Zombie Cell Killing Drugs and Hair Loss Reversal

Hair loss is caused by two main factors for the vast majority of men and women:

1) The ravaging effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) upon scalp hair in those who are genetically susceptible.

2) Aging.

Even in men that are genetically cursed with androgenetic alopecia, a majority seem to maintain decent hair into their 30s. i.e., they do not necessarily go fully bald in their late teens and early 20s, when testosterone and DHT production levels peak.

Moreover, many men with no male pattern hair loss can still end up rapidly going bald in their 60s and onwards due entirely to aging. Scalp skin and elasticity worsen with age, and an increasing number of hair cells tend to die as people get older (with some lucky rare exceptions). Therefore, a cure for aging could help a lot in delaying hair loss. Anti-aging research is a twin brother to hair loss research.

On a related note, the first thing you notice in young people with progeria is that they usually have no scalp hair left despite not even reaching puberty yet.

Senolytic Drugs to Slow Down Ageing Two Years Away?

I have covered senolytics and cellular senescence several times on this blog in the past. In brief, senescent cells (also known as “zombie” cells) are normal cells that have stopped dividing, but do not die and get cleared away as is typical. Instead, these zombie cells begin pumping out various damaging chemicals, which in turn harm healthy cells throughout the body. Senolytics in turn are anti-aging drugs that clear away these damaged zombie cells.

A large amount of research has been taking place in this field in recent years. Yesterday, the Mayo Clinic made a major announcement that a miracle senolytic drug could be on the market in as soon as two years. Worth a full read, and thanks to “Chris in CT” who first sent me the link for this story.

In mice, the senolytic drugs currently being tested have extended healthy lifespan by 36 per cent, the equivalent of adding around 30 years to human lifespans. More importantly, the treated mice have significantly more and better quality hair (fur).

The drugs used in this latest work in mice were a combination of dasatinib (used to treat leukemia) and quercetin (a flavonoid found in green tea, red wine and apples).

More research on this subject from Dr. James Kirkland’s team at the Mayo Clinic. According to Dr. Tamara Tchkonia, who works with Dr Kirkland: “As an optimistic person I can say we might have these drugs in maybe two years.”

Six human trials on senescent cell removal are already in progress, and an additional six will start shortly.

Recent interview with Dr. Judith Campisi where she discusses senolytic drugs and the removal of senescent cells from the human body:

30 thoughts on “Zombie Cell Killing Drugs and Hair Loss Reversal”

  1. Wow! Reading all this and the published articles in the last weeks this is big! And also fast moving in several Research Centres and also in Human Trials already! And last but not least using approved drugs.

  2. Love the anti-aging stuff! It gives us hope to stay young just a little longer. The future has great potential. That said, I’m one of the guys who started losing hair at 19. So yeah, my follicles don’t like DHT.

  3. Great post.
    Fasting has also been shown to help clear out senescent cells via the mechanism of autophagy.

    1. Not nearly enough. I’ve used therapeutic fasting and had surprisingly good results for neuropathy, but thinking it’s going to help grow hair on the scalp is probably the ultimate in wishful thinking, unfortunately.

  4. I know a lot about senolytics and a lot of it really is right around the corner (unlike every BS “5-10 years cure” hype the hair loss community has to suffer). Rapamycin in particular has a lot of evidence behind it to the point where some physicians are already taking it/offering it for age related diseases. I’m very curious re: its effect on hair because topical formulations exist for dermatology (birthmark removal IIRC) but it doesn’t really come up on forums. If I could get my hands on it reliably I would try it.

    NB: autophagy, the process of cellular “junk recycling” that a lot of these drugs induce is also known to be induced by… minoxidil!

  5. Hi Admin,

    Please forgive me if I am bringing up old news you ma have covered but apparently people seem to be somewhat excited on Follicle Thought for the Company Celino and their product NGF-37. What are your thoughts?

  6. I dont really see MPB as an aging thing though. If MPB was caused by aging than propecia would do nothing right?
    I think we dont know is the best answer.
    There are an awful lot of women I personally see and know that are 40+ years old with zero hair loss and a lot less men. Leading me to believe MPB is very closely tied to men but not women and less with aging. Men and women have very different hormones.

    1. Hence the term Male-Pattern-Baldness. It was the Romans who first discovered this 2000 years ago when they realized their unics never lost their hair. No 21st century pharma firm or university department can claim any credit for this discovery, no matter how much more funding they need.

      1. So the question is how much is aging a factor if so many women dont go bald from aging? Its definately very debatable. I think MPB is much more influenced by male hormones than it is aging. Again women have magnificent hair at 50+ years old quite often. Hormones fit the bill.
        The point is that women at 50 would all be bald if it was aging. Clearly its not.

    2. There is no hair loss from alopecia androgenetica in the absence of circulating androgens, despite advanced age. This was nicely shown in a classic study from the 50’s by Hamilton et al wherein an unfortunately castrated twin was given testosterone injections in his early 60’s, he lost a full head of hair and became as bald as his twin brother in 6 months. Decades of exposure was not necessary. The time clock was ticking but no hair loss had been expressed until the exogenous testosterone was administered.

      1. Yes, its more male hormones/unknown factors and much less aging.
        The big question though has always been why hair is sensitive to DHT at all? Also as men age the same amount of DHT actually causes faster and worse hair loss. The sensitivity piece changes with age, but its always still hormone driven.
        Of course we use the term DHT or hormones for lack of the real explanation of what causes MPB. At a deeper level its something else that is triggered by DHT.

    3. Propecia does not help aging related hair loss.

      Propecia does not even help a sizable fraction of those with AGA/MPB.

      Did you see my sentence about Progeria and balding? Those kids go bald from rapid aging. No male hormones as yet before puberty.

      1. Have you any literature to support the existence of “age related hair loss”, all literature I have seen on the subject suggest that cellular senescence does not cause miniaturising hair loss and further that any hair loss in old age is simply attributed to androgens.

      2. Couldnt we classify all hair loss as age related though if you want to paint with a broad brush? Everyone is getting older as they go bald right?
        Castrated men dont, and everyone else does. Women dont, but with high male hormones like steroids they do. Its a huge factor

  7. How does a drug tell normal cells from zombie cells? It does not seem an easy thing to distinguish, and removing normal cells seems like a pretty bad idea.

  8. For the people using Avodart, how are you identifying doctors who prescribe it. I am in New York and figured a hair specialist would do it. When I call to inquire, the nurses tell me they never prescribe it.

    1. My GP prescribed it. He was a bit skeptical but I showed him a study that it’s more effective than fin with limited side effects (same or less than fin). Also that it’s approved for hairloss in Japan and South Korea. Do a little Googling and you’ll find the info.

  9. I started reading the clinical docs back in July of 2019 and made my own formula (without the cancer drug) based on reading over 100 clinical docs. I did 3 cycles over a 6 month period and Feb 10, 2019 I noticed new hair growing in.

    This was an unintended consequence as I don’t give a shit about my hair, I am focused on increasing my health span.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *