Receding Hairline Diagnosis, Medication and Treatment

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The receding hairline is the most common form of hair loss. Around 40% of men will experience hairline hair loss by age 40. On this page, you’ll find everything you need to know about receding hairlines (male pattern baldness) and what you can do to treat hair loss.

Overview

  • A “receding hairline” is the term given to a person experiencing hair loss in the temples. A person will start losing hair on the left and right sides of the frontal hairline, causing the hairline to retreat upwards.
  • The receding hairline is an early sign of a condition called male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia). This is a hereditary hair loss condition that, if left untreated, could progress onto the crown area.
  • If you’re suffering from a receding hairline, there are several treatment options you could pursue. Medications and topical treatments will slow down the rate of hairline recession. The only way to reverse hair loss in the temples is to have a hair transplant for a receding hairline.

What is a Receding Hairline?

patient with receding hairlineIf you think you may be suffering from hair loss, then you have probably come across the term “receding hairline”. But have you ever wondered what this term means, what it could indicate for your health, and how it is caused? Well, we’re here to provide you with answers about the receding hairline.

A “receding hairline” refers to hair loss that occurs across the frontal section of a man’s hair. As a hairline recedes, a person will experience hair thinning (and hair loss) in both temples. Over time, this causes the hairline to retreat upwards, creating a distinct “m-shape” to the hairline.

In almost all cases, a receding hairline is a sign of a permanent hair loss condition called male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia). A man suffering from androgenetic alopecia will first experience hairline recession. As the condition progresses, pattern hair loss later affects the crown area.

The progression of male pattern hair loss (from a receding hairline to total baldness) can be examined using the Hamilton-Norwood Scale. Hairline recession is usually indicative of Stage 3 of this condition.

What Causes a Receding Hairline?

A receding hairline is most often caused by a condition called male pattern baldness (MPB). This condition is believed to affect almost half of adult men in the UK. MPB is a hereditary hair loss condition that we inherit from our parents.

As well as being genetically predisposed, several environmental and hormonal factors can also worsen symptoms of a receding hairline. We’ll outline the main three factors that cause (and worsen) a receding hairline:

Genetic Predisposition: The “AR-Gene” and Hair Loss

The genetic component of male pattern baldness and receding hairlines is a hotly debated topic in the scientific community. The condition is thought to be polygenic, meaning it is likely caused by more than one gene.

Hair loss conditions such as pattern hair loss have been strongly associated with the “AR-Gene” found in the X chromosome. “AR” stands for “androgen receptors”, which enable the body to be more responsive to male sex hormones such as dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

While an increased responsiveness to male sex hormones helps men to have more masculine features, it also predisposes a person to hair loss. This is because your hair follicles contain androgen receptors which hormones like DHT can latch onto.

Furthermore, men have more androgen receptors in the follicles on their hairlines and crowns than the hairs on the rest of their body. That’s why men experience hair loss on the top of their heads, yet maintain beard, eyebrow, and chest hair.

This also explains why hair follicles from the back and sides of the head are used during hair transplant surgery – because they’re more resistant to androgen receptors than hairline hair follicles. But more on that later!

Male Sex Hormones: Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)

dht blockersAs stated in the section above, one of the leading causes of a receding hairline in men is the presence of male sex hormones, particularly Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This potent hormone is vital in helping functions such as sexual development and maintaining muscle mass. But it can also cause hair loss.

As hair follicles on the hairline and scalp contain a high number of androgen receptors, this allows DHT to leave the bloodstream and bind onto receptors. This binding activates genes that shorten the “growth” phase of the hair growth cycle and lengthen the “shedding” and “rest” phases.

This causes the hair follicle to shrink, or miniaturise. Over time, this gradually affects more and more hair follicles, causing hairline hair loss. Once a hair follicle has fully miniaturised, it will never grow back. The only way to reverse pattern hair loss and restore a man’s original hairline is through a hair transplant.

Environmental Factors

There are several other factors that can worsen symptoms of a receding hairline. Hair loss from stress is a leading cause of hair loss in both men and women. Furthermore, it’s vital we maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

If we do not receive adequate levels of vitamins and minerals, this can have devastating consequences on our bodies. This is also true for our hair. Biotin, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Zinc all play an important role in hair health.

So, if you’re not getting the right minerals and vitamins in your daily diet, then this can cause hair follicles to become dry and brittle. If your scalp is not excreting the correct amount of sebum and natural oils, it can also worsen pre-existing hair loss conditions, including a receding hairline.

What Age Will I Suffer From a Receding Hairline?

Before reaching adulthood, every man has a “juvenile” hairline. This will typically have a straight appearance and show no signs of hair loss. As we reach puberty our hairlines mature and develop, changing in appearance.

A hairline will typically reach full maturity between the ages of 20 and 25. In most cases, the frontal section of the hairline will protrude slightly more in the middle than the sides. This is called a mature hairline. This is also the age when signs of a receding hairline will begin to show.

Losing hair is completely normal. Believe it or not, we lose between 50 and 150 hairs each day without even noticing. However, if you think you may be experiencing hairline hair loss, it is important to act quickly.

While male pattern hair loss will start affecting men around the ages of 20-25, the condition will continue to progress the longer it is allowed to. So, the earlier a person attempts to treat a receding hairline, the easier their hair restoration journey will be. Prevention is always better than a cure!

How Do I Know If I Have a Receding Hairline?

There are several things you can do if you think you may be suffering from a receding hairline. The first port of call is to think about any close male family members. Do they suffer from hair loss, thinning hair, or have receding hairlines? If so, then it may be likely that you will also experience androgenic alopecia at some point in your life.

If you experience any of the following hair loss symptoms, then it may be time to book yourself in for a free consultation with a hair transplant surgeon:

  • Hair loss on pillows, cushions, carpet
  • Excessive hair loss when washing or brushing your hair
  • Increased number of hairs around the plughole in the shower.

Another way to track your receding hairline is to take pictures of your hair in front of a mirror or with a front-facing selfie camera over a couple of months. This will enable you to gauge whether you are losing hair and if your hairline has been receding.

Receding Hairline Treatments

Once you have diagnosed your receding hairline, you should then begin to focus on what you can be doing to prevent further hair loss from occurring and think about how you can promote hair growth. There are several medical treatments you can use to treat a receding hairline, but what is going to be the most effective?

What Receding Hairline Treatment is Right For Me?

Before outlining what the best treatment for a receding hairline is, it is important to first consider how advanced your symptoms of androgenic alopecia are. The earlier you begin to act on your receding hairline, the more treatment options you will have available to you.

Moreover, the cost of a hair transplant surgery (if that is a treatment you are considering) is going to be cheaper as fewer grafts will be needed during surgery.

Topical Treatments

  • Pros: cheap and easily available, suitable for men and women, minimally invasive
  • Cons: unsuitable for medium-to-severe cases, less effective than DHT blockers, cannot restore original hairline, stops working once a patient stops taking medication

Topical treatments such as minoxidil are a fantastic option for those who are beginning to experience a receding hairline. Topical foams like minoxidil are vasodilators which help increase the amount of blood flow around the scalp tissue.

Increasing blood flow around the scalp, ensures your hair follicles are receiving enough blood and oxygen to continue growing. This helps prolong the anagen (growth) phase of the hair growth cycle.

Minoxidil is also freely available to buy over the counter from any supermarket or UK health shop (such as Boots or Holland & Barrett). You do not need a prescription for topical foams like minoxidil.

DHT Blockers

  • Pros: clinically proven to prevent hair loss, suitable for early-to-medium cases, cheap cost when compared to medical treatments like hair transplants and PRP therapy
  • Cons: does not restore original hairline, less effective in severe hair loss cases, stops working once a patient stops taking medication

One of the most effective treatments you can use to prevent receding hairlines is blocking medications like finasteride or dutasteride. DHT blockers work by preventing DHT molecules from binding to androgen receptors in the body. This prevents hair loss from occurring, ensuring your hairline remains happy and healthy.

These prescription medications are suitable for most men and have been shown to be clinically effective in treating hair loss. They are perfect for people suffering from early-onset androgenetic alopecia and people with more advanced hair loss.

More commonly, finasteride is given to hair transplant patients to help preserve the result of a hairline hair transplant. Sometimes dutasteride maybe given as an alternative but this is very rare.

Hair Transplant

  • Pros: only medical way to reverse hairline hair loss, long-term results
  • Cons: expensive, long recovery time.

Charlotte Lloyd - before and afterIf you are looking to reverse signs of hairline hair loss and restore your hairline to a “pre-hair loss” state, then the only real option is a hair transplant. A hair transplant helps restore a patient’s hairline by taking donor hair from the back of the head and implanting this onto the hairline.

Donor hairs are delicately placed into the bald temple areas, giving the hairline a new shape and making it look thicker and fuller. The most common surgical methods used to combat hairline hair loss are called Direct Hair Implantation (DHI) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).

Conclusion

The receding hairline is a common hair loss symptom for those suffering from androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern hair loss. This symptom usually presents in males aged 20-25 and tends to worsen with age.

There are several treatments for those looking to combat a receding hairline. If the male androgenic alopecia has progressed over the course of many years, the only way to reverse hairline recession is with a hair transplant.

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