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DHT and Testosterone Blood Levels and Effectiveness of Finasteride

I’m male, 23. It’s been one month since I started to take finasteride (1/4th of a proscar pill) and my DHT levels are just as high as they were before I started. I still experience shedding, and it seems like it worsened. Scalp is itchy. I don’t have any photos though (it’s not that bad yet)

January 2017: (before fin)

Testosterone 10.000 ng/ml (reference values: 1.420 – 9.230) HIGH

Dihydrotestosterone 832.18 pg/ml (reference values: 250.00 – 990.00)

April 2017: (1 month after taking fin)

Testosterone 9.580 ng/ml (reference values: 1.420 – 9.230) HIGH

Dihydrotestosterone 824.78 pg/ml (reference values: 250.00 – 990.00)

What do you think this might be? A fake fin (proscar)? I will buy a generic produced in Hungary to test this theory.

If new generic fin won’t help me as well, I guess I will try Avodart.

I think that you are on the wrong track. The effect of finasteride is to compete with the effects of DHT at the 5-Alpha Reductase enzyme level in the hair follicles. This competition is generally only 70% effective. Your gene activities is what is propelling your hair loss. Think of it as a ‘tug-of-war’ with one side being the genes + hormones + hair follicles, and the other side being the drug finasteride blocking the hormones through its action on the 5-Alpha Reductase enzyme at the hair follicle level. If the ‘action of the drug’ is stronger than the effects of the genes + hormones + hair follicles, the you can slow down the hair loss or even reverse it. But if your genes are more powerful in this tug-of-war’ you keep losing hair.

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DHT in Women

What can you tell me about a product called Ayuervedic. I am a 57 year old African American Female, who has had extensie hair loss since age 20 after a perm. I have been wearing a wig. I have recently met someone I like very much, but I am so ashamed of him learning that I wear a wig because, I am bald.

When will the FDA make drugs available to be purchased by perscription for hair loss? It is my belief that most people who suffer from hair loss, just like acne suffers, are very stressed. In this society we are so judged by appearences that some of us are getting ill from the stress hair loss can cause.

Also can you eloberate on what chemicals in the body cause imbalance. What chemicals cause DHT.

Thank you

It is my understanding Ayuervedic is a holistic approach to health care. I am not very familiar with it other than it is likely a natural supplement type of product. It is not a medicine.

The only FDA approved hair loss medication is topical minoxidil and oral finasteride (Propecia). Propecia is only approved for male patients because it works by blocking DHT formation. DHT is a naturally occuring hormone that is a breakdown of testosterone. Although women also have DHT and testosterone in their body, most causes of hair loss in women are not related to DHT. Even in rare instances that DHT is a factor in a woman’s hair loss, the use of finasteride (Propecia) is probitited in women due to possible birth defects. At 57 years young, I suspect you may not be thinking of becoming pregnant, but Propecia is still restricted for use in woman. Furthermore, DHT is not likely the cause of your hair loss so Propecia would not work for you.

If you are concerned about hair loss, you should make an appointment with your primary care doctor first to rule of any medical causes. If you are still not satisfied, you may consult with a hair transplant doctor. The most important advice or opinion I have for your case is to be honest with your new friend. It is embarassing especially for women to disclose their hair loss, but if your relationship is to blossom it may be one of the first steps.


2006-04-11 08:37:08DHT in Women

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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 Blocks Blood Flow to the Follicle?

From my understanding, hairloss comes from a variety of circumstances: genetics, nutrition, stress, etc. When it comes down to it, DHT blocks blood flow to the follicle, until the follicle eventually “dies.” Are there any products or studies being done to remove that blockage? If the blockage is removed, and blood flows back in, will the follicle grow hair again?

This is not an issue of blood flow to the follicle. Hair loss, when it occurs, reduces the demand for blood as the metabolic needs of the follicle are reduced when it becomes miniaturized. We know, for example, that if you put a normal hair follicle from the back of the head that has no genetic cause for its death, that hair will grow in the midst of thinning hair and when it grows it will be a thick, normal hair shaft. Your premise is incorrect, as DHT has little to do with blood flow directly.


2007-11-05 12:32:05DHT Blocks Blood Flow to the Follicle?

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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 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?

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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 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 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.