19 Year Old Isn’t Sure if His Doctor Just Doesn’t Know About Maturing Hairlines

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

Dear Doc,
Hi, I’m a 19 year old male who just went in for miniaturization mapping. This is basically what I was told: there was no thinning on the crown and not much on the front, but there was thinning on the corners. Now already my corners have gone back quite a bit (about 1.5 inches, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less). The front has gone back almost 0.5 inches.

When I left, the doctor recommended that I start propecia and start massaging my scalp with minoxidil once a day. Now I read what you had on “mature hairlines” and am wondering whether or not I have a mature hairline and if this treatment that the doctor recommended could cause more harm than help…

On the other hand I’m worried that maybe this is the beginning stages of balding. Should I go ahead with the treatment or is it likely that this is simply a mature hairline and that my recession won’t go much farther than it already is?

Thanks

As I have nothing to base an opinion on, I can not tell you what I think, but if you show me a photo of your frontal view from the eyebrows up and your brow lifted as high as you can get it so that the wrinkles in the forehead appear clearly, I will give you an opinion if this is a maturing hairline or early Norwood Class 3 balding.

Want to get the photo to me for review? Sign up at BaldingForum.com, upload your photo (or photos) there, then create a thread asking about your hairline in the Hair Loss Open Discussion category. It’s easier than it sounds, trust me.

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

18 Year Old Feeling Depressed Over Hair Loss

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

Hello!
I m 18 years old and i m suffering hair loss since the age of 13. I used to have much hair so when i was younger my family said that it was ok, and it was going to stop. Now i am 18 and there are clearly bald spots on the front. This is getting me very depress i do not know what to do. Yes my father is kinda bald , i dont live with him but i saw him once a year ago ( he was 55 years old). i’ve seen pictures of him, when he was 30-40 and he had normal hair not bald spots or anything. If this is genetic then it comes from him, because no male in my family is bald.

Is there anything i can do? any doctor you can recomend? please help me stop it. I touch my forehead and everytime i feel less hair. Please doctor if you need any other imformation let me know. Help me stop it PLEASE

If you have bald spots appearing on your scalp (as you described), that doesn’t sound like genetic hair loss / male pattern baldness. MPB does not cause bald spots and I would look to other diagnosis such as alopecia areata, ringworm, etc. If you’re saying your hairline is thinning (and not actually forming spots), then that could very well be MPB. I don’t know though, as I haven’t seen you.

Before going on Propecia you need to secure a firm working diagnosis with your doctor (a dermatologist should be fine for that). A good psychiatrist may be beneficial to help you through this stressful period. If you’re feeling depressed, you should seek help. Good luck.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, teen, balding, alopecia areata

Thought I Was Going Bald, Then Thought It Was Just a Mature Hairline

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

Dr. Rassman, I wanted to ask you about how quickly baldness can set in. I’m a 21 year old male and I’ve noticed that my hairline has been receding over the last few months. Originally, I was convinced that I was going bald, but then I figured maybe it was only my hairline maturing (as the hairline is hovering just around 1.5 inches above the highest forehead wrinkle at the temples), but now I think it may be balding again. It has receded almost half an inch at the temples in about a month, so I want to know if I should expect it to continue receding at this rate, assuming it is baldness and not simply a maturing hairline. Thank you.

If you are balding, then you will have miniaturization leading to the balding pattern. Look to map out your scalp for miniaturization, especially in the frontal corners. The difference between a maturing hairline and early frontal balding can be difficult to spot. The onset of a maturing hairline usually takes a few years, but I have seen it start up and move more quickly. There is no rule you can use.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, hairline, mature hairline

I’m 23 Years Old and Losing Hair Slowly

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

Hi Doctor,

Well at 23, I’ve finally come to terms with it: I’m slowly going bald. I’ve probably been thinning since I was 18-19, and right now I stand as a 2 on the Norwood scale. And honestly, for the first time, I feel like I can’t let this get out of hand any more. Now, I’ve read your blog and figure it’s time to jump on the Propecia bandwagon. So I was hoping, since you have so much experience, could you tell me what my prospects are- How many years of damage can I repair? What are the chances I’ll fully recover my hairline? or rather, how often does a person of my age and degree of balding recover any bit of their hairline? Yes I am looking for hope :)

Thanks so much for your answer ahead of time!

I’m sure it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s difficult to give percentages or even estimations for this kind of thing, especially considering I haven’t seen you. The medication works differently for each person, so some might see greater benefits than others. For a 23 year old with early balding, I’ve seen Propecia work very well in halting hair loss. Regrowth in the hairline isn’t as common, but certainly keeping the hairline from receding further is something I’ve seen many, many times. You’ll want to meet with a physician for the prescription, and you’ll definitely want to find out if what you’re seeing is even male pattern baldness at all (Norwood 2 may not even be balding, but a mature hairline). If there’s genetic hair loss going on, there’s no need for the medication.

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

Goodbye Wig! A Hair Transplant Repair Case (with Photos)

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

This patient came in last week, a few years after having 709 grafts taken from a very depleted donor area. Half of the grafts contained just one hair. Getting those 709 grafts was a challenge, as his scalp was tight and the donor area heavily scarred. Because of the anticipated poor yield, I elected to spread the grafts over an inch from the plugs (forward) creating a loosely built thin hairline. When he allows his hair to stand up rather than pull it back as shown here, the results are even more spectacular. This patient gave up his wig and is thrilled with his result. We will try to do another procedure with up to 700 grafts in the recipient area to thicken it, but that will be even more of a challenge because the scarring is very bad and the density of the donor area is very low and he knows it.

Many of what I will call the “normal transplant patients” we perform surgery on today who have not had the old type of plugs, may look at pictures like those shown here and get very frightened. I understand the fear that gets invoked by these patients, but some of my most satisfied patients are those who walked around for years and found that people never looked into their eyes, only to their hairline. This man is an example of a patient where just a small change had a major impact on his life, allowing him freedom from a wig he despised to cover a pluggy look he hated.

Click the photos below to enlarge.

Before:

 

After:

 

Tags: hairtransplant, hair transplant, hairline, repair, photos, hairloss, hair loss

My Chest Hair Pattern is Similar to Males in My Family — Will I Have Their Hairlines?

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

Hello, im a 25 year old male, about 5 years ago I became concerned about losing my hair. My father, in his mid 50’s still has good hair for his age, the males on my mothers side have not had so much luck, though none of them are, or went, in the case of my late grandfather, completely bald. However, what I first became concerned about was that my right side was slightly higher than my left. 5 years on and with only my memory as a reference, I would say that the left side of my hairline remains as it did 5 years ago, though the its the right side that im still concerned about, the hair there seems slightly thinner than the the left, and when I hold my hair back with one hand, then brush gently forward with the other I can definatley see a difference with more thinner shorter hair on the right side coming forward. Its hard to say if its changed significantly since I was 20, because when I look now its in a different mirror with a stronger light. My question is, if this is a sign of genetic male hairloss, would I have, after 5 years, noticed the left side receding, trying to catch up as ive read in other posts, or does it sound like im just neurotic!

Its worth mentioning that my grandfather at around age 30 from photos ive seen, looked to have a high, somewhat receded hairline. My mother says my hair type is definately different to her family’s, as ive always had very thick hair, and my grandfather supposedly had very fine, thin hair. I do have a similar chest hair pattern to males on my mothers side though, is this linked to losing hair?

The patterns of chest hair and head hair have different genes, so one may follow the pattern of chest hair from their father’s or mother’s side of the family, and yet not the head hair. Having more thinning on one side of the head than the other is a sign of male pattern baldness (MPB) and you should get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to find out if you are expressing genetic balding.

Tags: hair loss, hairloss, chest hair, hairline

I’m Starting to See Finer Hairs at the Hairline

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

Hello Doctors,
I’m a 21 year old male who has developed what appears to be a receding hairline over the past four years or so. It looks like I have some small, finer hairs around the temples, as well as the frontal hairline. It even seems that I can see back through my hair about a quarter of an inch or so. Is this miniaturization the normal development of the mature hairline? Should I be able to see a change in density through that much of my front hairline? Or am I beginning to loose my hair? I know this is a tough question to speculate on, but any advice would be great.
Thanks!

Fine hairs at the edge of the hairline are normal, as it is somewhat of a transition from the forehead to the mane of hair on your head. I’d need to see what you’re talking about to make a determination. Your hairline recession could simply be a maturing of the hairline, but as you know, I couldn’t speculate on that without seeing you. If your hair appears to be more see-through, it could just be harsher lighting, different shampoo / styling, or it could be early loss. Tough call to make.

You should have your hair mapped out for miniaturization by a good doctor who will tell you.

Tags: hairline, hair loss, hairloss, fine hair

CNN Contributor Roland Martin’s Hair

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

Roland Martin

Hi doctors,
I’ve been watching a lot of CNN lately and keep seeing this contributor named Roland Martin on there with a very unusual looking hairline. It looks like it’s caving in at the front. I’m just curious as to what class that might be considered or is that just a weird version of a mature hairline or something?

Here’s his photo from CNN.

I do not think this is an unusual hairline. Rather, it looks like he is showing early signs of balding, possibly a Norwood Class 3A. His balding is starting in the middle and on the sides, leaving two mounds of hair off center. In the years ahead, he will most likely lose all of the frontal hair, leaving only these mounds which will eventually go away in time. I see this fairly frequently. In other words, we don’t bald all at once. It is a slow and gradual process.

Photo source: RolandSMartin.com

Tags: roland martin, cnn, news, hairloss, hair loss, hairline, author, journalist

Norwood 2 vs Norwood 3 with Persistent Forelock

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

Doc,
I’m confused bout the difference between the Norwood 2 and the Norwood 3 with a persistent forelock. Can you clear this up for me?

A Norwood Class 3 hair loss pattern has more recession of hair on the front corners. “Persistent forelock” just means you have a strong (non-balding) area of hair in the center area of where your hairline is, which on many people will actually go down as far as the highest crease in the wrinkled brow. Most Norwood 2 patients have a good, strong (non-balding) central hair zone. I wrote a bit about comparing Norwood 2 and 3 at Juvenile vs Mature Hairline — Am I Going Bald?.

Tags: norwood, hair loss, hairloss, pattern, balding, forelock

Why Do We Have Finer Hair in the Hairline?

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

Why in the very front of the hairline the hairs are not the same thickness, why are some of the me finer than others?

Every person should have finer hair in the frontal hairline. I have measured the thickness of the hairs at the frontal hairline, those hairs about an inch behind the hairline, and the hair in the back of the head (donor fringe area). The frontal hairline hair is thinner. A patient of mine called it “angel hair” and it is this hair that allows the gradient from the bald forehead to the thicker hair behind the hairline. That is the way it is, genetic of course.

Tags: hairline, fine hair, angel hair, hair

Is Norwood Class 3 the Mature Hairline in Some Cases?

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

It is known that the maturing hairline, the NW2, is not part of the genetic balding process. A NW3, however, is considered the first stage of the balding process. It has been documented that propecia is not effective in treating the mature hairline, but it can treat the frontal hairline if you have genetic balding. Now for the question: In rare cases, the NW3 IS the mature hairline for some. In those cases, would it be likely that propecia could help halt the progress of a NW3 even if it is the mature hairline?

The Norwood class 3 has considerable corner recession and does not reflect the maturing hairline. Please review this guide to the maturing hairline that I wrote about 2 years ago: Juvenile vs Mature Hairline — Am I Going Bald?

Hopefully that will clear up any confusion.

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

How Long Does Hairline Maturation Take?

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

In your experience, how long does the maturation of the hairline process take? I just recently noticed a slight recession on the corners and I was just wondering.

The maturing hairline is an insidious process and can take years to appear. The process is very slow and creeps up on most men. I watched two of my sons and my nephew gain mature hairlines, and each took a number of years to fully appear.

Tags: hairline, mature hairline, hair loss, hair loss

Norwood 4A Patient 10 Months Out of Surgery (with Photos)

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

This patient came into the office this week for a follow-up 10 months after his hair transplant. His before photos show his Norwood 4A pattern and his after photos show the result of a single procedure of 2790 grafts. When I showed him his before photos, he smiled and said, “I really did not see it grow, but I guess it did. Can you give me my before pictures so I can show them to my mom? She told me not to worry, it was looking so good“. Now he can show her (and all of you) just how good. His smile was quite heartwarming.

Click the photos below to enlarge.

Before:

 

After 2790 grafts:

 

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, hair transplant, hairtransplant, photos

Does the Hairline Mature When the Beard Grows?

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

Hey Dr. Rassman,
I have a question about the maturing hairline. Is there any sort of sequence to overall hair growth/development; specifically, does the hairline tend to mature before/after/simultaneously with the growth of the beard or other body hair? If I already have a full beard, is it reasonable to assume I’ve already got my mature hairline, or does the hairline mature independently of other body hair maturation?

I have described the mature hairline here and here, however, I do not believe anyone really knows (including me) the exact order or timeframe in which a maturing hairline develops. Medicine is a descriptive science at times, and sometimes all I can do is describe what I have seen and observed.

Experience shows that the hairline takes on a receding leading edge sometime between the ages of 19-29 on average. Body hair usually comes on later than pubic and underarm hair. This is a DHT mediated series of events, however there is much more than DHT behind these changes. So no, hairline maturation is not linked to the growth of body hair. If you are concerned, you can see your primary doctor or a dermatologist.

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

Norwood Class 6 Patient Just 10 Days After Surgery (with Photos)

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

Hi Doctors,
I’m schedule for surgery with Dr Pak and the last time I was there I forgot to ask to see an example of what I might look like a week or so after surgery. I’m taking a week off from work since I have a ton of vacation time saved up anyway so I’m not concerned about what my scalp will look like during that time. I just didn’t want to go back to work with a swollen head or something. Can you post some photos of a patient that Dr Pak has done? Thanks

Here’s a recent patient of Dr. Pak‘s that has agreed to show his full face (and results) to the world. He’s very excited about the future of his hair, and although these photos are only 10 days out of surgery, you can see that he’s on the right track. There’s no redness, no scabbing, no swelling (nor did he have any swelling immediately after the procedure)… things are looking great. This is typical with follicular unit transplantation surgery in the hands of an experienced doctor and team, and of course with proper aftercare washing. The patient has a Norwood Class 6 hair loss pattern and had a single procedure of 2468 grafts. I’d like to point out that the grafts were kept at a 1/4″ length at the time of transplant.

Click the photos below to enlarge.

Before:

 

10 Days After:

 

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, hair transplant, hairtransplant, photos