Hair loss and thinning are extremely widespread, not just in the UK but throughout the rest of the world. Whatever stage of the hair loss journey you are at, identifying a cause – and fast! – should be your first mission. By diagnosing the underlying cause early, you can explore treatment options and lifestyle changes that can slow the rate of hair loss or even bring it to a halt completely.
Your age, nutrition, family history and stress levels could all be contributing factors, but there’s a lesser known issue that could be to blame – your DHT levels.
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a powerful hormone that’s derived from testosterone. It plays a key role in male development, helping with everything from facial hair growth, increased muscle mass and the deepening of the voice to the growth of the prostate and genitals in puberty.
During those teenage years and after, around 10% of the testosterone produced in the body is converted to DHT.
While the presence of DHT is vital for development, too much or too little can cause issues at various stages of the life cycle. Here You and Your Hormones explains the effects of too little DHT from the womb to later life:
“If there is too little dihydrotestosterone whilst male foetuses are still in the womb, for example, they may not be ‘masculinised’ and their genitalia may seem similar to that seen in girls of the same age. Later, boys with too little dihydrotestosterone may undergo some of the changes usually seen in puberty (such as muscle growth and production of sperm) but will not develop normal body hair growth and genital development.”
Too much DHT can lead to issues like prostate enlargement and hair loss (more specifically, male pattern baldness).
DHT plays a key role in the stimulation of hair growth, with excessive amounts of these androgens causing the shrinkage of follicles and the shortening of the entire hair lifecycle. In response, hair becomes thinner and more brittle, and even sheds faster. New growth is also slower in people with high DHT levels.
DHT may be more commonly linked to men, yet it is present in women too. DHT is however found in smaller amounts, and helps with body hair growth and hormone balance. While low levels of DHT have been proven to have no or little effect on women, high levels can mean an increase in body and facial hair growth as well as acne.
There are several treatment options to explore if you have been diagnosed with DHT-induced hair loss. Blockers and inhibitors specifically target the offending DHT levels to remedy hair loss from within, and have been proven to stop or at least delay male pattern baldness. Some choose to balance DHT levels naturally with biotin, vitamin B, pygeum bark and pumpkin seed oil.
Whatever the cause of your hair loss, you can rely on us to provide essential coverage while negotiating symptoms. Check out our men’s wigs and hairpieces today for inspiration.
