Dr. Rassman.

Thank you for your extremely informative and educational blog. I refer to it on a regular basis and I am extremely grateful for having this source as a reference.

I am a 36 year old male experiencing thinning in the frontal hairline primarily in the temporal area and a noticably visible thinning spot isolated to the right middle top of my head approximately one inch in diameter. I maintain very short hair (typically use a number 2 guard on the back and sides of my head, and a number 3 guard on top) with an electric trimmer. The thinning has slowly progressed over the past 5 years and appears to be more prevelant over the past year. I would attribute the frontal hair loss in the temporal area to a maturing hairline and I still have a low widows peak, albeit thinner.

My questions are:
1. What would cause the unsymmetrical thinning on the top of my head?
2. Would I likely receive any benefit from propecia in regrowing the hair in the top of my head or should I consider a localized hair transplant in that area?

Any insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards

Genetic balding is often not symmetrical and it does not always follow the rules on balding patterns. Yes, hair loss does break the rules. That is why I recommend mapping the scalp for miniaturization so that you will have an idea over what is actually going on beyond what your unmagnified eye can see. You can map it yourself with the right tools (see here). Clearly, you need to know if what you see is genetic balding and the mapping will give you that information, which you can post on BaldingForum if you need help on the interpretation.

Alternatively, and a better solution, is to get to a good doctor who will tell you from proper measurements and a good thorough examination what is happening to you. If you have genetic hair loss, Propecia/finasteride is the way to go. I’d look into medication before considering surgery.

In an article in New Scientist Magazine published in late November, 2008, called “Getting It On”, author Mairi McLeod discusses and analyzes proclivities of male and female roles in the sexual game that goes on in real life. Sex drive is a focus of the article and the turn-on elements of each sex is a focus of the article.

Snippets from the article:

“A woman’s status affects her choice of sexual partner….. women who a high level of control over their own finances end to place higher importance on physical attractiveness in a man than on his financial prospects….. if increasing female economic power leads to greater demands for good-looking sexual partners, it may pay men to invest more in their appearance. Given the explosion in the male grooming industry, it seems that men are already onto that one”.

That might explain the increased incidence of hair transplantation in men, to make them feel sexier in attracting more women.

A similar article by the same author is at The Scotsman.

I know you said in another post that mold can possibly lead to hair loss; however I am wondering whether such an issue may be reversed. If you do experience hair loss as a side effect from over exposure to mold, will the hair return once the mold is removed? Or is the loss permanent? Thank you for your time.

Diseases like ringworm (a mold) can be treated successfully unless the presence of disease is a complication of a compromised immune system (like from HIV). In most cases, the hair grows back once the mold/fungus is successfully treated.