Why do We Have Receding Hairlines?

How did we get a pushed-back hairline? If you study a little deeper, you will know that a receding hairline does not involve having less hair. It is a disorder that might have been caused by many different reasons. 

Losing your hair can have a severe psychological impact on millions of people—men and women.  

This article will discuss the causes of a receding hairline in terms of how it’s diagnosed and what effective treatments are.

How Does Hair Loss Happen?

There are different hairlines. Some hair loss sufferers have receding hairlines on one side. Some present a reverse widow’s peak.

Most of us may be familiar or unfamiliar with a receding hairline. Some hair loss sufferers are only frustrated by their pushed-back hairlines. However, they never think one step further about what has caused that. Some people even spell the word “receding” into “reciding.” 

A receding hairline may impact both males and females, but it is more common in males. Hair loss is most often linked with aging, but many young people are also starting to have a receding hairline. Hair loss presents differently in each individual.

Progression of Hair Loss in Men

Not everyone who has a receding hairline will eventually go completely bald. But it can also be a precursor to male-pattern baldness (also known as androgenetic alopecia or AGA).

When a man loses his hair, a definite pattern typically emerges. Some men’s hair retreats and forms into an M-shaped hairline. Women, who also frequently frustrated by thinning hair, and it is a different experience. 

However, hair loss typically happens in different stages in men, and these stages may include:

1. A receding and uneven hairline appears.
2. A significant “M” shaped hairline
3. Hair loss on the top or sides and the back of his head (resulting in a spot of baldness)
4. The area that has the receding hairline meets up with the bald spot (resulting in hair loss of a greater area)
5. Complete balding on top (the only hair remaining around the sides and back of their head)

Recap

Male pattern baldness typically begins with a bald area on the top or back of the head and a receding hairline. 

Eventually, the top of the head becomes bald, with some hair remaining on the sides and rear of the head.

Male pattern baldness typically begins with a bald area on the top or back of the head and a receding hairline. Eventually, the top of the head becomes bald, with some hair remaining on the sides and rear of the head.

Women’s Hair Loss and Receding Hairlines

The pattern of hair loss in women typically differs significantly from that in men. The usual receding hairline at the start of male pattern baldness is not typically present in females.

By the time they turn 80, hair loss affects 80% of males of European heritage. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, by the time women reach the age of 40, 40% have noticeable hair loss.

Receding hairlines in women is possible, but they are mostly unrelated to female-pattern baldness.

A woman may have the following conditions that lead to a receding hairline:

• Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: Alopecia is a condition that causes a slow, cumulative loss of hair and scalp scarring close to the forehead. Although there is no known treatment for this illness, medicines that reduce hair loss may work in some individuals.
• Traction Alopecia: Hair gradually falls out as a result of constant pulling, which is known as traction alopecia (from the hair being worn up into a ponytail, pigtail, or braids).

Women frequently notice a wide hair part or a smaller ponytail as the first indicator of hair loss, according to dermatologist Mary Gail Mercurio, MD, FAAD, associate professor of dermatology and head of the dermatology program at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.

Causes

For the majority of people, losing hair is a regular cycle. A daily hair loss of about 100 is average. 

The hair progressively comes out, then new hair begins to grow back. 

The cycle does not always operate as it should, though.

Hair follicle damage brought on by a receding hairline causes the hair to start falling out. 

Under normal conditions, hair strands fall off as it matures, and new ones grow in their place. 

However, there is a chance of scarring and a chance that hair won’t grow back when the hair follicles are injured.

Male and female pattern baldness is most frequently brought on by genes (also known as androgenic alopecia).

Mayo Clinic states that hair loss is typically caused by one or more of these:

• Genetics
• Hormone alterations (due to pregnancy, menopause, thyroid, or other hormonal problems)
• Medical issues (such as alopecia areata, infectious diseases, ovarian tumors, or other conditions)
• Scalp maladies
• Medicines or dietary supplements (such as cancer or arthritis medication or drugs for gout, heart problems, high blood pressure, or depression)
• Radiation treatment
• Surgeries
• Miscarriage
• Stress (a stressful incident may induce hair loss. However, this is usually transient) (a stressful event may cause hair loss, but this is usually temporary)

Other elements that could contribute to a receding hairline include:

• Excessive hair styling (involving the use of heat from blow dryers or curling irons)
• Extremely tight-pulling hairstyles (such as cornrows)
• Permanent or hot oil treatments for hair
• Bad diet (lacking in adequate protein)
• Immune system diseases
• Tumors (occasionally) (rarely)

Physical or Emotional Stress

Hair loss has several potential causes, including stress. Telogen effluvium is a medical term meaning hair loss caused by stress. 

When the hair is combed or shampooed, the problem causes significant hair loss.

Telogen effluvium may not become apparent for some time following a stressful occurrence. 

The hair loss may not stop for up to eight months. Stress-related hair loss is typically only transient, although in some cases, it can become chronic (long-term).

Recap

Numerous factors, such as genetics, hormonal changes, drugs, and stress, can contribute to hair loss. 

Hairstyling, such as tying hair up in a ponytail or using curling irons excessively, can occasionally be the cause of hair loss.

How to Prevent Hair Loss

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are certain preventative steps that can be taken to stop hair loss. These include:

• Keeping away from hairstyles that strain the hair tightly (such as braids, cornrows, ponytails, or buns)
• Avoid pulling, rubbing, or twisting your hair constantly.
• Brushing or combing hair carefully with a wide-toothed comb
• Avoiding harsh chemical head treatments like permanent hair color and hot oil treatments
• Avoiding using curling irons and hot rollers (and other heated styling methods)
• Whenever possible, avoid using medications or supplements that could result in hair loss.
• Giving up smoking
• Preventing lengthy exposure to sunlight for the hair (or other types of ultraviolet light)
• When receiving chemotherapy, wearing a cooling cap can help reduce the chance of hair loss.
• Stop excessive hairstyling. Instead, consider using non-surgical hair replacement systems that are harmless.

Be aware that if a person’s receding hairline is caused by a hereditary condition, it cannot be reversed. But a good habit of using hair replacement systems can be considered to keep a good look in the long term. 

Click here to have a look at today’s most advanced men’s hair systems. A lot of them can be custom-made. 

Hair toppers for women are great products to give you fuller hair at your front hairline in an instant.

Diagnosis

A dermatologist can identify and handle hair loss. To determine whether the issue is genetic, you’ll likely be asked for a thorough family history. 

You can perform a “pull test” to see how quickly the hair falls out.

Your dermatologist could request a scalp biopsy in order to aid in the diagnosis. To examine the scalp conditions in the tissue, a little sample of the scalp is taken.

To check for medical problems, your doctor might also request a blood test. Hair loss can be brought on by certain illnesses, such as thyroid disease.

Treatment

Before you get your head shaved to combat your receding hairline, we can help you work out the source of a receding hairline and how to treat it. Treatment for hair loss brought on by a disorder like a thyroid disease would involve managing the thyroid problem.

Steroid injections in the scalp may be helpful if an immunological condition (such as alopecia areata) is the reason for hair loss. 

The oral medicine Olumiant (baricitinib) has recently been authorized to treat extreme alopecia areata. 

Rogaine (Minoxidil) (Minoxidil)

Rogaine (minoxidil) is frequently used to reduce hair loss and, in some cases, to stop it altogether.

Remember that Rogaine normally only works for receding hairlines associated with male pattern baldness. Other forms of hair loss might not be helped by it.

Additionally, Rogaine is renowned for working better at rebuilding your hair in little sections as opposed to larger ones. Rogaine will probably work best if used early on.

The effectiveness of the Rogaine treatment for male pattern baldness was examined in a study. 

It was discovered that for the growth of new hair, topical minoxidil at 5% was superior to minoxidil at 2% or a placebo. 

In fact, males who took the 2% topical minoxidil at week 48 had 45% more hair growth than those who hadn’t.

Other Types of Treatments

• Finasteride-based drug for males called Propecia is intended to encourage hair growth. It entails stopping testosterone from releasing DHT (a male hormone). It’s believed that DHT prevents men’s hair from growing. It is strongly linked to sexual side effects and depression. Results from studies on whether it raises the risk of prostate cancer have been contradictory.
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP): a three-part medical procedure that involves drawing blood from the patient, processing it, and finally injecting it into the scalp. This treatment has been utilized to help muscles, tendons, and ligaments that have been injured recuperate.
• A surgical procedure to restore hair.
• Drita-Scalp: A prescription medication that encourages the development of new hair.
• Corticosteroids are an over-the-counter medication that reduces swelling around the hair follicles, allowing them to produce new hair.
• Vitamin biotin is frequently promoted as preventing hair loss. Research is still limited, though.
• Essential oils: The oils of peppermint and lavender may promote hair growth. According to a study, mice given peppermint essential oil showed unmistakable evidence of hair growth. Similar outcomes using lavender oil were seen in a 2016 mouse model investigation. These assertions still need to be supported by more studies.

Before beginning a medicine or supplement program, always check with your healthcare provider.

Recap

Your physician might advise a hair loss drug, such as Rogaine (minoxidil). 

Studies have shown that topical minoxidil at 5% is more effective than topical minoxidil at 2% or a placebo.

Mental Health Costs of Hair Loss

Losing one’s hair can have a big emotional impact. Studies and polls have assessed the effect that hair loss has on emotional well-being.

One study found that there may be a strong correlation between a man’s professional identity and his hair, which involved 2,000 males in the United States.

In the hair census, up to eight out of ten of the males polled stated that their hair’s appearance was crucial to how confident and professional they seemed.

According to researchers, hair loss is a widespread illness that can seriously harm emotional health, including loss of self-esteem and confidence, a dermatologist spokesperson told BBC News.

Final Words

Receding hairlines can affect both men and women. Male pattern baldness is a disorder that affects a lot of men (androgenetic alopecia or AGA). 

In women, frontal fibrosing alopecia, or scalp scarring, maybe the cause of a receding hairline. Hair loss can be caused by a number of things, including genetics, drugs, hormones, and stress.

Medication like Rogaine, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, or surgical hair restoration are all possible treatments for a receding hairline.

Message From New Times Hair

Although both men and women are frequently concerned about their receding hairlines, many people have found that there is hope. 

A receding hairline’s progression may be slowed down by upcoming medical procedures and therapies.

Finding the cause of the problem and potential treatments might be made easier by speaking with a dermatologist or other healthcare professional.