It’s a taboo subject for many men to talk about when they first notice signs of hair loss, especially at an early age. So, how do you tell if you’re going bald? There are a few telltale signs to look out for, but most importantly, we want you to realise it’s not the end of the world – but let’s get to that later. Here is everything you need to know about signs of balding.
What Age Does Balding Start?
This answer will be different for everyone. Some people start balding or notice thinning/receding hairlines before they’re 20, but others won’t experience any signs until they’re into their 50/60’s. Recent studies do show that two thirds of men will suffer from some form of hair loss by the time they’re 35. You can find more facts and statistics here.
For a majority of guys when they first notice that they are losing their hair, it’s pretty obvious. However, that is not the case for everybody.
Some guys will experience what can be referred to as a hair loss false alarm.
What is a False Alarm?
False alarms can be mistaken for early signs of baldness, but in this article, we try to help you separate the false alarms from the actual early signs of hair loss.
Firstly, let’s take a look at some of the common false alarm scenarios.
Natural Ageing
It is natural that as you get older, your hairline will start to recede. This doesn’t automatically mean that you are going to be bald.
Many older gentlemen have what can be described as a receding hairline, but they still have a full head of hair.
Take a look at your family. Do they have receding hairlines or are they bald? The answer to your question could be right in front of you with your family tree. You will most likely follow a similar path to your father, uncles, brothers or grandfathers.
Once you turn 20 or 30 it should be expected to experience a retreating hairline. This is a perfectly normal part of aging and is not one of the tell-tale signs of balding.
Cowlick vs Balding
A cowlick is a section of hair, usually at the crown, which runs at an opposite direction to the rest of the hair. Longer hair makes cowlicks harder to detect, although almost everybody has one, only some instances of a cowlick are evident.
Now if you are worried that your cowlick is actually a tell-tale sign of the emergence of male pattern baldness, you should check out the rest of your hair. If it is indeed the early signs of balding, you should notice thinning or a receding hairline.
Observe the surrounding hair. Male pattern baldness will tend to have an impact on all of the surrounding hair too. You should notice thinning all around the cowlick or cowlicks if it is a sign of hair loss.
Also, ask yourself, has the cowlick or cowlicks always been there? Take a look at old photos or ask your family or friends if you’re not sure. If it is new then perhaps it is a sign of hair loss, if it’s always been there, however, which is most likely, then it is not one of the tell-tale signs of balding.
Wearing Gel
Wearing hair gel can often clump hair together and exposing an excessive amount of your scalp, weighing it down and making hair look thin. Hair products that give your hair a fuller look such as creams, pastes or clay work much better.
Gel products can draw attention to your scalp and often be mistaken for thinning hair.
Telogen Effluvium
Whilst Telogen Effluvium is a form of temporary hair loss, it is important to note that it is only temporary and a much different form of balding to androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness) which is permanent.
Telogen is usually triggered by extreme stress or trauma. Large amounts of hair from a person’s head commonly fall out during activities such as brushing or washing. It is easily differentiated from male pattern baldness because of its pattern.
With Telogen, hair will fall out from all sections of the hair, whereas with male pattern baldness, it tends to follow a more systematic pattern that affects the crown and hairline first, followed by areas solely on top of the head.
So now that we have covered some of the false alarms, let’s cover the actual tell-tale signs that you are going bald.
Definite Signs You’re Experiencing Real Hair Loss
Family History of Baldness
Hair loss is a genetic condition. If your family has a history of producing baldies than you will most likely end up a baldy too.
Receded Hairline
As already discussed, a receding hairline may or may not be a sign of balding. Some guys will experience a receding hairline as they get older, but will not go on to lose their hair.
If however, your hairline is moving back at an accelerated rate, beyond a certain point, is taking on a distinct m shape or you have a significant family history of baldness, it is most likely an early sign.
Thinning of The Crown
One of the first areas that guys going bald will notice thinning out is the crown. The crown is a classic region of the head for male pattern baldness to emerge. So if you notice that your crown is starting to thin, have ruled out a mere cowlick, than you are most definitely going bald.
Tingling of The Scalp
Some people report a tingling sensation they feel on their scalp during the early stages of hair loss.
Whilst there is no definitive link between male pattern baldness and scalp tingling, it is certainly a common phenomenon most commonly associated with aggressive cases of hair loss.
Can you stop balding?
There are various companies promising miracle cures to stop your hair loss journey, but are they scams? Whilst some may have worked for some people, it’s not going to work for everyone. Moreover, you do have to get on top of it quite early to make sure you make the most out of the treatment, because hair cannot grow back where it has completely disappeared.
Can you reverse balding?
Which mostly answers this question. For men suffering from male pattern baldness, hair will not grow back. Hair transplants are often mentioned as a saviour for hair re-growth but as we explain in this article, you can only transplant healthy hair follicles from yourself. So if you are completely bald this is not much of an option.
People with conditions such as alopecia or those who suffer from hormonal or autoimmune disorders do have more of a chance of growing back their hair with diet and medication.
What to Do If You Are Going Bald
If you have by now established that you are definitely going bald, then you have only 2 choices. You can either choose to deny it or accept it.
Most guys in the early stages of baldness will choose denial. So let’s first take a look at what that road looks like.
Option 1 – Denial
The denial process can last as long as you want it to. Denial can manifest in many ways, some of the ways are quite depressing. It can cause guys to avoid mirrors, going out in public without some sort of headwear or perhaps going out at all or potentially the most depressing of all, by incorporating the infamous comb-over.
Sure you can spend countless hours scouring the internet looking for a magical cure, but you will eventually find that one does not exist, at least in the form that you will be searching for.
The choice of denial will lead you down a road which can include popping pills that can cause erectile dysfunction, wasting your time and money on laser therapy or hair transplantation, rubbing fairly ineffective solutions into your scalp, magnifying your illogical insecurities, causing low-self-esteem and self-pity.
If you ask me, as somebody who initially choose denial, this is not a good choice at all.
Option 2 – Acceptance
Once you arrive at the happy place of acceptance, you will most likely wish that you had done so much sooner, because, for most guys, the road to acceptance is long and hard.
Once you accept your baldness and embrace it for what it is, you will start to realise that it is such an insignificant minor detail which will have no bearing on the quality of life that you will live.
If you talk to any guy who has been bald for a long time he will tell you this is the choice that you should make. However, it’s not the first choice that guys in the early stages of hair loss are willing to make. It takes time, often many years of stress and anxiety, before they are ready to abandon choice number 1.
Shaving your head is the epitome of accepting your hair loss. You acknowledge your fate and immediately stop wasting time and money on ineffective strategies that only exist because there is an opportunity for commercial advantage. You immediately stop entertaining the concept of denial.
Acceptance and joining The Bald Company is the best and only choice that ends well.
