How can I restore receding hairline at my temples?

Doctor's Answers 3

At 17 years of age, a receding hair line is likely due to a genetic cause of hair loss. Male pattern hair loss can occur from any age after puberty, with some patients experiencing it earlier than others.

It would be ideal to first consult a doctor familiar with hair restoration, to discuss your suitability of a hair transplantation procedure to restore your hair line.

Some of the issues that need to be discussed:

1. The rate of hair loss (or hair line recession)

2. The family history of hair loss

3. The extent of your current hair loss

4. The different ways that male pattern hair loss can be controlled or stopped.

Hair transplantation for hair line restoration, while being a permanent solution, does not address the possibility of further hair line recession or hair loss at other areas of the scalp.

At 17 years old, if the hair line recession is prominent, it is possible that a repeated hair restoration surgery be undertaken a few years from now to restore areas behind the current new hair line in view of your early age of onset of male pattern hair loss.

While this seems like a simple solution, the donor area where hair follicles are used for transplantation may be depleted with repeated hair transplants.

It may be the case where your hair restoration doctor suggests to optimize the medical management of hair loss first - using medications like finasteride and minoxidil to control the rate of hair loss, while planning for a hair restoration once that is under control.

Be sure to address all these concerns before committing to a hair transplant procedure at this age. I hope this helps.

Regards,

Dr Joshua Chong

What you have described is clearly Male Pattern Hair Loss as depicted by the Norwood Hamilton Scale. This hair loss is genetic and hormonal in nature , and can happen to any man after pubertal age.

Norwood Hamilton Classification

It typically starts with losing hair at the temples and subsequently , the hairline receding upward into a M shape (in the middle stages) , and then finally into a U shape (at the final stage ).

For male pattern hair loss at the temples, the only scientifically proven treatment is Hair Transplant. I emphasize - no other treatment is the first line treatment for restoring hair at temples EXCEPT A HAIR TRANSPLANT. Don’t waste your money , time and effort on other therapies without considering seriously a hair transplant. I have met many patients who were given poor advice on this aspect and as a result , they lost too much hair at the temples and the hairline went up too high. They totally regretted it as by then, they need way too many grafts to restore the hairs at the temples. You can also google on worldwide hair loss forums to double and triple check on this fact as well.

Hair Transplant involves extraction of hair follicles one by one from the back of the head (also known as the donor area) and then carefully and artistically reimplanting them onto the front hair line and temples to recreate a natural hairline. This puts new hair back to your temples.

Finasteride will also be needed to be taken long term to block the hair loss hormone known as DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). That will prevent your hairline from receding further.

Therefore, by putting new hairs at your temples, and preventing existing ones from dropping , you can recover a full crop of hair.

Do look for doctors highly experienced in hair transplants and request to see their before after pictures before committing to a hair transplant . Also, you will need parental consent and accompaniment as you are not over 21.

Hope this helps !

At 17 years of age, a receding hair line is likely due to a genetic cause of hair loss. Male pattern hair loss can occur from any age after puberty, with some patients experiencing it earlier than others.

It would be ideal to first consult a doctor familiar with hair restoration, to discuss your suitability of a hair transplantation procedure to restore your hair line.

Some of the issues that need to be discussed:

1. The rate of hair loss (or hair line recession)

2. The family history of hair loss

3. The extent of your current hair loss

4. The different ways that male pattern hair loss can be controlled or stopped.

Hair transplantation for hair line restoration, while being a permanent solution, does not address the possibility of further hair line recession or hair loss at other areas of the scalp.

At 17 years old, if the hair line recession is prominent, it is possible that a repeated hair restoration surgery be undertaken a few years from now to restore areas behind the current new hair line in view of your early age of onset of male pattern hair loss.

While this seems like a simple solution, the donor area where hair follicles are used for transplantation may be depleted with repeated hair transplants.

It may be the case where your hair restoration doctor suggests to optimize the medical management of hair loss first - using medications like finasteride and minoxidil to control the rate of hair loss, while planning for a hair restoration once that is under control.

Be sure to address all these concerns before committing to a hair transplant procedure at this age. I hope this helps.

Regards,

Dr Joshua Chong

Similar Questions

How time sensitive is starting treatment for male pattern baldness?

From your description, it does sound like you may have telogen effluvium. In telogen effluvium, there is increased hair loss due to a preceding stressful event, such as high fever, crash dieting and emotional stress. The surgery in June may be a triggering event. By definition, hair fall is considered abnormal if there is loss of over 100 strands of hair a day. This condition is usually self limiting and the hair fall usually last for 2 – 4 months . The new hairs will eventually grow out.

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Answered By

Dr Colin Theng

Dermatologist

What should I do next for rapid hair loss in a 29 year old female?

I would like to answer your query in parts: a) Gradual hair loss, for example, over a number of years, should be differentiated between rapid-sudden hair loss. If you have noticed progressive thinning of your hair, leaving your parting line and temple scalp more visible, it is possible that you are having female-pattern hair loss. However, if you notice sudden and rapid shedding of large amounts of hair, that could point to a different hair loss condition e. g. telogen effluvium Do note that these 2 different hair loss conditions can occur together.

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