How long on average does it take to go from Norwood 1 to noticeable hairloss if you have male pattern baldness?

[RickieL89]

I know everyone's different. I was wondering how long on average does it take to go from Norwood 1 or 1.5 to noticeable thinning due to male pattern baldness? 5 years, 10 years maybe 15 years or 20 years? Most people consider me a Norwood 1.5 so I'm trying to figure out how long I might have before hairloss becomes noticeable if I have male pattern baldness. My dad and grandpa on my dad side are balding and my mom has female pattern baldness too. I don't know if its because of the years of dying her hair or if its actual hairloss and her dad had hair when he died in his 60's, so there's definitely a chance I could go bald too. I'm trying to guess how many more years left I have of no noticeable hairloss. Right now I'm 31 years old and what worries me is that I sometimes shed 3 - 5 strands of hair that are thin in diameter when I shower or comb.

[aaron1234]

Let me look into my crystal ball here.... 😜

No way anyone can predict the future.  The best thing you can do if you're worried about hair loss is to schedule an appointment with a good hair doctor and ask to get a miniaturization test done.  Remember that you will lose a lot of your hair before it's apparent to the naked eye.  That's why it's important to get it evaluated by a doctor.  If hair loss is detected then you should consider getting on Finasteride asap.  Talk to the doc about that.

Don't fret over 3-5 strands of hair... even the non-balding person loses up to 200 hairs a day due to the hair growth cycle.

[RickieL89]

19 hours ago, aaron1234 said:

Let me look into my crystal ball here.... 😜

No way anyone can predict the future.  The best thing you can do if you're worried about hair loss is to schedule an appointment with a good hair doctor and ask to get a miniaturization test done.  Remember that you will lose a lot of your hair before it's apparent to the naked eye.  That's why it's important to get it evaluated by a doctor.  If hair loss is detected then you should consider getting on Finasteride asap.  Talk to the doc about that.

Don't fret over 3-5 strands of hair... even the non-balding person loses up to 200 hairs a day due to the hair growth cycle.

I already seen three different doctors and its quite expensive. I saw a hair restoration specialist in 2018 costing $140 for a consultation and he told me I had one of the best heads of hair for a 29 year old. I also sent pictures to a hair clinic in 2018 and 2019 and told my hair looked fine and I went to see a dermatologist in April 2019 and he told me I had plenty of hair.  I just get all worried that I might be fine now and then 6 months later I'm a Norwwod 4 or 5 and getting worst. The thing strands of hair also freak me out too because doctors say it could be normal, but then a bunch of people on various forums all over the internet say its a definite sign you are balding which is why the 3 -5 thin strands of hair I see combing or showering scares me.

 

Edited July 8, 2020 by RickieL89

[RickieL89]

15 hours ago, transplantedphil said:

If youve seen 3 different docs and you even went to a HT doc who said you had one of the "best heads of hair for a 29 year old" (who didnt try and sell you a HT in an industry known for trying to make a quick buck) that should tell you something. If you were legitimately destined for NW4/5/6 territory there would also presumably be some signs of miniaturisation present in that consultation ... and it doesnt sound like there were to me.

My understanding is hairloss in higher NW cases generally present themselves quite early (i.e. your early 20s) and become more and more predictable as time goes by, so the suggestion that in 6 months time you suddenly developed into a NW4 or 5 seems almost impossible given your current status.

Also I dont believe NW1.5 is even technically considered balding. NW2 is considered a mature hairline and a natural hairline for men. 

I was thinking that too. I read multiple post that say that most people that end up being in the higher norwoods are usually balding in their 20's, but then there's always someone that comes in and said "you better watchout because if you think you're balding then you are, I know someone that was 40 years old with a norwood 2 and went to a norwood 6 in a year" and that's when I panic again. I've seen post like this so many times. I try to convince myself that I'll be fine, but then I find a couple of thin strands of hair, find that I'm shedding 25 strands when I was shedding 10 a couple of days ago or read the kind of post I mentioned earlier and I freakout again. It sucks.

Edited July 8, 2020 by RickieL89

[RickieL89]

1 hour ago, transplantedphil said:

I think its better to base any assessment about your potential hair loss from an in person consultation with a HT doc rather than rely on random posts. Panicking wont change anything. 

The most you can do is monitor the situation, which you already doing successfully. 

I already saw a hair restoration doctor in 2018 and a dermatologist in 2019. Do you need to get your hair check ever year or every 2 years?

[LaserCap]

I do wish we had a hair crystal ball.

You seem to be a late bloomer.  It can happen. But, don't get confused.

Hair loss is complicated.  It can come from both sides of the family.  It can also skip generations. At 30, based on what you've written, it seems you've enjoyed a full set of hair up to now.  Even some of the doctors you've met with have indicated so.  But they are not you, you are the only one that can truly see what's going on.

You've referred to noticing hair fall during showers.  I'll bet you've seen some in the sink and perhaps even on the pillow.  Normal.  There are two types of loss.  The type you see and the type you don't see.  

The follicle gets tired of producing hair and it takes a vacation.  This dormancy period typically lasts 3-4 months and the hair then returns.  You will shed all the hair in your head randomly throughout your life. So, when you "see" hair anywhere, shake it off and laugh because you know it's coming back.  Hair loss is different.

It is likely, given family history, you're experiencing hair loss.  Go under a bright light and look at the hair in the temporal areas.  Note the caliber of each strand. You'll note some are thick and some not so much so.  Some are so thin it seems they just don't grow.  We call this process miniaturization.  Eventually the follicle withers and disappears.  This is the time to start considering some type of medical therapy to help you with retention and enhancement of the native hair.

Are you doing anything medically at this time to help you retain?

[Melvin- Admin]

I’ve seen another thread by you, what I’m about to say may sound harsh, but please don’t take it the wrong way. 

From your actions, it seems you may be suffering from a lot of anxiety, it can manifest in many ways. Hair is not something that you need to worry about, at least not in the foreseeable future. 

If you continuously have these thoughts or worries, I would seriously consider speaking to a therapist, you may have slight body dysmorphia or OCD.  Seeing a therapist is nothing to be ashamed of, mental health is just as important as physical health. 
 

best wishes, 

[RickieL89]

7 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I’ve seen another thread by you, what I’m about to say may sound harsh, but please don’t take it the wrong way. 

From your actions, it seems you may be suffering from a lot of anxiety, it can manifest in many ways. Hair is not something that you need to worry about, at least not in the foreseeable future. 

If you continuously have these thoughts or worries, I would seriously consider speaking to a therapist, you may have slight body dysmorphia or OCD.  Seeing a therapist is nothing to be ashamed of, mental health is just as important as physical health. 
 

best wishes, 

You're right I do suffer from really bad anxiety. I've made a lot of post lately asking about this issue and most people keep telling me that I'm fine, but I still keep thinking I'm going bald. I'm try to get off these hairloss sites and forums and try to get my mind on something else. It's driving me crazy.

[ihategonigbald]

For me it took about 10-12 years...At first i could convince my self it was simply thinning.  Luckily it happened very slowly for me. Others too would argue if i was going bald or not...sadly the jury is in.  Going bald for sure