Disclaimer:

This book is for information purposes only and is not intended as medical
or professional advice. ALWAYS CHECK WITH A DOCTOR FIRST
BEFORE BEGINNING ANY HEALTH PROGRAM. This can never be
stressed enough. There is always the possibility of an underlying condition
which is causing your hair loss or may otherwise jeopardize your health if
you start making too many changes too quickly. Only your doctor can tell
if you are healthy enough to start any fitness program.
When it comes to the different techniques discussed in this e-book,
always remember to use common sense. Take responsibility for your
health and safety. If you are sedentary or very out of shape, start slowly.
If there is a certain technique you have had specific health concerns
with in the past, it may be safer for you to find alternative methods.
If you are taking any medications, make sure you discuss how those
medications will interact with the exercise, nutrition, and supplements
recommended in the book.
You are the only one who can decide if the Hair Loss Black Book is the
right program for you. The authors of this book have made every effort
to provide you with correct and complete information regarding hair loss.
The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to
any person or entity with respect to any of the information contained
in this manual. The user assumes all risk for any injury, personal loss
or illness as a result of the information and techniques described in
this book.

About Hair Loss

Introduction

Over 27% of all men will have visible signs of baldness by the time they
are 30. By the time they turn 60, more than 65% of all men will have
significant hair loss. But, it is not just men. In the United States alone,
more than 21 million women have noticeably thinning hair.
According to US Hair Treatment statistics, the epidemic is on the rise.
The percentage has been rising markedly since the mid 1950s. As you
can see in Figure 1 (Page 6), it has continued to rise noticeably just in
the past decade despite our modern medical advances.
With so many people suffering from hair loss worldwide, you would think
that society in general would be very accepting of the issue. In fact, quite
the contrary is true. While there are men who shave their heads and
are considered sexy, people normally associate a full head of hair with
health, beauty, and strength. Most men with hair loss are stereotyped
as older, less attractive, and even weak. Society is even less accepting
of women with hair loss, forcing them to wear wigs and weaves or suffer
less respect and success in their career and their personal lives.

You are not vain to want a full head of hair. Nor is it vanity which terrified
you the first time you noticed the unusually large amount of hair that
came out in your hands while shampooing. It is a valid concern. No
matter how many of your friends tell you its not a big deal or its
hardly noticeable, you know the truth. For better or worse, our society
is driven by physical appearance and you worry how you will be received
if you cannot stop and reverse the process.
Unfortunately, there is an entire industry out there preying on these
fears. A recent study published in The Washington Post stated that
Americans will spend more than 3.5 billion dollars trying to cure their hair
loss with prescriptions, procedures, and miracle products. However,
99% of these treatments do not work and the other 1% does not work
for everyone.
Next time you get a chance, look at the back of the package of the most
popular hair loss product. Somewhere on the package, typically under
the claims to re-grow hair, you will see a small *. If you follow that * to
the most inconspicuous part of the box, you will typically see tiny writing
that reads something along these lines: ..... of patients who perceived
improved...... Perceived is a pretty iffy word when you are spending
hundreds of dollars, trying to prevent life-long baldness, and possibly
risking your health.
Some people have resorted to extreme measures to restore their hair.
Hair transplant surgery is becoming more and more common. However,
there are only a few surgeons in the world that have consistent reputation
for success and they are extremely expensive. Too many surgeons out
there do not have trustworthy skills and can leave you with scalp scaring
(where no hair will grow) or grid-like seeding that is very noticeable for
the rest of your life. Furthermore, if you do not correct the underlying
issue causing the hair loss, your hair will continue to fall out and you will
enter a never ending, painful cycle of hair grafting.
While these may seem like dismal statistics, they really arent. It is
proof that you can stop spending thousands of dollars on therapies
that are not productive and are no better for you than junk food. The
truth is that your solution, and possible cure, will not cost you anymore
than the time it takes to learn more about your body and correct your
unhealthy habits.
Whether you hair loss is extreme or just beginning, whether you are
a man or a woman, the Hair Loss Black Book is going to help you. In
the book, you will learn facts about how amazing your body really is.
Learning how your body works will be the key to discovering the root
of your hair loss.
Knowing why you are losing your hair will be your best weapon in the
fight to keep a full head of hair. Too many people never realize the true
cause of their hair loss and, subsequently, lose the fight against hair

loss. On the other hand, arming yourself with that elusive secret will
help you make strategic changes in every aspect of your life which will
stop the process of hair loss and start hair growth. The Hair Loss Black
Book will guide the way.

How Hair Grows

It is very important you understand how healthy hair grows naturally.

This will help you better understand the nature of your hair loss as well
as the clues to fix it. The process is actually rather simple, but sometimes
the simplest things which give us the most trouble.

Hair Anatomy 101

While there are different layers of the skin and many other components
to the scalp, all you really need to know is that there are 6 main
components. These are the 6 components controlling how your hair
grows, how healthy it is, and when it falls out. Understanding each of
these components will give you the upper hand.

Blood Supply

5 of the main components can

be seen in Figure 2 (right).
The sixth, blood supply, is
often taken for granted but it
is the most important part of
your scalp. Essentially, there
are thick veins running just
under the hair roots which
carry blood to and from your
scalp. Additionally, there are
literally thousands of capillaries
weaving throughout your scalp
at all depths. Many of these capillaries end
at the hair root itself. Some are so shallow they can be
seen under the hair and appear similar to a strawberry birthmark.
Blood circulation is critical to bringing all the nutrients and other supplies
your hair needs to thrive. Later in this book, you will learn about vitamin
and mineral supplements, along with dietary nutrients, your body needs
to grow healthy hair that will not fall out. The only way these nutrients
can get to your scalp is through your blood.
There are also plenty of hormones in that blood supply. Many of these
hormones are growth hormones, needed to grown hair and keep your
scalp and skull healthy. However, one hormone, Dihydrotestosterone or
DHT, is responsible for most instances of hair loss. You will learn a lot
about DHT throughout this book, but it is essentially that you keep in
mind that DHT reaches your scalp through your bloodstream, so it must
be dealt with both externally and internally.

Hair Follicle and Root

The hair follicle refers to the root of the hair sitting approximately
4 millimeters below the surface of the skin, the entire shaft under the
skin from which the hair grows, and the small opening at the surface of
your skin from which the hair protrudes called the pore.
The root serves many important purposes. The root gleans protein and
other old cells from your bloodstream. It packs these cells together into
fine, rope-like strands of protein. If you have ever pulled a hair out,
you have probably seen a white, translucent bulb at the end. This is the
root; this is the newest formed hair proteins that have yet to assume
a mature structure or color. At the tip of that white bulb you will see a
sharp point where the root was connected to the blood supply, anchoring
it to your head. On a healthy scalp, the follicle will immediately begin to
repack protein cells and form a new root that will eventually emerge as
a new hair.
As the hair grows up the follicle shaft, it is tightened and ripened. This
is when the hair cuticles smooth out, giving hair that sleek appearance.
This is also when the natural color appears. For head hair, it takes about
a week for the hair at the root to emerge at the skin. Once the hair
emerges out of the skin, it is already mature.

Sebaceous Gland and Sebum

The Sebaceous gland sits next to the follicle just above the root. Every
hair follicle on your body has at least one sebaceous gland, but most
have two. The purpose of the sebaceous gland is to produce the oils
and fatty acids, called sebum, which condition both your hair and your
skin. Without the sebaceous gland, your skin would not be able to heal
and protect you from the elements. Your dry skin would cause dandruff
and your hair would become so dry that it would break off close to
the scalp.
The sebaceous gland attaches to the follicle through a tiny duct. This
duct carries the sebum to the maturing hair, ensuring it will grow out
moisturized and strong. It is important to note, if you ever suffer from
acne on your scalp it is because your pore has become clogged (either
from external dirt or an ingrown hair). Despite the clog, the sebaceous
glands have continued to produce sebum and now there is an excess
bulging from under your skins surface.

The Skin Surface

The surface of the skin, where the pore is located, is just as important
as any other part of the hair anatomy. The hair protrudes from the
pore and tiny, microscopic muscles on the skins surface help point the
hair perpendicular to the skin. When these muscles are not functioning
correctly, hair can become more parallel and often becomes ingrown into
the skin. The skin surface is also where the excess sebum accumulates.
If this sebum mixes with dirt and germs from an unclean scalp, it can

cause the pore to clog.

The pore is the only external access you have to your hair follicle and
sebaceous gland. As you will learn in this book, treating hair loss is
both an internal and external process. You treat it internally by the diet
and the lifestyle choices you make, you treat it externally using scalp
remedies which enter the pore and travel down the shaft to restore the
root and sebaceous gland to normal, healthy function.

The Hair Growth Cycle

Even someone with fantastic hair is continually losing about 70 to 200
hairs per day. The shedding hairs were at the end of the hair growth
cycle and a new cycle is about to begin with a new hair. At any given
time, 1/3 of the hair on their head is one of the three stages of the hair
growth cycle. The stage of each hair on your head varies to keep all of
your hair from falling out and re-growing at once.

The Anagen Stage

This is the first stage of the hair growth cycle. This is when the follicle is
actively packing old protein cells into chains, the process called growing
hair. There are several mini-Anagen stages, but you only really need to
know that this is when hair grows. On a healthy scalp, the stage can last
up to 8 years.

The Catagen Stage

After the hair finishes growing, a period of break down begins. The
hair follicle itself begins to shrink. This shrinking pulls the hair root away
from its blood supply and seperates it from the walls of the follicle.
The hair does not fall out at this stage, but it is becoming less and less
supported by the follicle shaft. This process can last up to a month.

The Telogen Stage

After the breakdown process is complete, the hair follicle rests. The
components of the follicles root are resting in preparation of building a
new hair structure. This process can last up to 6 weeks and it is during
this time that hair normally falls out.
At the end of the Telogen phase, the follicle slowly begins to resume its
normal size as it prepares for future hair growth by storing old protein
particles from the blood stream. Once it is fully rested and has enough
protein stores, the hair will reenter the Anagen stage. In fact, the two
stages of the cycle often overlap at this point as the new Anagen hair
forces the older Telogen hair out of the pore.

The Lesson?
This is a quick lesson plan on how your hair grows. Keep in mind, this
is the ideal process for someone with a full head of hair that is growing
strong. Now, it is time to examine the reasons why this process is not
working for you.

Medical Reasons For Hair Loss You Need To

Know
More than 90% of all hair loss is from androgenic alopecia, also known
as male and female pattern baldness. This book is dedicated to helping
you overcome androgenic alopecia. However, the other 10% must first
be addressed.

The Other 10%

All hair loss is a symptom of deeper health problems within your body.
In the case of the 10% it is often the symptom of a condition which can
be treated, managed, or even cured. However, it is also sometimes the
symptom of something very acute and life threatening.

A Shock To the System

Next to androgenic hair loss, telogen effluvium is the next most common
cause. According to Mayo Clinic research, this type of hair loss has many
causes but all stemming from an acute shock to your system. Sometimes,
this shock is from something obvious like surgery or suffering from a
severe influenza that brings on a sudden high temperature. It often
appears in cases of extreme dieting when the body has been forced into
a state of malnutrition.
It is important to note that many blood disorders are associated with
Telogen Effluvium. For example, if a hemophiliac is suffering hair loss it
may be a sign of internal blood seepage and an overall lack of control over
the condition. The various types of anemia can also cause chronic telogen
effluvium. However, it is important to note that the nutritional deficiencies
that influence androgenic alopecia frequently cause anemia.

Autoimmune Disorder
Alopecia areata is more commonly known as the bald spot on the back
of the head but it can appear on other parts of the scalp and eventually
involve the entire head. In some cases, hair may grow back but in most
cases the hair loss quickly becomes permanent. Many people assume
this type of hair loss is the same as male/female pattern androgenic
hair loss. It is not the same and it is often a sign of greater health
problems down the road.
Alopecia areata is believed to be caused by an autoimmune problem.
Your immune system literally attacks your hair follicles as it would
a foreign germ. The hair follicles sicken and will eventually die. The
problem is that the autoimmune disorder will not go away once the
hair follicle dies. It will begin to attack more vital body parts like your
joints, in the form of rheumatoid arthritis, and your skin in the form
of eczema. It can even cause ulcerative colitis and lupus. As you can
see, a bald spot should be taken very seriously.

Radiation Exposure

Anyone familiar with cancer treatments will tells you that radiation leads
to hair loss. This is mainly because radiation causes massive instability
in your normal endocrine function. Your body struggles to maintain its
health and shuts down unnecessary functions like growing hair. Most
people have radiation-related hair loss due to medical treatments. The
hair will typically grow back within a year of stopping treatments.
It is possible to have radiation related hair loss that does not involve
medical treatments. Certain jobs have increased exposure risk to radiation
such as security screeners, those in the energy industry, manufacturers
of certain household equipment like microwaves and thermometers, and
the medical experts who provide radioactive medical treatments. If you
are in one of those jobs and are experiencing hair loss, verify that you
are using every safety precaution correctly. Also, your employer should
have equipment to help you detect any radiation exposure.

Thyroid Malfunction
The human thyroid is one of the most complex organs in your body. This
little butterfly-shaped organ sitting at the base of your throat literally
regulates all of your body functions from how fast your heart beats to
how efficiently you digest food. Your thyroid pumps out thyroid hormones
all over you body, signaling the creation of every other hormone in
your body.
As you can imagine, if something is wrong with your thyroid the rest of
your body is going to falter. Endocrinologists often monitor a patients
hair in order to track thyroid function. Thyroid malfunction can be any
number of things from too little thyroid hormone to too much. There are
also more complex thyroid diseases and, of course, thyroid cancer is
very common. Women are especially susceptible to thyroid malfunction.
Fortunately, almost all thyroid disorders are treatable and most of the
time curable.

Pregnancy
The last thing a pregnant or postpartum woman, filled with unstable
hormones and the angst of a new child, needs is to realize she is losing
her hair. Yet, 40% of women will suffer hair loss during and especially
after their pregnancy. In many cases, the hair loss will be severe.
If this is happening to you, do not be afraid. It is very normal. While
your body works to grow a healthy baby, it puts unnecessary body
functions on hold. Your hair enters a prolonged Telogen phase that can
last throughout the pregnancy and for approximately 6 months after the
baby is born. Nevertheless, it will eventually reenter the Anagen phase
and new hair will grow.
It is important to note that if your hair keeps falling out beyond the 6
months postpartum stage, you need to see your doctor. A woman is most
susceptible to thyroid malfunction and thyroid cancer after pregnancy. It
will be important to get the proper blood work. However, if you are not 6

months out yet, it is too soon to worry about there being any problem.

Talk To Your Doctor

These are just a few of the health conditions causing hair loss in men
and women. There are countless other conditions that can cause hair
loss. This is why it is absolutely essential you see a doctor, preferably an
endocrinologist, as soon as you first notice your hair loss.
Your doctor will probably order a thorough panel of blood work and
other laboratory tests in addition to giving you a full body checkup. If
your doctor does not examine your health to this level, you should get a
second opinion. It is not good enough for your doctor to say well, some
people lose their hair until he or she is absolutely certain there is not
another health problem present.
That being said, it is very likely that you have androgenic alopecia like
most hair loss sufferers. This is when your doctor may prescribe you a
medication that will cause more harm than good. However, it is more
likely that your doctor will metaphorically throw their hands up and give
you a long explanation of how some people lose their hair, many times
it is genetic, and there is really nothing that can be done about it.
In truth, most doctors admit they hate making this diagnosis. Unlike
most conditions they treat, there is no quick fix. However, even if there
is no quick fix your doctor can give you, you can still stop hair loss on
your own if you have patience and diligence. Once your doctor gives you
the all clear and verifies you are suffering from androgenic hair loss, you
will be ready for the next step.

Your Hairs Enemy

Why Most Of Us Are Losing Our Hair

Before we get started, a few myths need to be cleared up. You are not
losing your hair because you wore a hat too much. You are not losing
your hair because you over styled it. You are not losing your hair because
of sunburn you received 10 years ago. Stop punishing yourself for those
things right now.
If you have ruled out other medical
conditions for hair loss, then you have
probably come to the conclusion that you
are one of the 90% of hair loss sufferers
with androgenic alopecia, or male and
female pattern baldness.
In men this typically begins at the crown
and spreads to the temples. It can also start
at the hairline and work toward the crown
which is commonly referred to as a receding
hairline. Female pattern hair loss occurs in a

similar pattern; however women are also prone to

light thinning all over their head at the same time.
So, what is androgenic alopecia? Androgens are steroid hormones. Like
most hormones, androgens are excreted by various organs and body
parts. As they enter your system, hormones trigger reactions from
cells that cause your various bodily functions to occur. Hormones are
responsible for every function from metabolizing food to healing wounds.
Androgens are the hormones responsible for human sexual development
along with related functions such as adrenal secretions, fertility, blood
sugar and insulin maintenance, and some liver processes. The most
common androgen is testosterone. Aside from sexual maturity, in men
testosterone is also responsible for the most recognizable masculine
traits like larger muscles, a bigger frame, and reduced body fat. However,
they also increase fertility, manage cholesterol, and maintain healthy
prostate function.
In women, this basic androgen form of testosterone is also present, along
with a similar androgen called progesterone. However, a womans body
is normally able to convert that testosterone into a complex version of
estrogen. All forms of estrogen are the exact opposite of testosterone and
progesterone. As in men, this complex hormone manages cholesterol,
fertility, bone growth, liver and pancreas function, but it also maintains
the feminine form and cycles.
As you can see, androgens are very useful when your body is functioning
correctly. So, how can androgens make your hair fall out? Well, just like
any other hormone or chemical, if your androgens get out of balance
your whole body breaks down.
Your hair follicles are naturally sensitive to androgens. Hormone receptors,
especially enzymes, are imbedded in all of the tissue surrounding your
hair follicle. When your body goes through a hormonal change, it is
natural and normal for your hair to respond accordingly. This is why men
get facial hair when they enter puberty. It is why women get that belly
line when they are pregnant.
When your hormones are functioning correctly, your hair only goes
through fluctuations at the normal stages of maturation. As soon as
your hormones are not acting the way your body expects, it is a totally
different story. Pardon the pun, but this is the root of your problem.

Stop Blaming Genetics

When you started losing your hair, chances are someone (or many
people) told you the old adage that you are losing your hair because
your father, grandfather, or one of your other family members lost their
hair. That is a really good excuse for people who do not want to work to
solve their problem. In fact, this age-old believe is both true and false.
You are not doomed to lose all of your hair just because of your familial
tendencies. Your family history is evidence that you have a genetic

tendency toward abnormal hormone levels and your hair is falling out
as a result. You can overcome your genetics by learning to counteract
and rebalance your hormones.

Steroid Metabolizing Enzymes

Lots of talk about hormones, now it is time to get down to the specifics.
All chemicals in your body, including your hormones, are created by
enzymes. Enzymes are tiny protein molecules which act as catalysts to
chemical reactions throughout the body.
When enzymes interact with the chemicals of hormones, they trigger
several reactions. First, they energize the hormones to signal your
body functions. For example, enzymes interact with growth hormones
and start the healing process when you have a wound. Secondly, they
interact with the hormones and trigger them to be metabolized into
their final state.

5AR

When is comes to hair loss, the most interesting type of enzyme is

steroid metabolizing enzymes and specifically the enzyme 5 AlphaReductase, or 5AR. This class of enzymes target and metabolize steroid
hormones like androgens and estrogen. These enzymes are produced in
the reproductive organs and the skin. 5AR is most commonly produced
in the sebaceous glands within your skin, including your scalp.
Typically, men and women have a wide variety of steroid metabolizing
enzymes, not just 5AR. All of these enzymes work to enhance or counteract
one another to maintain a healthy hormone balance within your body.
However, each enzyme in this class has a vastly different job.
Some enzymes, 5AR included, convert the androgens into more
efficient forms. For example, the primary role of 5AR is to convert
testosterone into an optimized, three to ten times more potent version
called Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. Other enzymes in this class oppose
androgens, like the enzyme aromatase (AER) which converts testosterone
into estradiol. Estradiol is the form of estrogen that is most opposite of
testosterone and is essential in both healthy men and women.
Even more essential, are the stabilizing steroid metabolizing enzymes.
The purpose of most is to ensure there is never a surplus of any one
hormone. For example, the enzyme 3-Androstanediol Glucuronide,
or 3-Adiol G, metabolizes unused DHT so that the liver can break the
super-androgen down and remove it from your body. Another set of
these enzymes in this class are responsible for the metabolism of
glucocorticoids (the hormones that maintains blood glucose) and
mineralcoticoids (the hormones that maintain minerals in your blood,
like sodium and cholesterol).

5AR Imbalance

As you learned earlier, men and women predominately require the

exact opposite hormones. While both hormones are present in each

gender, men use more optimized testosterone and women use more
optimized estrogen. Therefore, each gender requires an extremely
contradicting balance of steroid metabolizing enzymes to maintain
correct body function.
In cases of androgenic alopecia, it has become clear that both genders
have an imbalance of these enzymes. In fact, it is exactly the same
enzymes in both men and women that are awry. All androgenic alopecia
suffers have a surplus of 5AR which converts testosterone into DHT.
Scientists became aware of 5AR while researching the theory that balding
is caused by family history and genetics. It was discovered that families
with very thick hair lasting all the way into their 80s+ had very low
levels of 5AR, but still maintained healthy levels of the other enzymes
in its class.
On the other hand, families with a high incidence of hair loss and baldness,
especially prematurely, had extremely elevated concentrations of 5AR.
They also had very low quantities of the other enzymes in its class such
as those that should convert a portion of testosterone into estrogen
and those that metabolize out the optimized androgens. Essentially, the
genetic tendency was not to lose hair but to over produce the 5AR
enzyme responsible for converting testosterone and under produce the
enzymes to counteract it.
Knowing that your body needs a careful balance of all enzymes to
enhance and counteract the role of 5AR, what do you think happens
then there is an imbalance?

DHT

The answer to that question is DHT- Dihydrotestosterone. Having an

excess of 5AR in your system means that you will also have an excess of
DHT in your system. Without enough of the other steroid metabolizing
enzymes in your system, there is nothing to counteract the DHT. Now,
you will have uninhibited DHT becoming increasingly more potent.
DHT does have benefits. The primary function of DHT is to grow mucles,
mainly in men but it also in women to a smaller degree. Women do not
really have another use for DHT, but in men the body also uses DHT to
produce facial and chest hair and have that deeper, masculine voice.
DHT is also considered the stimulus for aggressive behavior in both
genders, but especially men.
Because DHT is so concentrated, it really only takes a small amount
of DHT to perfrom all of these functions. The rest that lingers in your
system should be metabolized by other enzymes rather quickly. DHT
never lingers in the body of a person with a healthy enzyme and
hormone balance.
When there is too much 5AR in the system and not enough of other

enzymes, all available testosterone is converted exclusively to DHT.

Since it only takes a small amount of DHT to perform the necessary
work, there is an excess. Because an abnormal amount of testosterone
was converted to DHT, your body believes there is a shortage of the
other kinds of testosterone it needs. Therefore, it signals the release
of more hormones. Once again, the hyper-sensitive, uncontrolled 5AR
picks up all of that new testosterone and converts it to DHT.

Too Much DHT

Chances are you always had a tendency to have increased 5AR and the
resulting DHT in your system. When you were young, the symptoms of
too much DHT would have been manifested as bothersome acne, early
emergence of facial hair in teen boys (and rarely girls), and occasional
moodiness. At this age, the DHT was abated by the natural energy and
increased productivity of the growing body.
Growth spurts and puberty consume a lot of testosterone in your youth.
The natural tendency to be very active burns fat and builds your growing
muscles, which keeps the DHT even further in check. Additionally, your
rapidly increasing body cannot help but surge with all kinds of enzymes,
including those that balance and counteract DHT. Then, you become an
adult.
In your 20s you may stay very active which helps fight DHT, but your
body is at or nearing the end of its growth and things are about to
decelerate. At some point, your metabolism is going to become
increasingly sluggish. You will stop adding non-stop muscle and the only
muscle growth that will occur will be rebuilding from injury or muscle
you create through purposeful exercise. The full spectrum of enzymes
that once counteracted the 5AR is going to drop.
As you learned earlier, even as adults your body will still require
testosterone. However, your fast growth is no longer trumping your
testosterone use or jacking up your levels of non-5AR enzymes. Sooner
or later (and most times sooner) your genetic tendency to have increased
5AR is going to start taking its toll. As soon as the 5AR increases, so will
the DHT and the attack on your hair will begin.

The Attack From DHT

The more prevalent the 5AR becomes, the greater your body will produce
DHT. As the cycle repeats itself, the DHT excess gets greater and greater
and your body must store it somewhere. Mens bodies can store a small
amount of DHT on the prostate gland. However, both men and women
store the most DHT in the place where the body considers most logical
and efficient. It stores the potent hormone where it was created, your
skin. Of all of your skin, the scalp is the thinnest, easiest, and lowest
priority location for storage, so almost all of your excess DHT ends up
on your scalp.

In the last chapter you learned how hair grows and the basics of hair
anatomy. For better or worse, infused within all of your scalp tissue
are hormone (androgen) receptors. Likewise, most of your 5AR is
being created in the sebaceous glands, right next to these androgen
receptors.
Testosterone circulates throughout your body in your bloodstream.
Rather quickly, the blood circulation carries the testosterone to the hair
follicle. When the testosterone mixes with the 5AR in the sebaceous
glands, DHT is formed.
Because your body has a tendency to store DHT in your skin and
specifically on your scalp, the androgen receptors around the hair
follicle are especially sensitive to picking up and stockpiling the potent
DHT. Unfortunately, the DHT is being formed right beside the receptors,
making it very easy for the receptors to pick up a maximum volume of
the hormone. When there is nothing to stop the formation of the DHT
nor is there anything to block the storage of DHT, the receptors become
flooded with DHT.

The Hair Follicle Reaction

In the case of a healthy scalp, 5AR and exposure to DHT will still not
cause noticeable hair loss. Scientists observing the 5AR phenomenon
were also driven to study this fact. What they learned is the hair follicles
of people with heightened 5AR also seem to be allergic to the DHT.
The DHT sits in androgen receptors surrounding the follicle. The allergic
follicle begins to swell, much the same as your sinuses swell from
allergies or your skin swells from a bee sting. This swelling begins on a
microscopic level, but overtime it will become more visible as the hair
loss accelerates.
As you know when other parts of your skin remain swollen for any
length of time, uncontrolled swelling causes a lot of secondary problems.
Obviously, a swollen hair follicle is putting unnecessary pressure on the
hair growing, choking out the new hair. Secondly, a swollen hair follicle
cannot breathe and more oil and bacteria will become trapped within,
further strangling hair growth.
The swelling around the follicle also restricts blood flow to the area. This
means the hair growing proteins will not reach the follicle, it also means
no anti-androgen enzymes and hormones can reach the DHT. There is
nothing there to metabolize it or purge it from your scalp.
As the attack from DHT and swelling continues, the hair follicle will get
sicker and sicker. Unfortunately, the sicker the follicle gets the less it will
be able to withstand the attack. Gradually, the sick follicle is going to
start exhibiting more severe symptoms.
The sick follicle will begin to shrink, growing a thinner and finer hair
as it does. Even worse, the follicle will expend a greater amount of
energy to grow this weaker hair and will need more recovery time. The

anagen growing phase will become increasingly shorter and the telogen
phase will get longer. Essentially, there will very little growing time
compared to how often the hair falls out and how long it takes to start
growing again.
If left untreated the sickness, swelling, and shrinking of the follicle will
continue. Eventually, a lack of a consistent anagen phase will become
very evident because you will be waiting a long time before a singular,
very fine hair grows out and then it will quickly fall out again. Overtime,
your hair that was once thick and strong will begin to resemble the
small, almost clear velum hairs on your arms.
Of course, the androgen receptors around your hair are not shrinking.
Therefore, the DHT attack remains as strong as ever. If nothing is done
to stop it, even the fine velum hairs will stop growing. The hair follicle
will eventually shrink into nothingness and die.
Once again, this is where genetics kick in. You know you have a familial
tendency for heightened 5AR which means heightened DHT. The hair
follicle has an allergic reaction to the DHT and this is the basis for
androgenic alopecia. The reason why some people lose it more quickly
or more severely than others is their hair follicles are more sensitive, or
allergic, to the DHT causing a quicker, harsher reaction.
This does not mean you cannot overcome your genetics. You do not have
to surrender to the DHT. If you can control the amount of DHT formed
and the hair follicles allergic reactions, you can reduce the swelling,
heal the follicle, and stop the hair loss.

What Else Elevates DHT?

You have already learned that a genetic tendency to overproduce 5AR is

creating your DHT. While that is the start of your problem, it is not the
only reason your DHT levels are so high. If you want to stop your hair
loss, you will have to address every cause of elevated hormones.
Put simply, anything compromising your health throws off your enzyme
production and hormone metabolism. These compromises can be broken
down into two categories: what you put in (or do to) your body and how
you maintain your body. Making the wrong choices in either of these
categories is going to cause hormonal chaos throughout your body.
Later in the book, the entirety of Chapter 7 will be dedicated to what
you put in your body. As our bodies cannot live without nourishment,
they also cannot thrive on the wrong nourishment. The wrong foods
and eating habits can actually cause your body to generate more DHT.
Furthermore, some foods are already filled with hormones, further
throwing you out of kilter.
But food and eating habits are not doing alone. Your body expects to
be healthy. Every body function, from sleeping to producing sweat, is
the bodys full effort to keep itself healthy. Sometimes, despite its best

efforts, we thwart that progress through the poor decisions we make.

To say that your body expects to be healthy is an understatement. Over
the hundreds of thousands of years humans have walked this planet,
the body has evolved to meet the requirements of a hunting/gathering
lifestyle. There is a peak form the body needs to be in. Recent advances
in technology have made life more convenient and the peak physical
form not seem as necessary. Unfortunately, it will still be hundreds of
years before the body gets that message.
Until that happens, anytime your body is not in that form there is going to
be a problem. The most likely problem? Imbalanced hormones. Because
testosterone is such a basic and widely used hormone, many hormone
imbalance issues come down to how the body controls testosterone
production, use, and metabolism.
First, you should know that anything you do to purposefully increase
testosterone is going to backfire, no matter how much you may feel it
improves the look or performance of your body. The problem you have
is testosterone related. Reducing and stopping DHT cannot be achieved
when testosterone levels are artificially elevated in any way.
It only takes a short time until your other poor health choices start to
have consequences as well. For example, periods of prolonged stress
can quickly burn out the bodys ability to produce adrenaline to fuel you
through the stress. As your adrenal gland begins to fail, the body will
increase testosterone both to heal the gland and fix the wear and tear
the stress puts on the rest of the body. Lack of sleep, the bodys ideal
time to heal, can cause testosterone increases for the same reason.
Of course, allowing yourself to have too much body fat is also one of
the worst health choices you can make. (Notice, it is the problem of too
much body fat, not body fat in general. You do need to have some body
fat to stay healthy.) Fat has an unusual ability to retain, metabolize,
and even produce hormones independently. This is not a problem when
there is a normal, healthy amount of body fat. In fact, your body plans
for it. However, when too much body fat accumulates, it is almost as if
the fat becomes its own endocrine organ and the body does not know
how to react.
Having too much fat can cause several problems, but they all translate into
higher quantities of androgens, especially testosterone, in your system.
For example, the enzymes produced in body fat block your liver and
kidney functions. Of course, these organs are responsible for detoxifying
your body and purging it of wasteful chemicals like DHT. In fact, your liver
produces many of the enzymes which counteract 5AR and metabolize
DHT. Decreased liver function equals increased DHT. Furthermore, your
kidneys and liver help produce the enzymes which manage blood sugar.
When these organs fail, your blood sugar will go up, your body will
accelerate fat storage, and the Fat = DHT cycle will keep going.

In another example, body fat can also soak up the toxins from your food
and transform them into hormones. Body fat has the ability to create and
release a very unusual form of estrogen. Normally, estrogen would stop
testosterone, but that is not the case here. This estrogen is very strong,
but its artificial composition makes it useless for healthy body function.
However as useless as it may be, it is still enough to stop your body from
producing the right kind of estrogen which would counteract the DHT.
These are just a few of the ways making poor health choices can
increase the DHT on your scalp causing your hair loss. Stopping your
hair loss might seem very complex and intimidating. Never fear, with the
right guidance you can start making better choices and win this battle
against DHT.