Category: Hair Loss Causes

Hello, I am a 21 year old male, and I don’t have any dramatic balding, but I am noticing my hair is thinner than it used to be when I was younger, but perhaps I am just being paranoid. I am a Sikh, and part of the religion is to keep uncut hair tied neatly in a topknot. I do not tie this topknot very tightly, and I leave a lot of slack between the knot and the root to make sure I am not putting any unnecessary tension on my roots. I wash my hair every 2-3 days depending on how greasy it gets.

My question is: does combing your hair in the opposite direction (as I must to bring my hair in the upward direction to tie the topknot) lead to any sort of increased hair loss? I comb, not vigorously, all the hair at the back and sides of my head “up” in order to tie the knot, meaning I run my comb from the top of my neck to the top of the crown, and I am scared that this is the cause of thinning hair.

Combing your hair “against the grain”, so to speak, wouldn’t cause hair loss.

Tightness can cause tension hair loss which sounds like something you are now experiencing. This hair loss in the front and sides is very common amongst Sikhs from what we call traction alopecia. It is caused by a tight turban which pulls against the healthy hair.

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My husband and my 8 year old daughter and myself have been losing our hair. It was really bad there for awhile. We have lost half our hair. No one seems to know why..We went to the Derm, A toxocl, and our family dr. Whats even more upsetting is no one is taking this serious. How can be like that? It hurts when your 8 year old asks “mommy why am I losing my hair” and you cant give her a reason.

do you know what it might be? We have also had blisters on our arms and back..and I had a rash that looked like a sunburn on my chest and back..and my head was on fire! Do you think it could be a chemical we may have came in contact with..and if so will out hair grow back? We have always had thick , thick hair now its real thin and fine…so confused and upset..please help..

This is quite the mystery. I wish I could provide some insight, but there’s really no way I can seriously help when even the doctors you have seen face-to-face cannot come up with the answer. I’m at the great disadvantage of not having met you to learn more about your history. There’s just so many possibilities… anything from disease to infection to chemical, etc, etc. The blisters and rash are interesting, but I wouldn’t even know where to start with that. Are they coincidence? They could be related, but again, I’m at a total loss.

All I can suggest is to keep looking for that doctor who will listen to you and take you seriously. That should be your first step. Until you find out what is going on, there’s no way you can figure out how to resolve it. I do wish you good luck and hope you to hear from you when you finally get to the bottom of whatever is going on.

Do you believe there is a link between lack of sunlight and the speed of mpb? I’m not talking about synthetic vitamin d supplements here. I’ve noticed people who tan do not bald and people in southern sunnier climates do not bald as much as those in the northeast united states and northern europe. I know age, lifestyles, and ethnicity are factors but could sunlight reduce the speed people lose hair?? I truly believe there is a link.

I don’t believe male pattern baldness is associated with sunlight, vitamin D, or geographic/climate variations. Perhaps people in sunny climates (particularly what I see here in Southern California) pay more attention to their physical appearance/ Maybe what you are noticing are good hair transplants or wigs on these people? I really cannot say for sure and I’m struggling to find statistics that show a breakdown of balding population by location/region. I’d be curious to see if what you’re noticing has any merit.

By the way, have you tried to correlate female breast sizes with climate and geographic locations? I’d guess women in sunny climates have a higher incidence of breast augmentation than women in colder climates where there is more skin cover.

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I am 24 and I know I have MPB. However, I’ve been having a poor diet over the last 4-5 months, which I already stopped and started getting a proper diet. However, during those months I noticed my hair getting thinner.

My question is simple: with a proper diet will I have my hair as thick as it was before the poor diet began? I do not expect an exact answer of course but just an idea based on your experience.

Thanks

Will your hair get as thick as it was before your bad food habits? Likely not. If you are sure you have genetic male pattern baldness (diagnosed by a doctor?), the poor diet might’ve exacerbated the hair loss. It could regrow somewhat, but I don’t know enough about your hair loss pattern or history to really speculate too much more.

You need to be seen by an expert, and you should consider getting on Propecia to slow down the loss if you are indeed experiencing MPB.

I work in a small hotel where we have many Asian guests. Without a doubt, both Asian men & women shed far more hair on a daily basis than any other group. Is there a reason for this?

There is no ethnic variation in hair loss, except in a select minority of American Indians who generally do not lose any hair. For more on that, see Racial Differences in Hair Loss.

If I had to guess why you’re seeing more hair shed from Asians, it’s probably because you see the black hair a lot easier on the white bed sheets that are common in hotels, rather than blonde or light brown hair.

Hello Doctor! I am an eighteen year old suffering from hair loss. I guess my story started 3 years ago, back when I was 15. I took accutane, 10MG in the morning, 20at night, for about I would say, eight-ten months. During this time I lost a lot of hair, according to my mother, who had the chore of changing my bed sheets and thus, obviously noticed the hair left behind on the pillow.

So I guess its safe to say that I started going bald since I was 16. Both my mother’s brothers are bald, and ALL FIVE of my father’s brothers are bald, hence I know, the probability of me going down the route is ,I dare say, inevitable. But,I am ONLY eighteen! I KNOW it can happen at such a young age, but I am hoping that at this age, I can reverse it.

I dont want to take propecia due to the sexual side effects, and the fact it is permanent in some patients, so I guess my only choice is rogaine,(or is it?) My question is, in your opinion and experience, is it helpful for someone my age and situation?

oh btw, I am norwood scale 2. hope that helps, thank you very much!

We generally do not consider a Norwood Class 2 pattern to be balding, just a maturing hairline in its early stage. However, if your mother saw the results of your heavy hair loss for 3 years I’d expect your pattern to be greater than NW2. Maybe what she saw was the normal loss from hair cycling we all see each and every day? If you used a product like styling gel in your hair, it’s possible that those hairs that would’ve normally fallen out throughout the day became trapped, only to be loosened when you slept on your pillow. I’m just guessing here, as there are just way too many variables to consider, and since I haven’t seen any photos nor have I examined you, I’m totally grasping at straws.

It doesn’t even sound like you have seen a doctor or obtained a diagnosis from a professional, which I’d recommend before starting any treatments. You’re 18 years old with what you describe as early hair loss, which means you could potentially be a good candidate for Propecia (finasteride). Besides Propecia, the only other FDA-approved hair loss medication is Rogaine (minoxidil). Propecia works much better than Rogaine in cases of early hair loss, but if you’re afraid of a safe and effective medication like Propecia, I’m not going to waste my time trying to convince you otherwise. There’s enough scientific proof available if you’re interested in seeking it out. Every medication has some level of risks (we’re all different), but the Propecia side effects are not permanent and are incredibly rare. Perhaps you’re also scared of drugs like Advil (ibuprofen) too, because the side effects list that you can cough up blood and have seizures.

Your Accutane (isotretinoin) history coupled with your family hair loss history does make it seem likely that you’re going to follow the family loss pattern at some point, if it hasn’t started already. My recommendation is to see a doctor, get a diagnosis, and evaluate all your options.

I am going through a divorce and heard that stress can cause hair loss but it will probably grow back when the stress subsides. Is this true? Is there anything that can be taken to prevent this?

Some people do lose hair all over the scalp due to extreme stress, but there’s no pill to take to treat or prevent this. Stress management is an art and a science. You should contact your family doctor if you believe that your stress is impacting you with hair loss.

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I’ve noticed that sometimes, when my hair falls off, it’s not just simply the hairs. Sometimes I see dry bits of skin that look sort of like the image you have on your website showing the FUE method (only instead of looking fresh and fleshy, it looks dried up): Photo

I’ve actually had this happening for a while now, and I am balding, so I was wondering whether this has anything to do with it. That I can see, most of my hairs are fairly thick (they don’t look like they’re literally thinning), but there’s just a lot of space in between the hairs.

Is this a normal MPB thing, or do I have something else going on?

The photo you referenced (at right) are dissected follicular units of 1, 2, 3, and 4-hair grafts used in transplantation. I highly doubt you are able to see a follicular unit fall out naturally from your scalp.

Now I don’t know exactly what you’re seeing, but if I had to guess, I think you’re noticing a small white material that is attached to the ends of the hair. This is sometimes referred to as sebum or a waxy substance that your hair naturally produces (see here for more on that). That isn’t skin with the hair and it isn’t anything to worry about, but if you’re still concerned about this condition please see your doctor.