I Was a Heavy Drinker for Years and Now My Hair is Thinning at 22 Years Old!

Hi,

I just graduated college (22) and was a heavy drinker for four years (drunken stuper 3-4 nights a week, and heavy smoke the last year, as well as some drug use (vynase, oxycodone). Often times i’d be hungover for 12 hours, probably didn’t eat right.

I graduated and stopped, but was wondering if hair loss/thinning is temporary or not. My entire scalp is thin, with some receding.

Dad’s entire family has/had thick hair, one uncle on mom’s side went bald at 16, and so did his son.

While it’s obvious that you made some poor decisions re: drinking and drug use, I couldn’t tell you if they contributed to your hair loss. Nutritional problems can lead to hair loss, but you do have some family history of hair loss. The most likely culprit is genetics. I don’t know how long your hair loss has been going on or if you’ve done anything to treat it.

I would see a doctor for an examination of your scalp, and if you can find a doctor that will do microscopic miniaturization mapping, that’s even better. If you do have early genetic hair loss, Propecia would be a good way to slow the loss down. Talk to your doctor about that, as it is a prescription medication.