Category: Hair Loss Causes

Hi Doctor,

When I was young, I was born with an amazing volume of hair. However, I am unsure of what reasons, I started having hair thinning when I was 18. Now I am 32 and my hair volume is only 1/4 of what I was. I am not taking any medication and my family does not have a history of thinning hair.

Can I check what are the possible reasons and what are the steps I can take to quickly regain all my hair?

Thank you.

There is nothing you can do to “quickly” regain your hair. If it was that easy, I doubt we’d see people with balding and this site would be a single post explaining how to regrow all your hair. Unfortunately, the magic you’re seeking isn’t a reality.

You should see a doctor to go over your options. If you have male pattern (genetic) hair loss, finasteride could be a possible treatment for you. Genes are the most common reason for hair loss in men.

Hi, I am a big fan of this blog.

I am a male of 24 years from India and have been losing hair since I was 18. Here is the condition of my hair:
-I think I am Norwood 1.5 and my hair seems full to others
-I lost much of bulk on my balding zones, non balding zones are okay.
-I lose hair which are so thin. Most hair strands that I lose are thick at the tip, but gets so thin towards the root (the bulb portion). The root portion is also whitish in colour.
-My scalp is so freakishly oily and have dandruff only on the balding zone. Whenever I scratch I find hairs that are almost invisible.
-Some long hairs can be pulled out easily. They move in the slightest of wind while holding at the root. Those strands are medium thick but very lifeless.
-My crown is feeling very thinner. The scalp can be seen at bright lights

I think I am in early stages of balding. I want to do something to treat early before it is too late. I am a bit scared of fin but I wont mind giving it a try. What do you say about my hair condition? is it mpb? Can i take fin without seeing a derm? or should i wait for histogen?

If you’re seeing a Norwood class 1 or 2, that isn’t really considered balding. It is normal to lose hair daily, as new hair grows in (hair cycling). It is also normal for your hair to appear thinner under bright, direct lighting. All in all, what you’re describing sounds pretty… normal.

If you are concerned that you’re in the early stages of male pattern baldness (MPB), you should see a doctor. Do not just take finasteride without a prescription. It is a prescribed medication for a reason, and you must see a doctor (dermatologist or otherwise) that can tell you if what you’re seeing is even MPB.

I couldn’t tell you if Histogen or other future treatments will become a reality, or how effective they will even be, or when they will even be public. There are still a lot of questions about future treatments, but we’re all waiting to know.

I am a 28 year old male and I have quite thin hair. Around three years ago someone mentioned it was thinning around the crown. At the time I had quite bad eczema on my head. I assumed this was the source of the problem and have since managed to get it under control with the help of a dermatologists.

However, the hair around my crown does not seem to have grown back. I keep quite a close eye on my crown and I don’t think it has got much worse over the last few years, although it is hard to tell.

Could the hair loss around my crown be due to the eczema? Should I assume it won’t grow back?

I suppose anything is possible, but your guess is as good as mine in this case. It is relatively unusual to just have crown hair loss from eczema. In general, crown hair loss for men is genetic in nature. It’s possible that you have genetic balding in addition to the eczema.

Are there any trends or differences for mixed race people vs Caucasians, Black etc? I mean, do you notice any more or less cases of hair loss in mixed race guys compared to those that you see in your office that are one race? I’m just curious.

There are always variations in ethnicity, but the variation is also individual in nature. One ethnic hair characteristic does not always dominate over another. You can have a half black / half white baby and they can either have white skin curly hair or black skin and straight hair (or vice versa).

We know that the donor densities are different in different races, with Caucasian the highest (100,000 hairs on the scalp) and African the lowest (60,000 hairs on the scalp). Asians are mid-way between the two.

But to answer your question — no, I don’t necessarily see more (or less) cases of mixed race men with balding in my office.

does shaving at an age of 1 to 2 years damage the follicles? I ask this because I had my head shaved when I was 1 year old and i’ve noticed like my friends, i dont have thick temple peaks. but my mother has that and my close relatives also have that

Head shaving at any age should not damage hair follicles. We all have variations in hair lines and temple peaks. This is more about genetic variations.

Hello,

from 2010 until September 2011 I was wearing eyeglasses that were too tight, and I suppose the tightly fitted frames lead to a pressure-induced alopecia at both lateral scalp sides, decreasing the blood flow passing through the external carotid artery. The right side of my scalp shows reduced hair density. Is this due to an ischemic process? How do I know if the alopecia is scarring and if this process is reversible? Up until now the hair hasn’t regrown. Thanks a lot

I suppose anything is possible. Perhaps you have traction alopecia, but I wouldn’t say it is from an ischemic process. If the problem has been ongoing, the hairs may not grow back. Only time will tell (about 1 year), but I suppose if it has been since late 2011, you would know by now.

Transplants work well if it does not grow back, and in fact, you would never know that they are transplants.

Snippet from the article:

Really. Come on. Who isn’t interested in hair? Hair growth, hair loss, hair thickness, hair shape, hair location. I’d bet that everyone of us spends at least a minute or two each day thinking about (or, if you’re like me, futilely plucking and prodding at) the state of our locks.

Now Stanford researchers have delved deep into the cells surrounding our hair follicles to better understand what makes them grow and maintain hair. Perhaps not surprisingly, the answer lies in the stem cells (here, called ‘bulge cells’) within the follicle.

Specifically, research associate Yiqin Xiong, PhD, and associate professor of medicine Ching-Pin Chang, MD, PhD, have identified a signaling circuit that controls the cells’ activity.

Read the rest — The secret life of hair follicles, revealed by Stanford researchers

This isn’t a hair loss question, but I am curious about the rate of my hair growth. I find my hair growth occurs more rapidly during the summer months. Is this normal? I usually get a haircut every 4 weeks or so, but in the summertime I find myself at the barber every 2-3 weeks because it gets out of control. With summer a few months away, it got me thinking that I need to put aside some extra cash for more barber time.

I have heard about this observation before (though I tend to hear this more about winter months rather than summer), although there is no documentation in the clinical science literature about it. It may not be a general rule, but what you’re seeing is probably appropriate for your situation.

I’ve written before about seasonal hair loss here.