Scared of losing my hair now :(

[Strovbe]

My father was bald by the time he was 40 and I'm afraid I will end up like him. I've already got a bit of a receding hairline but as far as I can tell it hasn't moved since August of 2016, maybe earlier. I've heard that the maternal grandfather and mother are who you get the hair gene from and he had a full head of hair until he died at the age of 75, but I've also heard that there are a large number of factors, STRESS BEING ONE, that can contribute to hair loss. Agh. I wouldn't care so much if the back of my head wasn't shaped so strangely. I fell pretty hard as a child and now have a ridge-like thing on the back that would look extremely weird if I didn't have my huge head of hair covering it. I don't lose an extreme amount of hair when showering but I still can't help but worry, you know?

[Gary A]

My father was bald by the time he was 40 and I'm afraid I will end up like him. I've already got a bit of a receding hairline but as far as I can tell it hasn't moved since August of 2016, maybe earlier. I've heard that the maternal grandfather and mother are who you get the hair gene from and he had a full head of hair until he died at the age of 75, but I've also heard that there are a large number of factors, STRESS BEING ONE, that can contribute to hair loss. Agh. I wouldn't care so much if the back of my head wasn't shaped so strangely. I fell pretty hard as a child and now have a ridge-like thing on the back that would look extremely weird if I didn't have my huge head of hair covering it. I don't lose an extreme amount of hair when showering but I still can't help but worry, you know?

Why not speak to your doctor about treatment for it? There are only two products that are FDA approved and have shown sustainable enough results in various tests.

They are Minoxidil and finasteride. Minoxidil is known as regaine in the U.K. and Rogaine in the US. It's available without prescription. Finasteride is a tablet that must be prescribed. Finasteride has been proven to halt hair loss in 90% of cases. Don't Internet shop, though. Speak to your doctor for advice and to see if they feel it's something they can prescribe for you.

[GlassPinata]

My father was bald by the time he was 40 and I'm afraid I will end up like him. I've already got a bit of a receding hairline but as far as I can tell it hasn't moved since August of 2016, maybe earlier. I've heard that the maternal grandfather and mother are who you get the hair gene from and he had a full head of hair until he died at the age of 75, but I've also heard that there are a large number of factors, STRESS BEING ONE, that can contribute to hair loss. Agh. I wouldn't care so much if the back of my head wasn't shaped so strangely. I fell pretty hard as a child and now have a ridge-like thing on the back that would look extremely weird if I didn't have my huge head of hair covering it. I don't lose an extreme amount of hair when showering but I still can't help but worry, you know?

Actually, I read that baldness is inherited through the maternal line. So if your mother's father was bald, you'll be bald. Males don't inherit baldness from their fathers. That's what I read, anyway. You might research it.

[ServerError]

Actually, I read that baldness is inherited through the maternal line. So if your mother's father was bald, you'll be bald. Males don't inherit baldness from their fathers. That's what I read, anyway. You might research it.

I thought that was an urban myth?

[PASchoolSyndrome]

Actually, I read that baldness is inherited through the maternal line. So if your mother's father was bald, you'll be bald. Males don't inherit baldness from their fathers. That's what I read, anyway. You might research it.

So I think that some patterns of baldness are on the X chromosome, which is what males inherit from their mothers. But my fiance is balding pretty noticeably at 25, and so did his father, so I don't know I think a lot more goes into it.

There are ways, just like Gary said, that you can help stop or have some regrowth. I've seen "natural" remedies too that you might want to research. Hair transplants exist too and people that I know who have done it are very happy with their results.

My fiance has finally accepted his impending baldness, and it did take him a while. He now cuts his hair so short that it's almost a buzz cut, and I might be biased but I gotta say I think it looks damn good.

[Fishmanpa]

Speaking as a member of the "Mr. Clean" club, what's wrong with it? I started losing my hair in my 20's (and yes, baldness was highly prevalent on my mother's side of the family), It was pretty much gone by my thirties.

It never bothered me really. In fact, when I decided to shave and sport the Mr. Clean look, it was the best thing I could have done for my social life (it didn't hurt that I worked out and was really fit, have blue eyes and wore earrings. I even went as Mr. Clean on Halloween a couple times ~lol~). Who knew a lot of women really liked that look?

Positive thoughts and a razor.

[Catherine S]

I'm always confused about who we inherit what from. My dad had a good head of hair until the end of his life, and ive also got thick hair that I've never coloured and is still mostly auburn at age 63. Whereas my brother and my mum both have very thin hair. My son started going bald in his 20s as did his dad, so he didn't get my thick hair, but my other son and 2 daughters did. So there's a bag of mixed up genetics right there lol!

My son kept his hair very closely cropped or shaved and wore hats most of the time when he was younger because he hated that he was losing his hair so young, but by the time he was in his mid 30s he'd started to accept it, and grew a beard instead! Now in his early 40s he's at an age when he knows it's normal for most men to have lost hair by then so he's completely comfortable with it.

Apart from trying the products out there to slow down the process as Gary suggested, it's something that you have no control over. From what you say you only have a slight receding hairline and nothingvto say it will carry on receding so quickly, it might not, so try not to let it be something to obsess about.

ISB ☺

[ServerError]

I was 18 when I first noticed hair loss, and when my so-called friends () started taking the piss out of me for it. Looking back, I can see the early stages in photos from my early teens. Fortunately, the process has been slow enough that, at 32, I do still have a bit of hair on top, although it's diminishing all the time. For years, it caused me untold anxiety, perceived humiliation and fear of the future. I've never been particularly successful with the fairer sex, and I always imagined having less and less hair only making it harder and harder to find someone special, which I want more than anything.

Well, I'm 32 now, still very much single and thinning all the time, but I'm far more accepting on it. One of my goals for this year is to find the balls to shave it off. Might not seem like a big deal if you're already there or don't have this issue, but it feels like a pretty big change in appearance. I'm getting there, though. One thing that I've found makes the whole thing worse is dating websites. So many girls go on and on about the kind of hair they like on a guy, or just say "no bald men" as if you've made a bad fashion decision. It's easy to feel crap because of it - or it used to be until I got my mental health and self-esteem together.

[PASchoolSyndrome]

I was 18 when I first noticed hair loss, and when my so-called friends () started taking the piss out of me for it. Looking back, I can see the early stages in photos from my early teens. Fortunately, the process has been slow enough that, at 32, I do still have a bit of hair on top, although it's diminishing all the time. For years, it caused me untold anxiety, perceived humiliation and fear of the future. I've never been particularly successful with the fairer sex, and I always imagined having less and less hair only making it harder and harder to find someone special, which I want more than anything.

Well, I'm 32 now, still very much single and thinning all the time, but I'm far more accepting on it. One of my goals for this year is to find the balls to shave it off. Might not seem like a big deal if you're already there or don't have this issue, but it feels like a pretty big change in appearance. I'm getting there, though. One thing that I've found makes the whole thing worse is dating websites. So many girls go on and on about the kind of hair they like on a guy, or just say "no bald men" as if you've made a bad fashion decision. It's easy to feel crap because of it - or it used to be until I got my mental health and self-esteem together.

You wouldn't want those girls anyway.

[ServerError]

You wouldn't want those girls anyway.

I take your point, certainly about the ones who are rude or unpleasant or arrogant about it. But everybody has things they find attractive and things they don't. As a sample of the young female population (in the UK, anyway), it seems quite a sizeable number aren't keen on baldness.