Testosterone itself doesn't directly cause hair loss. However, increasing your testosterone levels can also increase your levels of DHT, causing damage to your hair follicles and speeding up the effects of male pattern baldness.
It's not the amount of testosterone or DHT that causes baldness; it's the sensitivity of your hair follicles. That sensitivity is determined by genetics.
Hair Loss
Even though many men experience male pattern baldness naturally, a decrease in the amount of testosterone may also be a significant contributing factor to balding. Hair loss in patients with low testosterone isn't limited to the scalp, thinning body hair may also be a signal of a testosterone deficiency.
Raising your testosterone levels won't magically stop balding or cause your hair to grow back. However, hormones can have an impact on your hair loss. There are three main causes of thinning hair or balding in men: This is perhaps the most common reason for baldness and hair loss.
DHT binds to certain proteins in the body, which in turn reduces the size of your hair follicles. This may result in thinning of the hair and may even delay the growth of new hair strands. Both low and high levels of testosterone can result in hair loss.
Despite how it may appear, you have options when it comes to addressing and reversing male pattern baldness. Medically prescribed testosterone comes in several forms and is highly effective at treating hair loss.
Thankfully, technology has advanced so that you can actually grow your own hair back with a minimally-invasive, more heavy-duty treatment. With a follicular unit extraction (FUE) treatment, surgeons can transplant viable hair follicles and implant them in bald spots.
You might be able to reverse hair loss, or at least slow it. With some conditions, such as patchy hair loss (alopecia areata), hair may regrow without treatment within a year. Treatments for hair loss include medications and surgery.
Going back to the hormones theory, you may be wondering why all men don't experience hair loss if they all produce testosterone and therefore, create the same testosterone by-product. This is thought to be down to the fact that some men create more than others, and some have more receptors than others.
Men all have roughly the same amount of testosterone. Certain genes make your hair follicles more or less sensitive to the amount of testosterone in your body. Basically, an enzyme converts testosterone into a substance that shrinks hair follicles.
About 70% of men will lose hair as they get older. And 25% of bald men see first signs of hair loss before age 21. “Recent advances offer a lot of hope in both treating and preventing different types of baldness,” says dermatologist Amy Kassouf, MD.
Hormone shifts
Your testosterone level is at its highest in the morning after you wake up. It is highest immediately after waking up from the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stage. The increase in this hormone alone may be enough to cause an erection, even in the absence of any physical stimulation.
Men with high testosterone can experience a variety of troubling symptoms and possible health consequences. Excess testosterone can lead to more aggressive and irritable behavior, more acne and oily skin, even worse sleep apnea (if you already have it), and an increase in muscle mass.
Although you can't prevent male pattern baldness, there are ways to slow down hair loss. Some options include medications such as Finasteride (Propecia, Proscar) and minoxidil (Rogaine, Ioniten), laser therapy, and hair transplant surgery.
Can Alopecia Be Reversed? Whether your hair loss is caused by hormones or an autoimmune disorder, regrowing your hair by using new medications and modifying your diet can be possible as long as you start treatment early.
Studies show that minoxidil helps hair regrow and stops you from losing more hair. Rogaine is specifically helpful for hairs lost through androgenetic alopecia. You can purchase products containing minoxidil, including shampoos, liquids, and foams. You should apply these products to your scalp twice per day.
Lifestyle factors could include using certain hair products, wearing your hair up too tightly, experiencing high stress levels, or not getting enough of certain vitamins and minerals in your diet. People who have immune system deficiencies could also have thinning hair.
If you want to prevent hair loss, you can also prioritize a diet high in healthy proteins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and fresh fruits and vegetables. If you're trying to prevent baldness, you can take vitamins such as iron, biotin, vitamin D, vitamin C, and zinc.
On average it takes 15-25 years for men to go completely bald. This process can begin at any age. About two thirds of men are either bald or have a balding pattern by the age of 60. In a nutshell, there is no particular age when you can expect to see hair loss.
The amount of dihydrotestosterone present in the body from day to day depends on the amount of testosterone present. When levels of testosterone increase, more of it is converted to dihydrotestosterone and so levels of dihydrotestosterone also increase as a result.
Hair growth is stimulated by androgens like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). They are the key hormones in hair growth. Testosterone tends to change thin, light hairs into larger, darker hairs.
5AR Inhibitors prevent the body from converting testosterone to DHT. Medications such as Dutasteride, Topical Minoxidil, and Finasteride are approved by medical professionals to treat male pattern baldness.
Reduced blood flow to the penis
The blood flow may then not be enough to cause an erection. Risk factors can increase your chance of narrowing of the arteries. These include getting older, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking.