How bad is it going to get?

[Proyas]

I'm 27 and have been balding since age 18. True, I'm only a Norwood 3 right now, and I've been taking finasteride for the last five years, and I know there are far worse cases out there, but I'm still very self-conscious about my hair. One thing I wonder about a lot is how bad my hair loss is going to get. Will it just keep falling out until there is absolutely nothing--not even on the sides or back? Or will the hair loss eventually stop, leaving me looking like Captain Picard or perhaps "Picard Lite" with my hairline only receded halfway up my head?

 

Is there any way to predict how it is going to end up based on how bad it is now?

[TakingThePlunge]

Proyas,

 

You could visit a hair restoration physician that offers miniaturization mapping. That can give you a pretty good idea of where your balding is headed. You can also look at your family history for some more clues but there is really no rhyme or reason to hair loss.

 

After rapidly receding in my late teens/early twenties, I thought I'd be a 5 or 6 on the Norwood Scale by age 25. However, once I reached the age of 30 and still had a reasonable amount of hair, I became convinced my hair loss had stopped and I'd end up like my grandfather who died in his 80s with a nice head of white hair. I was wrong!

 

At least you are already taking finasteride. There's not much else you can do other than adding Rogaine (minoxidil) and perhaps Nizoral to your regimen.

 

Best of luck!

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

I agree with what David said...I dont know if anyone can 100 percent predict future hairloss, but starting with one of the doctors on this site would be a good start for your future planning..

Ive said it before, just because you start losing your hair in your teens doesnt mean you are destined to be a Norwood 6 or 7, however it doesnt mean you are not gonna be one either...at least there are good medications now that can slow the progression way down!

[mattj]

Very few men lose all the hair from the back and sides. It's impossible to predict with total accuracy as loss can stop and start, but still being a NW 3 after all this time is (obviously) a good thing.