Typically, receding hairline is a sign of male-pattern baldness, a genetic condition – though not always. And if this receding does link to a genetic trait, it is not easy to treat. Many times, it occurs for the first time at the ages of late 20s or early 30s. However in a few cases it may occur at the age of 17, too – how to stop it?
How does the problem occur and develop?
In receding hairline, you will lose hair starts from both sides of temples. This is common in adults and older adults, but not for teenagers.
Having thinning hairline too early such as at the age 17 can be very bothersome! Although it is usually harmless, but you may worry that it may lead to baldness. In fact, most people who take the treatment for receding hairline are due to for cosmetic reasons.
The cause can vary. Genetic trait is the most concern, but it is not the only one. Other factors such as the use of some medications, poor nutrition (dietary factors), medical conditions, and even your hairstyle may have an effect, too.
But many times, hormones and heredity are to blame. It’s thought that the oversensitivity to an androgen called DHT is the main underlying cause of the problem.
And it’s likely to occur in families of the same condition. If you have family member (especially first degree relatives such as parent, brother, or sister) with pattern baldness, you are also at greater chance of developing the same condition.
In men with male pattern baldness, their hair follicles are genetically hypersensitive to the activity of DHT in the scalp.
Without known reason, DHT can shorten the growing phase of hair and make it to shrink quickly! Overtime, this is followed with the progressively decline in number of follicles with hairs, causing thinning hair or even baldness (partial or complete baldness).
How long does it take to progress and cause baldness can vary from man to man. See also about the stages of how receding hairline progresses over time in this section!
How to stop it?
Fortunately the problem is not always a sign of male-pattern baldness. It also doesn’t always end with baldness. There are plenty of options (both lifestyle measures and medical treatment approaches) for coping.
Actually, receding hairline is harmless (even though if it does link to male pattern baldness). The treatment is not always necessary and can be optional. However, it’s not easy for all men, especially if they know that it may end with baldness. Again, the treatment is usually only due to cosmetic reasons.
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Naturally, you can lose about 50-100 hair shafts every day or even up to 200 strands of hair per day. This is a part of natural life cycle of your hair. The old hairs will be replaced by the new ones to keep your scalp look good.
Hair loss can also be a natural part of aging. But if you are a young adult and experience a significant hair loss, this could be a warning sign of a condition you should not ignore!
The good news, again receding hairline (though it can occurs at young ages) doesn’t pose to any risk. The bad news, it can be permanent.
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to diagnose the underlying cause. But at least, you need to know the type of your hair loss before taking any treatment.
Furthermore, certain hair loss treatments are also not too recommended if you take them at too young ages. Therefore to keep safe – if necessary, consult with a professional or dermatologist for more advice!
If your receding hairline on the temples does indicate the progression of male pattern baldness, the following are pieces of information about the treatment options to cope with:
Finasteride (propecia)
It is one of the first treatment options to help cope with early sign of male pattern baldness such as receding hairline or gradual hair thinning on the crown. It works for men, but not for women.
It can work effectively since it has ability to reduce the production of male hormone that ruins hair follicles. It belongs to a class of medicine called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.
The improvement of hair growth may take at least 3 months. It works slowly over time. A significant improvement is usually noticed within 12 months. But if you have taken it for a year and there is still no improvement, it may fail to work.
The effect of finasteride is usually temporary. Typically, you need to continue taking it otherwise hair loss may return. If you want to stop it, talk to your doctor first to keep safe! See more about propecia in this post!
Another common treatment option for male pattern baldness is with minoxidil, a kind of vasodilator. Even it is the first treatment approved for pattern hair loss. It may work for thinning hair on the crown (another symptom of male pattern baldness), but it doesn’t work for receding hairline.
But both finasteride (propecia) and minoxidil (rogaine) are recommended for adult only, NOT for too young adults (including anyone aged 17 or younger than 18).
How about hair transplant?
As the name suggests, it is a method of hair loss treatment that moves hair follicles from healthy area of the scalp to a specific area where hair loss problem occurs. Therefore, you need to have a stable donor site for hair transplant.
For this reason, hair transplant doesn’t always work for all women with female-pattern baldness because mostly they experience thinning hair on their entire scalp, as a result they usually don’t have a stable donor site.
On the other hand, it works for most men with male-pattern baldness. Although it is expensive, there is greater chance to have permanent result from the treatment! But can you take it at the age of 17?
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Determining the right donor site for hair transplantation is the key of overall success of the treatment. If you take it at too young age, finding the right donor site is more difficult. Even if you take it at early 20s, there is still greater chance of choosing the wrong donor site.
Therefore, for young adults such as at the age of 17, hair transplant is not the option. Since you need a stable donor site, watchful-waiting as you age is usually recommended until your doctor can determine the right donor site from existing hair follicles in your scalp.
Lifestyle measures are more recommended!
Meanwhile, some lifestyle measures may help, too. Although the improvement may not be noticed quickly or as significant as you expect, but these can be quite helpful to improve the health of your scalp and follicles in long term.
These lifestyle measures include dietary approaches, good hairstyle practices, the use of some natural oils for scalp massage, and so on. See more about these natural hair loss treatments in this section!
How about platelet rich plasma therapy?
It is a new treatment that uses growth factors taken from blood that may work for treating premature hair loss, including receding hairline at teen ages – though there is still no strong evidence that it really works for hair loss.
Since there is no side effects resulted from this therapy, some people are likely to choose it before taking other treatments. Even it does not use any medical intervention. Someday it may become one of approved treatments for hair loss.