How Bald Can You Go

[nm76]

Hi,

I've seen a few posts, that state while considering a Ht, one needs to plan for the case that they may become a nw 6 or nw7.

Now what I understand of hair loss, or the balding process is that it is gradual. It can happen slowly over time or kick in real quick.

That said, I've also read that not every one becomes a nw6 or nw7. So how gradual is the balding process - I mean can someone recede to a nw4 and that would be it? Could I now at my current state, say its possible I have lost all that I would lose (I am 32, balding since I was 19)?

Can we say, that everyone with mpb will at least reach a nw5 and beyond that is anyone's guess.

Or you stop balding after 40, or perhaps the process gets even slower?

Or if you've been balding for 10-15 years, you have lost pretty much most of what your mpb gene was programmed to take away? The years after (10-15) may result in more loss but sufficiently less?

I guess there are no answers to these questions, are there?.

But at the same time, we cannot discount the fact that someone who has been balding for a long time, may have lost all the hair that he was going to lose regardless of whether the process lead him to become a nw3/nw4/nw5/nw6 right?

 

-nm76

[nm76]

I guess my point here, is that if we all are not going to be nw6 or nw7 - well then what are we going to be ? Also if we all will not be a nw7 then that would imply that at some point you just stop losing hair (or the balding process stops), right?

[Fallenstar]

nm76,

this is the million dollar question, but from own experience and reading & studying this subject. i think most people end up at nw 5. so when this happens, then this is a good time for considering a HT. IMHO

 

this is the best place for advise on hair loss.

good luck with what u decide.

 

fs

[nm76]

I just saw chris meloni - on i think it was the tonight show. He seems to still have the same hair loss he has had for a while. ok ok,I guess that could be a bad example and of course he could be using meds too.

I wonder if everyone agrees a nw5 is guaranteed?

thanks

[balody]

chris meloni has recently had a ht as mentioned on a thread titled "chris meloni" on here a few weeks back.

[nm76]

Originally posted by balody:

chris meloni has recently had a ht as mentioned on a thread titled "chris meloni" on here a few weeks back.

What about dwayne johson (the rock, from wwf) - he seems to have the same hair line for ages now - i suspect its a ht or something?

[balody]

yeah i reckon defo ht.too neat.

[dabuski]

I personally started to loose hair when i was 19...im now knocking on the door of 40.

I would guesstimate i,m in the region Of a 3v to 4

on the norwood scale.

I would say my own experience has been quite a gradual amount of loss up until about 3 years ago when it seemed to increase to where it is at this present time.

So i hope when i pass 40 this might put the skids on it.......heres hopping although i wont be holding my breath

[nm76]

Originally posted by dabuski:

I personally started to loose hair when i was 19...im now knocking on the door of 40.

I would guesstimate i,m in the region Of a 3v to 4

on the norwood scale.

I would say my own experience has been quite a gradual amount of loss up until about 3 years ago when it seemed to increase to where it is at this present time.

So i hope when i pass 40 this might put the skids on it.......heres hopping although i wont be holding my breath

whoaa 40 till you got to a 3 or 4, i assume you have not had a ht? if so any plans?

[dabuski]

No plans at this moment.....but would never say never.

Ive got a young family and all the expense that comes with it

I guess im lucky with my lot really when you read of some of the more aggressive loss stories on this forum.

One other note of interest ..i have a twin brother who has lost all his hair(norwood 6),a good 10 years ago.

I think loss whether its fast or slow is in the cards your dealt, even amongst siblings.

[nm76]

Thats true, I just wonder if the cards are dealt such that one loses hair till a nw4 stage or nw5 or even a stage in between nw3 and nw4. I look at the men on my mums side, they have really thin hair a high hair line, but are not completely bald - they are into their 60's and you can no see some loss occurring into the crown.

I then look at the men on my dads side - none of his brothers are bald but i have three cousins that have varying degrees of hair loss (my hair is better than theirs). Everyone else is fine (4 guys with mpb out of 22 cousins).....never was a poker kinda guy.....perhaps that is the reason.

[dabuski]

It could be that some genetic degree of loss is built into a person.

Im keeping my fingers and toes crossed that in my own case ill stay on the light side.

[nm76]

This is what Dr Rassman has to say:

 

"Most people start their balding process in their early 20s, some like you in the late 20s and a few after 30. The general rule is that for those who have hair loss in their 20s, most of it will slow down by the mid 30s and by the time the person reaches 40-45, it should slow down even further. There are no real rules other than what you see. You can anticipate it by mapping out your hair for miniaturization to see what the future may hold for you. "

 

Source : http://www.baldingblog.com/2006/06/27/when-does-hair-loss-stop/

[nm76]

This is pretty interesting - Now if I could find a clinic that has one of these:

 

The Medical Science of Hair Loss :

 

Miniaturization occurs in men and women who are balding. Miniaturization is the process where a normal thickness hair shaft becomes thinner and thinner over time due to the genetically determined effects of aging and/or androgenic hormones on the terminal (normal) hair follicle. The process of miniaturization is a slow process in genetic balding. Hair shafts may lose 10% of their diameter, then 20%, then 30% and so on. Each degree of increased miniaturization reflects further progression of the genetic balding process. The instruments that measure miniaturization were invented (and patented) by me in the early 1990s and they are in wide spread use today. Socially detectable hair loss is not evident until more than 60% of the hair has been lost and as a result, many men do not seek out expert help until they see some evidence of balding (which they too often deny).

 

When a doctor views the scalp hair with high magnification, the degree of miniaturization and the location of the miniaturization are both critical to establishing (1) the diagnosis and (2) the rate of the process, which progresses over time. Because miniaturization is a relative measurement at any one time (comparing finer hair to the thickest hair), it takes substantial experience before this measurement can be useful to the individual clinician. In our experience, from examining and following thousands of patients with the Hair Densitometer, we have found that assessing the degree of miniaturization has useful predictive value when evaluating the risks of hair loss and in establishing hair loss patterns. The amount of miniaturization in each section of the scalp tells the physician just how far the balding is progressing or has progressed. In men who show more and more areas of miniaturization over time, the genetic balding can be considered active.

 

 

A high degree of miniaturization in the upper portion of the fringe area in a Norwood Class 6 pattern (see below in red) suggests that the donor fringe will lower over time so a person who may be a Class 6 pattern balding pattern may become a Class 7 pattern, reducing the fring around the sides and back to a 3 1/3 inch band. A high degree of miniaturization throughout the donor area indicates that all of the patient's hair may be unstable for hair transplantation and that he may be at risk to have diffuse unpatterned alopecia with extensive balding, even on the sides and in the back of the head (an area normally not affected by any balding or miniaturization in most men). The unpatterned alopecia is characteristic of women's genetic balding pattern which is often found all over the head including the back and sides.

 

Miniaturization in the recipient area (front, top and crown) can often delineate which areas of the scalp are most likely to bald and which are stable, anticipating the patient's future Norwood hair loss classification. If a man has 90% miniaturization in the crown (back of the head) and only 30% in the mid scalp, the physician may assume that the crown is at a higher risk of earlier hair loss than the mid-scalp, giving him an eventual Class 4 or 5 balding pattern.

 

We feel that in predicting the short-term loss, the extent of miniaturization in the recipient area, as well as the rapidity of the loss, is critical in establishing the guidelines for treatment, whether it is a hair transplant or drug intervention. In the very early stages of hair loss (the many in his early-mid twenties), increased miniaturization can anticipate future balding even before any loss can be seen to the naked eye. Often the reason a person seeks a consultation for hair restoration expert is that there is some change in the "rate" of his hair loss (often more hair seen on the pillow or in the shower). A patient who is very gradually losing his hair is less likely to seek help than a patient who suddenly has acceleration in the rate that he is losing hair. Usually large numbers of hairs undergo miniaturization before any are actually lost and the time the drugs are most effective is in this early phase. In men, DHT is the hormone responsible for these changes.

 

For the most reliable prediction of the final hair loss pattern, the patient should be over the age of 25 (above 30 is better) and have some visual evidence that the process has started. A base measurement and subsequent follow up measurements are essential to the proper management of hair loss by any doctor considered to be an expert in the field. By understanding these measurements over time, the doctor will understand just what this all means and better yet, the patient now has a way to follow what is happening to him/her. Many young men worry about following their father's or mother's male family balding history and come to the office to find out what their future has in store for them. The microscopic assessment for miniaturization is the best way to determine this.

 

With successful medical (drug) treatments like Propecia in men, the miniaturization may be reversed (partly or completely). The responsiveness of each patient is different, so each patient must be diligent in follow up measurements of the degree of miniaturization and the location of the miniaturization by scalp location. The same diagnostic criteria should and must be followed in women. Without good measurements for miniaturization, there is no clinical science in the treatment of hair loss, just hocus-pocus and blustering, a problem that is far too frequent today.

 

Source: http://www.baldingblog.com/2005/11/11/the-medical-science-of-hair-loss/