It’s every man and woman’s worst nightmare… going bald. Unfortunately for many, hair loss is a very common thing that can affect more than 50% of women [1] and up to 85% of men [2] in their lifetimes.
However, just because a large proportion of people will experience hair loss at some point in their life, it doesn’t mean that you’re certain to go completely bald.
Despite hair loss being an uncomfortable conversation for most, there are ways that you can prevent it if you take action early enough.
Here is how to know if you will go bald, and what you can do when you notice the first signs of hair loss to keep your hair where it belongs – on your head!
Although losing some hair every day is normal (most experts agree that 50-100 a day is nothing to worry about [3]), if you notice that hair is falling out even faster than this, it could be an early sign of hair loss.
There is a range of different hair loss causes that affect people very differently. For example, some people may not notice hair loss when their diet changes, whereas other people may notice a huge difference (for instance, they may see increased hair loss on a low-carb diet).
Some of the most frequent causes of male and female pattern baldness include:
It’s normal to be able to see your scalp, especially in the areas where your hair parts. But, if your part is showing signs of widening, or your hair is thinning to the point where you can clearly see your scalp underneath, this could be an early sign of balding.
It may also be that you’ve started to notice bald spots, where significant amounts of hair have fallen out in one specific area.
Chances are, that if you have started to notice these kinds of changes, they will only continue to get worse – possibly to the point where you’re fully bald.
Another early sign of balding is when your hairline starts to recede or change in shape. An uneven hairline is not always an indicator of hair loss, for example, a mature hairline is something that will naturally develop as you get older and doesn’t always mean that you’ll go bald.
Similarly, some men can have an M-shaped hairline which, although sometimes can be an early sign of balding, can also just be someone’s natural hairline shape.
If you notice that your hairline is starting to move back and that the hair around your hairline is starting to thin out, you may want to start looking into different hair loss solutions. The sooner you’re able to take action against hair loss, the more likely you are to keep your hair.
The good news is, if you’re experiencing any of the signs that we’ve mentioned above, there are ways that you can prevent hair loss from turning into male or female pattern baldness.
There is a range of over-the-counter medicines and topical solutions that you can use that all are able to prevent hair loss and encourage hair growth.
Options include oral tablets such as Finasteride and Dutasteride which can only be used by men and work by preventing testosterone from turning into DHT. You can also use Minoxidil which is a topical solution that men and women can apply to areas where they’re experiencing balding.
Some researchers found that caffeine shampoo demonstrated similar effectiveness with Minoxidil 5% after 6 months of use.
The sooner you start using these treatments, the more likely you are to never have to experience complete balding. However, these options are not always miracle-workers. If you have lost a significant amount of hair on your head, over-the-counter treatments may not be able to bring back growth.
If you think that you may have lost too much hair to be able to benefit from one of the treatment options above, another alternative could be a hair transplant.
At Wimpole Clinic, we specialise in FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction)transplants and FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantations) which are two very popular options for men and women who want natural and long-lasting results.
The treatment is quick and relatively painless, then after a few weeks of recovery, you will start to see impressive results. This is a good option for people who don’t want the hassle of remembering to take medication every day, and want a quick – yet long-term – solution to hair loss.
If you’re interested in getting a hair transplant at Wimpole Clinic, we’d love to talk to you.
We offer all potential patients a completely free, no-obligation consultation with one of our experts. This is where we can take you through the entire process and you can ask any questions that you may have.
If you’d like to learn more about how hair transplants work at Wimpole Clinic, book your free consultation today.
Simply fill in your details in the form below and we'll get in touch with you shortly.
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