No, it is actually the exact opposite. This is one of the most common myths about male hair loss. Balding is not caused by low testosterone, nor is it caused by having “too much” standard testosterone.
Instead, the culprit is a highly potent byproduct of testosterone called Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), combined with your genetics.
How DHT Causes Balding
Your body naturally converts about 10% of its regular testosterone into DHT using an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. DHT is an essential hormone during puberty for developing masculine features, but later in life, it can wreak havoc on the scalp.
If you are genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness, the hair follicles on the top and front of your head are born with highly sensitive DHT receptors. When DHT binds to these sensitive follicles, a process called miniaturization begins:
- Shrinking Follicles: The DHT causes the hair follicles to slowly shrink and degrade.
- Shorter Growth Cycles: The growth phase of the hair becomes shorter and shorter.
- Thinning: The hairs grow back thinner, shorter, and more brittle with every cycle.
- Fading Away: Eventually, the follicle shrinks so much that it stops producing visible hair altogether, leaving the follicle dormant.
Why the sides don’t go bald: The hair follicles on the back and sides of your head are genetically immune to DHT. This is why men with severe male pattern baldness still keep a “horseshoe” ring of hair, and why hair transplants work—surgeons move those DHT-immune follicles to the top of the head, where they keep their permanent immunity.
So, if you are losing your hair, it doesn’t mean your testosterone is tanking. It just means your hair follicles are uniquely sensitive to the testosterone your body is naturally processing.