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What Is DHT? How Does It Cause Hair Loss?

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What Is DHT? How Does It Cause Hair Loss?

Author : HairLaserRemoval.co.uk     Diagnosis & treatment Androgenetic Alopecia

Although we do not completely understand how hair loss and baldness is passed down through our genetics, what we do know is that some individuals have hair follicles that are supersensitive to the "DHT" that runs through the blood. DHT is a hormone that stands for "dihydrotestosterone".

DHT is an androgen, created from testosterone, and is considered a male hormone. And even though this is a male hormone, women also have a small amount that runs through their blood, some higher than others. When a female inherits hair follicles that are supersensitive to DHT, they start to lose hair just like men do.

When a person inherits the genes for hair loss, their hair follicles are also sensitive to DHT in other ways. Not only does a person's hair fall out, they also inherited hair follicles that, when regenerated through the three growth cycles, grow strands of hair that come back thinner and with less pigmentation. This phenomenon also clears up the mystery behind why some people have thinning hair that seems to change color as the person ages.

In other words, it is perfectly normal for everybody's hair to grow and then shed, and then regrow back again. This allows the hair to reenter the anagen phase, then the catagen phase, and finally the telogen phase, which results in a new strand of hair. But now, since a person's hair follicles are sensitive to the DHT in the blood supply, it prevents the hair from regenerating to its normal size after each repetitive growth cycle. They come back smaller and smaller. In time, a person's scalp will contain hair so small that it resembles fuzz, which can barely be seen, hence becoming "bald".