Brief overview
- Treatment: minoxidil or caffeine-containing agents; finasteride in tablet form; possibly hair transplant; wig or toupee; shaving baldness; antiandrogens in women.
- Causes: Usually hereditary hair loss; only in women is hereditary hair loss pathological.
- When to see a doctor: In case of very rapid progress; rather diffuse or circular hair loss; severe hair loss in clumps
- Diagnosis: Visual diagnosis; in case of doubt, further examinations to exclude other diseases.
- Prevention: Early treatment slows down progression; under certain circumstances healthy balanced diet
What are receding hairline?
The term “receding hairline” (Calvities frontalis) is used when the hairline in the area of the temporal bumps and the forehead recedes in affected individuals (mainly men) – the so-called “receding hairline” and a bald forehead develop. Later, the hair also thins out on the upper back of the head around the vertebra (tonsure). Forehead baldness and tonsure often meet at some point, so that the entire upper part of the head is bald and only a horseshoe-shaped ring of hair remains.
In most cases, the hairline does not begin to thicken until middle age or older. However, there are cases when teenagers already develop receding hairlines and are sometimes bald before the age of 30.
Women with hereditary hair loss usually show a different appearance. Here, there is usually a gradual thinning of the hair at the top of the head (crown area), without complete baldness at some point. Only rarely does the male pattern (with balding forehead and receding hairline) occur in women.
What if babies have receding hairline?
In some cases, babies show receding hairline. However, this is a normal process and not a cause for concern. Babies often lose their first baby hair a few weeks after birth. The loss of this first hair visually follows the same pattern as in older men. Circular hair loss at the back of the head also often occurs in babies.
However, the actual hair in babies then usually grows back quite quickly. The first hairs and the later ones sometimes differ in color and structure.
What can be done about it?
Women with hereditary hair loss treat the thinning areas with a two percent minoxidil solution twice a day. After discontinuation of the medication, however, the hair loss usually progresses again. In some cases, doctors treat affected women with antiandrogens, i.e. active ingredients that target the male sex hormone.
Tablets containing the active ingredient finasteride are available for the treatment of receding hairline and baldness in men. They inhibit an enzyme that converts testosterone into the even more effective dihydrotestosterone. This treatment stops hair loss in many cases. Again, the effect generally lasts only for the duration of the treatment.
Many sufferers want to use hairpieces to conceal their baldness or receding hairline. Toupees and wigs made of real or synthetic hair are available in various designs and hair colors. Interested persons have the possibility to get professional advice in a second hair studio.
Some men opt for the radical solution for receding hairline and thinning hair at the back of the head: they have a bald head shaved.
What causes receding hairline?
Spider spots are a typical sign of hereditary (androgenetic) hair loss in men (androgenetic alopecia): The hair follicles react hypersensitively to testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) because they carry an excessive number of docking sites (receptors) for these male sex hormones on their surface.
This shortens the growth phase (anagen phase) of the hair and accelerates the entire hair cycle. Consequently, the hairs reach the “end of their life” more quickly and fall out. In addition, the hair follicles gradually cease to function and become smaller. They produce only fine, thin hairs and eventually none at all.
In contrast to hereditary hair loss in men, androgenetic alopecia in women is a pathological form. It mostly affects women after menopause. The hormonal changes have an influence on the hair loss, which is genetically determined, just as in men.
Exactly which genes are involved is still unknown in both men and women.
When to see a doctor?
Studies show that in rare cases, receding hairline and baldness indicate an increased risk of prostate cancer and coronary heart disease (CHD).
Diffuse hair loss (irregularly all over the head) or circular hair loss, on the other hand, may indicate other diseases or malnutrition, while receding hairline is usually associated with hereditary hair loss. The development of receding hairline and gradually thinning hair is a gradual process over many years, which does not necessarily lead to complete balding.
However, it is advisable to see a doctor if large amounts of hair suddenly come out in clumps when combing or if individual bald patches form. This indicates a possible disease.
You can find more information about this in the article Hair loss.
Diagnosis
As a rule, receding hairline can already be recognized by visual diagnosis. Under certain circumstances, however, the doctor will carry out further examinations in the case of other types of hair loss or if the development of the receding hairline has progressed very quickly, in order to exclude diseases other than hereditary hair loss.
Prevention
Otherwise, the progression of receding hairline can be stopped or slowed down in many cases with early and ongoing treatment, for example with minoxidil. It is best to talk to your doctor about this.
