Is Supplemental Testosterone Good for Hair Loss?

No one wants to lose their hair as they get older. While balding is typically thought of as a man's problem, hair loss and thinning hair affect older women as well. The amount of testosterone in your system---whether you're a man or a woman---is associated with hair loss, but supplementing directly with testosterone may not be the best solution to save your hair.

Testosterone and Hair Loss

• In men testosterone levels begin to drop at age 30 and steadily decline through middle age and into the later years. Women experience a sudden drop in testosterone levels during menopause. Low testosterone levels can lead to hair loss and thinning hair, but in men excess amounts of DHT are more directly associated with hair loss. DHT is a more aggressive form of testosterone. Because your body can convert additional testosterone into DHT, supplementing directly with testosterone can actually lead to more dramatic hair loss.

Risks of Testosterone Supplementation

• If you supplement with testosterone to correct low testosterone levels, it's important that you do so only under a doctor's care. The primary risk of using supplements to boost testosterone is that you will increase your levels to higher-than-normal for your body. When that happens, you might experience minor side effects like greater hair loss and acne. You may also develop heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or other serious conditions.

Control DHT Naturally

• Rather than supplement with testosterone to control hair loss, you will likely have better results by taking steps to naturally control your DHT levels, particularly the DHT affecting your scalp. When your scalp produces high levels of sebum---the oil naturally found on the scalp---your hair follicles can become clogged. Men with higher levels of sebum also have higher levels of the enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT.

  By taking steps to control the oil production on your scalp, you can slow or prevent hair loss. The number one thing to do to control sebum production is to shampoo less often. When you shampoo, you strip your scalp of oils. That signals the glands that produce sebum to start producing more oil. By reducing how often you shampoo to twice a week, you can balance sebum production and protect your hair. To keep your hair looking shiny and healthy between shampooing, wash your hair with warm water, massaging your scalp as you do. Then brush your hair thoroughly.