DHT Hormone
DHT Hormone: What It Is and How It Is Related to Baldness
As soon as you start researching possible hair loss causes, you may stumble across the lengthy word “dihydrotestosterone”. Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is a common factor in both female pattern hair loss and male pattern baldness. But what exactly is DHT? Let us take a closer look.
What is DHT?
Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is an androgen, or a sex hormone responsible for typical “male” sex characteristics like low voice and body hair. It is created when special enzymes process testosterone in men’s prostate and testes and women’s ovaries.
DHT is a powerful hormone responsible for hair growth all around the body – except on the head. There, the hormone may attach to hair follicles for a considerable amount of time, affecting the way that they function.
What Does DHT Do?
A derivative of testosterone, DHT is present in both men and women – though its effects are more pronounced in men. Being an androgen, it contributes to common male sex characteristics when a boy goes through puberty, such as:
- A deep voice
- Growth of the penis, scrotum, and testicles
- Increased muscle mass and body hair
- Changes in the fat distribution around the body
As a man gets older, DHT offers other benefits to the body, such as promoting fertility and sexual health and maintining the overall body mass.
How is DHT Related to Hair Loss?
Once testosterone is converted into DHT, the androgen travels around the body and links to receptors on hair follicles within the scalp. Over time, this can cause the follicles to shrink and lose their capability to produce healthy hair, therefore leading to gradual hair loss.
Who is at Risk?
If you are a Caucasian man, we have bad news for you: there is a 100% chance you will lose some of your hair as you age. Among the Caucasian male population, hair loss can vary from mildly receding hairline to being left with virtually no hair at all.
Among black men, approximately 50% of the population is affected with androgenetic alopecia to a lesser degree. Furthermore, American Indian and Asian men are least susceptible to DHT-related hair loss.
For women, androgenetic alopecia is not that uncommon either. Approximately one-third of the female population will suffer from hair loss at some point in their lives; this statistics increases to two-thirds among post-menopausal women.
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Male vs Female Pattern Hair Loss: What’s the Difference?
Both male and female pattern hair loss are subtypes of androgenetic alopecia. This means that both of these conditions are caused by DHT sensitivity within the hair follicles. However, the clinical presentation of the condition will noticeably vary between the male and the female patients.
Male vs Female Pattern Hair Loss: What’s the Difference?
Both male and female pattern hair loss are subtypes of androgenetic alopecia. This means that both of these conditions are caused by DHT sensitivity within the hair follicles. However, the clinical presentation of the condition will noticeably vary between the male and the female patients.
Male Pattern Hair Loss
Male pattern hair loss is incredibly common and easily recognized. With this condition, the thinning hair follows one of the two predictable patterns:
- “Horseshoe” of hair. Many men notice hair to start falling from the top of the scalp, along with the temples. If left untreated, this hair loss pattern will lead to a horseshoe-shaped band of hair across the sides and the back of the head.
- Receding hairline. With a receding hairline, men notice that their hair starts to thin from the front of the scalp. Over time, the hairline will recede further and further toward the back of the head.
Female Pattern Hair Loss
In women, androgenetic alopecia does not follow a particular pattern. Instead, you will notice hair evenly thinning throughout the entire scalp – this may be evident by a slowly widening part. Unlike men, women rarely go completely bald, even though the overall fullness of hair may suffer.
It is worth noting that both men and women can suffer from female pattern hair loss.
Stop DHT-Related Baldness with the Miami Hair Clinic
While DHT sensitivity is determined by your genes, you don’t have to simply accept that you might go bald one day. If androgenetic alopecia is caught early enough, professional treatments like the PRP hair therapy might be effective. Even if most of your hair is lost by now, the FUE hair transplant procedure from the Miami Hair Clinic can permanently restore the full look of your hair. Don’t wait. Get in touch today.
