Is DHT the Cause of Your Hair Loss?

For people suffering from hair loss have it occur from androgenic alopecia or better known as male or female pattern baldness. This occurs when testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone or DHT by an enzyme known as 5-alpha reductase that resides in our cells. DHT is important for many reasons but one of them is to control hair growth. It does this by binding to the hair follicle receptors.

Individuals with androgenic alopecia often have DHT bound to their scalp’s hair follicles. It is this binding action that causes hair loss by shrinking the follicles and suffocating the healthy hair to the point that it is not able to survive. It shortens the hair growth cycle and prevents new hair from growing.

A majority of DHT is found in our blood, it is also in our seat and sebum. This is why it is important to wash your hair regularly especially if you have been sweating. Doing so will minimize the time DHT sits on your scalp where it can clog your pores and create havoc on your hair follicles as it does when it is in your blood and binds to the receptors through cell transportation.

There are very few treatments that are targeted for hair loss caused by DHT. Nizoral shampoo, minoxidil (Rogaine), and finasteride (Propecia) are treatments available that have been effective for individuals that have hair loss caused by DHT. Laser hair therapy has come on to the scene as an effective method to help hair growth.

If you believe the hair loss you are experiencing may be from DHT, you will want to have a scalp analysis to see for sure as soon as possible. Any treatment option works best when it is discovered early on.