My Father and Uncles Are all Bald, So Am I Doomed to Lose Hair?

Dear Doctor:
I’m afraid to lose my hair because my father, uncles (both Mother side and Father side) are bald except one of them and also my cousins are same. Am I denounced to lose my hair? I’m 18 years old. I feel that I’m losing my hair but I don’t know whether it is normal I mean its only feeling or real. And I would like to mention that since I received an emotional shock about 2 weeks ago I feel that my hair falling speed is faster. is it temporary?

Thank you for your advice

If you’ve got a strong family history of hair loss, you’ve got a stronger chance of losing hair. I can’t say for sure what you’re experiencing right now, but emotional stress can cause an increase in shedding and the hair could regrow… but it could also be the start of your permanent genetic hair loss. Tough to say what it is, but you can either see a doctor or wait it out and hope for regrowth.

If you do have early genetic hair loss, starting treatment earlier will yield the best chance of keeping your existing hair. You can get a test to see if you’ve got the genes for balding, which may address part of your concern, but it won’t tell you if the loss you’re experiencing now will regrow (see HairDX for more).