Studies suggest that testosterone levels face an average drop of 1% every year after the age of 30. With such decreasing levels, hair loss is a common symptom experienced. Other symptoms usually include reduced muscle strength, low bone density, reduced libido, depressive moods, and possible erectile dysfunction.
Testosterone’s association with hair loss in men is linked to testosterone’s metabolite, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). While this can be a possible reason for a weakening scalp, other factors might also contribute. This makes it essential to understand the type of hair loss you are facing and its impact.
This article will give a complete overview of how testosterone can affect your hair and guide you about how to prevent hair loss while taking testosterone. It will also help you understand the different factors that influence hair loss and what are the best ways to minimize it.
How is Testosterone Linked With Hair Loss?
The growth of hair on your body is associated with the condition of hair follicles beneath your skin. These follicles hold hair strands that grow over 2-5 years, before they reach a resting phase, and eventually fall out.
You might wonder, does increasing testosterone increase hair growth? Well, that is only one aspect of the relationship. Increasing levels of androgens in the body stimulate the production of DHT. This hormone is produced from testosterone through an enzyme and is used by the body for different things. It shrinks the size of your hair follicles by binding to some proteins present in your body. With the reduced size of follicles, delayed hair growth and thinning hair are common aftermaths.
This shows that hair loss in men can occur as a result of both low and high levels of testosterone. Since only a small portion of testosterone gets changed into DHT, men with high testosterone can be immune to hair thinning and hair loss. The sensitivity of your hair follicles to DHT becomes the determining factor in this relationship.
How to Prevent Hair Loss While Taking Testosterone?
Taking testosterone helps with different things that can enhance your quality of life. During the intake of testosterone, it is important to be aware of the side effects, like loss of hair so you can manage the condition as you proceed with the treatment.
Therefore, it is best to employ hair loss prevention techniques that give strength to your hair follicle, and also don’t impact your treatment. Two types of medications specifically target DHT’s binding and production.
- Inhibitors: This type of medication limits the rate of DHT production in the body. Both finasteride and dutasteride work as inhibitors.
- Blockers: These restrict the binding of DHT with the receptors of hair follicles. Biotin and Minoxidil are often used as DHT blockers.
However, complete reliance on this does not guarantee full prevention, according to a subject matter expert.
DHT blockers can buy you time but none of the DHT blockers that we currently have can 100% block the conversion of testosterone to DHT.
How to Prevent Hair Loss on Testosterone: Proven Strategies
Wondering how to prevent hair loss on testosterone? Here is a rundown of strategies that can help you:
- Minoxidil: This is usually prescribed for conditions related to blood pressure. However, it can also help in hair growth when applied to the scalp.
- Finasteride: This is an oral medication that works as a blocker. By binding itself to 5-AR proteins, Finasteride prevents DHT binding with hair follicles. Finasteride is usually a solution people turn to when finding answers to how to prevent hair loss while taking testosterone.
- Pumpkin Seed Oil: This is known to be an effective DHT blocker and has shown a noticeable increase in average scalp hair count.
- Biotin: This is a natural B vitamin and helps maintain levels of keratin. This boosts the health of your skin, hair, and nails. While it can be taken as a medical supplement, it is also naturally present in nuts, whole grains, and eggs.
- Vitamin B-6 and B-12: B vitamins maintain your overall health and their deficiency can result in hair loss or thinning hair. While taking these supplements might not restore your hair, they can improve the blood flow to your follicles, thus making them healthy.
- Pygeum bark: This is mostly found as a herbal supplement and taken orally. Due to its DHT-blocking nature, it is likely an efficient method for treating hair loss.
- Caffeine: Caffeine regulates and boosts blood circulation to the hair follicles. This works to maintain your hair growth by extending the hair growth cycle, increasing hair growth, and stimulating the production of keratin.
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Different Types of Testosterone & Their Impact on Hair Loss
Testosterone does not exist in one shape in the body. It comes in different forms, each type having its purpose and role. Knowing the most common forms of testosterone found in your body can help you understand how this impacts hair loss:
- Bound Testosterone: This is the most common type of testosterone, usually attached to a sex hormone binding globium (SBHG), or albumin.
- Free Testosterone: This amounts to a small portion of testosterone in your body. Free testosterone is an androgen hormone that does not get attached to any proteins in the body.
- Dihydrotestosterone (DHT): This form of testosterone is mainly responsible for hair loss. It is produced after testosterone works with 5-alpha reductase and is considered stronger than testosterone.
How Does DHT Impact the Growth Cycle of Your Hair
With the shrinking of hair follicles, DHT interrupts the hair growth cycle, often stimulating hair loss.
Here is a breakdown of the process:
- Anagen Phase: The first phase is about hair follicles growing out of new hair. DHT can bind itself to the receptors present, thereby shortening the duration of this stage.
- Catagen Phase: With the presence of DHT, the hair follicles begin shrinking and the growth slows down. This is because the production of new hair in the follicles is stopped, and the strands are uprooted from the hair follicles. Over time, the size of the follicles keeps reducing which restricts the production of any new hair.
- Telogen Phase: Many people face the condition of telogen effluvium during this stage. With the resting phase of the cycle, the follicles become dormant and DHT can trigger excessive hair loss or hair thinning.
Taking supplements for testosterone and injections for testosterone can alleviate DHT levels, causing hair loss. However, this is not an irreversible change. Upon reaching a balanced level of hormones, your condition could improve. If you are wondering ‘Will hair grow back after testosterone treatment’, you should know that there’s evidence that it does get better.
Different Methods of Raising Testosterone Levels
Several ways can be used to boost testosterone. These supplements can be natural or artificial products that increase levels of testosterone in your body.
Here is an overview of possible pathways you can take:
- Testosterone Injections: Injectectible testosterone is formulated by testosterone esters in oil. These injections can be administered by injecting prescribed doses every 2-4 weeks, according to the requirements of your specific case. It is uncommon for these injections to be prescribed to women.
- Transdermal Testosterone: This method refers to the external application of medicated gels and patches to the skin. These come in different concentrations and recommended dosages which can change depending on your hormonal conditions.
- Testosterone Boosting Supplements: These supplements are formulated by compounds that directly increase the levels of testosterone in the body, or limit the conversion of testosterone into estrogen. Some of the common booster supplements are:
- D-aspartic acid: This amino acid acts on the hypothalamus, stimulating the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This leads to the release of a variety of hormones which include testosterone as well.
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA): As a steroid hormone, DHEA is used by the body to create testosterone and estrogen. These supplements come in different types and should be taken after proper medical consultation.
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Other Factors That Can Contribute to Hair Loss
Conditions related to hair loss are commonly found among men. While testosterone can contribute to this, other factors can affect your hair growth and health too. Here are a few reasons that can cause hair loss while taking testosterone:
Aging
Hair loss is a common aftermath of the aging process. In men, this can be linked to the naturally lowering levels of testosterone in the body. These effects can be regulated by adopting a healthier lifestyle and taking care of your body.
Stress
Stress is commonly associated with hair loss and different types of hair loss are triggered by varying stress levels. Since stress can push your hair follicles into a resting phase, hair fallout may happen as a result. In the case of extreme stress, the body’s immune system can also react and attack the hair follicles, causing hair loss.
Adjustment Period
While taking treatments for testosterone, it is normal for your body to react to the new environment and medications. A notable symptom that might arise from this adjustment is hair loss or thinning. This response can be unsettling, leading many to question: Will hair grow back after testosterone treatment?
If your body has been low on testosterone for a while, it might take time to adjust to the rising levels of the hormone in your body. One of the symptoms of this can be hair loss and hair thinning. However, this is usually short-term.
Genetics
Genes can majorly contribute to male pattern baldness, particularly after the age of 50. If you are facing hair loss while taking testosterone, it might be a result of your genetic predisposition towards early male pattern balding. According to studies, around 80% of the people who were losing hair had a family history of someone with the same condition.
How to Diagnose Different Reasons for Hair Loss
If your hair loss is suspected to be an aftermath of a deficiency, hormonal fluctuation, or medical condition, you might be prescribed some tests for the diagnosis. Here are some of the common factors you should be aware of while experiencing hair loss:
Are You Anemic?
Iron deficiency is a major contributor to conditions of hair loss. You might be prescribed to get your iron levels checked, which indicates the health of red blood cells in your bloodstream. If you are anemic, hair loss is a common symptom. Taking an iron-rich diet which includes leafy vegetables, red meat, and whole grains can improve the condition.
Is it Related to Thyroid?
Your hair loss can be an indicator of an underlying thyroid disease such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Such diseases can over-stimulate or underproduce certain hormones that might destroy hair follicles. If you are facing excessive hair loss, fluctuating weight, and constant fatigue, getting tested for thyroid-stimulating hormones is a good choice.
Are Your Hormones Fluctuating?
Hormonal imbalance, particularly the excess of androgen can contribute to hair loss. In the case of women, high levels of androgen, especially testosterone can lead to this. If you are dealing with thinning hair, increasing testosterone causing increasing hair growth on the face, and irregular menstrual cycles, you should get a hormonal test to diagnose the root cause.
Will Hair Grow Back After Testosterone Treatment: Exploring Lifestyle Changes
It is natural to ask if your hair will grow back after testosterone treatment. With a change in lifestyle and adopting healthy habits, you can restore the health of your hair. This includes a more enriching diet and a wise choice of hair treatments. While you won’t be able to regain your hair strength overnight, these tips will set you on the journey of better hair.
Adopt a Healthy Diet
What goes in your stomach plays a significant role in the health of your hair and body. If your hair is thinning and feeling brittle, it might be pointing at some deficiency. Include a high protein intake like fish, eggs, and poultry in your routine which will help strengthen your hair. Foods with a high composition of omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and iron can also benefit you.
Prevent Your Hair From Sun Damage
Studies show that exposure to the sun can severely damage your hair. These radiations from the sun include UVB and UVA which are responsible for the loss of protein in hair, and damage to hair pigment, respectively. Excessive frizziness, split ends and dryness are common results of hair that are damaged by the sun.
To combat this, it is recommended to avoid direct contact with the sun during peak heat hours of the day, seek shade, and cover yourself with an umbrella while walking outside.
Avoid Stress
Being in a constant state of stress and anxiety can take a serious toll on the health of your hair. If you have just come out of a testosterone treatment, avoid excessive stress to regain hair strength. You can achieve this by taking up stress-reducing exercises like yoga, sustaining a hobby, deep breathing exercises, and meditation.
Quit Smoking and Alcohol
Smoking and alcohol consumption are frequently linked to accelerated hair loss. This is because both limit blood and oxygen flow to the hair follicles, thus restricting growth. If you want to restore the health of your hair, cut down on these habits and embrace a healthy lifestyle.
Seek Expert Advice
After a testosterone treatment, consult an expert for medical advice on how to prevent hair loss on testosterone. They can evaluate your history and condition to guide you about possible pathways and lifestyle changes.
You can also consult our clinically backed book for insights about how to restore hair health and prevent hair loss. Start your journey to hair loss recovery today.
Key Takeaways
- Testosterone treatments are associated with hair loss in men, majorly caused by dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
- Both high and low levels of testosterone can lead to hair loss and hair thinning.
- DHT is responsible for interrupting the hair growth cycle, which stimulates hair loss.
- There are different pathways for increasing testosterone levels. These include testosterone injections, transdermal testosterone, and testosterone-boosting supplements.
- How to prevent hair loss while taking testosterone involves incorporating supplements known as DHT blockers or inhibitors to help protect hair follicles from hormonal effects.
- Testosterone is not the only cause of hair loss. These conditions can also be triggered by aging, stress, adjustment periods of the body, and genetics.
- A healthy lifestyle can help with restoring the health of your hair.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Prevent Hair Loss While Taking Testosterone?
Does increasing testosterone increase hair growth?
Yes, testosterone can increase body hair. The impact is especially visible on the chest, arms, and back of those who are undertaking testosterone treatment.
What are the factors that increase DHT?
Different factors like smoking, unhealthy diet, excessive alcohol consumption, and certain medications can raise DHT levels in your body.
Can testosterone lead to hair loss?
Yes, rising testosterone can make more DHT, which might cause hair to thin or fall out.
Will my hair grow back after testosterone treatment?
It may take time for your hair to recover after testosterone treatment, but with a healthy lifestyle, you can restore your hair after the treatment has finished.
Discover real, drug-free solutions in our e-book, backed by clinical research.
Topics include:
-Anti-inflammatory strategies for improved blood flow to the scalp
-How to balance estrogen and prolactin naturally
-The downside of frequently wearing hats
-Organic alternatives to Rogaine
-Ditching sulfates for a healthier scalp
-Unbound iron and its role in oxidative stress
And much more!
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