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.
The Ludwig scale defines three broad stages of hair loss. In stage 1, the hair on the top of the head begins thinning. In stage 2, the scalp starts to become visible. In stage 3, all of the hair at the crown may be lost, resulting in baldness.
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.
It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men. Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp. Hereditary hair loss with age is the most common cause of baldness.
Thinning hair can grow back depending on what caused it to thin in the first place. People who experience thinning hair due to nutrient deficiencies, stress, pregnancy, and other nongenetic reasons could experience regrowth. If you're experiencing new hair loss or hair thinning, it's best to consult your doctor.
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.
Unfortunately, male and female pattern baldness is not reversible without surgical intervention. However, if detected early enough, certain medications, such as minoxidil, finasteride, and Dutasteride can help halt the progression of thinning hair.
Many men wonder whether they need to pursue treatment to reverse the effects or if they can grow the hair back on their own. Although hair re-growth may be possible, you should also know when to seek professional help. If the reason for thinning hair is genetics, it will not grow back on its own.
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.
Genetics
In women, hereditary hair loss usually starts after the age of 40. Roughly 40% of women have noticeable hair loss by the age of 50. And less than half of women get through life with a full head of hair.
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.
Generally, people begin noticing signs of hair loss in their 30s and 40s. More significant hair loss often happens when people reach their 60s and beyond.
Thinning hair doesn't necessarily cause baldness. However, it does give the appearance of sparser spots of hair on your head. Thinning hair generally happens gradually, which means you have time to pinpoint the cause and figure out the best treatment. There are some great products for fine hair out there.
Hair loss, also referred to as shedding and hair fall, occurs at the root. These shed hairs often have clubbed roots and are long. Hair breakage is just that, a breakage that occurs at some point on the hair shaft. The hair will be shorter than a shed hair.
Stage V: hair loss is entering a severe stage where it becomes more difficult to treat. Early signs of the horseshoe-shaped hairline begin to appear. Stage VI: a large portion of hair is already lost; what little hair remains on your crown is thin and provides minimal coverage of your scalp.
Telogen effluvium hair loss — the type of hair loss linked to stress — typically affects your scalp and may appear as patchy hair loss. However, it can also cause you to shed more body hair or notice less hair on your body than you normally would.
If a person starts to notice thinning and shedding or hair loss of any kind, it is important to get on a regimen as soon as possible. Hair loss is a progressive condition and only gets worse with time, and there is a point where it is not treatable,” Jared Reynolds, BIOCHEM, founder of Zenagen Hair Care says.
Depending on how much hair has been removed, it will take anywhere between one to six months to regrow your hair after being thinned out. The thing to watch out for is whether or not your hair is damaged due to the hair thinning scissors or texturizing shears. Read more about thinning scissor hair damage here!
The bottom line. There's no strong evidence to support using biotin for hair growth or to prevent hair loss in people without a deficiency. Because hair thinning and poor hair growth are sometimes associated with a biotin deficiency, correcting a deficiency can help restore hair growth in some people.
Less is better when it comes to thinning tresses, meaning less frequent shampooing, along with changing up the way you wash your hair.
DO wash your hair only when it is dirty, but know that thinner hair generally gets grimier faster than thicker hair. If you can, shampoo every other day to diminish damage from overwashing. To stretch the time between washes, try a dry shampoo with cornstarch or rice starch and a clear formulation.
"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.
You'll notice the signs of a receding hairline if your hair begins to thin at the temples, creating a more prominent widow's peak and a hairline that resembles the letter M or a horseshoe. Or your hairline might seem to recede or thin all the way across (Murphrey, 2021).