Association Between Circulating Androgens and Androgenetic Alopecia in Adult Males: A Systematic Review

January 2026 in “ Dermatologic Therapy ”

Husam Aljamal, A. Attar, Marah Attar, Rawan Alzubi, Hanan Abo Sameed, Husam Abu Dawood, Hashem Abu Serhan

androgenetic alopecia circulating androgens dihydrotestosterone total testosterone sex hormone-binding globulin dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate AGA DHT TT SHBG DHEA-S

TLDR Higher dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels are linked to male pattern baldness.

This systematic review evaluated the association between circulating androgens and androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in adult males, analyzing 13 studies with a total of 1,389 participants (672 AGA cases and 717 controls). The review found that dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels were consistently elevated in AGA cases compared to controls, with differences ranging from 25% to 85% in some studies. Other hormones, such as total testosterone (TT), sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA‐S), showed variable patterns, with some studies reporting increases, decreases, or no change. The review highlights the importance of standardized assays and phenotype-directed analysis in future research, as DHT levels align with scalp-level biology and therapeutic targeting in AGA.

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