Category: Age

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Looking Like Art Garfunkel – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 26 year old male, I’ve experienced rather quick hairloss (forehead line receeding, especially in the upper corners) over only 1 and 8 month period. It started when I began to get chest hair growing in. So I assume I’m experiencing genetic MPB due to testosterone changes. Its only getting worse. I’m new to all the drugs and treatments available. What course of action should i take? I dont want to look like Art Garfunkel.

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You have just determined the absolute identifier for reaching the age where DHT kicks in. The appearance of chest hair is the biggest sign that DHT is now working on you. As you get even older you will see nose and ear hair as well; I should know, I am 63 years old. Propecia (finasteride) is a DHT blocker that will slow down the effects of DHT, but will not stop the chest hair completely. It will also probably slow down, stop, or reverse the hair loss. I recommend that you see a doctor and get on that medication. You need to have your hair and scalp analyzed for miniaturization so that good measurements will tell you where you are going to be as the treatment takes hold.

And for those too young to know who Art Garfunkel is, this is the hair style that the question-asker was referring to: Art Garfunkel.

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Healthier Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My six year old daughter, had kidney reflux and a UPJ obstruction at birth, both have been surgically corrected. Her hair is shoulder length and has been for three years. I trim it regulary and it remains extremely dry and barely grows. Her hair does come out fairly easy when brushed or pulled (by her brothers). She really wants her hair to grow and I would love to know how I can make it more healthy and have peace of mind that nothing is medically wrong. I would appreciate your time and assistance. Thank you

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Hair loss can be caused by stress (physical and emotional), malnutrition, and multiple surgeries. Brittle hair can be treated with more gentle handling as brisk brushing can pull out or break the fragile hairs. Make sure that your daughter’s diet allows her to get all the nutrients that she needs. It is normal to lose around 100 hairs per day. The length of her hair indicates (assuming that hair grows 1/2 inch per month) that her hair cycle may be as short as 2 years (assuming 12 inch length of her hair) and each hair that falls out gets replaced by another one that starts to grow from ‘scratch’. Everyone has their own hair cycle, which usually ranges from 2 – 6 years. I would expect that as she gets older, the cycle length will change (probably get longer which may mean that the hair will grow out longer as well).

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Propecia for Middle Aged Men – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr Rassman,
I am 43 years old and am suffering from moderate hair loss since more than one year.
My dermatologist said that I am too old to take Propecia because the clinical studies were conducted in men between 18 to 41 years. But Minoxidil (5%) caused me skin irritations. Is that right or is Propecia also effective for men older than 41? And what about the long term side effects of Propecia? Many thanks in advance for your help. Kindly regards.

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I believe that you will still benefit from using Propecia, which works well in early hair loss, somewhat independent of age. You should take a photo of your head and start Propecia, but first you should get a hair expert to measure miniaturization status throughout the scalp so that a good baseline is established and progress can be measured over time. Then 8 months later, you can evaluate if the medication works or not. Of note, no further hair loss or some growth are good signs that Propecia is working in addition to the scientific evidence you will get from the measurements.

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Maturing Hairline at Age 21 – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi there. I’ve browsed around your site a little bit, and I’ve found some interesting information. However, to be honest, I am even MORE paranoid now about losing my hair! I am 21 years old, and I have always had a full head of thick hair. But within the past year I’ve noticed my forehead getting larger…or, as you’ve already deciphered, my hairline receeding. Nobody I know has noticed it because my hair is long, and its more on one side than the other. It is at the very beginning stages of receeding, but I wanted to see what kind of advice you had for me at THIS point. Should I already start taking propecia at 21? My dad and my grandfather on my mother’s side both have full heads of hair, but my mom’s brothers and my brother are balding. Are there any type of topical creams that are known to work at ALL??? or is it all just a waste of time and money?
Thanks for your time

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Panic will not be productive. If you have a problem, you need to get a diagnosis in hand by a competent doctor and then you respond properly. A rising hairline does not mean that you are balding, as you may be transitioning to a mature hairline, which by its nature causes the hairline to rise about 1/2 to 3/4 inch from its childhood location. Whether you have genetic balding in your family or not, males develop a higher hairline between the ages of 17-29 (on average). This gives them that “distinguished” look that younger women talk about being attractive. This is normal (and actually desirable) and is not anything to be concerned about.

You should see a doctor and have a good microscopic evaluation of the scalp. If you only have a maturing hairline in transition, then there will be no miniaturization in the remaining parts of your scalp. Take charge, get a good doctor and find out if there is a problem before you jump to do something that you may regret.

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Hair Loss InformationShould I Be Proactive with Family History of Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor,
Thank you for your blog !
I have a few questions. I am 24 yr old male with no history of hair loss/thinning. But my dad started balding at 34. I have a full set of hair as of now but the chances seem high that I will eventually start losing/thinning. My brother is only 21 and he is already thinning. I was wondering if I should be proactive and start on propecia/minoxidil so as to delay/avoid the hair loss? What are the downsides to this (if any)? Will the fact that I take minoxidil or propecia even though I have full set of hair affect my hair in any negative way or initiate the process of hair loss ? Even if any of those medications grow further hair .. will I lose all that hair or even my original hair if i discontinue taking them? Please advise. Thanks!

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There is an old American saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. That fully applies to you. You are correct to be slightly concerned at this time, so the best way to find out what will happen to you is to obtain a good hair doctor’s examination and get yourself followed yearly to detect the very first signs of miniaturization. You should not start treating it now, but if or when the process begins, then Propecia will probably be the best approach to preventing or slowing the process down, that is, unless another better drug comes on the market by then. It is not infrequent for generations to be skipped, so please do not obsess over the balding prospect.

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Too Young For Transplant at 23? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. William Rassman,
I’m 23 and i have been seeing thinning of hair well in the past two years. i have been on propecia for two years, which did stop my hair loss to a certain level but lately im noticing more hair loss even on propecia. i had an appointment at a hair transplant doctor in the past week to go see if i can get a hair transplant. I saw a counselor, not a doctor who told me that no surgeon will perform a hair transplant on me because of my age. Me being too young, he said i have to wait till i go all bald. Can you help me or suggest me of any products, any new advances medications?

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It is generally true that young men under 24 should not get a hair transplant, but it is a crazy thing to be told that you have to first go bald. Generally, I judge everyone differently, make few rules other than protect my patients from me, themselves and poor decisions. Because I am not a salesman, I make judgments all of the time about the maturity of the person I am talking with, their ability to understand what a Master Plan for their balding is going to be, and their response to drugs like Propecia. I find immature 50 year olds, and very mature 20 year olds. As I get to know the person, I would not say that someone of your age can not get a hair transplant. Medicine and surgery are a combination of art, science and compasion. You need all of the benefits of this with a caring doctor while making your Master Plan. Then and only then, can your candidacy be determined.

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Losing Hair Rapidly at 15 Years Old – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, i am 15 years old and im losing my hair rapidly. The only part of my hair im losing are the temple areas so my hairline looks like a big “M” also im noticing that the sides of my hair are thinning and receding also. Im not sure what to do i dont think its hereditary because my dad started losing his hair at 35 and all his younger brothers still have there hair and his one older brother started losing his hair at 40 so i dont think thats the cause of my hairloss. Im not sure what to do its getting really bad. It’s already receded about an inch and 1/4 on both sides. I do my best to cover it as much as i can but it still hurts my self esteem alot and i need a solution so can you please give me your opinion thanks

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I am not sure we are talking about the same part of anatomy (temples or corners). Triangular Alopecia is a genetic condition that causes people to lose hair in the temples, while corner balding and recession reflects more of the typical male patterned genetic balding. You need to see a good doctor and have a proper diagnosis made. The doctor should make a good microscopic analysis of your entire scalp. Most doctors can project this evaluation on a TV monitor and show you how far the miniaturization extends. The amount and scope of the miniaturization will demonstrate the balding pattern as it may unfold. You are far too young for transplantation, but as you’ve noted that you are based in the Los Angeles area, if you’re interested you can have a parent/guardian call 800-NEW-HAIR to set up a free consultation in my Los Angeles office, so that I may properly evaluate you.

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Hair Loss InformationHair Loss at Age 16 – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor. I’m a 16 year old boy with a family history of MPB. My father (who is almost completely bald now) told me how he started balding in High School and was almost completely bald when he got out of college. I recently noticed my hair line receding. My hair is somewhat long so it’s easy to cover up, but I was wondering if any treatments can help stop, or delay my fate. I’ve been to my doctor to ask about Propecia, but she recommended against it, saying I’m too young, and opted for Rogaine or it’s generic counter-parts instead. Is there anything I can do?

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In young men your age, it is unclear if an aggressive hair loss pattern will respond to Propecia as well as if the hair loss started later in your life. The data is not in. With that said, I do not believe that you are too young for Propecia. I feel strongly that Propecia is the only drug that can help you slow or stop the hair loss. If your doctor does not have a better solution, get another opinion. Minoxidil just will not stop the hair loss that you will have, assuming of course that you follow your father’s pattern (a likely scenario based on what you’ve told me here).

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Sudden Hair Loss in 21 Year Old – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,
I was hoping you could help me with some suggestions or information on what is going on. I recently began losing a lot of hair suddenly. However, the really weird thing is that a lot of my hair (maybe 50 to 70%) of it has a white hard mucus type of substance that can be scraped off from the end of the hair(maybe its the actual skin from the scalp or the hair follicle or something?) Is this normal because i really feel like its not?!?!?! I’m freaking out here because im so young (21 years old) and it came on so sudden and i dont know if every hair that falls out with that stuff means that it will never grow back again, and maybe there is something i can do to stop it???? I’m really scared here, if you guys could help with any suggestion or what you think it is, i would forever be in debt to you. Thank you so much.

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You are panicking and that is not a good way to evaluate something as serious as your hair loss seems to be. Clearly, a good doctor knowing hair and scalp problems will be able to diagnose your problem. I can only guess without having you in front of me and that would not be doing your any service. My suggestion is to see a good dermatologist in your area.

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Hair Loss InformationLowest Donor Density? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

What is the lowest donor density a person can have in their late twenties, in order to have a successful transplant?

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There is no simple answer to this question on donor density. First, I would want to make sure that the person should not have Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia, which would reflect a depletee donor area in a young man (1-2% of the male population). Then, the size of the balding area (the area of the demand) and the eventual pattern of balding that would have to be maintained must be balanced in a well defined master plan with a worse case scenario put together. A good doctor can make a judgment on the value of the donor density.