Do I Use Treatment on Whole Scalp to Regrow a Receding Hairline?'

Name: Nathan

Question: I bought some minoxidil treatment for my receding hairline but I know MPB can affect other areas of the scalp too. Do I just apply the treatment to my hairline or should I apply it all over the whole scalp as a preventative measure?

Answer: Hi, Nathan. If you are treating a receding hairline as a result of MPB (Male Pattern Baldness) then it is likely you may have signs in the other areas this condition affects.

This is not your entire scalp but along the top of it - the area known as the 'vertex' which runs from the crown to the hairline and temples.

Although thinning hair at the temples may be more obvious - after all, the hairline is far more immediately obvious to us given we see it a lot more than the top of our head! - you should check for other signs of hair loss, too.

These can include increased hair fall, thinning on top, a thinning crown, and a general decrease in how thick your hair feels when you run your hand through it. These additional symptoms may appear singularly or you may have a few, or even all, of them simultaneously.

As Male Pattern Hair Loss is a permanent, progressive condition, they may not all present at once to start with, but may develop over time; we presume this is where your extremely valid concern regarding preventing baldness comes from.

If, after checking, your only hair loss concern is your hairline, you should still start treatment by applying minoxidil to the temple and frontal hairline areas that are thinning or receding but also using it to cover the rest of the vertex. Keep to the dosage advised in the directions which you should find printed on the packaging and/or in the patient information leaflet.

Ensure you follow the instructions provided with your product, strictly and, if you have any queries about these, we recommend you contact the vendor or manufacturer for further advice, given you are not a Belgravia patient.

Using additional medication on other areas of your scalp even if you do not notice any further signs of shedding or decreased hair density can be a preventative measure.

It is not unheard of for Male Pattern Baldness to develop in all affected areas but only be visible in one or two - in this case the hairline - initially. This is a phenomenon that has been dubbed 'invisible hair loss'.

It is important to note that you will be using the same amount of medication per application regardless of whether you are using it to treat the entire vertex or just the hairline. The dosage should not be increased, it should remain the same and simply be spread over the larger surface area.

Do not increase the high strength minoxidil dosage as over-using your medication will not make it more effective and may lead to an increased risk of your developing adverse events.

We hope this information is helpful but should you require a second opinion on your current hair loss treatment or details of which additional hair growth supporting products may be best-suited to your specific level and pattern of shedding, you are welcome to have a consultation with a dedicated specialist, either online or at one of Belgravia's City of London or Central London hair loss clinics.