Mature Hairline and Race

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /, ,

hey im really concerned because i noticed the corners of my hairline has went back a little. im only 17 and im african american and i heard its not just a maturing hairline because that only happens to caucasians. please help

The hairlines of different races do vary and the mature hairline of an African American is different than a Caucasian. You need to see a good dermatologist to determine if you are now balding or if this is a maturing hairline you’re seeing. I would be happy to evaluate you if you’d like to send photos to the address on the Contact page. Otherwise, you can find a hair transplant doctor in your area by checking the physician search at ISHRS.org (I’m not suggesting you have surgery, but these doctors will know a lot about hair).

Tags: race, mature hairline, hairline, hairloss, hair loss

Ted Kennedy — Mature Hairline Example

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /

Dear Dr. Rassman,

Thank you for your excellent, informative site. I’m 32 and still have my juvenile hairline, but like most men, I’m concerned about the prospect of balding in the future, and have considered starting Propecia just in case.

I’m writing because something occurred to me while watching the coverage of the passing of Ted Kennedy: he’s an excellent person for you to hold up as an example of a maturing hairline. Footage and photos of his first election in 1960, at age 30, show a pretty severely receded hairline at the temples, probably more severe than the average mature hairline. Anyone looking at him at the time probably thought he was destined to be bald. But, when he died nearly 50 years later, he had basically the same hairline — just replaced, of course, with white hair.

Thanks again.

I have assembled some photos of Ted Kennedy throughout his political career to reflect your insights…

Senator Edward Kennedy

In all three of these photos above, you can see that the shape of the hairline is convex (mature male hairline) rather than concave (which would be a more juvenile or female type). What is notable is that the forelock is lower than usual and this is often a hereditary issue. At times, a lower forelock (like with talk show host David Letterman) runs independent of the hair around it and becomes isolated. Ted Kennedy’s hairline is the shape that I like to obtain in my patients, but I often go slightly higher.

Tags: ted kennedy, edward kennedy, senate, senator, politics, government, hairloss, hairloss, hairline

When I Comb My Hair, I See Thinner Hairs Falling Out

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

Dear Dr Rassman,

You often recommend that people get their hair mapped with a densitometer. I am still trying to find someone in my area to perform this. But here’s the question. I can see very clearly when I comb my hair that some of the hairs that fall out are shorter, thinner, and lighter in color than others. I can also see that many hairs along my front hair line and at my temples also look this way. Aren’t these hairs “miniaturized”? Is there anything other than common pattern hair loss that causes such miniaturization?

Male, age 28

The thinner, lighter hairs you likely see at the frontal hairline and temples are called vellus hairs in normal non-balding men and they could be miniaturized hairs as well in the balding male. Vellus hairs are normal and help to create the visual transition from hair to no hair (from scalp to face). The hairs that you see coming out when you comb could be miniaturized hairs which are weaker hairs being pulled out by the brushing or they could be coming out as part of the natural hair cycling process. I’m not sure that what you’re seeing indicates genetic hair loss. That being said, I’m just going off of what you wrote and haven’t seen you to be able to form any kind of opinion on your state of balding.

If you can’t find someone in your area, you can map it yourself with the right tools (and by watching a video tutorial).

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, vellus hair, miniaturization, hairline, densitometer

Female Hair Transplant Without a Line Scar?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /, , ,

Hi I am a 20 yr old female wondering about a hairline transplant. A previous question on your site about evening out a widows peak was the most similar to my request. I have had a high hairline on the sides for several years and a recent year on medications has now thinned out the hair on either side near the temple. I have always hated my hairline which is ill suited to my face shape and want to at least fill in the hairline around my temples. I am assuming hair grafts would be the correct procedure and want to know more about them.

HAving watched documentation of several female hairline transplants I wonder : Is the donor area for the grafts always left with a long scar? (example had one across the back of her head) CAn this be done without any scarring or difference to the doner area? and (of course) what would be the cost for this procedure?

There are 2 techniques for hair transplantation — the strip method (with the linear scar) and FUE (where you are left with small punctuate scars in the donor area). There’s no surgical procedure without some level of scarring, though trying to minimize the scarring is the best we can do. Everyone scars differently, and closure techniques for the strip method have resulted in extremely thin linear scars, and the length of the scar depends on the amount of grafts required. Costs also depend on how many grafts are needed, with FUE fees being higher due to the more time-intensive nature of the procedure. You can learn more about FUE at the following pages:

Tags: fue, hair transplant, hairline lowering, hairloss, hair loss, follicular unit extraction, female hair loss

Propecia and Minoxidil Made My Hairline Look Eaten!

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /,

ive been on propecia and minoxidil for four months and am going through a horrible shed, my whole temple point has thinned out, my hairline looks eaten and my hair feels horrible, from your experiece is this common?

thanks

I am not sure what “eaten” looks like other than some erosion that is asymmetrical. We are all different — and that includes hairlines. It could be accelerated shedding from either of the medications, but you need to see an expert in the field to give you and examination, or at the least send me a photo so I understand what is “eaten” about your hairline.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, minoxidil, rogaine, hairloss, hair loss, hairline

Appropriate Age for Female Hairline Lowering?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I have read many of yours and others posting on hairline lowering procedure for women, or ways to fix the high forehead. I am am 24 female, and I have a high forehead that I want to fix (high forehead just runs in my family). Am I too young to get the hairline lowering procedure, or does it all really depends on my skin? Secondly, I would to have consultations with professionals on this matter, so do you know any doctor in the San Diego, CA region, or near San Diego who specialize in this procedure?

Thank you very much for your time and help!

Your age is typical for hairline lowering procedures, but you need to be examined to determine if your scalp is loose enough to lower it to the degree you wish. Also, your hair should be strong and not in the process of thinning for a good result. Alternatively, hair transplants work well to accomplish a hairline lowering. I’m only a couple hours north in Los Angeles if you’d like a consultation.

Tags: hairline lowering, hairline, female hair loss

The Many Hairpieces of Jeremy Piven (with Photos)

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

I found this very interesting article on The Huffington Post about Jeremy Piven’s hair over the years. His hair has changed from bald to pretty much normal hair now. Any ideas on how he has added so much hair and made it look natural?

Here is the link to the article on the Huffington Post: Jeremy Piven’s Many Hairlines

This shows just how much the individual’s look is made by his hair. Let’s take a look at these 3 photos of Jeremy Piven…

Jeremy Piven

We (society) have developed stereotypes based on hair. For example, the Jeremy Piven on the left with the very high hairline suggests he’s aging, while the Jeremy Piven at the right is sexy and youthful looking. The photo on the left was actually from years before the image on the right. The photo in the middle (from July 2009) is just interesting to me because it looks like the hair on top of the head has a different color than hair on the sides and back. To me, that indicates a tell-tale sign for a hairpiece. Generally though, high-end hair systems can look great as long as you have the time, patience, and money to maintain them. For a Hollywood actor like Mr. Piven, he’s probably got all 3. Or at least the money and patience. The better way to go would of course be a hair transplant, which is permanent and doesn’t require the maintenance of a toupee.

Tags: jeremy piven, actor, celebrity, hollywood, piven, hair loss, hairloss, toupee, wig, hair system

Can I Even Out My Widow’s Peak?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

Ok, I’m a 20 year old male, and I was born with a widows peek. Is there anything that can be done, to like, normal that out. I have never had hair on that part of my head and it’s beyond embaressing.

Norwood Class 4AIt is generally not a great idea to transplant hair into a non-balding 20 year old, because you must take into account the possibility that you might bald as you get older. Imagine that you got the right side evened out and then began balding to a Class 4A pattern. You would have a wing of hair where the transplant was done and then be bald to the Class 4A pattern.

You need to accept the premise that if you bald and have the frontal line fixed to your liking and desires, that you will be committed to transplanting behind it if you should lose the hair behind it so you will not look freakish.

Tags: widows peak, hair loss, hair transplant, hairline

What is Considered the Frontal Hair (Since Meds Don’t Work Well There)?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

I hear a lot about how Finasteride and Minoxidil do not work well in reversing frontal hair loss, how far back is the hair considered frontal hair. To rephrase the question, by what Norwood are you considered to have no frontal hair? Also, even if Finasteride wont reverse frontal hair loss, will it at least help me keep the hair in my hairline and at best help thicken it up?

Norwood 4AThe area that balds in the Norwood Class 4A is the frontal area (see art at right). Finasteride might slow the loss down in the front, but rarely reverses the hair loss in that pattern. Minoxidil might regrow hair in that area, but it would be extremely rare.

Tags: finasteride, propecia, minoxidil, rogaine, frontal, hairline, hairloss, hair loss

Is Norwood Class 1 a Mature Hairline?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Hello, Dr. Rassman, I have a couple questions for you about hairlines. You see, I’m a little confused…

I am a 24-year-old Caucasian male with no outward signs of pattern baldness, even though it does run on both sides of my family. I was looking at pictures of myself the other day from when I was about 12, and noticed in one picture of me with a crew cut, that I at one time had a very rounded hairline, like that of a female. This got me thinking (and a little worried), since my hairline today looks like that of the guy in the first picture on the Norwood scale. It’s not the hairline I had when I was 12, but it’s not a “mature hairline” either. I did the brow measurements and my hairline is still very much in the juvenile position, albeit more square in shape and rising slightly at the corners, just like the guy in the picture.

So I’m curious, is it possible for the first Norwood illustration to be the mature hairline in some cases? My hairline has been like this since I was about 18 or 19-years-old and hasn’t moved an inch since then.

Thank you for your help on the matter.

Norwood 1I’d say that yes, a Norwood Class 1 (see art at right) and a mature hairline are basically the same. The hairline you saw at 12 years old is your childhood hairline and it is completely normal for your hairline to mature to some degree a dozen years later. You can not tell at your age for sure, but with a good mapping of your scalp and measurements looking for miniaturization in the corners, you might just see where your hair loss is going, if anywhere.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, hairline, mature hairline, norwood

My Crown is Responding Well to Propecia, But My Hairline Is Going Fast

/by William Rassman, M.D./2 /,

Hello Dr.

I’d like to start by saying that your blog has been such a great source of info and i thank you and your team for that . I’m a 35 year old man and i take propecia daily , I’ve only been on it since last November and i have no side effects so i plan to continue.

I fully understand that propecia rarely has a impact in the frontal area but , i hoped that it would at least slow the loss. My crown seems to be responding fairly well. Lately noticed my frontal area getting worse . I wake up in the morning missing more hair than i had the night before . Is it normal for this to happen at such a rapid pace and in such large amounts?

Thanks for your time .

I think you answered your own question. Yes, it is normal for you to continue losing hair in the front hairline as Propecia will not restore it in most cases. Propecia mainly works on the crown/top areas, rarely in the frontal area… and that goes for regrowth and stopping the hair loss. Obviously if you’re a good responder to Propecia in the crown area, you should continue taking the medication for as long as you want to keep that hair. For the front area you may consider a hair transplant surgery, but unfortunately there is no drug out there that can restore the hairline.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, hairline, hair loss, hairloss

Single Hair Transplant Session (with Photos)

/by William Rassman, M.D./4 /, ,

This patient was amazed by the results he saw from his single session hair transplant (2750 grafts). It’s been 3 and a half years since his procedure took place and in that time he’d forgotten what he started with. When he and his family member came in for a visit this week and saw his before pictures, neither of them believed that it was him. He’s allowed me to post these here so you can see why he was so pleased when comparing the before and after photos.

I used a hair band to keep his hair back when taking the after photos, since it has a tendency to fall forward on its own. His hair is fine so another session to thicken it up is indicated and is something we wants. The reason I only took out 2750 grafts, was because that was the maximum ‘safe’ amount to remove. Any larger amount would have produced wound problems. His scalp is still slightly tight, so he will exercise his scalp for 3 months and then he should be loose enough to get out another 2500+ grafts. Click the photos to enlarge.

After hair transplant of 2750 grafts

 

Before

 

Tags: hair loss, hairloss, hair transplant, surgery, hairline, hair restoration

Unusual Balding Patterns?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

Hi Doc,

Im a 30 year old male. Theres a history of MPB in the family, I have recently noticed a strange thinning in my hair which is not the typical MPB progression. The thinning is effectivley a ‘line’ which starts in the centre of my fringe and moves back about 3 inches from centre to the right of my head. My hairline is no different than it was in my teens and the thickness of hair on my head is great, my question is, do you ever get baldness patterns which differ from the usual MPB ?

PS Ive been on Propecia for 7 years as a ‘preventative’ measure and up until now have been very happy.

Thanks for your help.

Sometimes men bald in atypical patterns, often one side ahead in the balding process from the other side. What you have may be just an unusual variant of MPB. It’s hard to tell without seeing what you’re talking about, though.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, unusual, balding pattern, mpb

Could Hairline Lowering Cause Hair Loss in Men?

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /, ,

What are the chances of some sort of balding from the hairline lowering procedure on men??? Im 27 years old and have not have any balding whatsoever yet and have no history of balding in my family. I am also Brazilian.

Any surgery like you describe (since it is stressful) could kick-start hair loss in men. With that being said, I generally recommend that the hairline lowering procedure (where a piece of forehead is removed and the hairline is brought down) is not a procedure for men. On the remote possibility that there is late onset balding in your case, you will be left with an obvious scar as the hairline recedes. If, on the other hand, you elect to lower the hairline with hair transplants, then there will be no loss of the leading edge of the hairline, as hair transplants are permanent.

The worst case scenario of having hair transplantation to restore or lower the hairline is that the hair behind it might recede, leaving a gap between the transplanted hairline and the hair behind it. In that worst case scenario, you can transplant the hair and fill in the gaps.

Tags: hairline lowering, hair transplant, hairline, hair loss, hairloss

Rogaine on the Hairline — Worth a Shot?

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /,

Dr. Rassman:

I recently met with a new dermatologist after I noticed significant and abrupt patterns of shedding. I am 30 years old, and I’ve been on Propecia for 10 years and was thrilled with it up until about a year ago. It was then that I noticed a ton of sheddin in the shower, pillow, etc, etc.

I asked my doctor about Rogaine, and told him I had been using on the crown of my head for about 8 months, as a preacautionay measure, in case Propecia stopped being effective for me. He said to use it on my hairline as well. He said that although Rogain is not FDA approved to be effective on the hairline, that doens’ mean that it isn’t. He said “its worth a shot”. What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks

There have been reports of minoxidil being effective on the frontal hairline, but they are few such observations with significant hair growth. I suppose it is worth a shot.

Tags: rogaine, minoxidil, hairline, hair loss, hairloss