Looking at a young person with a full head of hair, it’s difficult to imagine that a couple of years down the line, the same individual could have a receding hairline.
Age alone is not the only cause of receding hairlines, other causes include stress and heredity.
Receding hairline is a type of hair loss in which hairs in the temples or entire hairline are completely lost.
Male pattern hair loss, a form of hair loss linked to your genes and male sex hormones, makes people who are born males more likely to deal with a receding hairline.
However, people who are born female can also experience a receding hairline, particularly if they have frontal fibrosing alopecia, a progressive hair loss near the forehead.
Although women are more likely to experience thinning hair than a receding hairline, men may begin to experience a receding hairline as they get older.
Alopecia, or hair loss, is frequently treatable with surgery or medicine.
In this article, I will delve into factors that result in receding hairlines and explain why they recede.
What Signs Indicate That Your Hairline is Receding?
Any time after the end of puberty, men may begin to experience a receding hairline.
A receding hairline is a common feature of men by the time they reach their late 30s; this usually starts at the temple.
After that, the hairline returns to its original position on top of the head.
This frequently results in a hair ring encircling the top of the exposed scalp.
The top layer of thinning hair may keep growing.
The middle hair may remain closer to the forehead, although the receding hairline may start above the temples.
“Widow’s Peak” is the term used to describe this V-shaped hair growth in front.
Eventually, the back and sides of the head may grow completely hairless, although most men still have some hair unless they completely shave it off.
The hairs at the back and sides are usually spared in women, but the part thins significantly and spreads over the top of the head.
Why Does My Hairline Recede?
Stress, heredity, and disorders affecting the hair follicles can all contribute to a receding hairline.
A person’s lifestyle choices or health conditions may also make them more susceptible to receding hairlines.
Other factors include:
Male-pattern hair loss
A receding hairline can develop in either a male or female from birth.
But those who have androgenetic alopecia, or male-pattern hair loss, are more likely to experience it.
Pattern hair loss is more common among white males, particularly if their father has it as well.
Pattern hair loss and a receding hairline can also be caused by high dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels.
DHT is a sex hormone that is produced when testosterone is reduced. It can shorten hair, change the growth cycle of hair, and decrease hair follicles.
It is also associated with female pattern hair loss, though hairline receding is not typically the result of that type of loss.
Alopecia Frontal Fibrosing
Recessing hairlines are uncommon in female pattern hair loss sufferers; rather, a thinning or broadening portion of the scalp causes them to become bald from the top.
Receding hairlines due to frontal fibrosing alopecia are more common in postmenopausal individuals and black women.
This disorder, which typically begins at the hairline and spreads to the remainder of the scalp, results in scarring of the hair follicles.
It is uncertain what specifically causes frontal fibrosing alopecia.
However, scientists believe that inflammatory responses, hormone fluctuations, genetics, and weakened immune systems can all play a role, as can stress, health, and lifestyle.
A receding hairline might also result from the following factors:
-
Styling tools and chemicals:
Chemicals used in coloring, perming, or relaxing treatments, as well as excessive heat from curling or straightening, can harm hair.
-
Traction alopecia:
If left untreated, tight hairstyles such as cornrows, braids, ponytails, and buns can cause irreversible hair loss by yanking out hair follicles.
-
Stress:
Emotional stress, sickness, surgery, or delivery can cause hair to thin or fall out.
-
Scalp psoriasis:
Hair loss may result from plaques around the hairline.
-
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy:
For cancer patients, it can cause hair loss.
-
Smoking:
Studies indicate that smoking cigarettes can change the growth cycle of hair follicles.
-
Saturated fat-rich diets:
Putting on weight as a result of this lifestyle choice might lead to stress, which increases hair thinning.
Stages of Receding Hairline
A board-certified dermatologist can frequently assist you in finding therapies to promote regrowth or stop further hair loss if you detect a receding hairline at an early stage.
Although some people may begin experiencing hair loss in their late teens or early twenties, male pattern hair loss often occurs around the age of fifty.
Male pattern hair loss involves several stages of a receding hairline, which include:
-
Retraction of the hairline
Thinned or somewhat lost hair above your temples, or your entire hairline.
-
Hair loss spreads
Hair loss advances toward the temples, forming a ‘’M,’ ‘U,’ or ‘V’-shaped hairline.
-
Baldness on top of the head
Baldness on top of the scalp (also known as the vertex) is joined by a receding hairline.
There will be a sizable hair strip in between the hairline and the bald spot.
-
Progress of receding hairlines and bald spots
Severe hair loss produces a thin hair band separating the two balding regions.
-
Hairline recession and balding meet
On top of the head, balding and receding hairlines merge into a single area devoid of hair or create thin patches of hair.
-
Frontal baldness
There is no hair on top of your scalp, and your hairline has disappeared.
Your hair will eventually fall out in a ‘U’ shape around the sides of your head.
Although the disorder can affect people of any age or gender, frontal fibrosing alopecia usually affects females two to twelve years after menopause.
According to several studies, black women experience the illness even at the age of 28.
When a person has frontal fibrosing alopecia, the phases of the receding hairline include:
- Itchy scalp
Prior to hair loss, the scalp may begin to hurt or itch.
- Hairline rash
Red, yellow, or skin-colored pimples may appear along your hairline.
- Hairline recedes
Hair loss begins above the temples, in front, or along the entire hairline.
- Hair loss spreads
As the hairline recedes, it travels inside and creates patches or a zigzag pattern.
- Frontal baldness
The loss of hair continues until the front of the head is hairless.
- Hair loss in other areas
People may also experience hair loss in their pubic hair, arm, leg, and beard.
What is the Diagnosis for a Receding Hairline?
You should consult a dermatologist to determine the type of hair loss you are experiencing and its cause.
Your medical history, both personal and family, will be questioned by your doctor.
An example of a test your doctor might run is a ‘pull test.’
To find out how many or how quickly hairs fall out, they will gently pluck on a couple of them.
To find out if a scalp infection is the cause of your hair loss, a biopsy of your scalp’s tissue or hairs may be useful.
During a biopsy, your physician takes a tiny sample of tissue from the body part that is afflicted.
A lab will examine the tissue sample to look for indications of illness or infection.
In order to check for diseases like thyroid illness that could be causing your hair loss, you might also have a blood test.
How Can One Treat a Receding Hairline?
You won’t require therapy if your receding hairline is only an age-related development rather than the outcome of an infection or other health issue.
Medication might be required if there is a medical condition causing the hair loss.
1. Medications therapy
These medications include:
Prednisone
Prednisone is one medication that may be needed for an immunological problem in order
to help decrease an excessive immune response.
Finasteride
The FDA has approved the oral prescription drug finasteride for use in male patients experiencing hair loss.
It is available in tablets that can be applied topically or taken with or without food.
The way this drug functions is by preventing testosterone from converting to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Hair loss can result from high DHT levels.
Within a year of starting treatment, the majority of patients will observe improvements.
It’s crucial to remember that finasteride can only reduce hair loss; it cannot stop it altogether.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is a topical, nonprescription remedy for hair loss that stimulates new hair growth and increases hair density by acting as a vasodilator on the hair follicles.
Most people, according to the AAD, will experience the improvement effects in six to twelve months.
However, minoxidil does not stop hair loss.
A person will start to notice more hair falling out when they stop taking it.
2. Vitamins and Supplements for Hair
If stress or nutritional inadequacies are the cause of your hair loss, hair growth vitamins might help you grow back your hairline.
Ingredients like zinc, according to the limited study available, can aid people who are deficient in zinc with their hair loss.
Vitamins, however, won’t assist those who have chronic damage to their hair follicles or hair loss caused by genetics.
The effectiveness of medicinal treatments for hair loss and receding hairlines has been the subject of much more investigation.
The majority of these treatments may only be obtained with a prescription or via a doctor’s recommendation.
Therefore, before committing to a specific therapy, patients should always check with their insurance provider for coverage.
3. Growth Serums for Hair
Herbal medicines and serums containing essential oils that promote hair growth can aid in hair growth if the hair follicles are not irreversibly damaged.
In a 2015 study comparing the effects of 2% minoxidil and rosemary oil on hair loss, both groups showed a significant increase in hair count after six months.
It has antiandrogenic qualities, and the botanical extract of ‘saw palmetto’ may also aid in hair regrowth by potentially reducing the amounts of DHT that induce pattern hair loss.
Though the effects of serums containing these chemicals are probably going to be restricted, they aren’t proven remedies for receding hairlines.
Other Therapies to Boost Hair Growth
1. Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
A more recent approach that is secure and efficient for lowering hair loss and boosting hair density is PRP therapy.
How does it work?
Medical personnel will take your blood, separate the plasma in a machine, and then inject the plasma back into the area of the body where the hair is falling out.
The entire process takes around ten minutes, but one must come back every three to six months for more treatments.
PRP had less significant adverse effects than finasteride and minoxidil, according to a 2020 study.
Nevertheless, a few adverse effects include the following:
- Swelling, pain, itching, or soreness at the injection site
- Bleeding at the injection site that lasts for limited time; headaches
2. Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT)
How does it work?
A low dosage of red and near-infrared light is applied to the hair cells as part of the LLLT hair loss treatment.
Due to its potential to stimulate hair cells and improve localized blood flow, this may aid with hair loss.
According to a 2021 review, LLLT is a safe, noninvasive, and effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia in both males and females experiencing hair loss.
The research finds that it works especially well when used with oral finasteride or topical minoxidil treatments.
3. Surgery
A receding hairline can be treated surgically using hair restoration procedures.
How does it work?
It entails transplanting tiny pieces of scalp and hair follicles from the back of the head to regions where hair growth has stopped.
In their new location, these skin plugs might sustain healthy hair growth.
Normal hair growth can persist in the regions that provided the plugs.
Hair transplant surgery
For hair loss, a hair transplant surgery is a better long-term option.
If all other options are exhausted, it can be the last choice.
To find out if this therapy is the right choice for your situation, you need to visit a dermatologist.
In order to transplant hair into the thinning areas, you must also have adequate, healthy hair.
Results of hair transplant surgery are seen after 7-9 months for most patients.
Following the surgeon’s postoperative instructions is crucial since, as with any surgery, there is a chance of problems, including infection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a hairline that recedes grow back?
Hairline restoration treatments are used to reverse a receding hairline.
Your hair won’t come back naturally if male pattern baldness, aging, or other genetic factors are causing your hairline to recede.
Nonetheless, there are procedures that can stop the damage and bring your hair back to its previous state.
How can I stop my hairline from receding?
Taking care of any nutritional inadequacies, switching up hairstyles and hair products, and massaging essential oils into the scalp are a few examples of at-home treatments.
For the majority of causes of receding hairlines, medical therapy, including minoxidil, finasteride, and hair transplants, is more suitable than do-it-yourself solutions.
Disclaimer
This information is not meant to replace medical care from a licensed healthcare or beauty expert; rather, it is meant for educational and self-awareness purposes.
