Dihydrotestosterone in Male Hair Loss
Role of Dihydrotestosterone in Male Hair Loss
Androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness, is the most prevalent type of hair loss in humans. Androgenetic alopecia is easily identified by its characteristic patterns of hair loss which starts from the hair line and progresses to the crown. This pattern thinning of hair occurs gradually over time. The condition is progressive and may result in complete baldness if left untreated. Androgenetic alopecia primarily affects men, but women have also been identified with pattern hair loss. Affected individuals, however, may not know they have the condition until they lost 50 percent of hair in the affected region of the scalp.
Androgenetic alopecia occurs in individuals with genetic predisposition for the condition. These individuals are likely to experience hair loss as early as teenage years. The age of onset actually varies individually. People with the genetic tendency for hair loss become sensitive to the action of androgens. Male hormones have been implicated in the pathophysiology of androgenetic alopecia. The male hormone dihydrotestosterone plays a key role in androgenetic alopecia. Dihydrotestosterone is produced as a by-product of testosterone through the aid of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase.
Role of Androgens in Male Hair Loss
One of the important functions of androgens is to regulate hair growth. Although the growth and distribution of hair in the human body is controlled by various hormones, androgens appear to have the greatest effect on hair growth. Its role in hair growth is apparent during puberty wherein increase in androgen levels result in the transformation of vellus hair to become intermediate hair. The vellus hair is thin and unpigmented, but due to the influence of androgens, vellus hair becomes long, thick and pigmented terminal hair, which is found in adults. The hair follows a specific growth cycle throughout the lifetime of an individual.
In genetically predisposed individuals, the presence of androgens can result in male pattern hair loss due to the increase of the potent androgen dihydrotestosterone in the androgen-sensitive regions of the scalp. Dihydrotestosterone is able to exert their effects on hair because the hair follicles are involved in the metabolism of these hormones. The hair follicles metabolize testosterone to dihydrotestosterone through the action of 5-alpha reductase enzyme. Since dihydrotestosterone has five times more affinity to the androgen receptors than testosterone, it readily binds to these receptors. Once bound to the androgen receptors, dihydrotestosterone prevents vellus hair from transforming into terminal hairs and thus progressive miniaturization of hair results. The affected individual would lose the terminal hair and it will be replaced by short and unpigmented hair causing the area to appear bald.
Dihydrotestosterone Blockers as Treatment
Due to the prevalence of androgenetic alopecia, several treatments have been developed. But most of these treatments are not really capable of treating androgenetic alopecia. Since the condition is caused by androgens, anti-androgen therapy is considered most effective. At present, there are effective hair supplements that block the production of dihydrotestosterone. These supplements are known as dihydrotestosterone -blockers. They contain herbs such as saw palmetto and nettle, which have been used for centuries as hair loss treatment. Hair supplements which work as dihydrotestosterone -blockers block the action of 5-alpha reductase so that progressive hair loss is prevented. Essentially, a dihydrotestosterone blocker supplement is the safest and most effective way of addressing the problems with male hair loss.
About author:
Amar works as a copy writer, specializes in promoting websites for highly competitive keywords like DHT Blocker and Dihydrotestosterone
.
Processing your request, Please wait....
