Acquired Zinc Deficiency in Long-Term Parenteral Nutrition: A Case Study

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 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 hair loss and bloodwork results, focusing on zinc, vitamin D, and ferritin levels. The user is experiencing telogen effluvium after surgery and seeks advice on supplementation.

Low ferritin levels may contribute to hair loss, and raising ferritin above 40 or 70 ng/mL might help with hair regrowth. Some users also consider zinc deficiency and absorption issues as potential factors.

Zinc is not effective for hair loss unless there's a deficiency. Finasteride and minoxidil are recommended treatments.

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.