DHT Blockers: A Cure for Hair Loss Caused by DHT?

DHT and How it Causes Baldness

Hair loss caused by DHT in men is an inherited condition, which is determined by the man’s sensitivity to DHT. DHT is produced in the body by a reaction between 5-alpha-reductase enzymes and testosterone. The more of it there is in the body, the more likelihood there is of experiencing hair loss.

DHT causes male pattern baldness by shortening the growth cycle of hair and making the follicles smaller and smaller, which causes the production of hair that is much finer than normal. So DHT blockers cure hair loss caused by DHT by doing exactly what they imply, they prevent the chemical reaction between 5-alpha-reductase enzymes and testosterone from taking place, and hence no DHT in the body and so less hair loss.

Over-the-Counter DHT Blockers

There are several examples of DHT blockers that can be purchased over the counter for hair loss caused by DHT. A few of the more popular ones are Hairgenesis, Procerin, and Avacor. Avacor has both a pill form, and a shampoo form which when used together is supposed to grow back hair.

Like Avacor, Hairgenesis comes in both pill and topical forms both of which are supposed to arrest the formation of DHT. Unlike the previous two DHT blockers used for hair loss caused by DHT, Procerin is a pill that is taken twice a day. All three except for Hairgenesis contain a combination of herbs such as saw palmetto, and chemical treatments such as minoxidil.

Clinical Studies

Hairgenesis is the only over the counter DHT blocker to treat hair loss caused by DHT which has done a scientific clinical study using methods which were achieved using FDA-regulated IRB-monitored measures. Also this study unlike others was published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

This study found that 60 percent of the people who took Hairgenesis softgels were rated as having grown hair on their last visit. Neither Avacor nor Procerin appear to have had either independent studies or studies using FDA-regulated IRB-monitored measures as Hairgenesis has done.

Whether you choose to treat your hair loss caused by DHT with over-the-counter DHT blockers is a choice anyone with hair loss will have to make. In some cases it appeared to be quite cost prohibitive, though; Hairgenesis softgels cost $75.95 per month. Since you would have to take the DHT blocker for the rest of your life to be effective, cost definitely will play a factor in whether or not you choose over-the-counter DHT blockers to treat hair loss caused by DHT.