Overview of DHT and its connection to hair loss
Hair concerns like thinning of hair or hair fall can have various reasons, and one of the potent ones is DHT. Leading to hair loss, DHT or "dihydrotestosterone" is a male sexual hormone, which binds receptors. Thus, its presence can cause pattern baldness in genetically susceptible men and some women.
Hair loss and thinning is also known as androgenic alopecia. Blocking DHT can in many cases stop or improve this condition. Doctors sometimes prescribe DHT-blocking medications so that the hair loss situation does not aggravate. Natural biotin shampoo, biotin conditioner with keratin, and biotin hair restoration spray can also help due to the fact that they contain several proven DHT blocker ingredients.
Causes of DHT on Scalp
DHT levels on the scalp naturally increase with age when you usually start to lose hair and encounter a thinning or receding hairline. However, it also aggravates when you smoke and drink regularly. Higher stress levels and poor dietary choices can also lead to an activation of the hormone. Some medications can also cause an increase in the hormone, thereby leading to hair loss and thinning of hair. DHT usually causes male pattern baldness, but it can start early if lifestyle choices are poor.
What is DHT? How is it Formed?
DHT, or dihydrotestosterone is a hormone that helps regulate the development of male characteristics in the body. It is commonly known as androgen created through the conversion of the more common androgen testosterone. Around 10% of testosterone produced by adult males in a day is converted into dihydrotestosterone. DHT has quite a formidable effect on your hair growth cycle. Resulting in hair loss, an increased amount of DHT can reduce the shortening of the hair follicles' and hair growth cycle. It alone cannot damage your hair, but DHT and other factors can cause a lot of hair damage, including thinning.
When the DHT levels are too high in an adult male, they overwhelm the hair follicles. This hormone is an effective stimulator of hair follicles, but with overwhelming stimulation, the hair follicles get negatively affected and become smaller in size, thus producing finer and lighter hair. It eventually leads to male pattern hair loss. It usually happens after 40 in the majority of males. However, there might be cases where pattern baldness has appeared in adults in the 20s. In many cases when DHT blockers are used, hair can grow back naturally again.
How DHT Affects Hair Follicles:
- Follicle Miniaturization: When DHT binds to receptors on hair follicles, it causes them to shrink over time. This process is known as follicle miniaturization.
- Reduced Hair Growth: As follicles become smaller, they produce thinner, weaker hairs. Eventually, they may become so small that they stop producing hair altogether.
- Shortened Growth Cycle: DHT can also shorten the hair growth cycle. This means that hairs spend less time in the growth phase (anagen) and more time in the resting phase (telogen).
DHT's Impact on the Hair Growth Cycle:
- Shortened Anagen: DHT can shorten the anagen phase, leading to shorter, thinner hairs.
- Increased Telogen: DHT can also increase the number of follicles in the telogen phase, resulting in more hair shedding.
DHT Detection and Prevention
The DHT blood test DHT can detect male hormones. It measures the amount of DHT in the blood. DHT in the blood can be curtailed, if you introduce foods rich in lycopene to your diet. Carrots, watermelons, tomatoes, and mangos are natural DHT blockers. Also, biotin-rich foods like oily fish, liver, berries, bananas, and legumes can treat this condition. Usually, DHT is absent in females but sometimes causes havoc in a woman’s life.
Biotin-rich foods can help fight this situation for both. Apart from these supplements, you can also use plant based ingredients like pumpkin seed oil, saw palmetto, white nettle, honeysuckle, and green tea to reduce the DHT levels in your blood and scalp.
Fortunately, many of these plant based natural ingredients are found in the Biotin Xtreme Hair Care product line for hair loss and thinning hair.
