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Medically Reviewed by Dr. George Touliatos
Having fuller, thicker facial hair has become a growing trend among men seeking to enhance their facial aesthetics and masculinity. While genetics has a large part to play in beard growth, your testosterone levels hold an important role in stimulating and maintaining your facial hair. Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), commonly used to address low testosterone levels in men, has sparked interest and speculation regarding its impact on hair growth. As a result, we’ve seen more and more men come to our clinic looking to thicken their beard hair using TRT.
In this article, we’ll explore the science behind how testosterone influences facial hair and the effectiveness of TRT on beard hair growth.
As the primary male sex hormone, testosterone can impact nearly every area of the body’s development. This includes physical characteristics such as muscle mass and bone density, as well as mental and emotional development such as memory and mood. It is also the hormone that has the greatest impact on hair growth.
Testosterone plays a critial role during fetal development, particularly in males. It’s responsible for the development of the reproductive organs, both internally (vas deferens, prostate and urethra) and externally (scrotum, penis and testicles). It also stimulates the development of the prostate gland and seminal vesicles. Additionally, testosterone is partially responsible for brain development, influencing behaviours and cognitive patterns in later life. Ultimately, testosterone during fetal development influences biological sex and lays the foundation for future sexual development and differentiation.
It is during puberty that testosterone generally starts to impact the growth of facial and body hair, but it can often be a slow beginning. A few tufts of hair may appear on the upper lip and chin long before they can be called a moustache and beard. For some men, their full beard will finally come during their late teens or early twenties, but others may always struggle to achieve more than those few tufts.
Hair growth comes in three stages: anagen, catagen and telogen. It is the anagen stage during which the hair is actually growing and your testosterone levels need to be high. Catagen is when the growth slows again whilst telogen is when hair might die or fall out before it starts growing again.
Testosterone continue to play a vital role during adulthood in men, albeit at lower levels compared to puberty. In adult men, testosterone contributes to various physiological functions. Some include the maintenance of muscle mass and distribution of fat, red blood cell production and even your libido and overall wellbeing. See the table below for more on what testosterone influences in your body.
Balanced testosterone levels are crucial for overall health and quality of life throughout adulthood, impacting physical, emotional and sexual wellbeing. As testosterone levels decline by around 1.6% every year after the age of 40, it’s important to stay on top of your hormonal profile to keep the low testosterone symptoms at bay.
The Role of Testosterone in the Body
| Sexual | Physical |
| Infertility | Decreased body hair |
| Decreased libido | Gynecomastia |
| Erectile dysfunction | Decreased muscle mass and strength |
| Delayed ejaculation | Hot flushes/sweats |
| Decreased morning erections | Poor quality of sleep |
| fatigue | |
| Weak bones and joints | |
| Cardiometabolic | Psychological |
| Increased BMI/obesity | Changes in mood (anger, irritability, sadness, depression, anxiety) |
| Visceral (belly fat) | Decreased well-being or self-worth |
| Metabolic syndrome | Decreased cognitive function (memory, concentration and spatial performance) |
| Insulin resistance & type 2 diabetes Mellitus | |
| Increased risk of cardiovascular diseases |
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a particularly important term when it comes to facial hair. Essentially, DHT is a testosterone by-product that contributes to the development on male sex characteristics such as facial and body hair. Testosterone prepares the hair follicles for growth, but it is DHT, activated by the enzymes in the oil glands of your hair follicles, that is responsible for linear hair growth.
Men with high DHT levels and/or greater sensitivity to DHT will grow beards at a younger age than others. Some men are less sensitive to DHT and, therefore, will not grow a full beard even with high DHT levels, but others may be suffering because their DHT levels are too low.
Contradictory, DHT is also responsible for male pattern hair loss. The hormone that helps men to grow a full beard can also build up in the hair follicles and speed up the thinning of the hair, which in turn leads to male pattern baldness. That is why large and impressive beards can often be found on completely bald men.
Most men will see their testosterone levels naturally drop as they age and experience relatively few problems, but for some men, their low levels of testosterone can come at an earlier age. If you are experiencing the symptoms of low testosterone, particularly if you are a younger man, you may benefit from testosterone replacement therapy. As well as tiredness, reduced muscle mass and mood swings, these symptoms may include trouble with your facial hair.
TRT can be delivered as an injection, tablet, patch, gel or implant and will help to bring your testosterone back to a healthy range. With this, you’ll see an improvement in all of your symptoms, including your facial hair growth. Learn more about Testosterone Replacement Therapy HERE.
TRT is a great treatment for enhancing beard growth in men with low testosterone. By restoring levels to optimim ranges, TRT contributes to improved hair growth on not only facial hair, but also hair on the head. While individual responses to TRT can vary based on genetic factors and overall health, many of our clients report positive outcomes in beard growth.
As always, if you’re seeking any medical treatment, we advise you speak to a knowledgable healthcare provider who can help you weigh the benefits and risks of TRT and develop a personalised treatment tailored to your goals. If you’re interested in Testosterone Replacement Therapy, get in touch with us above where you can discuss your symptoms treatment options with out specialist doctors.
Stanworth RD, Jones TH. Testosterone for the aging male; current evidence and recommended practice. Clin Interv Aging. 2008;3(1):25-44. doi: 10.2147/cia.s190. PMID: 18488876; PMCID: PMC2544367.
This article has been researched and written based on scientific evidence and fact sheets that have then been crossed checked by our team of doctors and subject matter experts.
References, sources and studies used alongside our own in-house research have been cited below, most of which contain external clickable links to reviewed scientific paper that contain date stamped evidence.
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If you know your total testosterone reading from a previous blood test input the results to the left above to see if your testosterone levels are normal.
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Mike Kocsis has an MBA with a focus on healthcare administration and is an entrepreneur and medical case manager for Balance My Hormones Ltd which offers medical services in the UK and Europe. Mike has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare sector, much of that working with people who have hormone imbalances. Mike has appeared on podcasts and radio and is an expert speaker on the subject of hormone imbalance. He specialises in Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and has helped thousands of people suffering from hormone imbalances recover and regain control of their lives. You can follow him on LinkedIn and on the Balance My Hormones YouTube Channel.
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