Testosterone & hair
loss
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. It is
the principal sex hormone in males and the "original"
anabolic steroid. Testosterone is also produced in smaller quantities
in women.
The largest amounts of testosterone are produced by testes, but
it is also synthesized in smaller quantities by the ovaries, and
the adrenal cortex. A substantial proportion of the testosterone
in women is produced from estradiol by reverse aromatization in
the liver, adipose (fat) cells, and other peripheral tissues.
Free testosterone (T) is transported into the cytoplasm of target
tissue cells, where it can bind to the androgen receptor, or can
be reduced to 5?-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by the cytoplasmic enzyme
5-alpha reductase.
Androgenetic hair loss, is frequently called male pattern baldness,
or pattern baldness, because it can occur in women as well. It is
caused by a genetic sensitivity of the hair follicles to DHT. This
type of hair loss is more common in men, because they produce more
testosterone, and hence more DHT. However, both sexes produce testosterone
in their adrenal glands, and women also produce some testosterone
in their ovaries, so women can also suffer from androgenetic hair
loss.
Androgenetic hair loss can be ameliorated by lifestyle factors
(such as diet) that reduce the production of stress hormones (including
testosterone) in the adrenals, but the most effective treatment
for hair loss is the use of products that block the production of
DHT.
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