Hair Loss and the Inevitable Cure?

I have a couple questions regarding meds as being direct causes of MBP among other things. Well, I have been on antidepressants for quite some time now, and for a while I stopped taking them, around the time inbetween the ages of 16 and 17. Around the time I was almost 17 and a half I got back on them and when I turned 18 is when I started noticing a change in my hairline.

Currently im 19 and a half and the left side of my hairline has gone up maybe a bit more than half an inch and the right side about an inch. Are antidepressants directly linked to MPB? Do they trigger hair loss? Or when they talk about hair loss as a side effect are they talking about the patchy kind that just falls out and regrows when you stop taking the meds? My family history of hair loss is very inconsistant so its hard for me to tell if I really am experiencing MBP or just a mature hairline. Unfortunately I have a very skinny long face and naturally pronounced hairline so it makes it all the more noticable….. My other question is, this whole gene therapy thing. If we do find a cure for hair loss through this what will happen to your buisiness? Will you continue working for the hair loss industry? Just curious, heh. Thank you for your time sir.

While many medications may cause hair loss, the most common cause men is genes, unrelated to medication use. Genetic hair loss causes male pattern baldness (MPB). It is possible that your medications could have accelerated changes in your hairline or balding, but there is really no way to be 100% certain. Mapping out your scalp hair for miniaturization may give you insights into any gene expression that is active at this time. Male pattern baldness is also known as androgenic alopecia (AGA), because hair loss is from the effects of androgenic hormones, such as dihydrotestosterone (DHT). While we all have androgenic hormones, only the men with the gene for hair loss will lose hair. The change in your hairline, if it follows a specific pattern as MPB, will generally mean you have the gene for hair loss. To be certain though, you should be evaluated by a doctor for a physical exam and a miniaturization study. I really cannot diagnose your hair loss problem with just brief descriptions. BaldingBlog is merely a source of the opinions of our staff physicians and is not a source for diagnosis.

With respect to gene therapy, I sincerely hope it will come to fruition in my lifetime. While it is undoubtedly still many years away, it will definitely impact my field in a positive way. After all, we are the physicians in the field of hair loss. Gene therapy will only empower us to offer more options to our patients.