Author: Dr. William Rassman

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Balding in Mixed Race Men

Hi, i’m a 21 years old male, and i’m mixed caucasian/african.

Here’s my question. My dad’s (caucasian) been balding since age 30, and is now completely bald at age 60. He is the worst case of MPB in my entire family. On my mom’s side, there is no history of hairloss whatsoever. Myself, i’ve got a lot of hair, semi-african and semi-european, but very dense, with a kind of “coarse” afro look (very far from my dad’s hair). I have my mom’s hairline (mature, typical from her race, where there are no hairloss), and thick hair (i think).

I’m afraid i might end up as my father, but is there really a risk? If i ever go bald, at what age it might happen? Don’t the african genes dominates caucasians’ (i’m dark skinned)? What about mixed people in MPB?

Thanks a lot for your help!

There’s no way to tell if you will be bald simply based on your race… mixed or otherwise. Even with a family history, it is never truly clear. It’s possible that the balding gene exists somewhere in your mother’s family tree, too (and it can skip generations).

The best thing to do is to go see a doctor for an examination. Tests such as miniaturization studies and bulk measurements can establish a baseline so that you can track what is going on with age. You can also get a genetic test called HairDX, which is about 70% accurate, to find out if you have the gene. It won’t tell you if/when it’ll express itself, but it’s a start.

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Balding spots hot to the touch

Anyone ever notice the balding spots are hot to the touch? Way more so then other parts of the head?

The scalp receives, second to the brain, the highest blood flow of any organ in the body. If you are recently balding and the skin of the scalp has not become atrophic, then this area may feel hotter than other parts of your scalp. Usually, if complete balding in an area occur, the skin become atrophic and cooler to the touch.

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Balding Time-Lapse Video

Hi Dr. Rassman

I just watched a timelapse video of a man age for 17 years, which shows the balding process really nicely. I noticed that his hairline recedes very slowly and gradually. But his crown thins all of the sudden at age 44. Can you explain why this happened?

Thanks

This is a great video illustration! This man took multiple photos daily for nearly two decades. As to why he lost his hair in this way… it’s all in the genetics.

See the video below:

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Barber Fungus from Contaminated Haircutting Tools?

I just recently went to the dr with a head fungus. He called it a “barber fungus” from contaminated equiptment from my hairdresser. Well, I jsut switched over to this person from the recommendation of a friend when I called her about this, she said there is just no way that can be possible. This hair dresser is so clean and I know you got it from something else. My question is coudl this be possible – getting it from somewhere else. None of my family members have it and they use a different barber/hair dresser. This is supposed to be a high dollar salon too. Can this be possible? I loved the way this hairdresser cut and colored my hair very much and want to go back. Could this just be an isolated incidence or what?

First, try to find out how the equipment is cleaned between clients. It should be soaked in a solution that is sold to the salons for this purpose. Don’t relate it to how much you pay your hair dresser, as anyone that does not properly clean their equipment can spread a fungus.

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Balding like my dad? (from Reddit)

23M and am pretty happy with my hair right now and am currently on min(2x a day)+dut(3x week) and fin(4x week). But based on my family history it looks like I have a similar pattern as my pap and will be nw7 by 50/60 and probably an nw4 by 30-40. While I would be completely devastated and depressed to lose my hair right now i know baldness is my inevitable fate and I want to try and gradually shift how much importance I place on my hair. Right now I constantly obsess over it and am frequently checking this subreddit to an almost unhealthy extent. It is understandable to care a lot more right now in my early 20s, but what are some steps that you guys have taken to come to peace and acceptance with hairloss? I will continue to treat it but I want to stop being so damn obsessed with it

Ask your Dad at what age he started balding. Most Class 7 pattern men start in their early 20s so maybe you will not follow his pattern. Age related onset is also inherited but I have seen this happen when it would be inconsistent with inherited timing: See here: https://baldingblog.com/need-master-plan-think-hair-transplants-photos/

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Balding donor area from too many FUEs performed (photo)

This patient and his doctor pushed the FUE number above a reasonable limit that reflected his normal donor density (https://newhair.com/resources/#tab-id-4). He has a see-through donor area and significant donor site depletion. Now he might have hair on the top of his head but he is bald in the donor area. Even with long hair, he can’t address this problem. The only solution is Scalp MicroPigmentation (https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/scar-covering/)

Screen Shot 2018-08-22 at 7.47.15 AM

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Balding is progressive

I’m 26 years-old, 27 in October. Until around the end of last year, my hair loss hadn’t been very bad at all and was progressing much slower than the other men in my family. I was about a 3A/3V until I started noticing a bald patch appear on my crown about 4 months ago. Since then, the area around the patch has gotten noticeably thinner, and the front part of my hairline has also started to thin out. I started taking Minoxodil about a week ago as well as a few biotin tabs every day, and the shedding hasn’t been so bad. What is my future going to be like?

At 26, the advancement of your balding pattern is a bad omen for future balding. You should see a doctor experienced in this field. The drug Finasteride can slow, stop and sometimes reverse the balding but rarely will Minoxidil do this. The only real solution is hair transplant surgery so you might start, at the least, familiarizing yourself with this process. Look at this post to see results on patients who took Finasteride.


2017-07-25 11:29:13Balding is progressive

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Balding in the US Congress

CongressHi,

I just wanted to share with you our latest infographic: Bald Power

Feel free to give me a shout if you need an alternative sized version for you blog. Hope you like it!

Feedback appreciated.

I meant to post this a little while ago, but it slipped through the cracks. The graphic is quite large, so click the image at right to see the full size.

I haven’t looked at photos of Congress members for myself, but does your graphic account for thinning hair or strictly those that are bald? The infographic is nice if your numbers are right, but you spelled “United” wrong twice.

The presence of balding in the 5-8% range amongst members of the legislators (more men than women) is much less than the general population. In men, the balding rate (some degree of hair loss) is about 50% in men over 45, the age of most of our legislators. Except for Eisenhower, there has not been a bald president since before World War II.

I have written before that men with hair on the head have a better chance at getting elected than balding men. There is considerable prejudice against balding men in the population, and I’ve written about that here and here.

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Does Balding Start At The Hair Whorl?

I have a question regarding to human hair whorl, if we talk about the hair loss on the top for men, does it normally begin to thin from the whorl area? Cheers

Genetic hair loss in men have a certain “pattern” as described by Dr. Norwood. That is why it is often called Male “Pattern” Balding. For those patterns that start on the top crown area, it starts around the whorl, but I do not think you can say it starts exactly at the whorl as it often appears as general thinning of the entire area around and including the whorl. It certainly looks like it may start at the whorl because that is where the hair changes direction and looses its ability to overlap hair on hair, so it looks the thinnest and it is a focal point that draws the eye to the center of the whorl (even for non-balding men).

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Balloon Expander Technique for Hairline Lowering

I am an 18 year old girl with a naturally high forehead (about 8 cm). I’ve heard of hairstyles you can have that don’t make your forehead look as high (such as getting bangs), however, it’s a bit hard for me since my hair is also thin and I don’t have a lot on the top of my head. I’ve read your responses to other people on lowering hairline options, such as the “balloon” technique. I’d simply like to know what the procedure is called, as I am in Australia. Also, is it safe and does it leave scars?

Generally there are two surgical options for hairline lowering for men and women with high foreheads. The first option is a traditional hair transplantation surgery. For a good example of this, please see: Female Hairline Restoration After Brow Lift.

The second option is a hairline lowering technique, a more extensive surgery like a brow lift (just in reverse). Balloons are usually not necessary to accomplish lowering the hairline, but when it is done, it requires putting a balloon in your head and expanding your skin over the course of few weeks or months to stretch your skin. The excess skin is pulled down to the desired forehead level. We will be doing one of these balloon expanders in the next few weeks on a patient.


2007-03-01 19:36:39Balloon Expander Technique for Hairline Lowering