Category: Hair Loss Causes

When I wake up – I look in the mirror and it’s obvious that my hair is much thinner on one side of my head. I can create a big parting on this side because the hair is so thin and can’t do so if I try on the other side. I’m 27 and have slightly receded temples and the temple recession is slightly worse on this side but I don’t understand why it’s thin all the way to the back of my head on this side?

Is this common with male pattern baldness? My dad is bald but I have been quite stressed over the last year and don’t want to take propecia if it’s something other than MPB.

Thanks.

It is common to see more thinning on one side in cases of genetic male pattern baldness (MPB), but rest assured that the other side generally catches up. I do not know if you have MPB, but if you believe you are losing hair you should see a doctor and get a diagnosis.

hey doc!
i heard that losing 100 hairs a day is normal. i have also read that this is a myth and the correct number is 20-50. can you give some input?

thanks

It is normal to lose 100 to as much as 200 hairs a day. Where are you getting your source of information? Keep in mind that you have somewhere around 100,000 hairs on your scalp. Now let’s do the math. If there are 100 hairs per day lost, multiply that by 365 days, and then triple that number (average hair cycle is 3 years) and you will come close to 100,000 hairs.

That reflects the average hair cycle so the 100 hairs per day lost means that your body is replacing 100 hairs per day at the same time, so that there is a net ZERO hair loss in a person with a hair cycle that lasts 3 years.

Sir
my friends have been telling me that jogging too much on a tread mill leads to hair loss. is it true sir should i stop using tread mill?

thank you

Your friends are mistaken. Your genes are the most likely cause for hair loss in men… not your treadmill.

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Can a bulk analysis predict how bald a man suffering hair loss only in the ‘receding’ pattern will end up? For me, I’m almost 100% sure I haven’t lost any density or thickness behind the hairline so how would a bulk analysis predict where my recession will progress to?

Yes and no.

The hair that is going to be lost has a biological clock with a trigger point that starts the balding process. Let’s say that someone will become a Norwood class 5 pattern balding man and that the leading edge of his frontal hairline started at 18, the remaining part of the front started at 24, and his crown started to thin at the age of 22. That means that the predicted pattern will not show until the bulk starts to reduce in those ‘triggered areas’.

When the thinning starts, the bulk measurements are clearly impacted earlier than the eye can detect, so that is the “yes” part of the answer to your question. The “no” part may reflect the crown status at the age of 20, which will not show thinning (in this scenario) until he is 22.

Hi DR Rassman. Thank you for providing this very informative blog.

I’ve wondering about this and trying to find the answer on the internet for ages – sometimes when I rub my head in the morning I see some slightly thinner hair than my normal healthy looking ones. I went to the derm and did a miniaturisation test and had less than 10% miniaturisation. The derm said I am not balding, however when I see these slightly thinner hairs I get worried…

So I guess my question is do these slightly thinner hairs (intermediate?) grow on a non balding scalp? They grow just as long as my normal hair and are same thickness throughout the strand.

Thank you

If you have less than 10% miniaturization and your dermatologist told you that you are not balding, I would stop worrying. Non-balding people shed about 100 to even 200 hairs a day. Perhaps you’re seeing hairs going through various growth cycles?

If there is any doubt, then have a bulk measurement of your hair done, which will show beyond any doubt if you are thinning or balding. If you have miniaturized hairs, those hairs will not grow at the rate or to the length of normal, non-miniaturized hairs.

How can you tell the difference between male pattern baldness and general thinning as you age? I am almost 35 and have no discernible signs of MPB other than a mature hairline (which appeared when I was about 19). However, I am convinced my hair is thinner than it used to be.

Simple answer: There is a pattern to MPB. That is why they call it male “pattern” baldness and this is the classic male genetic hair loss.

There are other diseases that cause general thinning, including diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA), senile alopecia, etc. You can have that diagnosis made for sure by comparing the bulk in different parts of your scalp. A knowledgeable doctor will add value in examining you.

I was just wondering if I sent you a few pics of my hairline do you think you could give me an answer to if I’m going bald or not?

We do not diagnose people on BaldingBlog, as that would be a poor practice of medicine. If you want to send in your pictures for me to post and comment on, feel free. If you want a virtual consultation, you can send good photos, I will look at them, and then established a dialogue with you over the phone.

In general, hairline pictures do not tell me much with respect to predicting the balding process. It’s kind of like sending a picture of your hand and asking me if you will have arthritis later on in life. I am not a fortune teller (or misfortune teller).