Unlike widespread hair loss, thinning hair doesn't necessarily cause baldness. It does, however, give the appearance of sparser spots of hair on your head. Thinning hair typically happens gradually, which means you have time to pinpoint the causes and figure out the best treatment measures.
Losing your hair isn't the same as going bald. Male pattern baldness is a genetic condition whereas hair loss per se can be caused by a variety of factors.
Telogen effluvium does not generally lead to complete baldness, although you may lose 300 to 500 hairs per day, and hair may appear thin, especially at the crown and temples. A medical event or condition, such as a thyroid imbalance, childbirth, surgery, or a fever, typically triggers this type of hair loss.
It usually takes 15-25 years to go bald, but can be quicker. Typically, at first the hair begins to thin (recede) at the sides (temples). At the same time, the hair usually becomes thin on the top of the head. A bald patch gradually develops in the middle of the scalp.
It depends. “If a follicle has closed, disappeared, scarred, or not generated a new hair in years, then a new hair wouldn't be able to grow,” Fusco says. But if the follicle is still intact, yes, it is possible to regrow the hair—or to improve the health of the existing thinner hairs.
Can thin hair become thicker again? A person cannot change the texture of their hair. However, the hair may grow back after chemotherapy or pregnancy, for example.
Telogen hair, or 'resting' hair, comprises around 15% of the hair on a person's scalp. Periods of elevated stress can lead to this hair being temporarily lost, contributing to a visibly thinner scalp and hairline.
About 70% of men will lose hair as they get older. And 25% of bald men see first signs of hair loss before age 21. “Recent advances offer a lot of hope in both treating and preventing different types of baldness,” says dermatologist Amy Kassouf, MD.
When to see a doctor. See your doctor if you're concerned about how much hair you are losing every day. A gradual thinning on the top of your head, the appearance of patchy or bald spots on your scalp, and full-body hair loss are signs that there may be an underlying health condition.
If you're losing hair on an ongoing basis and your hairline is moving higher, it's receding. While a receding hairline doesn't necessarily mean that you'll go totally bald, it's often one of the first signs of male pattern baldness.
Temporary hair loss is any form of hair loss that is generally triggered by a stressful event or a change in your normal, everyday events and habits. Temporary hair loss can occur anywhere between 2-4 months after the event that triggered it and can last up to 6-months.
One-fifth of men will experience significant hair loss by age of 20(!), and that percentage grows proportional to age. Bauman says that significant loss increases steadily with age: 30 percent will experience it in their 30s, 40 percent in 40s, and so on. “This math proves true for men into their 90s,” he says.
More than 80 percent of men and nearly half of women experience significant hair loss during their lifetime. For many, the thinning starts well before middle age.
On average it takes 15-25 years for men to go completely bald. This process can begin at any age. About two thirds of men are either bald or have a balding pattern by the age of 60. In a nutshell, there is no particular age when you can expect to see hair loss.
The hairline is only about one to 1.5 inches above your highest wrinkle. This is typically as far as a mature hairline will recede. If your hairline is about the width of your finger above the top wrinkle, you probably have a mature hairline. If it's receding onto your scalp, it may mean balding.
The most obvious of the stages of hair loss is a noticeable change in your hairline that you can clearly see. Baldness often begins in the hairline, with the flat or mildly receded hairline you previously had turned into a more obvious M-shaped hairline — basically, bald with hair on sides.
What chance will I or my future offspring be carriers or have the trait? If your mom's dad is bald, then there's a high chance you'll go bald in the future. If your father is bald as well, then those chances go up even more! But even if baldness doesn't run in your mom's family, it's still possible you'll go bald.
While the numbers are different according to different surveys, it appears that either Greece, Macedonia, or the Czech Republic has the highest rate of baldness in the world. These nations each have over 40% of men with acute hair loss.
Certain races have higher rates of hair loss compared to others. Caucasians have the highest rates out of all the ethnic groups. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Native American Indians, Inuits, and Chinese have the lowest rates.
Going back to the hormones theory, you may be wondering why all men don't experience hair loss if they all produce testosterone and therefore, create the same testosterone by-product. This is thought to be down to the fact that some men create more than others, and some have more receptors than others.
"Short hairstyles are best for thinning hair, because too much length can drag the hair down and create an unflattering, stringy appearance," says Alabama stylist Hope Russo.
Bobs, pixies, layers, and bangs — these haircuts are strategically designed to help fine hair full-fill its potential. The look of thin hair can change dramatically with the power of the humble scissor — and the right cutting hand.