In your experience, how long does the maturation of the hairline process take? I just recently noticed a slight recession on the corners and I was just wondering.
The maturing hairline is an insidious process and can take years to appear. The process is very slow and creeps up on most men. I watched two of my sons and my nephew gain mature hairlines, and each took a number of years to fully appear.
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Hey Dr. Rassman,
I have a question about the maturing hairline. Is there any sort of sequence to overall hair growth/development; specifically, does the hairline tend to mature before/after/simultaneously with the growth of the beard or other body hair? If I already have a full beard, is it reasonable to assume I’ve already got my mature hairline, or does the hairline mature independently of other body hair maturation?
I have described the mature hairline here and here, however, I do not believe anyone really knows (including me) the exact order or timeframe in which a maturing hairline develops. Medicine is a descriptive science at times, and sometimes all I can do is describe what I have seen and observed.
Experience shows that the hairline takes on a receding leading edge sometime between the ages of 19-29 on average. Body hair usually comes on later than pubic and underarm hair. This is a DHT mediated series of events, however there is much more than DHT behind these changes. So no, hairline maturation is not linked to the growth of body hair. If you are concerned, you can see your primary doctor or a dermatologist.
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This patient came into the office this week for a follow-up 10 months after his hair transplant. His before photos show his Norwood 4A pattern and his after photos show the result of a single procedure of 2790 grafts. When I showed him his before photos, he smiled and said, “I really did not see it grow, but I guess it did. Can you give me my before pictures so I can show them to my mom? She told me not to worry, it was looking so good“. Now he can show her (and all of you) just how good. His smile was quite heartwarming.
Click the photos below to enlarge.
Before:
After 2790 grafts:
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Hi Doctors,
I’m schedule for surgery with Dr Pak and the last time I was there I forgot to ask to see an example of what I might look like a week or so after surgery. I’m taking a week off from work since I have a ton of vacation time saved up anyway so I’m not concerned about what my scalp will look like during that time. I just didn’t want to go back to work with a swollen head or something. Can you post some photos of a patient that Dr Pak has done? Thanks
Here’s a recent patient of Dr. Pak‘s that has agreed to show his full face (and results) to the world. He’s very excited about the future of his hair, and although these photos are only 10 days out of surgery, you can see that he’s on the right track. There’s no redness, no scabbing, no swelling (nor did he have any swelling immediately after the procedure)… things are looking great. This is typical with follicular unit transplantation surgery in the hands of an experienced doctor and team, and of course with proper aftercare washing. The patient has a Norwood Class 6 hair loss pattern and had a single procedure of 2468 grafts. I’d like to point out that the grafts were kept at a 1/4″ length at the time of transplant.
Click the photos below to enlarge.
Before:
10 Days After:
Hi you said that it is normal to have miniaturization where the hairline starts so my question is:does this only apply at the center of the hairline or it applies to all of the hairline including the temples?
Finer hairs in your hairline (front, corners, side, temples) are common, as it gives a fine, transitional appearance. This is not miniaturization… just fine hair. It is also mixed with fine vellus hairs.
Miniaturization should not extend far back (1 inch, for example), as that would indicate a receding or balding pattern, assuming that this 1 inch is not the movement towards a mature hairline.
Hello. I recently got a hair transplant in Canada. I am a resident of the United States. I didn’t have severe loss, but my hairline has always bothered me. It was very unsymmetrical and missing temple points on an otherwise full head of hair. I had a procedure last week and the swelling has just subsided the last couple of days. Well, what the doctor drew in for my hairline is very different than what is now on my head. My temple points are extremely unsymmetrical now, more than before. When looking at me directly, one temple point can be seen and looks great, but the other one is further back the side of my face and can’t be seen from front view. One is lower than the other… The way it is now, is not what was drawn on my head prior to the surgery. The doctor took a picture of me before the transplant, but did not take a picture of me after the hairline was drawn or after the procedure.
My question is, how do I approach this situation.. Is it the doctors responsibility to fix this for me or am I bound to this agreement even though it was not what was discussed and agreed on prior to surgery? I have seen tons of pics on forums of people who have had temple work done, even from this doctor, and none of them look as unsymmetrical as mine. Should I have this fixed asap or wait till my results grow in and go have it fixed then… I mean, it is ridiculous how much I have paid and it was a fairly easy procedure from what I understand.
The good news is that you had a photograph taken before the surgery, hopefully outlining the hairline that was proposed. If the transplant was done in the last 5 days, it would be unlikely that you could undo the problem work. The best thing is to communicate with the doctor and address your concerns.
You trusted the doctor to perform your surgery after all. It is all about communication and having a trusting relationship. My answer may sound generic, but it is really as simple as that. Your doctor should be very concerned if the work is unbalanced. You can always get a second opinion. Keep taking good photos of your hairline and growth.
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hi,what is it called when the hairline is kind of an inverse widow’s peak – when there’s a little spot (maybe triangle-ish) of hair missing right at the top?
i’ve been googling to no avail and it is rather worrying me as i am only 16 years of age ,male. i have very thin hair aswell but only because i have straightened it for the past 2 years so i am not sure as if that has somthing to do with it
Assuming that you have not damaged the hair from straightening it, some people have irregularities in the frontal hairline that is normal and genetic. These irregularities can be fixed with a transplant into them to reshape the hairline. At 16 years old, I am not sure that you are a candidate, but you should be examined by an expert if this is something that you want to do.
Hi Dr.,
I’m a 19 year old with a head full of thick hair. However, I have a slight recession that is following the pattern of my grandfathers. His hair receded into his early thirties and then stopped suddenly. I believe this is called a mature hairline, but it didn’t look like a mature hairline, it looked much worse. I really would prefer my hair not get like that. I think a hair transplant would be unwise this early, and getting one after the recession is finalized would kind of defeat the purpose of having one. Do you have any statistics on the effectiveness of Propecia, and would you recommend me taking this.
If it is a mature hairline, there isn’t much you can do. Medications may help, but I can’t say to what degree (each person is different and will react different to these drugs). At 19 years old and with very little (if any) male pattern baldness, you are definitely not a candidate for hair transplantation and any doctor that would do any surgery like that on you is taking you for a ride.
For Propecia stats, I’d say one of the the best places would be this page at the official site — Propecia.com – See the Proof — which is setup by the manufacturer, Merck. Although you may think that would be a terrible place for unbiased info, I should point out that Merck is heavily scrutinized by the FDA to make sure any claims, statistics, or other information provided is accurate.
Thank you for all of your informative hard work! I am currently a Norwood 2 & may be progessing to a Norwood 3. I was curious to see if you could post any pictures of patients who’ve went (w/ the help of FUT or FUE) from a Norwood 3 to a Norwood 2 & some pics of those who’ve went from a Norwood 2 to a Norwood 1. Thanks in advance!
 Norwood Class 2  Norwood Class 1 |
Most people who are young and have frontal recession are experiencing the maturing hairline and are not balding. I do not transplant the frontal hairline in these patients unless there is a reason that it has to be done. I remember an actor who had a lead role in a daytime soap opera TV series. As his hairline was maturing, he got indications that they were going to phase him out of the show because they wanted a person with a juvenile hairline, as the daytime women that watched the show apparently had fantasies about very young men (I’m not kidding). In that case, I did move him back to somewhere between a Norwood Class 1 and 2 and his million dollar a year income kept him secure.
I do transplant women routinely who have lost frontal hair and want their hairline back. Typically, a woman is a Norwood Class 1 and so to answer your question, I’d like to point you to a woman’s hairline reconstruction, which is now a Norwood Class 1. See Female Hairline Restoration After Brow Lift. There is essentially no difference in the process. Creating a female or Norwood Class 1 hairline is not an easy chore. The surgeon must be very experienced when creating it due to the direction of the hair in the corners. Look carefully at your wife, girlfriend, mother, or sister’s hairline and note the direction of the hair in the corners — it flows from the center of the hairline to the temple prominences. That growing process along with the transition from one part of the frontal hairline to another must be done right, or it will look awkward and artificial. If you are an actor or top line male model, I might consider bringing you back to a Norwood Class 1. In other words, I’ll do it, but it’s rare and we must have a meeting of the minds when embarking on this process.
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I have been reading about the mature hairline in this blog and you seem to state different measurements in each blog. The temples suppose to be up to 1.5inches receded but the frontal hairline is anywhere from 1-3cm on this blog. Isn’t 3cm too much? The reason I ask it seems that where my hairline is heading although it’s only 1cm up but I can see it’s thinning out to that length.
I agree that 3cm elevation for the mature hairline from the highest crease of the furrowed brow is high for the mid-line. I use my finger and generally see about one width of my index finger… and I don’t have fat hands. My index finger is 2/3rd of an inch wide.
There is no hard rule on measuring the mature hairline and each person is different, so this is a loose measurement.
