Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)

For men and women who fear hair loss at some point, what they should actually fear is dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. This is the hormone responsible for pattern baldness. Everyone has at least a little bit of this, but those who have it in excess will likely experience hair loss.

Dihydrotestosterone is essentially a male hormone. It plays a big role earlier in life, helping young boys to grow facial hair. It also assists in the development of male reproductive organs. This hormone is also present in women, just as men have small amounts of estrogen. Since women do not typically have as high an amount of DHT as men do, they do not experience baldness to the same degree as men. However, women are usually the last to go seek any treatment, if they do so at all.

Basically, what happens with DHT is that it attaches itself to the hair follicles and begins to cut off the blood supply to the hair. Eventually, the follicle shrinks, making it impossible for hair to grow back again. There is good news, though. The hair follicle is not dead at this stage, only shrunken. Therefore, there is a possibility that, with proper treatment, hair growth could be stimulated once more.

The body will not naturally reverse the effects of balding. When dihydrotestosterone attacks, it will not stop on its own. Excess amounts of DHT are genetic. You get this from someone in your family. So, if you have a lot of bald relatives, don’t be shocked when it starts happening to you. You can, though, look into hair products early and try to stop the process from even beginning.