Who Do I Take After in My Family?

Hello,
I guess like most other guys, I’m a bit paranoid about hair loss. I (age 25) got a haircut recently and my dresser said it was ‘thin’ in the front and that thickening shampoo will make it look better. After CAREFUL examination, I’m quite sure it’s NOT thin, it just looks that way because it’s right where I part the hair and after spiking it with gel, the distribution of hair is completely even. Not that I should even put stock in a hairdresser.

Anyway, I have a question about the ‘genetics’ of hair loss. I realize that it’s not a cut’n’dry thing where you get it from your grandfather. However, in your judgment, whom am I taking after – I have my dad’s color (light brown dirty blonde although he was balding by 20) but my maternal granddad’s hairline and texture (his was black but wispy/baby fine) and he kept it until he died at 84. PS: My mom was graying at 21 and and that is exactly when my graying started. Although my dad’s hair has thinned out majorly he has no gray. So I THINK I’m fairly safe.

Also, this isn’t a question but more of an observation – many people think that treating hair loss is failure to accept the aging process, just like skin creams and facelifts for wrinkles. HOWEVER, I’m pretty sure that anyone with baldness would take a few wrinkles and a full head of white/gray hair ANY DAY!!! So in essence it seems more like not a fear of getting older but the lack of power over an incessant degradation process. Thanks for your input. :)

It is normal to be worried about hair loss. We live in a ‘hair society’ and the history of every civilization has focused upon linking hair and health and virility. We are a product of those prejudices and each culture has its own twist on the balding process. Male pattern baldness (MPB) has a major genetic component, but it does not follow one to one from generation to generation. It can skip generations and what is inherited may not ‘express’ itself the same way as it moves down to the next generation. That is what makes the process so confusing to those that try to sort out some clear, predictive model like the Mendelian genetic predictable pattern.

If you are concerned about hair loss and want a scientific or medical approach, you need to map your scalp for miniaturization to see if the hair loss follows a pattern for MPB. You can setup a free consultation in my Los Angeles office by calling 800-NEW-HAIR or visiting the Request Additional Info page. Your options do not necessarily include a hair transplant. It may be just that you are noticing a mature hair line.