19 Year Old Stressing Over School, Thinning at Hairline

I’m 19 and a freshman in college. I’ve been stressed these last two semesters over grades and other things and I noticed in January that my hair was thinning at the hairline on both sides. There are people in my family who are losing hair, but their hair loss didn’t even begin until they were in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s and it’s still not bad. I just wanted to know if this is likely from the stress or if it’s genetic since it’s forming in the male pattern baldness form. The hair loss is giving me even more stress and I don’t know what to do. I’m thinking about using propecia.

While emotional or physical stress may be a factor in hair loss, you may also have a component of genetic hair loss. There is no way for me to tell you or diagnose your condition via the internet. You need to see a doctor for a good diagnosis and a miniaturization study to see if there is a pattern (such as male pattern hair loss) to your hair loss problem. The good news is that if you have genetic balding, the drug Propecia (finasteride) can slow or stop it in a reasonable percentage of young men. At your age, clearly you need a Master Plan for your hair loss process.