How Fast Does Hair Loss Occur?

Hi Dr. Rassman,

First, thank you for making this blog available. It’s great and tremendously helpful. Here’s my situation: I am 25 years old. My 65 year dad has major baldness and my mom’s brother have had issues with balding too, so my future is not good. My hair was normal until a year ago, when I graduated from university and got a job that’s stressful. Since then, my hair has been disappearing. The crowns are rising and my thick hair has become thin… losing about 40% in volume already.

Does balding happen this fast? And is it all this stress that I’m dealing with? I thought I’d have normal hair until my 30s, but I have to deal with this now unfortunately.

Thanks

If you have genetic hair loss, you should map out the scalp and hair for miniaturization and then (assuming you are genetically balding) go on finasteride (Propecia), which will slow down and possibly even reverse the hair loss you are experiencing.

There’s no one true answer to each of your questions. Everyone loses hair at different rates and stress can certainly accelerate it. Seek out medical attention, as the earlier you start treating it, the better will be your future with the hair you still have left.