DHT Blockers and Inhibitors
So what is DHT anyway? Dihydrotestosterone, i.e. DHT is an active
metabolite of the testosterone hormone that is formed in the adrenal
gland, hair follicles, prostate glands and testes. DHT belongs to
the class of compound known as Androgens, which is commonly known
as the testoids or androgenic hormone. DHT is a naturally occurring
hormone, but in genitically predisposed people, DHT can bind to the
hair follicle and cause hair loss by deteriorating the follcile. Once
the follicle damaged too much, it cannot repair itself and ultimately
dies, unable to product further hair.
Understanding the role of the dihydrotestosterone in both female
and male
pattern baldness is an important step to finding treatment. Products
that prevent those hormones are often called DHT Blockers.
DHT in Detail
Males produce the DHT in utero. This helps in the formation of the
male specific characteristic such as development of the body hair,
development of the facial hair, thickness of the voice and etc. DHT
Blockers work to prevent the effects of this hormone after the puberty
phase is completed, and the abundance of this compound is no longer
needed in men.
Researchers have established that DHT
is 30 times more potent as compared to the testosterone hormone.
This is due to the fact that it has an increased affinity for the
androgen receptor. However, as mentioned earlier, there are many
topical DHT blockers and inhibitors that are easily available in
the open market under different brand names – being manufactured
and marketed by different companies. Provillus,
Finasteride (Propecia),
Inhairit,
Procerin,
Revivogen, Ketoconazole and are some of the more popular DHT inhibitors.
Ketoconezole is a synthetic drug that has some properties of both
anti-fungal and 5-alfa reductase inhibitor. 5-alfa reductase is
basically an enzyme that converts the male sex hormone (testosterone)
into DHT.
Saw Palmetto is one of the best herbal or natural DHT blockers,
which proves to be far cheaper than most of the other contemporary
DHT inhibitors in the market, but may not be as effective for some
people as the products listed above. Some natural
shampoos and herbal hair growth supplelements also contain Saw
Palmetto and Nettles. Shen Min DHT Blocker is one example. Blocking
DHT is effective in slowing the effects of the hormone on the follicle,
slowing hair loss. Some hair loss shampoo formulas report using Saw
Palmetto in their ingredients list as a topical herbal inhibitor
for DHT.
It is believed that DHT also participates in the development of
acne and male pattern baldness. Women suffering from the high level
of the dihydrotestosterone or DHT mostly develop some androgynous
male secondary sex properties such as hair growth just above their
upper lips, more developed muscles and thick voice. Although the
exact reasons have yet to be discovered it has been established
by the researchers that the overproduction of DHT leaves the subjects
exposed to the risks of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia
BHP. Therefore, for more than one reason, men search for an effective
way to block DHT.
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