Category: Hair Loss Causes

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Losing Hair in the Middle of Hairline – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doctor. I asked a silly question once before about genetics that you wisely didn’t answer (because it was stupid). My question today, however, is hopefully less dumb. I am 20 years old with thick brown hair. I have no history of baldness in my family minus a couple of great uncles on both sides of my family. The problem, however, is that I seem to be shedding a lot of hair in the front of my head. After shampooing my head or brushing my hair I seem to lose about 5-10 hairs just from the front of my hairline. What’s also weird is that the hairs only seem to fall out from the middle of my hairline (at the widow’s peak), and not at the temples, which is where baldness or thinning should be occurring (at least in my family history). The hair shafts seem to be just as thick as the rest of my head, and when I part my hair to check for thinning, the hair density in front actually seems thicker. I know that it is normal to lose about 100 hairs a day, but this type of shedding doesn’t seem to be occurring anywhere else on my head. Any advise? Thank you for your time.

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Hair shedding is not always an indication of permanent hair loss or future balding, as most people lose 100 to 150 hairs every day. I would say that microscopic evaluation of the scalp and hair (a miniaturization study) is probably the most accurate method of predicting the future hair loss in male pattern baldness. Having increased miniaturization (over 20%) in any area of the scalp should be considered as a sign of future hair loss in that particular area.

Some people lose their widow’s peak and very frontal 1-3 cm of their hairline due to maturation of the hairline, which is not necessarily balding (see Maturation of a Hairline — Moving From Juvenile to Mature). So if you are only thinning in the frontal 1-3 cm with no evidence of hair loss or miniaturization elsewhere, it may just be hairline maturation and that will stop when your new hairline is reached.

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Hair Loss InformationIs MPB Universal Across All Races? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi doc, I have 2 questions. Firstly, does mpb always starts on receeding hairline followed by diffused thinning of the scalp? I have some degree of diffused thinning on top of my head, it’s
a beginning phase. But I have no receeding hairline, so I don’t know whether there’s a possibility that I could have AGA? Also, I had been in depression for years but I never took any
medication. Or could it be telogen effluvium? My second question: is the pattern in mpb universal across all races? I’m asian so I don’t know if that changes anything. Thanks in advance!

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MPB does not always start with a receding hairline. It is impossible to tell you what you have without a physical examination or a miniaturization study or a good medical history and interview. Sure, you might have AGA or telogen effluvium… or you can just be imagining it!

Male pattern hair loss does not discriminate by race or ethnicity. Being Asian does not change anything, but with that said, the American Indian (not his ancestors who came from Alaska) have no balding. The American Indian who came north from Central America has balding just like all other racial groups.

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Hair Loss InformationI’m a Breakdancer, and I Spin On My Head – Now There’s a Bald Spot! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear experts,
I’ve been a breakdancer for over 5 years now and I spun on my head for the past 4. About 4 months ago I decided to cut my hair really short for the summer and noticed I have about a 2 inch by 1inch spot on the top of my head where the hair has thinned out, (obviously from the constant rubbing). Even after 4 months the hair hasn’t grown back very much and Im guessing I might have built up some scar tissue there even though I would always wear a hat. I don’t spin on my head anymore and would like to continue to wear my hair short, but it feels a little awkward with this slightly bald spot on my head. Are there any solutions you could recommend so I could wear my hair short without feeling self-conscious about the bald spot on my head?

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BreakdanceI didn’t realize break dancing could be hazardous to your hair.

You describe a condition known as traction alopecia, where repeated rubbing and/or pulling of hair will cause hair loss. This type of hair loss is usually permanent. There is not much you can do other than to grow your hair out longer or perhaps use a beanie/skull cap. You may try minoxidil (Rogaine), but I doubt most of your hair will grow back. You may also consider a hair transplant, but you would need to be evaluated by a qualified physician first.

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Hair Loss InformationIsn’t New Hair Grown from Rogaine Still Effected by DHT? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor,

I do not understand this dependability of my new hair grown on rogaine, isn´t this new hair also affected by DHT? what a I mean is: will my new hair fall even if I take propecia? why is this new hair different from the ones being saved by propecia?

thank you doctor

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BikeRiding a bike or driving a car may get you to where you want to go, yet they work very differently… just as Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) work differently to treat hair loss. Propecia blocks DHT production and by creating this block, the genetic element for hair loss is ‘subdued’. Minoxidil may work by extending hair cycles and/or moving hair into the anagen cycle. DHT can still do its dirty work.

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Hair Loss InformationMy Son Scraped His Hairline on the Bottom of a Pool After Diving In – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My son dove head-first into a swimming pool, and he grazed the bottom of the pool with his head/face. He seems to have lost some hair(about 1/2″ diameter) from his hairline just above his forehead.

I feel VERY fortunate that he didn’t break his neck, but do you think his hair will grow back after the wound heals?

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DiveMaybe! It is difficult to say. A significant wound may have damaged the hair follicles and your son may have a bald spot on the area of trauma, but usually such trauma will produce only temporary hair loss. I would wait 8 months to see if hair will grow. If hair does not grow, he may be a candidate for a small hair transplant procedure.

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I Am Losing a Lot of Hair After My Transplant – The Doctor Didn’t Tell Me About This – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr.

I recently(two weeks ago) had a hair transplant and am experiencing a lot of hairfall right now. My Dr. told me that i would lose the transplanted hair after the procedure, but i am also losing a lot of my own hair. Is it normal after the procedure? Would be greatful to you if you could please answer my question.

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It sounds like you are experience a phenomenon called “shock loss”. It occurs more in younger patients and patients with pre-existing miniaturized hairs. Thus, you often see me reiterate on here about the importance of a miniaturization study. It is a risk associated with a hair transplant procedure and it should have been outlined for you in your informed consent paper work before the surgery. You should have been put on Propecia prior to the surgery to minimize the risks, particularly if you are under the age of 35 or if you have had recent hair loss.

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Hair Loss After Breast Implants? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

In Jan. 03 I had saline breast implants and 4 months later my started falling out and to this day it still is. The dermatologist said it was AGA but my thinning is all over and my part is not get wider. Could it be chronic TE or something else? Please Help!

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Unfortunately, I can not address your problem without seeing you. Surgeries produce stress and people with AGA can lose hair with stress. You can try to do the hair pull test on yourself. For information on telogen effluvium (TE), please see Wikipedia.

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Does the Follicle Eventually Just Stop Producing Hair? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi doc,
is it true (..or partly true under certain conditions) that the follicle will go through the growth, release and snooze phases a specific amount of times and then stop to produce hair?

If so, MSM and it’s claimed increase in hairgrowth speed would actually do more harm then good in the long turn.

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It is normal to lose 100 to even 200 hairs a day (though the average would be closer to 100, I’d say). As hair falls out, there are hairs that are also starting to grow. Hair may also grow in cycles and you may notice more hair falling out at different phases and seasons of the month. Hair follicle cells have three phases of growth:

  1. Growth phase (Anagen phase) which lasts anywhere from 2 to 6 years. This is the phase where your hair is actively growing at approximately 10cm per year. 85% of hair is at this phase at any given time.
  2. Transitional phase (Catagen phase) which lasts about 2 weeks. This is the phase where the hair follicle shrinks and prepares to enter the resting phase.
  3. Resting phase (Telogen phase) which lasts about 1- 6 months. This is the phase where hair does not grow but stays attached to the follicle. Some hairs are shed at this phase, but at the end the hair follicle re-enters the growth phase to start the cycle over again. 10-15% of hairs are at this phase at any given time.

Eventually, as we age, some of the hair follicles will die and stop producing hair. But keep in mind the life expectancy for a hair follicle can be over 100 years (provided that you live that long). My great grandmother had a full head of hair at 114 years of age, so clearly the hair can live longer than we do. I’ve written about this before — At What Age Does Hair Stop Growing Naturally?

Finally, there are no products or medications proven to speed up or increase hair growth. Drugs like minoxidil are thought to prolong the hair cycles and that might mean, in the long term, that hair treated with minoxidil might last more years. I would be interested to see product results on half a scalp to see if that half has faster hair growth, longer cycles, or whatever.

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Low Ferritin and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Im female age 44. Last year I lost hair due to low ferritin stores. My level is now 100, when can I expect to see regrowth and should I continue to take supplements until I do? Thanks

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It is impossible to give you a time frame, but I suspect you should see some hair growth in about one year. That being said, you may not notice any significant hair growth even after your low iron levels have been corrected. This is due to a phenomenon that is not well understood. At best it can be analogous to a genetic “switch” for hair loss that has been turned on when your iron stores were low. Even after the iron levels are corrected it is sometimes difficult to turn that “switch” completely off.