  So I think I'll wait a little longer first to see if the hormones help spur improvement.  I think I'll start taking pictures too, that sounds like a good idea for tracking progress of my hair.

Quote from: AlyssaJ on June 22, 2017, 10:17:10 AM
Thanks girls, this is all super helpful and it did also help me feel a little better too.  As you can imagine, seeing hair loss increase was nerve wracking for me.  I'm really hoping my hair thickens up a bit.  I'm not bald in any areas but definitely am thin front and center.  My fingers are crossed and it sounds like if I just sit back and relax for a while things could possibly work out fine.

I've thought about Minoxidil but I've also heard that it can spur additional body hair growth (which I obviously don't want).  So I think I'll wait a little longer first to see if the hormones help spur improvement.  I think I'll start taking pictures too, that sounds like a good idea for tracking progress of my hair.

From personal experience minoxidil never gave an increase in anything but the hair on my head. It doesn't absorb enough from the scalp into the blood stream to cause body hair growth. You have to take it oral. The only concern is if you are letting it run down onto your face regularly or if you use at after microneedling when the scalp is raw & exposed. The bigger concern with minoxidil is that once you start, if you stop it tends to cause massive shedding that people say won't grow back. I might try to ween myself over the course of a year + after I get my hair to a comfortable place and see if the slow ween helps. I probably would have thought twice if I was starting it going into transition, but since I've been on it for going on 6 years, I'm sort of already locked in.

Quote from: AlyssaJ on June 22, 2017, 10:17:10 AM
Thanks girls, this is all super helpful and it did also help me feel a little better too.  As you can imagine, seeing hair loss increase was nerve wracking for me.  I'm really hoping my hair thickens up a bit.  I'm not bald in any areas but definitely am thin front and center.  My fingers are crossed and it sounds like if I just sit back and relax for a while things could possibly work out fine.

I've thought about Minoxidil but I've also heard that it can spur additional body hair growth (which I obviously don't want).  So I think I'll wait a little longer first to see if the hormones help spur improvement.  I think I'll start taking pictures too, that sounds like a good idea for tracking progress of my hair.

If you feel to sparse in front there are bang extensions that you can try, Also your hair looks long enough to weave extensions into your  crown to look like you have an amazing head of hair. That's how Beyonce does it.

Dawn, sadly the hair you see in my pic is a wig.  If my hair was that thick and that long, I'd have no worries at all :)  Unfortunately my actual hair has not grown that long yet and is pretty thin in front to about midway back on my head.

Rambler, I've read a number of clinical documents that discuss the side effect of additional body hair growth through the use of Minoxidil.  This is part of why Rogaine for women is only half the strength of men's Rogaine. Unfortunately for me, when I did try Minoxidil (almost a year ago now) I did notice significant increases in the speed and thickness of body hair growth.  So I'm very reluctant to give it another go.

I have an appointment with my doctor in a week and a half, I plan to ask her about it.