Table of contents:
- What is the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT)?
- What is the function of the DHT hormone in the body?
- How can the DHT hormone trigger baldness?
When men get older, one of the problems that arise is to start experiencing baldness. Baldness can make a man less confident about his appearance. So to prevent this, many men use hair care products to stimulate hair regrowth. However, do you know what triggers baldness? One of them turned out to be the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
What is the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT)?
Dihydrotestosterone or DHT is an androgen hormone or hormone that triggers the development of male characteristics, such as hair growth on the chest, a deep voice, and increased muscle mass. This hormone is produced by converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone by the help of certain enzymes.
About 10% of testosterone in the body of men and women is converted into dihydrotestosterone. Where, at puberty the altered amount may be much higher to support the changes that occur at puberty. The DHT hormone has a stronger effect than testosterone.
What is the function of the DHT hormone in the body?
The DHT hormone has started to work on the body since the fetus period. During fetal development, the hormone DHT plays a role in the development of the penis and prostate. Furthermore, DHT plays a role in the changes that occur in men at the onset of puberty.
DHT triggers a man's penis and prostate to develop when he starts to enter puberty. In addition, this hormone also stimulates hair growth on the pubic and on the male body.
In women, the hormone DHT is also found, but its role is not well known. Several studies have shown the hormone DHT can cause pubic hair growth at puberty in women.
How can the DHT hormone trigger baldness?
The DHT hormone actually plays an important role in the body. Without the presence of this hormone, pubic hair, armpit hair, and beard hair cannot grow. However, the presence of this hormone also seems to cause problems for some people.
A study found that the follicles of a bald scalp contain higher levels of the hormone DHT than the DHT hormone present in a non-bald scalp. Some researchers believe that male pattern baldness in some individuals is due to susceptibility to genetically transmitted levels of normal androgens (especially DHT).
There are several ways that may make the effect of the DHT hormone greater in some individuals so that it can trigger baldness, such as:
- Increased DHT receptors on hair follicles on the head
- Increase the production of the DHT hormone in its place of origin
- There is an increase in the sensitivity of the androgen receptor
- There is an increase in testosterone which acts as a precursor to the hormone DHT
- The increase in the DHT hormone produced by the body in other places
Although women have lower levels of the hormone DHT than men, even normal levels of the hormone DHT can also cause hair loss which leads to baldness in women. This is because some women are relatively sensitive to this hormone.
Yes, imbalanced levels of the DHT hormone in the body of both men and women can cause baldness. Hormones work best when they are in balance, including the hormone DHT.
The more testosterone your body converts into DHT, the greater your risk of going bald. DHT is the enemy of the hair follicles on your head. DHT can shrink the hair follicles on the head, making it impossible for healthy hair to survive. As a result, this causes hair loss. So, although baldness is influenced by the hormone testosterone in the body, DHT can be considered as the main cause of baldness.
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