Anti-Androgens as a Treatment For Hair Loss
Antiandrogens, also known as androgen antagonists, refer to a group of receptors that block the biologic effects of androgen. Androgen is a generic term pertaining to a group of chemically-related for male sex hormones that stimulates and controls the development of masculine characteristics including hair growth. The different levels and amount of androgens are the factors that determine the rate of hair growth as men reaches sexual maturity. In fact, the primary cause for the hair follicles to weaken is the presence of androgens surrounding it.
How Do Androgens Cause Hair Loss?
Androgens can be produced either naturally or
synthetically and belong to a group called the steroid hormones. There are a
lot of different types of androgens, which made it harder for scientists to
determine which exact type of androgen causes hair loss. An enzyme called
5-alpha reductase was said to be responsible for the conversion of
testosterone, the most abundant and most important androgen in men to
dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the type of
androgen that is the primary contributing factor for male pattern baldness.
Antiandrogens work by stopping the receptors of DHT from competing with the
binding sites on the surface of the hair follicles to obstruct the
androgen’s pathway.
Uses of Antiandrogens
Antiandrogens are primarily used for treating some
illnesses including:
·
Severe
Male Disorders. Some of the male
disorders that can be treated by antiandrogens are
hypersexuality (excessive sexual
desire) and paraphilia (sexual
deviation), which is defined as a condition of sexual arousal to objects or
other situations that are “not part of the normative stimulation.”
Antiandrogens are also being used as a complementary treatment for prostrate
cancer.
·
Benign Prostactic Hyperlasia.
BPH is an illness characterized
by the enlargement of the prostate and is most common to middle-aged and
elderly men. DHT is also responsible for enlarging the prostate and
antiandrogens inhibit the production of DHT in the body.
·
Acne Vulgaris.
This is most commonly known as acne,
an inflammatory disease of the skin. Since androgenic hormones may cause or
aggravate these conditions, antiandrogens help reduce sebum, the oil on the
surface of the skin, and comedones, the small bumps that come with acne.
·
Androgenetic Alopecia (male
pattern baldness). Androgenic
alopecia is the most common form of hair loss in men and women. The pattern
of hair loss differs in women and men. Hairline recedes and leads to total
baldness in men while in women, hair only becomes thinner all over the head.
It can also be occasionally used as a male
contraceptive agent in some cases and may also be used as a drug against
tumor formation. Antiandrogens, however, are by themselves relatively weak
and do not bind for long periods of time. Therefore, for it to achieve full
inhibition, continuous supply of the compound is needed.
Side-effects of Antiandrogen
While antiandrogen drugs are usually prescribed to men
anyway, it is not advisable for pregnant women to take antiandrogens as it
may adversely affect the development of the fetus. The side-effects of
antiandrogen are due to the decreased hormone levels. Some of these include:
·
hot flashes
·
loss of sex drive
·
tiredness
·
impotence
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