Does Increased Testosterone Increase the DHT?
Hi,
I just have a quick question, does increased testosterone levels increase dht levels? Say if you take testosterone pills or shots does that increase dht levels? Thanks for your time
Yes. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a metabolic bi-product of testosterone. If you have the genetic predisposition for male pattern androgenic alopecia, increased DHT will accelerate the balding process.
Doctor,
What if you are using Propecia or Avodart would the increase in T levels harm the hair if you are blocking the production of DHT?
Hi Bill it depends on what type of testosterone you are using as some can convert to DHT through varying pathways. Propecia does not block all DHT and the amount can vary from person to person. Avodart blocks more DHT but this can have more severe side effects as some DHT is needed for libido etc.
You can generally restore testosterone to your normal baseline if you experience a loss but raising testosterone above your baseline would possibly cause higher DHT conversion rates.
For example some men over 50 use t replacement and this would probably have no real impact on propecia over and above normal experience. If you took a large dose of test based steroids though for muscle gain it would still elevate DHT levels even with propecia or avodart.
I was thinking more in terms of boosting low T to normal levels. There has been proof out of Harvard that Vitamin D can help restore low T levels. And there has also been some cases of Vitamin D helping thinning hair. Found that interesting.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/vitamin-d-supplementation-shown-to-boost-testosterone-levels-in-men-according-to-harvard-school-of-public-health-study-2012-04-19
If you have an unusually impaired testosterone level and use supplements or straight forward ART (androgen replacement therapy) then propecia and avodart would seem to continue doing the same job – preventing a certain percentage of testosterone converting to DHT. testosterone can be impaired for a number of reasons so returning it to baseline is unlikely to impact your hair.
I am aware that certain vitamin D forms are used in natural testosterone booster supplements as vitamin D is involved in hormone regulation. I’m not sure why it would help the hairline but it could be something to do with supplying a nutrient deficiency? Some men do lose hair due to severe malnutrition.
Returning a subdued level of testosterone to your normal baseline is often a very small change. The issue is with those using steroids which can increase androgens several hundred times depending on the product used.