If you are one of the millions of men and women who are facing the reality of hair loss, it is no laughing matter. Like it not, a full head of hair represents youth, health and sexual vitality. Thinning or balding hair can act as a shocking reminder of inevitable aging and mortality. The hair growth industry has increased as companies develop products aimed at helping people hang on to more of their hair. Many factors can contribute to balding, but one form caused by the human hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is especially damaging.
Androgenic Alopecia, or male pattern baldness, affects millions of both men and women. The body creates DHT from testosterone, which is a critical hormone for health in both sexes. This type of hair loss occurs when the body produces too much DHT that ends up on the surface of the scalp. For some reason, not fully understood, DHT weakens the ability of hair follicles to follow their regular hair growth cycles. Scalp follicles act as containers for individual hairs on the head. When a hair follicle ceases to function correctly, it releases the strand of hair it is nourishing. When this process occurs to multiple follicles, bald spots occur on the head.