Advice on Hair Loss and Thinning Over the Past Year'

Name: 

Omid

Question: Hi, I’m 25 years old and in the past year I have realized that I’m losing hair from the sides and also my hair is very thin. It’s not common in my family, I was wondering if you could give me some advice and what action I should take.

Answer: Hi, Omid. We cannot provide a thorough diagnosis of what could be causing your hair loss from what you say here, as there is not quite enough information. Here are some pointers but we do recommend you have a professional consultation in order to ascertain which condition you are affected by.

A drop in hair density and thinning hair could be caused by various conditions, the most common of which is Male Pattern Baldness. It is possible for this hereditary hair loss condition to skip generations so you may have to look further back in your family tree to find relatives - male or female - with obvious signs of thinning.

As you say that you have noticed it over the past year, that narrows it down somewhat to two potential issues. When you say 'sides' we are assuming you mean you are experiencing hair loss from the sides of your hairline, at the temples. This receding hairline coupled with hair thinning on top only are classic signs of male hair loss.

If this is not the case, however, and you are experiencing thinning from the sides of your head, rather than just your hairline, this could be something called Chronic Telogen Effluvium which causes diffuse shedding from all over the scalp. This condition is mostly found in women but can affect men too, often as a result of an underlying medical issue, stress, or due to a side effect of medication. This condition is often temporary but can trigger or exacerbate male pattern baldness in those with an existing genetic predisposition.

There are hair loss treatment options for both conditions to help stabilise hair fall and promote regrowth so, as before, the best advice we could give you now is to have a professional assessment so that your condition can be diagnosed and treatment options can be discussed.