Hormones and Hair Loss: Can Hormones Cause Hair Loss? By Monica C. At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

People often associate biological changes with hormones. Male pattern hair loss is no exemption. In fact, more than 50% of all cases of severe balding in men have been attributed to distinct male hormones that have been released, as dictated by a person's genes.

1. What is Hormones?

Briefly, hormones are biochemical compounds synthesized, released and utilized by the body. Hormones act as system maintenance agents and regulators. Without hormones, the production of mature gametes in both males and females would not be possible.

In addition, hormones also trigger the formation of secondary sexual characteristics in males and females. The growth of beards and a deepening voice in males are but two of the best-known and most visible signs of secondary sexual characteristics in men. In females, the narrowing of the hips and the budding of breast tissue are also the most noted.

2. The Guilty Hormone: DHT

At any one time, hundreds or perhaps thousands of hormones are operating simultaneously in the body, regulating aging, body processes and other vital biological mechanisms. In the same respect, a particular hormone is responsible for the dying out of hair cells. This hormone is called 'dihydrotestosterone' or DHT.

How does the guilty hormone DHT come about? Well, the process is by no means simple. DHT is actually the result of a process that involves an enzyme and the well-known male hormone testosterone. A brief review would be sufficient: testosterone is responsible for all the 'manly' characteristics.

Both males and females have testosterone. It's just that males have at least 60% more testosterone than females, or even more. Bodybuilders sometimes have incredibly large physiques because they use steroids to simulate the effects of natural testosterone to speed up the bulking process.

3. DHT and Hair Loss

The enzyme in question is called 5-alpha reductase. This is the enzyme that acts upon the male hormone testosterone. Was DHT designed to destroy hair? If we look at it from the physiology of the human body, it seems that DHT is produced at specific ages. However, we cannot say with full confidence that this chemical is out to destroy hair.

Hair loss may be just one of DHT's effects in the body. Unfortunately, the consequence on the hair is unacceptable and so many anti-balding drugs on the World Wide Web claim that they can inhibit the formation of DHT or 5-alpha reductase.

4. Historically Speaking...

Historically speaking, the first time that a member of the medical establishment linked balding with the action of natural biochemical compounds was in the first half of the twentieth century.

A doctor was doing a small study on balding on two male identical twins. One patient was suffering from hair loss while the other was not. Since the doctor was suspicious of androgens (male hormones), he decided that it would be appropriate to 'balance the playing field'.

The doctor decided that the non-balding twin should receive an extra dose of testosterone every now and then. What happened was equally disturbing: the non-balding twin began to lose hair. Eventually, all that was left of the previously non-balding twin was his shiny head.

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