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Indeed, when testosterone is prevented from being converted to DHT, male pattern baldness can be slowed, stopped, or even reversed. Drugs like Propecia work on this principle, preventing the testosterone-DHT conversion. However, questions remain about why DHT noticeably affects hair on the scalp and not elsewhere on the body. A new theory about this is gaining attention, and it’s based on something quite ordinary: gravity.
DHT Has Different Effects Depending on Anatomical Location of Hair
High levels of DHT in the scalp lead to traditional male pattern baldness, where hair is lost at the crown. But how does that square with the fact that most men who lose hair on their heads don’t lose it elsewhere, like their underarms? In areas of the body like the underarms and genital region, male sex hormones, including DHT, promote thickening of the hair follicles rather than the thinning that’s seen on the scalp with male pattern baldness. How can the same hormone have opposite effects depending on anatomical location?
A New Theory on How DHT Specifically Affects the Scalp
The so-called gravity theory has been proposed by Dr. Emin Tuncay Ustuner, a plastic surgeon practicing in Ankara, Turkey. In the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Ustuner explains that researchers originally classified scalp hair into regions where follicles are androgen-sensitive and androgen-insensitive. However, he contends that this arbitrary division isn’t logical.
Scalp hair, in men who are balding or not, is considered androgen-independent because it grows in the absence of androgens, so how can one part of the scalp become affected by androgens (specifically DHT) while other parts of the scalp are not? Ustuner says the culprit is actually gravity.
The gravity theory attempts to explain why higher levels of DHT are found in the scalps of men who are going bald. The area between the skin of the scalp and the skull is a sandwich of fat tissue, connective tissue, and hair follicles. The hair follicles are compressed by the skin against the bones of the skull. In a younger person, the subcutaneous fat tissue in this region is thicker and better hydrated.
But as a person ages, skin volume and subcutaneous fat volume on the skull decrease. The result is increased pressure on the hair follicles, particularly those on top of the head, where male pattern baldness is most obvious. But simple aging isn’t the main cause of thinning of this fat layer. Testosterone is known to decrease body fat, starting from the time a boy reaches puberty. Women are protected from this testosterone effect due to having higher levels of estrogen and lower levels of testosterone.
As the cushion of subcutaneous fat on top of the head thins, hair follicles have a harder time reaching the proper size to grow normal hair. When this happens, the activity of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase increases in the scalp and starts converting more testosterone to DHT, which “sticks” to androgen receptors better than regular testosterone does. Therefore, DHT levels in the scalp rise, without raising levels of androgens throughout the body. Furthermore, DHT causes even more erosion of the subcutaneous fat layer around scalp hair follicles, resulting in a vicious cycle of higher DHT and thinner hair.
What Men Can Do About Hair Loss
Aside from living in outer space, there’s not much you can do about gravity. But drugs like finasteride, the active ingredient in Propecia, do curtail conversion of testosterone into DHT by decreasing levels of 5-alpha reductase. With less 5-alpha reductase, less testosterone is converted to DHT, slowing or reversing the vicious cycle of more hair loss leading to more DHT in the scalp.
Studies of Propecia in men with male pattern baldness found increases in hair count at 6 and 12 months into the study, while significant hair loss from a baseline measurement was seen in men who took a placebo. In follow-up measures, hair count was maintained in men taking Propecia for up to two years. It can take three to six months for men taking Propecia to notice thicker hair. Doctors recommend taking it for up to a year before giving up on it. It doesn’t work equally well on all men, but a majority report positive results in studies of effectiveness.
eDrugstore.com sells Propecia and its generic version, finasteride, at competitive prices, and ships directly to your door. The ordering process is secure, quick, and HIPAA-compliant. Nobody can avoid the effects of gravity, but millions of men with male pattern baldness have been able to counteract the effects of DHT with medications like Propecia, and eDrugstore.com is unbeatable in terms of customer service, competitive pricing, and convenience.
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