Month: January 2023

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My Hair Loss Started at 16, but Has Progressed Extremely Slow

Extending on a point you made answering a recent question, about a man who believed his hairloss would progress to a norwood 6/7 because he began showing signs at the age of 19, how accurate would this be as a way of estimating? For example, if I am actually experiencing male pattern baldness, then I have had this same hairline since I was at least 16 (no accurate pictures before) which includes no more than a little lobsided recession.

My progression has been extremely slow, even at a young age when people believe hair loss is much more aggressive. Is it possible that, even past the mature hairline point, a sufferer of hairloss can just stop at any point, say a norwood 3, or just a little overall thinning, and keep what they have left for the rest of their lives?

Hair loss can be aggressive and then stop forever if that is your genetically determined pattern. You need to see a doctor to get that diagnosis done. The doctor can check your miniaturization (if it is present) and your hair bulk, and between the two of those you can get an idea if you are balding. At 16 years old, I do not believe that you can predict a Norwood class 6/7 pattern, nor have I seen that pattern in a 16 year old.

I think a lot of times people write wanting comfort in knowing that simple math will tell them how much time they have to enjoy their hair. Unfortunately, there’s no chart to refer to and I can’t even give an estimate of that time table without an examination of some sort. There’s no way to predict your final hair loss pattern just based on when you started losing hair.

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My Hair Loss Started at 14 Years Old!

I grabbed this from a comment left on another post on BaldingBlog…

I know how you feel I’ve been losing my hair since i was 14 as well, now at 18 I’m almost completely bald. I started using rogain when i was 15 and saw great results within the first 6 months and most of my hairline had grown back but all out sudden it fell and my hairline receded back to where it was previously. Now at 18 I’ve been on propecia for 7 months and have seen no results by itself but hopefully now that I’ve added rogaine the last couple weeks I will see better results.

Anyways I hope you have better luck then me because i know how it feels to lose hair at such a young age which complete destroyed my high school experience. Visit your doctor before its too late.

Rogaine (minoxidil) is not effective a thwarting genetic balding when it is aggressive, particularly in someone as young as 14 years old. Finasteride (Propecia) may have been a better choice when you were 14, though on a counter note, finasteride can also have an impact in growth potential of young men going through puberty. So each and every case is different and the doctor treating the patient needs to exercise good clinical judgement when recommending treatment with risks and benefits in mind.

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My Hair Loss Started After I Moved

I have just moved to Jordan from London to live and I notice that more hair than usual (enough for me to worry) comes out when I brush my hair and wash my hair (in particular). It has been quite stressful moving and adjusting, plus I have a 5 month old son. There is no history of hairloss in my family – should I worry?

Many thanks

Hair loss comes when a person has genetic tendencies for it (many people find that they may not have it in the short family history but that it exists in the ancestry somewhere). Add hormones and stress to that and you have a deadly hair combo. Well, not “deadly”, but you get the idea. Then add time and you cement the process. Moving from one country to another with your family will almost certainly cause a high degree of stress. Hair loss is caused by genes, hormones, time and stress. Do you have it all? Yes, you should worry and get your hair assessed for early balding. The drug Propecia (for men only) should slow it down or reverse it if the diagnosis is made.

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My Hair Loss Is Fairly Stable but I Don’t Like My Hairline

Hi Doctor,
I have written to you before about my hairline; I was about to make my TV debut a year ago and was a little freaked out about my hair. My hairline started maturing when I was about 15 and at age 17 all recession stopped. I had some hairs along the edge and corners of the hairline that I suspected I would lose one day. About 2yrs ago I noticed some slight changes as those hairs did miniturize. I am now 38yrs old and I decided to see Dr. Bernstein in New York a couple of weeks ago. Most people laugh when I tell them I am worried about my hair. It is full and thick, and I wear it longer as I always did. Dr. Bernstein said I was on my way to a norwood 3, but I still had a great hairline. He put me on finasteride, and rogaine. He did not map my scalp for miniturization, and said he would not suggest surgery at this time. So I guess I am a norwood 2/3. My hairline looks very much like Johnny Depp’s or Robert De Niro’s. The thing is; I don’t like the way my hairline looks. My hair is almost black, and my skin is very fare which accentuates the hairline. If I decided to get a TP, I wouldn’t need alot of grafts, but it would give me more confidence. Any suggestions?

At 38 years old with a stable hairline and no significant miniaturization, a cosmetic lowering of the hairline starts a process that could impact you as you get older and possibly lose hair. If you want a hair transplant to lower a non-balding look, then that decision will be in the hands of you and an honorable surgeon who will not do harm to you if he transplants you. I have seen some doctors go overboard in people like you, put in 3000-4000 grafts, make a lot of money off of you and do you no good in the long run.

I know Dr. Bernstein and if he believes that you are not balding, you can always go back and ask him to consider this as a cosmetic approach to a hairline you don’t like and see what he says.

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My Hair Loss is Different at the Front Corner Temples

I am a 30 years old male, I found my two temple peaks are different, one is gradually disappearing, i had quite thick temple peak before, but only one side of the temple peak receding/disappearing, is that normal? The disappearing side has actually had some receding in temple as well, but not that obvious, so does that mean one side temple receding will cause its temple peak receding? Cheers

The bad news is that you may be in the process of losing hair in a classic male hair loss pattern.
The good news is that hair loss in the temple peaks will likely even out as it recedes. Temple peak recession does not necessarily follow male pattern balding in the classic sense.
If you’re concerned please see a doctor for an exam and possible ways to correct it with surgery if it bothers you enough.


2014-07-15 11:17:48My Hair Loss is Different at the Front Corner Temples

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My Hair Loss Consultant Was Nicer than My Doctor!

I went to a hair clinic for a consultation to get someone experienced to examine my hair and I have a couple questions, but I’ll give you the story first. I’m in my early twenties and a NW I or somewhere between a I & II at most, so I wasn’t considering surgery (felt guilty “wasting their time” but oh well). I hoped they’d focus on miniaturization/magnification, etc… But unfortunately it wasn’t until the end when I asked them did they actually use magnification. The guy didn’t really take the time to examine me thoroughly and after looking quickly at a few areas said there was possibly miniaturizing near the hairline but everywhere else was consistent and thick. He said my recession was minor and (adult hairlines are 7-8 cm from the brow?) that I had 1-2 cm before I was even at an adult hairline. My questions are:

1) The consultation advisor was very helpful and nice (unlike the M.D. who basically seemed annoyed that he wouldn’t make money from me, which I guess is understandable. The advisor implied that Propecia has little effect on any frontal areas. Is this true? I’m questioning this because he was sincerely advocating the laser comb, which seems ridiculous.

2) My brother gradually thinned and is noticeably thinner on top at in his mid-twenties. If my hairline is changing isn’t that still a form of hair loss? I’m just worried and trying to take preventive measures.

3) How certain/significant are the results of the HairDX gene test? Would you say it is worth the $250 it costs?

Thanks very much for your time taken to read this.

Not all clinics use magnification during a consultation, and it doesn’t make much sense to me that they try to rush you out the door if you’re not a candidate for surgery. It’s a good idea to call ahead and make sure that you will be able to have your scalp mapped during your initial consultation, so that you don’t leave disappointed.

  1. It is unfortunate that your doctor wasn’t caring or gave an annoyed impression. Not all doctors are like that, but I suppose it is better than having your doctor scam you into an unnecessary surgery. Your advisor was right though, Propecia has minimal effects on the frontal hairline other than slowing down the hair loss, but on occasions I have seen some reversal of the hairline in very young men (under 27 years old).
  2. Changing hair characteristics occurs with aging and it is not balding when it occur, but it does occur when a person is balding in its early stage. That is why bonding with a good doctor is a good idea. Think long term.
  3. I think I’ve answered this question before. The existence of miniaturization in the patterned hair loss areas is the best way to diagnosis balding, for if you have it, the test will be positive. If it is not clear and you are concerned about what is going to happen to you, then you need to ask yourself how much you’d pay for peace of mind. Remember, HairDX will tell you if you carry the gene, but not if you will lose hair, to what degree, or when it might occur.
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My Hair Loss Began After a Stroke

I had general questions re hair loss. I’ve had several mini strokes. 1st one @ 2002 which is when hair loss began. It itches horrendous which is irritated at different times. Not sure if this is due to certain foods eaten that triggers this. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. thank u

After a major stressful event to your body (stroke) hair loss can be an issue. It can reverse with time, but often for men, many patients do not report full recovery of their hair. I do not have an explanation for this.

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My Hair Looks Worse After Each Transplant!

Doctor,

I started noticing hair loss around the age of 26. I tried the laser for a year and did not believe it worked and took propecia, but felt that did not provide help either. In 2009 I decided to have a hair transplant surgery 2,000 hairs. 1,000 in the front and 1,000 in the back.

After the transplant I began finasteride and rogaine to maintain the amount. I was so happy after the first 6 months, until I started noticed thinning in the front again. Everytime I go to the doctor who will remain nameless they say things are fine. I went for the second procedure a year later to thicken up the front. It has been 5 months and the front looks worse and the back is starting to thin out on the sides and a little in the middle. I have a few questions.

  1. Can the initial surgery cause this shedding to occur and then stop?
  2. Could the rogaine cause an adverse affect? Every time I use the rogaine and start combing my hair at least 10-20 hairs come out. I read somewhere that if shedding does not stop after 5 months then stop.
  3. Does the finasteride not work as well as the propecia? These 2 drugs should keep the back fine, but that is not the case.
  4. Also could transplanted hair fall out?

I cannot comment too much on your particular issues, because I’ve never examined you… but I suspect there was no Master Plan associated with your hair loss issue and you were chasing after a goal that wasn’t clearly laid out. It’s possible you were never given realistic expectations. Perhaps you should see another surgeon for his/her opinion.

1. I do not know what your initial surgery was, what it was suppose to do, or even if it was successful. In general, you can have shock hair loss from the surgery itself. That’s one possibility. The shedding from shock hair loss is permanent.

2. Rogaine is a topical medication to grow hair, not lose hair. If you have an adverse reaction, then ask your doctor for an examination. Losing 10-20 hairs is normal with or without Rogaine. Finally, some patients report slightly more hair loss when starting Rogaine treatment, but as you continue to use it there should not be a problem. The initial hair loss from Rogaine is thought of as a “cycling” of the old hair falling out in preparation of new hairs to grow.

3. Propecia is finasteride in 1mg strength. There is no difference as it is the same medication. Propecia is the marketing name, like Tylenol is the marketing name for acetaminophen… or Rogaine is the name for minoxidil. I’m not sure what you mean by the “back” … is it the back of the head (donor area) or the top/crown?

4. Transplanted hairs are considered permanent as your donor hair. They do fall out as the hairs cycle, but it regrows.

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My Hair Looks Weird After My Bout of Dermatillomania

I recently suffered from an OCD scalp-picking condition (dermatillomania) from high levels of stress, for about a year. Now, there are no scales on my scalp and it is really sensitive. All the hair is still there, it just sits really strangely on my head (without direction). I wanted to take steps to returning it to its original condition, but I’m not sure where to start. Thank you!

I’m not sure how you would be able to correct the direction of the hairs. You might try topical conditioners and test many of them. You may have caused permanent damage to the skin and thus seeing the directional issues with the hair.

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My Hair Looks the Same 9 Months After Starting Propecia!

I’m 9 1/2 months into Propecia 1mg a day treatment and everything is about the same since I started. I’m currently a NW2 but under miniaturization I have a NW3 with mid anterior thinning. Right now I have early frontal loss all I needed is thickening of miniaturized hairs and that would give me a way fuller look. I’m 22 1/2 year old guy and started Propecia only like 4 months or so after I noticed I’m losing hair so I would be a candidate for reversal but now it looks slim because I’m close to hit that 1 year mark! Is there a still a chance? The reason I want to have those hairs thicken because I’m very worried if Propecia would lose effectiveness and MPB will start again those hairs will be gone before I know it but if they would thickened up I could at least spot it that I’m losing hair again and do something about it and also I want to do different hairstyles!

Sorry to break this to you, but there is no cure for male pattern baldness (MPB) and no guarantee that Propecia will work on you. There’s a new genetic test to determine if finasteride (Propecia) will be of benefit to you — HairDX Tests for Finasteride Response.

Propecia does work, but it is not the cure and will not completely stop hair loss. The drug very rarely reverses hair loss in the frontal area, but you should be able to retain the hair you had (which is what it sounds like it’s doing if you say everything is the same 9 months later). You need to sit down with your prescribing doctor and have a discussion on realistic expectations.


2009-04-30 10:30:47My Hair Looks the Same 9 Months After Starting Propecia!