Biochemical Roles of Testosterone and Epitestosterone to 5α-Reductase as Indicators of Male-Pattern Baldness

    January 2001 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”
    Man Ho Choi, Young Sook Yoo, Bong Chul Chung
    Image of study
    TLDR High testosterone to epitestosterone ratio in hair could predict male-pattern baldness.
    The study from January 2001 analyzed the correlation between testosterone, epitestosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and 5α-reductase in hair to predict male-pattern baldness (MPB). It included 19 balding fathers (aged 28–55), 16 of their sons (aged 8–16), and 55 age-matched nonbalding control subjects. The results showed a significantly higher testosterone to epitestosterone ratio in the hair of balding fathers (mean 46.41, p<0.001) and their sons (mean 35.83, p<0.001) compared to nonbalding controls (mean 9.17 and 10.47, respectively). This suggests that a high testosterone to epitestosterone ratio is characteristic of MPB and that epitestosterone may inhibit 5α-reductase, potentially reducing DHT levels in hair follicles. The study concluded that measuring these steroids in hair could help predict MPB at a young age and assist in prevention and treatment by managing steroid hormone balance.
    Discuss this study in the Community →

    Research cited in this study

    9 / 9 results

    Related Community Posts Join

    6 / 1000+ results

      community Who here has maintained with finasteride for decades?

      in Finasteride/Dutasteride  133 upvotes 2 years ago
      People have been using finasteride for 10 to 20+ years to maintain their hairline, with many reporting success and no significant side effects. Some users have combined finasteride with minoxidil for better results, and a few have switched to dutasteride or added hair transplants when finasteride was less effective.

      community For those who switched from finasteride to Dutasteride !

      in Chat  43 upvotes 2 years ago
      People discussed switching from finasteride to dutasteride for hair loss treatment. They reported satisfaction with dutasteride, noting it was more effective than finasteride, particularly after finasteride's effects diminished, and some experienced additional benefits like cost savings and stabilized hair loss, rating dutasteride highly as a treatment.

      community 9 months on Finasteride 1,25mg + HRT

      in Transgender  17 upvotes 1 year ago
      The conversation is about the results of using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen and finasteride for hair loss, and switching from finasteride to bicalutamide as an anti-androgen treatment. The user shared before and after photos to discuss the effectiveness of these treatments.

      community Blood test 3 days after finasteride. Is it ok?

      in Finasteride/Dutasteride  3 upvotes 1 year ago
      A user asked if taking a blood test 3 days after starting finasteride would affect the results for Estradiol, FSH, SHBG, Progesterone, and DHEA-S. The conversation is about the timing of blood tests after beginning finasteride treatment.

    Related Research

    1 / 1 results