If you have recently developed a female hair loss condition, you are likely to have come across a lot of confusing new terms, abbreviations and acronyms for things relating to your condition.
DHT is one of these new acronyms, one you may hear a lot in online discussions or during visits to your doctor or hair loss specialist. It stands for Dihydrotestosterone, an androgenic hormone found in the hair follicles and other parts of the body (i.e. the prostate and adrenal glands).
The reason you may hear about DHT so much is because it is known to be a major factor in the cause of pattern baldness, also known as telogenic effluvium. It is the primary contributor for the condition in men and it occasionally causes female hair loss. However, female pattern baldness is a little more complicated and can have a number of causes.
What role does DHT play in pattern baldness?
DHT is made from testosterone, the male hormone. If there is too much of this hormone in the body, it affects the hair follicles and causes the hair to thin and grow for less than the usual time. This causes gradual hair loss as the follicles are all affected by DHT at different times, so the balding process takes a longer time.