Category: Age

Hi doctor, i will like to know how long will it take to know if you are balding or just have a mature hair line. is like if my hairline have stay the same for 2 years does that mean that im not balding now? or i have to wait more time like 4 – 5 years

There’s no way to tell when you’ll go bald just based on an email. You need to be examined for miniaturization and then re-examined again in 6-12 months to compare the results. Then an educated guess can be made as to what type of loss you’re going to be seeing down the line. It’s not as simple as just applying a deadline to your hair loss based on an age range.

Balding (in men) can start in the late teens or in the 60s, but usually most people who bald will have signs of it in their 20s. The most sensitive test for balding is when the hair bulk is measured on the front, top, and crown and compared to the fringe area on the sides and back of the head.

Is it possible for someone to reach their full pattern at 21? My hair started thinning rapidly at 17. I am 22 now, and for the last year I have been a NW 2a, so it is not just a mature hairline. There has been no change in my hair over the last year and my remaining hair is thick (verified by a doctor that there is no miniaturization).

Both of my grandfathers had the exact same pattern, and going by photographs, they both reached by their late twenties. I know you can never be certain, and that hair loss is complicated and unpredictable, but is there a decent chance I have inherited the same pattern? It just seems very early for my hairloss to reach its full extent.

Thanks for the great blog and all the time you spend helping people with their hair problems!

It’s possible to reach a pattern you’re going to stick with forever by 21, but it is really difficult if not impossible for anyone to definitively say what your future pattern will be by just examining your scalp at such a young age. I realize you would like some words of comfort, but unfortunately I cannot give it to you.

The best thing to do is to keep an eye on it, but the try not to obsess over it. You can always be followed by a doctor who can establish a Master Plan, figuring out where you are going and what you can do about it.

Dr., Thank you for this forum. I have read your comments in all categories many times but never found one that mentioned what seems to be happening with my hair loss.

I have been losing hair from the temples and top my head at an alarming rate. I am in my early forties and always had medium length hair that I never had to comb since it is wavy.

Lately I noticed if I do use a comb I see that there are many many hairs that actually have the root ‘bulb?’ attached to the end of the hairs. It is like I am losing the actual cells that generate the hair. I do not know why this is happening.

Any comment is appreciated, thank you.

With respect to your situation, I couldn’t give you a diagnosis or even guess at the the cause of your hair loss. There’s no clear reason I can come up with, but for men, most hair loss is generally related to genetics and it follows a certain pattern — thus the term male “pattern” baldness (MPB). While you are in your 40s, it isn’t impossible that your genetic loss would start now. You need to see a doctor and have a good examination.

What you are seeing at the end of your hair shaft may be white sebum (a waxy oily substance) and it is not related to hair loss.

Hi, im 16 years old. I noticed hair loss since i was 12-13 and I really don´t know if it’s getting worst or not…

My brother, 14 years old. has the same problem, we both have small amounted hair. and for personally by my age its the worst nightmare ever. I really don’t know what to do! will it stop? how can i stop it? is it temporary? will I stay with this amount of hair? help!

I would have hoped that once noticed, the hair loss would have been evaluated by a doctor. There are genetic causes of hair loss that could impact your hair status at puberty, but I can not tell you very much without examining you.

Get a parent/guardian involved… and then get a good, caring doctor to start off with making a diagnosis.

Hi,

I just graduated college (22) and was a heavy drinker for four years (drunken stuper 3-4 nights a week, and heavy smoke the last year, as well as some drug use (vynase, oxycodone). Often times i’d be hungover for 12 hours, probably didn’t eat right.

I graduated and stopped, but was wondering if hair loss/thinning is temporary or not. My entire scalp is thin, with some receding.

Dad’s entire family has/had thick hair, one uncle on mom’s side went bald at 16, and so did his son.

While it’s obvious that you made some poor decisions re: drinking and drug use, I couldn’t tell you if they contributed to your hair loss. Nutritional problems can lead to hair loss, but you do have some family history of hair loss. The most likely culprit is genetics. I don’t know how long your hair loss has been going on or if you’ve done anything to treat it.

I would see a doctor for an examination of your scalp, and if you can find a doctor that will do microscopic miniaturization mapping, that’s even better. If you do have early genetic hair loss, Propecia would be a good way to slow the loss down. Talk to your doctor about that, as it is a prescription medication.