Everything you need to

know about DHT

Male pattern hair loss, or androgenetic alopecia,
is the most common type of hair loss among
males.

Hormonal factors appear to play a role, and especially a male sex hormone
known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Hair loss affects around half of all men over the age of 50 years, and

around 50 million men in the United States (U.S.).

DHT has also been linked to hair loss in women, but this article will focus
on male pattern baldness.

Fast facts on
dihydrotestosterone
 DHT is an androgen and helps give males their male characteristics.
 DHT is thought to cause hair follicles to miniaturize, and this
contributes to male pattern hair loss.
 By the age of 50 years, over half of the men in the U.S. will probably
experience hair loss mediated by DHT.
 Treatments that block DHT may help prevent hair loss.
What is DHT?

Male pattern baldness affects around half of men aged over 50 years in
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the U.S.

DHT has many roles. Apart from hair production, it is linked to benign
prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarged prostate, and prostate cancer too.

DHT is a sex steroid, meaning it is produced in the gonads. It is also an

androgen hormone.

Androgens are responsible for the biological characteristics of males,

including a deeper voice, body hair, and increased muscle mass. During
fetal development, DHT plays a vital role in the development of the penis
and prostate gland.
In men, the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase (5-AR) converts testosterone into
DHT in the testes and the prostate. Up to 10 percent of testosterone is
normally converted into DHT.

DHT is more powerful than testosterone. It attaches to the same sites as

testosterone, but more easily. Once there, it remains bound for longer.

Hair growth and hair loss

Male pattern hair loss is the most common type of hair loss in men. Hair at
the temples and on the crown slowly thin and eventually disappear.

The exact reason why this happens is unknown, but genetic, hormonal, and
environmental factors are all thought to play a role. DHT is believed to be a
major factor.

Three phases of hair growth

To understand male pattern hair loss, we need to understand hair growth.

Hair growth is split into three phases: anagen, catagen, and telogen:

Anagen is the growth phase. Hairs remain in this phase for 2 to 6 years.
The longer it lasts, the longer the hair grows. Normally, around 80 to 85
percent percent of the hairs on the head are in this phase.

Catagen lasts only 2 weeks. It allows the hair follicle to renew itself.

Telogen is the resting phase. The follicle lies dormant for 1 to 4 months.
Normally between 12 and 20 percent of hairs are in this phase.

After this, anagen begins again. The existing hair is pushed out of the pore
by the new growth and naturally sheds.
Hair loss

Male pattern hair loss happens when the follicles slowly become
miniaturized, the anagen phase is reduced, and the telogen phase
becomes longer.

The shortened growing phase means the hair cannot grow as long as
before.

Over time, the anagen phase becomes so shortTrusted Source that the

new hairs do not even peek through the surface of the skin. Telogen hair
growth is less well-anchored to the scalp, making it easier to fall out.

As the follicles become smaller, the shaft of the hair becomes thinner with
each cycle of growth. Eventually, hairs are reduced to vellus hairs, the type
of soft, light hairs that cover an infant and mostly disappear
during puberty in response to androgens.

Users of anabolic steroid drugs, including body builders, have higher

levels of DHT. However, they often experience hair loss.

Effects
The hair on the head grows without the presence of DHT, but armpit hair,
pubic hair, and beard hair cannot grow without androgens.

Individuals who have been castrated or who have 5-AR deficiency do not
experience male pattern baldness, but they will also have very little hair
elsewhere on the body.

For reasons that are not well understood, DHT is essential for most hair
growth, but it is detrimental to head hair growth.
DHT is thought to attach to androgen receptors on hair follicles. Through an
unknown mechanism, it then appears to trigger the receptors to begin
miniaturizing.

In 1998, researchers foundTrusted Source that both plucked follicles and

skin from a balding scalp contain higher levels of androgen receptors than
those from a non-balding scalp.

Some scientists believe that some people have a genetically transmitted

susceptibility to otherwise normal levels of circulating androgens,
particularly DHT. This combination of hormonal and genetic factors could
explain why some people are more likely than others to lose their hair.

Why does DHT affect people in different ways?

DHT affects people in varying ways. This may be due to:

 an increase in DHT receptors at the follicle

 a greater local DHT production
 higher androgen receptor sensitivity
 more DHT produced elsewhere in the body and arriving through
circulation
 more circulating testosterone that acts as a precursor for DHT

It is known that DHT binds to follicle receptors five times more avidly than
testosterone, but the amount of DHT in the scalp is tiny compared with the
levels in the prostate.

How levels are controlled and why they change are not yet understood.

The role of 5-alpha-reductase

5-alpha-reductase (5-AR) is the enzyme that converts testosterone into the
much more potent androgen, DHT.

If 5-AR levels increase, more testosterone will be converted into DHT, and
greater hair loss will result.

There are two versions of 5-AR: type 1 and 2 enzymes.

 Type 1 is predominantly found in sebaceous glands that produce the

skin’s natural lubricant, sebum.
 Type 2 mostly sits within the genitourinary tract and hair follicles.

Type 2 is considered more important in the process of hair loss.