The Relationship Between Male Hair Loss and DHT

Have you ever heard of DHT before? DHT is an acronym for Dihydrotestostrone a substance found in the male body and can contribute to early thinning hair and male pattern baldness. How can this substance that all men supposedly have cause premature hair loss? It turns out it has more to do with how much DHT we have rather then if we have it at all.

DHT is derived from the male hormone testosterone. Our bodies convert testosterone to DHT, and some men tend to have higher levels of DHT then others. If you have a high level of DHT what can happen is DHT will travel to the scalp where it attaches to your hair follicles. When attached to hair follicles DHT stunts the growth of the follicle and causes the hairs to thin. Eventually no more hair can grow and the follicle becomes dormant.

Thankfully you don't have to let it get to that point. Catching a hair follicle before it goes dormant and reversing the effects that Dihydrotestostrone had can allow you to bring it back to life. The first step is stopping the DHT from attaching in the first place.

Blocking DHT

There are two methods of reducing DHT on the scalp. The first is by limiting how much DHT your body actually creates. This is done at the biological level and most often is achieved by an oral treatment. There can be some side effects with oral treatments so if you're concerned check with your doctor prior to trying one. With less DHT in the body this means it's less likely your thinning hair will continue.

The second treatment stops DHT from binding with hair follicles on the scalp. This is usually accomplished with a shampoo or other topical scalp treatment. While some of these products can be a bit messy and have strange odours from my research people have had a better success rate using DHT blocker shampoos then most other hair thinning treatment alternatives.

Getting Your Hair Back

Depending on how early you catch your thinning hair troubles you can stimulate those once shrunk hair follicles to grow new hair once again. The process takes time, but it can be done.

A key point to note here is that these treatment alternatives work for men who have not yet lost all of their hair. If you're completely bald on top a more extreme treatment such as transplants may be required.

To have hair regrowth most often you must use a topical extract or serum. I have not come across an oral hair growth product. Again depending on how advanced your hair loss was will determine how long and if you can experience new growth. Some studies have shown upwards of 2 years to see optimal regrowth results using a shampoo or other topical treatment.

The key is to choose a product you feel confident in and be sure to stick with it. Some men have a problem not attaining optimal results because they don't stick to the required instructions.