hi dr. my dad is in his early 50s and has a full head of hair, but his father had a noticable receding hairline at sides of the crown(not completely bald). do i have to be concerned with my grandfathers receding hairline….or just my fathers?
You need to find out if your balding pattern (if you have one) parallels your grandfather’s pattern at the age his started. That may point to your answer. Hair loss can skip generations, and the gene can be carried from either the maternal or paternal side.
Hi,
I am 15 and I have traction alopecia. I got it because I am of Sikh decent and I recently cut off my tightly tyed hair. I have bald spots in the back of my head, on my forhead, and the front of my sides by my forehead. I am desperate for help as Im just 15 and I want to do things with my hair. Right now I just have long hair to cover things up. Please tell me any medicines like rogaine or something that will help. Thanks
Traction alopecia in many young Sikhs may be permanent, even at your age. If you have not worn the turban for more than a year and no hair has grown back, chances are that only a hair transplant will solve the problem. Many Sikhs have this problem. You may consider seeing a hair restoration doctor (with your mother/father) to consider surgical options.
i’m 25. i started noticing thinning hair in the temple area at the age of 21-22 so i shaved my hair. i kept it like that for 2 years. i started taking propecia for 12 months while my hair was shaved and added rogaine in to that. After the 2 year period i let my hair grow out and to my surprise the front temple hair line looked good. i kept it long for a couple of months, but after a while i started losing hair again on my right hand side. keep in mind i’m still using propecia and rogaine. i want to know if its a faze that my hair has to go through, or if this hair loss is gonna be permanent. its only happening on one side of my head.
The frontal hairline is often not symmetrical You need to evaluate your scalp with miniaturization studies to see just where your hair loss is going. The focused question is — Where are you going with your hair loss? You need a few measurements over time to find out if the Propecia is failing to work. If the hairline has gone up quite a bit, you might be a candidate for a hair transplant, but first you need to be evaluated. Dr. Pak and I are based in Southern California (as you’ve indicated that you were), so please consider paying us a visit.
Hello, i know that finasteride avoids the productions of dht by methods i cant explain with my bad english. The fact is that the DHT is needed for the erectile functions of the penis. How can i think that sex/masturbation dont make the body to produce more DHT to have reserves?
If that logic holds true, then all the bald men of the world must be sex addicts or rampant masturbators. Please excuse my humor, but your assumptions are erroneous. Increased DHT does not lead to erectile dysfunction. And increased sex or masturbation does not cause hair loss. Have fun!
I am 30 years old and since I was around 20 I’ve been able to grow a very thick, full beard. Within the past month or so I’ve begun to notice areas on my neck that are balding. Now more bald spots are appearing more regularly and are occurring very quickly (within 3 to 5 days). I have a clean bill of health as far as I know. Would there be any medical reason for the random hair loss? I am considering going to a dermatologist, but any other opinions would be appreciated. Thank you.
You can start with the dermatologist, as you suggested. The differential diagnosis is quite varied and it is possible that with the proper experience, a good dermatologist may make the diagnosis. Random patches of hair loss or hair loss in non-patterned areas may be a sign of other medical problems and/or conditions such as alopecia areata, ring worm, etc.
The progressive loss of neck hair may be a genetic process that starts in the middle of the neck (just below the notch at the base of the skull) and then moves outward. There will be miniaturization of the hairs in some pattern extending outward from the center. Eventually, the miniaturized hairs will fall out. This is a slower process than you are talking about, so it may not apply.
Dr:
I was diagnosed 10 years ago with thyroid disease. At that time, my hair came out terribly. I have remained on a maintenance dosage of Armour because my THS levels are always within lower limits of the normal range of functioning. Most of my hair, over the years has grown back, but it does not have the same thickness. Also, the top is thinner than the rest.
Additionally, my pubic hair thinned out years ago. However, it never grew back, and it began to gray. Is there something that can be done to thicken my pubic hair, stop the graying, and thicken the hair in the top of my head?
Thanks
The use of hair dyes is the only treatment for graying. What you are reporting with the hair in other parts of your body is a consequence of thyroid disease over the long term in some patients.
Hi Dr.I wanted to follow up with you. I wanted to let you know what I’ve found out after three trips to my primary care doctor. I gave blood twice and had it checked for thyroid, full panel scan, cancer and HIV to name a few. Plus chest x-rays.I have all normal levels and no HIV. I’ve been diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis on my face and scalp. When I started using the brow conditioner is about the time my eyebrow hair started falling out. The areas it was applied, started flaking bad. I am still having hair loss in my eyebrow and some on my temple areas with itching. I hear hair loss is normal with seborrheic dermatitis? I notice the eyebrow hairs falling often have a piece of dry skin attached to the base. How long can I expect to have hair loss now that I’m being treated with desonide cream? Will the hair grow back once the seborrheic dermatitis clears? If not when can I consider scalp and eyebrow transplants. Will they be successful? Thanks.
The role of seborrheic dermatitis in hair loss is debated. Patients with seborrheic dermatitis may lose hair indirectly due to the inflammation of the skin that can accelerate telogen effluvium, which is reversible in most cases. The other mechanism of hair loss in these patients is through traction alopecia by scratching and rubbing hair. Traction alopecia is reversible in many cases. A small group of patients with baldness due to chronic traction alopecia may never grow hair back and a hair transplant may become necessary and could be done successfully after the skin inflammation is over. Before embarking on a transplant for the eyebrows, be sure that you have controlled the seborrheic dermatitis. This should be easy for a good dermatologist.
You recently responded to a question on the balding blog that FUE will soon incorperate robotics. I’m trying to picture how this would work…. Will patients be required to wear a certain helmet of some sort so that their head remains completely still? Do you think that general anesthesia and paralysis would be necessary?
As you do not want to have a mobile robot like R2-D2 chasing the patient around a room, there must clearly have some head immobilization apparatus to hold the head steady. A smart robot will be programmed with enough pattern recognition to be able to adjust to slight movements. Heavy sedation (not general anesthesia) for the long, arduous process will also be needed. There will not be a helmet because, again, the robot needs to be smartly programmed. I have seen this robot in action. It looked like a scaled down version of the robots used in industry today (e.g. car assembly).
Hey, thanks for taking my question. I’d like to know if I’ve got a maturing hairline or if I’m going bald. I’m 20 years old and I’ve recently noticed my hair is thinning away around my temples, and that on the right side of my head the hairline is beginning to rise a little bit higher than it is on the left. The rest of my hair is as thick as ever. Just a few questions:
1. Is this probably a maturing hairline? I’ve read other questions and I noticed you said it develops between 17-29. Seeing as I’m on the younger end, does it make a difference how long it takes? Meaning, if you develop one at 17 do you start continued balding faster than a person who develops it at 27?
2. Do hairlines mature symmetrically?
Thanks!
Hairlines often do not mature symmetrically. If you do not have balding, then the maturing hairline will develop when it develops. No two people develop it at the same rate. My youngest son took 9 years to evolve, yet others will evolve it in a matter of a year to two. I do not know if Propecia will slow it down, but it is logical that this could be a side effect of Propecia.
Hi Dr,
I have a mature hairline (since 15) , and my dad and his dad both have the same hairline. No one on my mom’s side has/had a mature hairline. Is this an indication that I will take after my father?(he still has lots of hair)
Sounds like it. Is there balding in the family on either side? That could impact what will happen to you if there is.
