It’s a question that many people ask themselves: How quickly will I lose my hair? Maybe you’ve experienced some hair loss and are wondering how quickly it will progress. Or you may be concerned about hair loss if your father started going bald at a relatively early age or your mother has had thinning hair for years.
The following are some frequently asked questions about hair loss and how quickly you may expect to lose your hair:
Will I lose my hair?
These factors can play a part in hair loss:
- Genetics – If you lose hair, genetics can play a role in this. But it’s not just genes from your father – genes from your mother can also play a role. There are about 200 different genes that regulate your hair growth, and the combination of these genes can be unique. So even if your brother is balding, you may not.
- Sensitivity to a particular hormone – If you’re a man who’s sensitive to a hormone called DHT, which is created by testosterone, you are probably more likely to experience balding. It’s not the presence of DHT that affects you – it’s your sensitivity to it. On the other hand, if you’re a woman, higher levels of DHT can sometimes call hair loss.
- Alopecia areata – This condition is characterized by the loss of hair on your head as well as other parts of your body.
- Certain medical conditions – About 30 diseases can cause hair loss, including anemia and thyroid disease.
- Medications – Some prescription drugs – including blood thinners or heart disease medication – can cause your hair to fall out.
- Lack of protein – If you have too little protein in your diet, your body may begin to ration the protein it does have and shut down hair growth. This issue can be addressed by adding more eggs, fish, meats, beans, or nuts to your diet.
How soon can hair loss start?
Hair loss is a chronic, progressive condition that gets worse over time unless it’s treated. It can start sooner than most people expect, with about 20% of men experiencing hair loss by the age of 21. Sometimes it’s caused by conditions like alopecia, which causes you to lose patches of hair from parts of your body. Hair loss can also be caused by male pattern baldness, which usually follows a more regular receding pattern that usually starts at the temples and crown of the head. Sometimes, however, hair loss is harder to detect, with a gradual widespread thinning that might be detectable only after you’ve lost a significant percentage of your hair.
Female pattern baldness usually begins with a gradual thinning at your part line, followed by hair loss that radiates from the top of your head. Instead of developing a receding hairline or becoming completely bald, women who have female pattern baldness usually have thinning of their hair.
What can you do?
Reach out to Dr. Joseph Williams, the Medical Director of the Advanced Medical Hair Institute in Las Vegas and Reno, NV. He specializes in hair restoration, using advanced technologies to achieve the best undetectable results.
Schedule a consultation to discuss your medical history with Dr. Williams so he can determine the factors behind your hair loss and recommend the most effective treatment options for you, including transplantation.
