Age – Page 15 – Balding Blog

February 24, 2010

My Hair Loss Started Suddenly at Age 62! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m a healthy 62 yr old caucasion male. Throughout my life time I have enjoyed a full head of hair. Over the past month to two months, I have noticed significant hair loss in the front of my leading to baldness. I am concern for the abruptness that I started losing my hair. Is this unusal to happen at my age? I’ve been taking blood pressure medicine for the past several years as well as tamulosin and cholesterol medicine. I do not abuse drugs or alcohol. Thanks for you answer

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Genetic hair loss can start at any age, but as you suggested, this is unusual. If your medications have been the same medications you have always taken, then it is unlikely that they caused the recent thinning.

You should have your scalp mapped out for miniaturization to determine if you are miniaturizing hair and will progress with the balding process. I know if it were me, that I would want to know why I had it and where it is going, but that would best be determined by a visit to a focused doctor in the field.

February 19, 2010

In the News – 12 Year Old Girl’s Battle with Alopecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

When football fanatic Sophie Nixon started losing clumps of her hair, no one in her family knew that bullying at school was making the youngster ill. Now the 12-year-old from Lowestoft has spoken out about her alopecia to encourage other young people to seek help if they are being bullied.

Sophie’s hair started falling out two years ago and she soon lost her eyebrows and eyelashes. It was only when her parents took her to see a doctor that she told them she was being teased at school and she was diagnosed with the condition, which causes sudden hair loss.

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Read the full article at the UK’s East Anglian Daily Times.

She’s quite brave to speak out about her condition and I wish her well. This story reminded me of an article from a couple years ago, where a young girl’s hair loss was triggered by bullying (see here).

There are genetic disorders that cause hair loss at the young age, starting at 2-4 years old. This can be alopecia totalis or a form of ectodermal dysplasia, which are often genetic in origin.

February 19, 2010

Optimal Age for a Single Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,

Thank you very much for your helpful book and web site. I am a 29 year old male planning to get a hair transplant. You have recommended waiting until the thirties before getting a transplant due to the risk of shock loss before hair loss has slowed.

One question I have is does using Propecia push back the age in which shock loss is still a risk? Since Propecia generally slows the hair loss process I would think that the age in which hair loss stabilizes would be later. Can a hair transplant surgeon figure out whether shock loss is a possibility just by examing your hair?

A second question, if I were interested in getting just one transplant in my life, what would be the optimal age? Or, if I were willing to get two, what would be the best times? Again, is this something that a surgeon needs to address on an individual basis?

Thanks so much for your help!

Propecia will certainly slow down the timeline for your hair loss. Shock loss does not happen following surgery in most men who are taking this drug. There’s no guarantee though, and determining the risk isn’t something that can be done by an exam.

I generally tell patients to wait until at least the age of 25 before considering a hair transplant, but questions about the ideal age reflect where you are in the balding process and if it bothers you. There is no ideal age for a transplant and only your needs should be a consideration. Be sure that you are on Propecia first and for everyone else reading this, if by chance you are under 25 years old, then trying the drug for a year is very important in building a Master Plan for you.

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February 17, 2010

I’m 16 and My Hairline Receded After a Haircut! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

ok i got my hair cut around September. It was at the bottom of my ribcage and i got it cut a little higher than my collar bone. Ever since then its been falling out a lot more. Ive asked my parents multiple times if my hair line is receding. They say its not and i also get them to look at the top area of my head. It has got thinner i can tell. My grandma says its just the seasons but i don’t know if that’s true.I am a 16 year old male.

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Haircut Your haircut didn’t contribute to your hairline changing. What it sounds like (without photos, I’m just making an assumption) is that your hairline is starting to mature. This is premature around your age, but it happens.

Your new hairstyle might be contributing to your hair looking thinner on top, but I don’t know enough about your hair character (fine, coarse, etc) or hair color to really provide much more than guesses. Maybe there’s something else going on that was coincidental to the timing of the haircut. If you’re truly concerned, have your parents take you to see a dermatologist.

February 17, 2010

If I’m Going to Be Norwood 7, When Will I See Significant Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, I have a question about the different patterns of hairloss in men. My father is a full-blown Norwood class 7. I started losing hair very early (20) and got on finasteride right away. But my hairloss is not diffuse like I would expect a NW7 to bald. I only really have temple recession at this point (21 yrs.old). So my question, Does a NW7 generally bald in a diffuse pattern, or can a destined NW7 start off by losing the temple region?

In other words, do I have any hope that I did not get my father’s hair genes?

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Norwood 7 You are right to be on Propecia. I can not tell you how you might lose it, particularly with Propecia on board. Ask your dad how and when he lost his hair, as that will give you some possible insight. If I mapped out your scalp hair for miniaturization, there may be some insights into the “end game”.

Most Norwood class 7 balding patterns (see diagram at right) will have considerable balding along that path by the mid to late 20s. You might not have your father’s genetic hair loss pattern, though. Cross your fingers.

February 15, 2010

Female Teenager with White Bulb on Falling Hairs – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female) I’m a teen experiencing hair loss with a thick white bulb at the end. What can be the causes of this? I do NOT pull my hair. It comes off by itself. So why is it that the bulb is present on EVERY piece of fallen hair? Will it grow back? How long will it take for it to grow back? I’ve been losing hair when I comb it, in the shower. It’s an all around hair loss and I’ve noticed that my hair has thinned a lot. Any advice, something I should tell my doctor other than “I’m losing hair?”. Should I mention this hair bulb thing?

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I don’t know if it’ll grow back, but the white bulb isn’t anything to worry about. It is likely sebum. See this post for a similar question.

Be open with your doctor and tell him/her anything that you think could contribute. He’ll likely have questions of his own and should run tests. Female hair loss is different from male hair loss. Most men experience hair loss from genetics — with women, it could be genetics, hormonal imbalance, low iron, etc, etc. Learn more about that here.

February 4, 2010

I’m Losing Hair Before I Can Even Grow a Beard! – Balding Blog

Hi Doc

I am a 22 male with fine blond hair, and ever since I can remember I have always had fine hair (used to be able to pull out chunks of my hair) however since the age of 16 I have become obsessed with my receding hairline. Don’t get me wrong, I accept the fact I’m going bald and just waiting for the day to come where it becomes TOO noticeable so I can get the clippers on them. What I don’t understand is …. why now? I cant even grow a beard.

Surely it cant be normal for my hair to be falling out and I cant even grow a proper beard? I got stumble on the chin and upper lip but nothing else….. I am starting to think maybe I have a underlying illness that I don’t know about. Could it be because I am a smoker and that why my hair is falling out? Is it normal for someone to be going bald that hasn’t properly finished puberty yet? or maybe I am just being paranoid? I don’t know.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Kind Regards

Sorry to hear of your hair loss. It seems you have accepted that inevitable. Unfortunately, if you are destined to go completely bald (Norwood 6 or 7) it usually starts very early, possibly as you described.

Growing a beard has nothing to do with scalp hair loss. It is in itself a genetic trait (like balding). Some men just never grow a beard. Also, smoking is bad for you (hey, I’m a doctor — what did you expect me to say?).

January 28, 2010

Hair Loss Information18 Year Old with Hair Loss or Mature Hairline? (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Doc,

I’m an 18 year old male and worried that my hairline’s begun to recede. I don’t have any particular family history of balding, both my grandfathers had most of their hair and so does my mother’s brother. Its only my father who is balding (he is 50 and has lost lots of his hair on the top of his head).

I’ve noticed that when I run my hands through my hair I occasionally lose one or two. Also when the hair is wet i tend to lose a few if I run my hand through my hair. I don’t see more than two or three on my pillow when I wake up.

I’ve always had a high hairline with temples higher than the rest of my hairline, but I think its starting to move back slowly.

I also have little red spots near the receding areas of my hairline, almost like acne (I have very little acne on the rest of my face). Looking at my pictures, would you say this is just a mature hairline or the start of the balding process. Also sorry for the long e-mail, but I’ve tried to list everything I can. I’d appreciate some advice on what I can do, as my hair is still very much part of my identity, and I don’t want to spend the next couple of years worrying and counting hairs.

Many thanks

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While I thank you for permission to post these, usually I require a frontal view with the eyebrows lifted high so that the creases on the forehead show. You supplied two side views with the eyebrows lifted and a poor quality photo that requires me to guess. I’ll take a stab at it anyway. Click the photos to enlarge.

It does look like you are developing a mature hairline, but there is also a sign of some thinning that goes further back than just the leading edge, suggestive of miniaturization behind a maturing hairline.

You need to get your scalp mapped out for miniaturization and see if there is thinning behind the leading edge and how far back it goes. This is suggestive of early male pattern balding at a level where a drug like Propecia (finasteride) can stop it. See a doctor who cares about you and what may be early balding.

January 26, 2010

Hair Loss InformationStopping Propecia After 30 Years? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Say one starts taking propecia once minor thinning is first noticed in a young male the age of 19-20. Say propecia reveres the minor thinning and maintain the hair until your 50s. Is it possible to get off of propecia at 50 since Androgen levels are at their highest in our 20s-30s? I’m a 20 year old male with my juvenile hairline but with very minor crown (literally unnoticeable only to me it is) thinning…I’m hoping that could be the case for me and others in my situation. Also…is it likely propecia will work very well in my case?

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Since the medication hasn’t been available for 30 years, it’s easy to see why there is no 30 year study available on Propecia (finasteride 1mg) to answer your question with any certainty. If I had to guess though, I would say:

Propecia will not usually stop the balding process over a 10 year time frame (let alone a 30 year timeline)
If it did stop the hair loss for 30 years and the genetic pattern was substantially more than you have now, then stopping the Propecia (even after 30 years) would cause accelerated hair loss

As to whether the medication will work “very well” for you, I couldn’t say for sure, but if you start taking it when the loss is early you have a great shot at seeing benefits, particularly since your loss is in the crown. Propecia tends to work best in the crown and for young men with early loss.

January 21, 2010

I’m a Soldier and My Hair Loss Started When I Was in Iraq – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, I’m a 22 year old white male who has over the past year or so has started to have thin hair on the front of my head, and lots of hair loss on the crown. Im a United States Soldier and just returned from Iraq in June of 2009. I noticed the hair loss mid tour in iraq. Im wondering what i need to do to get my hair back, i have military benefits. What type of doctor do i need to see? Please let me know, im too you to be bald. Thanks so much for reading.

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Soldier You should see a hair transplant surgeon who does not rush you into surgery. These are often the best doctors for getting to the bottom of your hair loss, as they deal with it daily. You can check the physician search at ISHRS.org to find a doctor in your area (or if you’re in the LA area, you can see me). Whomever you choose, he/she should be able to ascertain your degree of miniaturization and the connection to genetic balding with the ability to predict where your hair loss is going.

Assuming you have genetic balding increased by the stress of your tour of duty, Propecia (finasteride) should absolutely be in your future. Depending upon where you are in the balding process, a Master Plan that takes into account your family history, the degree of miniaturization that you show now, and your response to the drug (finasteride), will give you some insights into your hair loss future. I don’t believe that your medical benefits from the military will cover the costs of hair transplantation, assuming that is where you will end up in the future as you age.