Author: Dr. William Rassman

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15 Year Old Wants to Grow a Full Beard

Hey, I just have a few questions that everyone gives me different answers about, and I would really like to hear the right answer. First, I am 15 years old and am trying to grow a full beard. However, only some hairs grow and the others don’t. Will it take a few months for them to develop into a beard or should i quit and wait a few years because i hate the somewhat-beard look? Also, I have a little bit more hair than normal above my shaving line on the cheekbones. I have not shaved it off, but can I or will that make the hairs come out thicker and worsen the situation? Or should I just ignore it and it’ll get better over time? Appreciate if you could answer my questions. Thanx

WerewolfThe ability to grow a full beard will depend on your genes. If you are not destined to have a hairy face, then that is your fate. Look at your father, his father, your brother, and your uncles and you will get to see what you probably have in store for you. Beards take time to grow out and in boys of your age, it is not uncommon for the beard to be patchy. Mine did not fill out until I was in my early 20s and now it is much too full for me. There is no way to make your hair come out “thicker” or faster.

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15 Year Old Female with Hair Loss

Your information on female hair loss was helpful, but the information on teenage female hair loss was not as informative. I’m fifteen, and I feel I need more information. When I was a child, I had thick hair. When I was around seven, I cut it short. It was still thick then. Around seventh grade I decided to grow it back out, but still, it was thick then. When I started my freshman year in high school, though, mid-year, it began to thin. It has shown no sign of stopping, and it does worry me. My ponytail has significantly gone down in size. I can’t wear my hair down without having loose strands cover my back – which is not popular at school. Plus, I lose an extreme amount of hair each time I shower – at least fifty strands. My hair is also lackluster in shine, and crooked and crinkled when it falls out. My mother took me to a doctor, who told me it was not my thyroid level. A week or two ago, my father told me to start taking vitamins and trying to eat better – the latter of which is hard, when you go to high school. Personally, though, I’m not sure that I believe this is a diet issue. If it was, why wouldn’t it affect more teenage girls at my school? I wish to know if there are medical conditions that I might have that give a symptom of hair loss, and possibly also slight depression – I have noticed that my mood seems to be getting worse and worse. I am also on birth control, which I noticed you said might cause problems… but it shouldn’t, because I have been having hair loss much longer than I’ve been on birth control. I just want to know what I could have, and how I can get this to stop.

You need to have a good doctor do a thorough work-up on you. There is no way I can help you without getting a full opportunity to get a good history (including detailed dietary history) and a full examination of your scalp and hair for miniaturization. This will determine the health of your hair and your overall health. There are no shortcuts and no internet site that can get you what you want, because what you need is a good doctor (one who is interested in this field) first. Also, look through the Female Hair Loss category, as there are many posts that discuss the various conditions and tests that are part of what a good doctor will be able to perform on you.

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15 y/o, should I try oral minoxidil?

My dermatologist recommended that I should give oral minoxidil a try now, but I’m concerned about the generalized effect it will have on hair growth. I am generally quite happy with my low body hair level and would like to avoid getting a unibrow and super hairy arms and legs. Could some people share their experience with hypertrichosis while on oral minoxidil?

If you start on it and develop hair growth side effects that you don’t like, stop the medication, and the hair side effects will go away. Hair growth from minoxidil is heavily dependent upon taking the minoxidil and my stopping the drug, the unwanted hair will disappear.

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15 and think I am balding

So, I’ve actually had really bad hair for a while now, ever since I was 14 (or at least that is when I first noticed).

I went to a very respected clinic and got a minoxidil prescription straight away due to how bad it actually is, given that I’ve had a big problem with my hair for almost 2 years now. I’ve heard a lit of people on here recommend Finasteride as well, but I doubt I can get that prescribed easily where I live (Third World Problems, I guess).

I have seen 15 year old males (rarely) develop a maturing hairline, which is not balding. Send me photos


2019-03-26 18:19:5615 and think I am balding

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14 Year Old With White Hairs

hi. i am 14 year old (male) and i am having a lot of white hairs. My cousin had experience this when she was in teen age but later her hairs turn black again when she grown up. Is it possibility that my hairs will turn black when i grown up?

I have not heard of black hairs turning white and then back to black. White hair in very young people does occur, although it is not common.


2007-06-22 08:31:4514 Year Old With White Hairs

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I am 15 years old and am losing hair. Can I take finasteride?

Depending upon your bone maturation, it may not be unreasonable to use the drug finasteride, but first where you are on YOUR growth curve (e.g. bony maturation) plus other factors relating to your hair loss are critical to understand. I belong to a group of 60 doctors who share a common email and the subject of young boys 15 and up and the use of finasteride has come up. With proper doctoring, this can be an option. The HAIRCHECK test is a critical first step in evaluating the degree of hair loss that you have. Many doctors may not want to use this drug on you so it is a careful discussion with you, your parents and your doctors that is critical in making such decision.

William Rassman, M.D.


2017-01-11 14:35:40I am 15 years old and am losing hair. Can I take finasteride?

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15 year old loss ‘all of his hair’ from extreme diet (from Reddit)

Unique story. I would have to see photos and even better examine you. The diagnosis does not seem right to me and that is why I would need to know a lot more about you to help. Assuming that this is acceleration of male patterned balding, one option is Scalp Micropigmentation which will make your head look like a full head of hair that you shaved. This can be done and if the hair loss can be reversed, there is no downside that I know of. Here is a photo of a young man who lost all of his hair from Alopecia Totalis (an autoimmune disease that killed off all of his hair:https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/bold-shaved-look/#!https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/scalp_micropigmentation-new_hair_institute-147-bold_shaved_look.jpg (his eyebrows are wigs)

William Rassman, M.D.

15 y/o son lost forty pounds and half his hair. Doctor said his weight loss “triggered” mpb. from tressless


2019-05-13 05:02:0215 year old loss ‘all of his hair’ from extreme diet (from Reddit)

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16 and losing hair

Noticed my hairline has been receding since I turned 16 and since then it’s just got worse but wondering what treatment I am able to use the now for hair loss as I can’t take finasteride and if minoxidil will be affective long enough until I turn 18

See a good hair doctor and get real good advice from proper diagnosis and treatment. This is too important than to be your own doctor


2021-01-23 09:00:1016 and losing hair

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15 y/o son lost forty pounds and half his hair. Doctor said his weight loss “triggered” mpb.

About this time last year my son lost forty pounds through diet and exercise. I started noticing some hair loss and we made an appointment. Primary doctor said it’s no big deal and the hair will come right back. Blood work came out fine. The hair loss started accelerating rapidly so we went to a dermatologist who said that the weight loss likely “triggered” male pattern baldness. She believes that he would have likely started losing his hair in five years or so, but the stress on his body kicked it into overdrive. She wanted to put him on finesteride (I said no), but he started minoxidil and some BS pills called Nutrafol. We went back to the derm three months later and hair was no longer shedding, but no regrowth. His hair is very diffused on top and even more so in the crown. I don’t know what to make of all this. I obviously don’t want him to go through this (it’s affecting his social life and anxiety), but putting him on fin seems dangerous. Is it possible to trigger male pattern balding or could this just be telogen effluvium?

Acute weight loss often causes hair loss and it can trigger MPB even in a 15 year old.


2019-02-12 07:04:5515 y/o son lost forty pounds and half his hair. Doctor said his weight loss “triggered” mpb.

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16 and panic about upcoming hair loss

I don’t know why I’m typing this, I’ll probably regret this in the morning, since I’m on vyvanse right now. I know you focus on transplants and your not a therapist but, I just want to write to someone. This hairloss fear is getting to me, I’m only 16 and I’m pretty sure I’m not going bald now but the predisposition in my family is so high, my dad AND my mums dad went full bald in their late 20’s that’s just a fucking double whammy, I always hear when people talk about baldness in their family (on Reddit, etc) and its always only one; dad, or mums dad, at least they have hope. What can I do?

At 16, I doubt that you are now losing hair. That may not be the case in the future, but worrying is not going to change anything. Speak with your parents about your fear. At some point if you feel that you might be starting the balding process (rarely before 18), then getting a HAIRCHECK test (https://baldingblog.com/haircheck-test-how-it-is-done-video/) might be the way to go, as this will tell you absolutely if you are losing hair, where and how much. Wait a couple of years before doing this.


2020-08-31 08:54:3016 and panic about upcoming hair loss