A receding hairline is when hair starts thinning or altogether stops growing on certain parts of the scalp. It typically begins at but doesn’t stop at the temple. Only a few things hurt more than seeing a receding hairline after years of having a full head of hair with the perfect hairline. Many men – and women – have experienced and are experiencing this but it doesn’t have to be a hard pill to swallow.
The truth is that while a receding hairline is a disorder, it’s more common than you think. Several factors can cause it, so it’s not restricted to one causative issue. Fortunately, it’s treatable in some cases. Let’s discuss what can cause this and possible treatments. You can check out this resource to know if you have a receding hairline: https://www.hims.com/.
Most Common Causes of a Receding Hairline
The following are the commonest causes of hairline issues in men and women, although most of them are male-related since it’s more prevalent in men.
- Hormonal Issues
Similar to how hormonal imbalance can cause issues in women, men who experience changes in their hormones may become bald in their early years. DHT is an androgen hormone that can adversely affect the cycle of growth and lead to male-pattern baldness.
Typically, the human hair grows in cycles, which may go from two to seven years, and each strand has a dedicated follicle in which it grows on the surface of the scalp. The hair rests a few months after it grows before falling out, to be replaced with new growth.
But if the body produces too much DHT, it speeds up this growth cycle and prolongs the time between cycles, thereby delaying regrowth. Consequently, there’s noticeable patches where there should be hair, which is labeled as baldness. In women, menopause can cause thinning, although it doesn’t usually affect the hairline.
- Stress
Did you know that stress is one contributor to hair loss in men and women? While this is not as common as having a receding hairline due to hormonal issues, it’s still a possibility. Certain issues can cause deep and prolonged periods of stress, leading to hair loss.
This is usually identifiable by hair falling out in clumps within a short period for no apparent reason. Of course, there should be a medical checkup and diagnosis to ensure the loss is not due to a health condition that requires immediate attention. The good news is that this form usually reverses itself with time and without requiring treatment.
- Age
This is one of the most common reasons for a receding hairline. The older you get, the more likely it is to lose hair or become bald. It is not applicable to everyone; some men manage to keep a full head of hair even when they are truly old.
The truth is that it’s a natural part of aging; as the body grows older, its natural regrowth process also grows older and becomes slower. This affects different parts of the body, including the hair. The growth will stop completely after some time. That’s also why you see a change in the color as a person ages. Find out how to maintain growth as you age here.
- Genetic Predisposition
This has to do with the family history of the person with this disorder. If it runs in the blood, there might not be much to do to prevent it. While it doesn’t affect everyone in the family with the same genes, it usually is the norm for the men to see a receding hairline if their fathers had the same issue.
It may even follow a recognizable pattern in each generation, only breaking at odd years and skipping one or two persons. The follicles will simply shrink over time, as the person gets older, and stop producing altogether.
5. Lifestyle
Androgenetic alopecia is highly likely in people who smoke regularly. Apart from that, too much smoking can lead to a reduction in the flow of blood to the hair follicles and oxidative stress. This is an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals that cause damage, typically at the cellular level.
There are more free radicals than the immune system can handle, leading to damage that may worsen over time if not properly handled. Hair loss can also result from poor diet, when people don’t get as much vitamins and minerals as they should to help the hair grow.
At least 48% of men worldwide suffer hair loss in the form of a receding hairline before they clock 50 years. This means the disorder is more common in men than it is among women. The most common type is the make androgenic alopecia, where the hair starts thinning and disappearing from the temples, starting from the temples and moving to the front center.
Another type starts from the middle of the scalp and spreads out from that center until it reaches the front part. For some, the loss of hair remains in the middle of the scalp and goes no further. Women are more likely to experience thinning of hair instead of a receding hairline.
Treatments for a Receding Hairline
There’s no immediate cure for a receding hairline, especially if it’s due to age or genes. Surgery might help in this case, but it’s not always guaranteed to succeed. This surgery, which you can get in clinics like Sierra Robotic, transplants small sections of the scalp and follicles from areas that still grow hair to areas that no longer produce growths. This doesn’t stop hair from growing on the transplanted areas and may improve the chances of new growth in the bald areas.
A few medications can help mitigate the loss or slow it down. This is especially true if the issue is due to infection or some illnesses. For example, prednisone can suppress your immune response if it becomes too active due to an immune disorder. Minoxidil is a hypertensive drug but is also commonly used when treating hair loss.
Your doctor may prescribe it as an over-the-counter (OTC) foam or cream or as an orally-ingested tablet. Finasteride (propecia) also works, especially on androgenetic alopecia, although it may increase your risk of developing cancer in the prostate and reduce your sex drive.
Conclusion
Hair loss in the form of a receding hairline can happen to men and women, although it’s more common in men. It can result from family history, poor lifestyle, stress, age and hormonal issues. In many cases, this disorder is treatable and manageable but other times, there isn’t much to do about it, especially if it’s age-related. Speak with your doctor to determine if you can take medication to mitigate it or go for surgery.
