If you start googling causes of hairloss, you will soon come across ‘DHT’. This three-letter acronym stands for dihydrotestosterone, a hormone naturally present in all of us. It is usually found at higher levels in men than woman and is important for the formation of classic male characteristics such as facial hair and mature sex organs. It is basically a more powerful version of its precursor, testosterone. DHT is formed when testosterone is converted by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. This process happens naturally in our skin and other organs such as liver and prostate (men).

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So What Does DHT Do?

DHT is responsible for the growth of pubic hair and facial hair in men. For instance, with the beard, the more DHT, the faster the growth. The more testosterone, the greater the density of hair follicles. However, when it comes to certain areas of the scalp, DHT has the opposite effect, causing the hair follicles to shrivel up and eventually die. This is what causes the classic male pattern baldness which includes a receding hairline. Notice that the hair around this sides of the head seems to stay? That’s because those hair follicles are genetically more resistant to the effects of DHT.

There are many theories as to why nature programmed men to lose hair like this. But one thing we can all agree upon is that most men don’t want this to happen. People tell us to ‘embrace the look’ but I think we understand enough now to give prevention a fair shot. While not everyone responds to topical therapy, it is the best place to start before trying more invasive and expensive strategies such as hair transplantation.

Is There Any Hope?

The good news is that we are beginning to unearth some effective means of combating DHT and its effects on our hair. Drugs such as Finasteride (Propecia) and Minoxidil (Rogaine) have been popular as a first line treatment. However, like all drugs, they often come with side effects. People are now wising up to natural alternatives to these drugs which show similar efficacy. For instance Rosemary Essential Oil has been shown to be as effective as Minoxidil in generating new hair growth. LEARN MORE  and Saw Palmetto Extract (Serenoa Repens) has
shown similar efficacy to finasteride in reducing DHT effects on the hair follicle LEARN MORE.