DHT and Hair Loss

Male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness are caused by this DHT. DHT is responsible for male and female pattern baldness, as it causes the hair follicles to shrink and eventually “die” because they are incapable of producing a healthy hair strand anymore. Hair follicles are actually quite sensitive, and with increased exposure to DHT, a process known as miniaturization is caused.  The result is that the hairs become thinner and thinner until they fall out, and new hairs will not grow back to take their place.

DHT and the Dermal Papilla

The dermal papilla is the probably the most important component of your hair follicles. It is directly responsible for your new hair growth. The cells in the dermal papilla differentiate and split to create new hair follicles. The papilla is also connected to the blood capillaries in the body. The blood capillaries are responsible for sending the vital nutrients required for the hair follicles to grow properly.

The dermal papilla also has many androgen receptors, although men have more androgen receptors than women. DHT directly attaches itself to the androgen receptors and prevents them from absorbing the essential nutrients needed for healthy hair follicles to be formed. If DHT is left unchecked, it will cause the hair resting stages to become longer and the hair growth stages to become shorter. This will eventually lead to baldness.