Using Probabilities to Assess Future Hair Loss
Dear Dr Rassman,
Do you use probabilities when assessing future hairloss in a man who has MPB? I’m 23 and on Propecia. Men on my mothers side and fathers side are basically Norwood 7: both of my uncles were Norwood 6. My father is Norwood 7. His father was Norwood 7. My mother’s father was Norwood 7. If you had a patient that has a similar history of balding as me, what would you tell him? Would you say there is a high probability that he’ll become a Norwood 7?
To let you know how much balding I currently have:
I definitely have reduced hair density all over (not actual visible balding yet). There is some slight visible balding in my crown. My hairline is starting to recede past the “mature hairline” area. I’ve been on Propecia for about 1 1/2 years and it’s slowed down the balding significantly but it hasn’t stopped and grown hairs. I understand it might be difficult to answer my question without seeing my hair but any information you provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
There is now a blood test which will look at your genetics to assess your risk for hair loss (see HairDX Genetic Hair Loss Test System). Predicting possibility through a test like this, however, has minimal value in my eyes, because it does not tell you what is happening to you, but it makes it known that you carry the genetic marker. Getting your hair mapped out for miniaturization will tell you what is happening now and it will allow you to follow your hair loss over time and judge the effectiveness of the treatments. Or, why not do both?
As hair loss can skip generations, I couldn’t say what the probability is for losing your hair without an exam.
Dear Dr. Rassman,
I have had hair loss at my temple on one side of my head. General blood work was done and all of my levels are normal, so I was thinking stress could be the cause. (I usually sleep on that side too, so a friend suggested getting a silk pillow case to prevent pulling.) Now HairDX offers a hair loss genetic test for women, so I took it and I am waiting for my results. (It is just a cheek swab, not a blood draw.) I want to know what is the likelihood of genetics being the cause of my hair loss. I feel that the genetic test is one more tool that I can use to find the cause of my hair loss.
Do you think that this is a good plan? Baldness runs in my family (both sides) and I wish the HairDX Genetic Test was available sooner. If I had known years ago that I was at risk (a carrier) for hair loss, I would have gone to a Hair Doctor sooner! That way, over the years, I could have had my hair mapped out for miniaturization before my hair loss was noticeable and could have caught it when it started. Now its too late and instead of catching my hair loss at the start, I’m now trying to play “catch-up” … or should I say “cover-up!”
I guess I got caught up in thinking that “it won’t happen to me” and that I have the “good genes” from the family.