Author: Dr. William Rassman

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DHEA and Hair Loss

Hi,

I have read confilicting information regarding DHEA supplements and Hair Loss.

  1. Can DHEA increase hair loss?
  2. Is this due to DHEA converting to Androstenedione then this converting to Testosterone and then on to DHT which causes the hair loss?
  3. Does DHEA cause direct problems to the hair follicles like DHT does?
  4. If you were to take a 5 alpha Reductase inhibitor like Finasteride would this help with any potential hair loss problems associated with taking DHEA? and if so would it be because it blocked the Testosterone (converted from the Androstenedione converted from the DHEA) from converting to DHT?

Thanks for your help

  1. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) does not directly cause androgenic alopecia (AGA), but may accelerate it.
  2. DHEA can potentially affect DHT levels, thus indirectly causing hair loss (via DHT).
  3. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) does cause hair loss in men who are genetically susceptible to AGA.
  4. Finasteride is a prescription medication for men who have AGA. It is not meant for use with DHEA.
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Developed a New Bald Area After My 3500 Fue Hair Transplant

The pictures show that you were probably thinning in the area that is now devoid of hair, so the cause is likely due to the progression of the hair loss into the sides. Another hair transplant into this area will solve it; however, be careful that your doctor does not over-harvest your donor area or you will have a new problem – a see-through donor area with possible donor site depletion as shown many times in the RealSelf posts. Your donor density must be close to its harvested limit with an FUE procedure (assuming that you had an average donor density prior to your FUE transplant) so a strip surgery may be safer. You should make sure that your surgeon measures your donor density prior to making the recommendation for FUE or strip surgery.

progressive hair loss

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DHT and Muscle Building

I have read that DHT is crucial to muscle growth and building muscle. If I am an athlete who is just out of college and taking Propecia, will using the drug effect my ability to gain strength and mass? Thanks.

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a male hormone, so I would expect that it might have some impact on muscle mass. Propecia blocks DHT and causes a rise in systemic testosterone by about 18%, so maybe there is an effect on muscle mass building stemming from an increased testosterone level, which is a much stronger male hormone than DHT. So indirectly, Propecia might be positive for muscle building if DHT levels go down (from the Propecia) and testosterone levels go up to compensate. Everyone is different, so I couldn’t say what is actually impacting muscle mass.

Lately, the big focus here has been that Propecia (finasteride 1mg) masks the blood measurements for other steroids when used in athletes, which is why finasteride is on the list of drugs banned for professional athletes.


2008-03-21 14:05:03DHT and Muscle Building

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DHT and Eyebrows

Doctor, how does DHT affect the eyebrows? Im 18, balding, and have noticed that i can pull out 4-5 eyebrow hairs in one small tug. Am I loosing my eyebrows too? Can propecia stop this as well?

Well, for starters you should stop pulling on your eyebrows!

I do not believe DHT affects eyebrows as it does scalp hair. Remember, the main reason for hair loss (male pattern baldness) in only partly about DHT. Yes, DHT is responsible… but the main reason for male pattern hair loss is your GENETICS interacting with DHT. Eyebrow hair is not part of the male balding process, and as such, Propecia will likely not do anything to help your eyebrows.

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Is DHT and 5 Alpha Reductase Related to Its Receptors For Male Pattern Balding Catastrophe?

so dr? i interpret from your blog that 5a reductase is responsible for MPB and sensitivity of the receptors have nothing much to do with such catastrophe?

Male pattern balding MPB is not a catastrophe. It is the cards that we are dealt when we are born just like the color of your eyes, shape of your nose, or the way you look. As stated in numerous posts, GENETIC inheritance is responsible for male pattern balding.

One of the mechanism of this genetic predisposition we know of is dihydrotestosterone (DHT). There may be other mechanisms other than DHT but it has not been discovered.

Scientists have found that if you block DHT, male pattern balding can be altered/ halted/ slowed/ temporarily reversed. Male pattern balding is not curable but it can be managed with drugs or surgery.

Blocking DHT is accomplished (as we know it) by slowing down the production of DHT. This is accomplished by inhibiting an enzyme called 5a reductase. 5a reductase is responsible for producing DHT from Testosterone. I suppose there may be another way to block DHT by blocking the receptors for DHT (not the enzyme that produce DHT). This will be new type of drug – yet to be discovered. Another drastic way to address MPB is castration to stop most of the testosterone production thus stopping most of DHT production but this will be drastic.

My point here is that it isn’t about DHT or 5a reductase. It is a genetic issue. So for those looking to completely block DHT with stronger medication such as Dutasteride (Avodart), it does not work as one may hope. Mainly because (I say again) it is a genetic issue. Another way to put it is that if you do not have the genes for MPB, you can have a very high DHT level and you will not be bald.

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DHT and High Cholesterol

I am a 36-year-old male noticing some hair loss. I thought it was related to having taken prohormones, but the slow hair loss has continued after more than a year off the prohormones. I am considering taking Avodart/dutasteride, but not just for the cosmetic hair loss. A concern I have is the relation between MPB to increased risk of heart disease. Thus, my two questions:

  1. Do you know of any connection between DHT and high cholesterol/heart disease? And if there is a connection, would DHT suppression also contribute a health benefit above and beyond the cosmetic issue of MPB?
  2. Do you have any suggestions for any OTC or prescription drugs/remedies that would work to help curb the aromatization of the increased testosterone from taking a DHT inhibitor?
  1. I do not believe that using DHT blockers like Propecia will have any effect on your cholesterol. We know that Propecia will reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
  2. With regard to your second question, I am not an expert on OTC medications that curb aromatization from increased testosterone.


2007-07-25 10:33:56DHT and High Cholesterol

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DHT blocking shampoo

Is it true that if I stop using DHT blocking shampoos I will lose hair, even if my hairline may just be matured?

There is no effective DHT blocking shampoo on the market. It is not easy to get a DHT block from a shampoo that you wash off of your head


2020-11-05 12:27:32DHT blocking shampoo

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DHT expression in the scalp

I have a question regarding the mechanism of action behind androgenetic alopecia. I see some people saying that we lose hair as males with pattern hair loss because the scalp hairs are more sensitive to DHT in the area of balding (pattern). I also read that some people say that the conversion from test to DHT (via. 5AR) is greater in the scalp tissue than in other body parts. This begs the question: why would you ever need to block DHT in the whole body by using oral meds like fin and dut If the “problematic” test conversion happens in the scalp tissue, then topical dut/fin or a topical anti-androgen should be enough ? Anything I am missing something? Thank you!

Hair loss occurs in males because we carry the genes for hair loss, and our DHT hormones trigger hair loss. The genes are programmed to determine when hair loss starts, but most men get it before age 26. I have seen men develop hair loss as late as in their early 50s, but this is an exception to the rule. If we decided to cut off your testicles, I doubt that you would have hair loss, but that is an extreme approach to reduce the impact of DHT. Topical finasteride goes through the skin and into your body as it gets absorbed through the skin/scalp. You might as well take the oral finasteride. There is a type of liposomal topical finasteride where most of it stays in the scalp, but this is expensive and only covers part of the scalp. If you spread it around the scalp, it raises the cost considerably.

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DHT Blocking Foods?

You mentioned in a tidbit that there were people who blocked DHT with eating large quantities of dht blocking foods. What might those be, and could we get similar results by ingesting these foods. By the way, thanks very much for doing this blog. It is extremely interesting and informative.

To the best of my memory, the drug finasteride was derived by work done in primitives who ate a tuber that was unique to the rain forest and contained this drug. I am not familiar with other foods that contain it. The high incidence of hermaphrodites in the population is what clued explorers into the uniqueness of the foods these people ate, mainly because the food was eaten by pregnant women, blocking the effects of DHT which is required to differentiate the sex of the offspring. If you find hermaphrodites somewhere eating large amounts of some unique food, that might be a good clue.


2006-01-19 12:33:40DHT Blocking Foods?