The Relationship Between Deficiency of Some Trace Elements, Oxidative Stress, Immunoglobulin E, and Vitamin A in Sheep Affected With Skin Diseases

A 36-year-old man with androgenetic alopecia suspects copper and zinc deficiencies may be accelerating hair loss and is supplementing copper to address this. He is also monitoring blood sugar levels due to previous prediabetes concerns and plans to test for insulin resistance.

Zinc supplements may slightly increase DHT by affecting testosterone conversion, but are generally beneficial for health. A 15mg Zinc to 1mg Copper ratio is recommended.

Taking zinc and copper may offset copper depletion and potentially aid hair health when used with finasteride. The user is considering whether to use these supplements alongside finasteride or wait until switching to dutasteride.

Zinc supplementation caused significant hair shedding for the user, who had been successfully managing hair loss with finasteride, minoxidil, RU58841, and microneedling. The user discontinued zinc after noticing no libido increase and believes the hair loss was due to zinc's interaction with other minerals or hormonal changes.

The conversation discusses using zinc sulphate and azelaic acid to inhibit 5 alpha-reductase activity, which could potentially treat androgen-related skin conditions like hair loss. Combining these with vitamin B6 could enhance the effect, potentially offering an alternative to finasteride.

The conversation is about a user planning to start minoxidil treatment and considering increasing zinc intake to improve testosterone and libido. They are concerned about potential hair loss due to increased testosterone and are advised to consider magnesium supplementation and the effects of DHT if not on finasteride or dutasteride.