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My dad is 62 years old and he's pretty much bald. Minus the hair that surrounds the side of his head. I'm currently clocking in at 35 years old.
The question is, if the dad is bald, is it an indication of going bald?
Thanks.
The hair is going at 29 months or so.
Actually it is 50/50.
The primary baldness gene is on the X chromosome, which men get only from their mothers, but other factors are also in play. The hereditary factor is slightly more dominant on the woman's side, but research suggests that men who have a bald father are more likely to develop male pattern baldness than those who don't.
But on the other hand, there are many people who enjoy long hair to the very advanced age in spite of having parents with hair loss problem.
PS. You've got cool hair! :)
I'll include a picture later, but I'm 51 and have had no balding. But then again, I've been taking Propecia since I was 36. Back in that day, there were two routes you could take to stay ahead of hair loss:
1) Propecia (finasteride)
2) Rogaine
There are treatments for balding, such as hair transplants, and in the last 15 years, there have been amazing developments in the quest for hair retention. The Capillus laser cap, platelet injections, and other options are available.
You have a great head of hair, like mine! If you wish to keep ahead of it, talk to a hair specialist, and by all means avoid Bosley!
If you were going to experience male pattern baldness, it would have already begun by your age. It begins in the mid-20s with thinning at the crown and receding at the hairline. That's what I've observed anyway. You should be fine. Don't worry!
I've always heard that baldness - or the propensity for baldness - is determined by your mother's father.
Here's good for thought ;p : All the men on my mom's side had hair but pretty much everyone on my dad's side (the men) were bald... so I thought I was immune. Around 31, started noticing that my hair was falling out. Went to the doctor and then the dermatologist who told me that the whole X-chromosome thing is an old wives' tale... that it can come from the father's side just as equal. A few years back, I did a DNA test (they are not available now, as far as I know, because of the FDA) that showed I had both balding genes (sadly). Since the diagnosis years back, I've been taking Finasteride, to try to slow the inevitable. The dermatologist says that I won't ever go bald because we caught it early enough, but I do know that my hair is definitely not as strong as it used to be and falls out when you look at it wrong ~o~; . So long story short - if you're worried, keep an eye on your scalp for any changed that seem way out of the norm and try to catch it in time if something does change ;o ... Finasteride is a nasty drug, but if you don't want your head to look like a bowling ball, then it might be worth the jump ;o ~...
Back then, I ended up having to chop off most of my hair and start over because so much had fallen out. I'm trying to grow it out again but I tell you, it is a slow climb out from rock bottom... kind'a depressing compared to what I once had, really ~o~; ~.....
Hey Joe,
You have an awesome mane for twenty-nine (29) months of growth.
The tendency for baldness might be indicated by your mother's father. Was your maternal grandfather bald? This is not always an exact indicator. When my maternal grandfather was my age he had an interesting hair pattern going on; he had a strong pattern of hair around his head and a healthy growth of hair in the center of his head. The hair on either side on this center strip was receding deeply. My hair is pretty strong all over my head.
My advice is to just keep growing your hair. If you notice any extraordinary loss of hair then I would seek the advice of your dermatologist.
You long haired bro,
Raymond
You could get a 23andMe DNA test. I did that 6 years ago. For my hair, it said that it would thin out some, but there'd be no specific bald areas or spots. I'm 68 and can say the test is correct. If I had taken it as a young man, I'd know what would happen a half century later.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'll keep the suggestions in mind. I talked to pops about his hair and said he started balding at 48. That's not bad, I think, for a guy who had a tough life.
For now, I'll keep the hair long and flowing. :)
Usually, if you are going to go bald, at least in the classic MPB way, there is pronounced receding at the temples by age 30. Almost all men have some hair loss in that area, but it has to be highly visible in your 20s.
I have a friend whose father was bald, and both his younger brothers are bald, but he isn't, so although genetics do come into it, it isn't a sure thing. He's a year younger than me, and I'm 59, so if he was going to go bald, it would have happened way before now.
There isn't really an easy answer, just a lot of old wives tales. My father was bald all through my childhood. But my two uncles (his brothers) have full heads of hair. I have 4 brothers, the older 2 have significant hair-loss similar to my dad's. The 2 younger don't, though the 2nd youngest has some thinning on the crown, he's 54 yo. He hasn't had any loss beyond that. There is Native American on my father's side (Iroquois Mohawk), and you generally don't see baldness among NA's.
The simple answer is, there is no way to know, short of a DNA analysis. If you were to go fairly bald, I would think the signs would be showing by know. Look at Prince William, he's inherited what is called the Windsor Curse, but brother Harry is a full-haired ginger. William's hair really began receding when he was 28, plus his crown thinned.
I think you would have seen a fairly receding hairline in the front, if you have the so-called 'balding genes'. But you could develop crown thinning, like my brother. Crown thinning is the easiest type to treat, OTC minoxidil is highly effective in treating crown baldness, especially if you start using it at the earliest sign of thinning. But it isn't very effective at treating a receding from the front of the scalp & sideburns. Finasteride or Dutasteride (available by prescription only) _may_ help.
I would say that the longer time goes by, that you don't notice any change, the more likely you don't have the classic baldness gene. If you are going to have crown thinning only, that's unlikely to show until you reach your 40's, and you can stop it with daily minoxidil topical liquid or foam. In that case, you've got a good 5 to 12 years before you have to worry about crown thinning. By then, there might be better treatments - laser light has been very promising.
Come back and share your findings in 5 to 12 years - I'm sure the MLHH will still be around.
The Rule of Thub is "look at your mother's brothers". In short, since the trait is from your maternal side you'd have a better idea that way. But it is a crap shoot. I have two first cousins [my mom's sister's boys], one with a full head of hair and the other who has lost a fair deal of his. Our mothers had no brothers, and we found out that our grandmother was adopted, so no reference through great uncles. Grow it a long [ in both senses of the word] as you can and enjoy it.
