Category: Hairlines

Dear Doc,
Hi, I’m a 19 year old male who just went in for miniaturization mapping. This is basically what I was told: there was no thinning on the crown and not much on the front, but there was thinning on the corners. Now already my corners have gone back quite a bit (about 1.5 inches, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less). The front has gone back almost 0.5 inches.

When I left, the doctor recommended that I start propecia and start massaging my scalp with minoxidil once a day. Now I read what you had on “mature hairlines” and am wondering whether or not I have a mature hairline and if this treatment that the doctor recommended could cause more harm than help…

On the other hand I’m worried that maybe this is the beginning stages of balding. Should I go ahead with the treatment or is it likely that this is simply a mature hairline and that my recession won’t go much farther than it already is?

Thanks

As I have nothing to base an opinion on, I can not tell you what I think, but if you show me a photo of your frontal view from the eyebrows up and your brow lifted as high as you can get it so that the wrinkles in the forehead appear clearly, I will give you an opinion if this is a maturing hairline or early Norwood Class 3 balding.

Want to get the photo to me for review? Sign up at BaldingForum.com, upload your photo (or photos) there, then create a thread asking about your hairline in the Hair Loss Open Discussion category. It’s easier than it sounds, trust me.

Dr. Rassman, I wanted to ask you about how quickly baldness can set in. I’m a 21 year old male and I’ve noticed that my hairline has been receding over the last few months. Originally, I was convinced that I was going bald, but then I figured maybe it was only my hairline maturing (as the hairline is hovering just around 1.5 inches above the highest forehead wrinkle at the temples), but now I think it may be balding again. It has receded almost half an inch at the temples in about a month, so I want to know if I should expect it to continue receding at this rate, assuming it is baldness and not simply a maturing hairline. Thank you.

If you are balding, then you will have miniaturization leading to the balding pattern. Look to map out your scalp for miniaturization, especially in the frontal corners. The difference between a maturing hairline and early frontal balding can be difficult to spot. The onset of a maturing hairline usually takes a few years, but I have seen it start up and move more quickly. There is no rule you can use.

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Hi doctors,
I’ve been watching a lot of CNN lately and keep seeing this contributor named Roland Martin on there with a very unusual looking hairline. It looks like it’s caving in at the front. I’m just curious as to what class that might be considered or is that just a weird version of a mature hairline or something?

Here’s his photo from CNN.

I do not think this is an unusual hairline. Rather, it looks like he is showing early signs of balding, possibly a Norwood Class 3A. His balding is starting in the middle and on the sides, leaving two mounds of hair off center. In the years ahead, he will most likely lose all of the frontal hair, leaving only these mounds which will eventually go away in time. I see this fairly frequently. In other words, we don’t bald all at once. It is a slow and gradual process.

Photo source: RolandSMartin.com

Doc,
I’m confused bout the difference between the Norwood 2 and the Norwood 3 with a persistent forelock. Can you clear this up for me?

A Norwood Class 3 hair loss pattern has more recession of hair on the front corners. “Persistent forelock” just means you have a strong (non-balding) area of hair in the front middle, which on many people will actually go down as far as the highest crease in the wrinkled brow. Most Norwood 2 or 3 patients have a good, strong (non-balding) front middle hair zone. I wrote a bit about comparing Norwood 2 and 3 at Juvenile vs Mature Hairline — Am I Going Bald?.

Why in the very front of the hairline the hairs are not the same thickness, why are some of the me finer than others?

Every person should have finer hair in the frontal hairline. I have measured the thickness of the hairs at the frontal hairline, those hairs about an inch behind the hairline, and the hair in the back of the head (donor fringe area). The frontal hairline hair is thinner. A patient of mine called it “angel hair” and it is this hair that allows the gradient from the bald forehead to the thicker hair behind the hairline. That is the way it is, genetic of course.

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It is known that the maturing hairline, the NW2, is not part of the genetic balding process. A NW3, however, is considered the first stage of the balding process. It has been documented that propecia is not effective in treating the mature hairline, but it can treat the frontal hairline if you have genetic balding. Now for the question: In rare cases, the NW3 IS the mature hairline for some. In those cases, would it be likely that propecia could help halt the progress of a NW3 even if it is the mature hairline?

The Norwood class 3 has considerable corner recession and does not reflect the maturing hairline. Please review this guide to the maturing hairline that I wrote about 2 years ago: Juvenile vs Mature Hairline — Am I Going Bald?

Hopefully that will clear up any confusion.