Maturing Hairline at 18 Years Old

Hey doc, I’m 18 years old and I have long wavy hair. I’ve noticed that my hairline is receding in the front…more so on the right side and a few small bald circular spots in the front. My dad is in late 50’s and he has a head full of thick hair while my mom is in her 40’s and is showing signs of baldness. However, she is constantly stressed out about various issues so I’m not too sure if its heridetary. My grand-dad passed away in his 50’s and he was balding. I tried shaving my head before and i look absolutely horrible! Is there anything I can do to promote the regrowth of my hairline? I am not exactly the Brad Pitt look-alike and my hair was the only thing I had! Are there any new treatments under development and on the market that can do something about this dire issue? Thanks for your help.

What you are reporting is the maturation of your hair line, which occurs between the ages of 17-29 in most caucasian men. The corners rise about 1 to 1 1/2 inches and the center rises about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch. To see if this rise is normal, look into the mirror and lift your eyebrows up. There is a high crease, which reflects the top of the Frontalis Muscle, the place that hairline transition zone usually starts in boys and most women. As caucasian men go through an aging process (I like the term maturing process) where the hairline rises as discussed above, but for many non-caucasian men, the hairline is flatter and does not rise as far in the corners or not at all. If you have sisters, have them lift their eyebrows and look at that crease and you will see hair just touching that crease. This is a normal male process and nothing to be concerned about, provided that it does not rise higher than the measurements I just referenced. If it does, or if a doctor examines you and determines that you have miniaturization (too many fine hairs behind the mature, adult hairline location), then you may have early male patternedgenetic balding and the best drug to slow or prevent hair loss is Propecia. I have seen many wonderful, miraculous results from this drug in young men. Propecia has been on the market for about 7 years and it is safe. My son, many members of my family, and I take this drug and none of us has defined any negative side effect, sexual or otherwise.