Testosterone and Hair Loss – Why It Is Important To Get Diagnosed

Testosterone and hair loss often coexists. There is some good news: testosterone can be a good thing. It makes us self-confident, vibrant and gets us in the mood. The bad? Too much could make your life miserable and anxious, triggering an abundance of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenalin. We might seek out comfort foods, causing weight gain, lethargy and an increase in even more hormones. But elevated hormone levels can also be a symptom of a more serious disease, so it’s important to see a physician if this might be the case.

There is not only one thing causing hair loss – more often than not, it is caused by many different factors, some simultaneously. Examples can be aging, hormone imbalance, stress, vitamin deficiency or poor scalp circulation.

Since hair loss is typically multi-factorial, it only stands to reason that it would be beneficial to address it with many synergistically working ingredients.

The ingredients in Nutrafol include vitamins and minerals, but also natural adaptogens and substances like saw palmetto that inhibit the production of DHT (we’ll talk about that more later). Nutrafol also contains botanicals, antioxidants. Below we will go through some common diagnoses that can lead to increased levels of testosterone and hair loss.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): 5 to 10 percent of American women are affected by this hormonal-endocrine disorder. It is often hard to diagnose because of the abundance of symptoms. Women with PCOS produce excessive testosterone, leading to hair loss on the head, but increased hair growth on the face or other body parts. Very often, these women become overweight or obese and also experience acne. Early detection is crucial since it can also lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Adrenal Disease: When someone lacks a specific enzyme called enzyme 21-hydroxylase, their body cannot secrete enough of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone. The very sensitive balance of hormones in the body is then disrupted. When the adrenal senses low levels of cortisone it starts flooding the body with other hormones, which can result in an excess of androgens, or male steroid hormones. This leads to disrupted hair growth, among other things.

Hyperthyroidism: This thyroid disease leads to elevated levels of testosterone in both men and women. The thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine and speeds up the body’s metabolism. This leads to weight loss, rapid heartbeats, difficulty sleeping, anxiety and more. And consequently, increased testosterone and hair loss.

Male pattern baldness: While it is not testosterone per se that bald men have too much of, it IS a sensitivity to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Cells in the scalp convert the testosterone to DHT, which some hair follicles are more sensitive to and therefore shrink until they become non-existent.

It’s important to note is that a genetic predisposition does not mean that you absolutely will experience the same things that seem to run in the family. However, your body is likely more sensitive to a specific hormone or substance, in this case DHT.

Menopause: Many women experience the sharp drop in estrogen and progesterone and an increase in testosterone during menopause, which is an inevitable part of aging.

Almost anything can disrupt our hair follicles. Internal triggers can be hormone imbalances, stress, vitamin deficiency, illness, medications or genes. External ones are for example pollution, over-styling and chemicals.

Even though higher levels of testosterone and hair loss are unavoidable during some stages in life, it does not need to be now. Natural supplements can help restore hormone levels in the body and promote a healthier scalp. That is why it’s beneficial to understand the science behind improved hair health.