Hair loss pattern

[Baldybee2]

Hi everyone,

 

When I shave my head I can clearly see an area of thinning. And areas that are still thick. Do the areas that are thin will for sure one day go bald?

 

I'm thinning in a norwood 2 to 3 pattern and if I do get smp or a hairtransplant I want to make sure my other parts of my scalp don't start to thin.

 

I had a miniaturization test and so far areas that are thin are confine to a norwood 2 norwood 3 pattern. Would more thinning just evolve? Any thoughts will be appreciated. Last thing I want to do is do a procedure and and later find out I thinning in other parts

[Rootz]

In my opinion your game plan should be to get on medical treatment ASAP and try to preserve what you already have. After you've been on a good treatment plan for at least 6 months, reevaluate your hair situation and go from there. You may no longer want SMP or a HT. But doing a HT without being on treatment is a bad idea. You want to stabilize your hairloss first, and you might just regrow hair too.

 

The miniaturized (thinning) areas will progress and eventually become bald. The timeframe this will happen is hard to predict, but generally the younger it starts the more aggressive it will be. For example, a 20 year old with thinning will probably lose the hairs in the area rapidly in the matter of a few years or even months, whereas a 40 year old would likely experience the same thing but over a more drawn out period.

 

With proper treatment this can probably be prevented, or at least drawn out significantly. The big three that you ideally want to be on are Minoxidil (topical stimulant), Nizoral (shampoo), and Finasteride (systematic DHT inhibter). The closest cure to hairloss is basically Finasteride, so whatever treatment you decide to take you should seriously consider that one.

[Baldybee2]

Has anyone seen a norwood 2 or 3 advance to a norwood 4 or 6 years later?

[Dutch]

Mel Gibson springs to mind.

 

Can't have a crystal ball to predict how far it'll go. Meds can help depending on how aggressive the pattern is.

 

A family friend moved from a Norwood 2 to at least a Norwood 5a in less than 5 years.

[Baldybee2]

Wow! A norwood 2 to 5 in 5 years? That's pretty crazy! So Jude law balding pattern can still advance?

[Blake Bloxham]

Bee,

 

Androgenic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) is very unpredictable. There is nothing stating that your Norwood 2-3 pattern cannot progress to a NW IV, V, or VI in a short period of time. This is why many experts highly recommend preventive medications.

 

Also, keep in mind that men keep thinning well into their "later years." For example: the statistics state that approximately 30% of men experience thinning by age 30, 50% by age 50, and nearly 80% by age 80. This, in my opinion, indicates two things: first, that men can begin to experience pattern thinning at pretty much any age; and two, that the thinning can be progressive and continuous.

[Baldybee2]

Thanks for the reply! I see so many posts on these boards that show norwood 3 getting a hair transplant so there is a chance they will end up with horns in the future right? If that is the case why risk getting a transplant?

[Blake Bloxham]

Bee,

 

Most surgeons design transplants with future recession in mind. This reduces the risk of an unnatural pattern developing in the future. However, this risk is further reduced when surgery is augmented by the use of preventive medications.