How Can I Tell If I Am Going Bald?

Male Pattern Baldness

is a progressive condition, the signs of which are often hard to spot. Often hair loss has progressed for quite some time before the affected person notices.

There are many reasons that people affected by balding might not immediately recognise their situation, not least the fact that its onset can be very gradual. There are some signs, however, that can be monitored for evidence of baldness.

Family history

Even if both parents haven’t been troubled by hair loss, you can still inherit the predisposition to baldness from your family tree. Therefore, it pays to be vigilant; as the sooner pattern hair loss is identified, the sooner treatment can begin to not only halt the loss, but to also regrow hair.

Age

The beginnings of a receding hairline or bald patch can begin any time after puberty, and it is often the case that younger men aren’t immediately aware of the fact that they’re experiencing hair loss.
Many men assume they are too young to be affected by balding. However by the age of 25, a quarter of all men will have been affected by significant hair loss. Male Pattern Baldness can begin at any time and the chances of its occurrence increase with age.

Lifestyle

Certain lifestyle factors can affect hair health, although they do not directly cause baldness. People who experience stress or do not get enough minerals and vitamins within their diet can find that their hair becomes more brittle or, in the case of stress-triggered conditions such as Telogen Effluvium, that it can start to fall out. However, the condition of Pattern Baldness is genetic in origin and as such cannot be caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.

Early signs of baldness

Male Pattern Baldness usually manifests itself in two ways: the development of a bald patch on the top of the head and/or a receding hairline, where hair at the front of the scalp forms a ‘V’ shape or ‘widow’s peak’.

Everyone loses between 50 and 100 hairs each day as part of the natural growth cycle. Under normal circumstances this hair is quickly replaced and any loss is invisible to the naked eye. If hair loss rises above the 100 hair threshold, or is not replaced by new growth, baldness starts to develop.

Men who have noticed increased hair shedding, or a change in their hair’s appearance are advised to seek the opinion of a trained hair loss professional who will be able to diagnose and treat any hair loss condition.