DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) & Hair Loss
The culprit of Male Pattern Baldness is a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is converted from testosterone in the scalp.
Over time, DHT builds up around the hair follicle, thinning or “miniaturizing” the hair and ultimately stopping growth.
The follicle regresses as a result, causing each new hair that cycles through the follicle to be gradually thinner than the previous one. Eventually the follicle shuts down altogether, ending hair growth completely and permanently.
Both a follicle’s resistance to DHT and the levels of DHT in the scalp are genetically determined, which explains why some people go bald and others do not.
The gene can be inherited from both the mother and the father, so men with balding relatives (on either side of the family) have increased odds of losing their hair too.
