For many, a receding hairline is reversible with treatment.
Usually, there is a distinct pattern that triggers when a male loses his hair.
Usually, females do not have the typical receding hairline that happens at the beginning of male pattern baldness.
Peter Dazeley / Getty Images
Instead, women commonly experience thinning on the top and crown of the scalp.
Limiting hair-pulling hairstyles can prevent the condition.
Receding Hairline Causes
Losing hair happens as part of anormal cyclefor most people.
But in some circumstances, the cycle doesn’t work the way it should.
With a receding hairline, the hairbegins to fall outas a result of damage to hair follicles.
Genes are the most common cause of male- and female-pattern baldness (also known as androgenic alopecia).
The name for stress-induced hair loss is telogen effluvium.
The condition results in shedding large amounts of hair each time the hair is combed or shampooed.
Telogen effluvium may not be noticeable until long after a stressful event is over.
It can take up to eight months before the hair loss subsides.
Diagnosis
Hair loss can be diagnosed and treated by a dermatologist.
A pull test may be used to determine how easily the hair falls out.
To help make a diagnosis, your dermatologist may order a scalp biopsy.
A small sample of scalp tissue is removed to evaluate the tissue for scalp conditions.
Your doctor may also order a blood test to screen for medical issues.
Some conditions, such as thyroid disease, can cause hair loss.
Receding Hairline Treatment
Treatment of a receding hairline depends on the cause.
Olumiant (baricitinib), an oral medication, is now approved to treat severe alopecia areata.
It may not work for other types of hair loss.
Early use of Rogaine will likely produce the best results.
A study looked at the effectiveness of Rogaine treatment for male pattern baldness.
Psychological Toll of Hair Loss
The emotional reaction to losing ones hair can be very significant.
Studies and surveys have evaluated the impact that the loss of hair has on emotional health.
Summary
Both women and men can have receding hairlines.
Men often have a condition called male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia or AGA).
For women, a receding hairline may be due to frontal fibrosing alopecia, or scarring of the scalp.
A variety of factors can lead to hair loss, including genetics, medications, hormones, and stress.
New medical treatments and procedures on the horizon may help to slow down the process of a receding hairline.
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