What Is DHT? What is its Role in Hair Loss?

Main Category: Dermatology
Article Date: 18 Apr 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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Both men and women tend to lose hair due to some hormonal changes in the body. It is mainly the alterations in the metabolism of androgen in the body that brings about hair loss. Androgen is the male hormone that plays a very important role in both hair loss and hair growth. This metabolism of androgen gets involved with an enzyme, the 5 alpha reductase which tends to combine with the male hormone, testosterone to give DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). This DHT is the natural metabolite of the human body that is the main reason for hair loss.

The most important structure of a hair follicle is the dermal papilla, which is responsible for hair growth. The cell of this dermal papilla divides and differentiates to form a new hair follicle. As this dermal papilla lies in direct contact with blood capillaries of the skin, it is responsible for deriving nutrients for hair follicle growth. This dermal papilla has many receptors for androgens; where men have more androgenic receptors here than women.

It is very important for a person to have proper nutrition to maintain hair. So when DHT reaches the hair follicles and dermal papilla, it tends to prevent proteins, vitamins and minerals from providing the needed nourishment to sustain life in the hair of these follicles. With this, the hair follicles tend to reproduce at a slower rate and this in turn either shortens the growing phase of the hair follicles or lengthens its resting stage.

DHT is also responsible for shrinking hair follicle with which the hair follicle gets smaller and finer. This is referred to as miniaturization with which the hair ultimately falls off. This is how DHT is responsible for about 95% of hair loss. The men or women who lose more hair are those who are genetically pre-disposed in producing more DHT than others.

In addition to all this, DHT tends to create a wax like substance around the hair roots and it is this accumulation of DHT in the hair follicles and roots that gives rise to male and female pattern hair loss. There is a type of treatment that blocks the synthesis of DHT at molecular level to cure both male pattern and female pattern hair loss. This is done by using one of the many natural DHT blockers and drugs that are used for medical hair restoration.

Hairlossadvance.com offers information and support for people suffering from hair loss.

www.hairlossadvance.com

Sources: National Health Service (NHS), UK, The Mayo Clinic, Wikipedia, HHS (Department of Health and Human Services USA), NIH (National Institutes of Health, USA).

Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today

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