Can my 17yo's hairline really have started receeding already?

[Sorefret]

Poor thing, it's on the cards for him, I met his father when be was 23 and he was already thinning then. DS2 has always had a widows peak (is that what it's called when the hairline comes to a point at the front?) but it seems to be getting much more pronounced over the last few weeks/months.

[FortunesFave]

Yes. My friend was thinning at 19...is he feeling bad about it?

[Roszie]

Could be. DS has a small grey streak that started when he was 18.

[ThePricklySheep]

My dad started going bald at 17, on top. So it’s possible.

[TheoSawUs]

Yes a boy at my college started thinning at 17. If it bothers him consider using minoxidil and other treatments.

[LApprentiSorcier]

Yes, I have known men who were thinning in their late teens (nearly married one!). He could see his GP as there are approved treatments for male baldness and it would be worth checking there are no underlying health problems.

Or he may feel he can embrace it and go for a very short, shaved style which normally suits most men.

[Sorefret]

DS doesn't seem to have noticed, I'm not about to tell him! His hair is very long atm and apart from where it seems to be receeding very thick..

[LApprentiSorcier]

If he doesn't seem bothered then let it lie. There are plenty of options if it does start worrying him in the future.

[Carycy]

Male pattern baldness is normally carried on the women’s side. So it’s your fathers hairline not you husbands that your son should inherit. At least that’s the way I learned it in biology a-level many moons ago. I remember it very well as my dad went bald in his twenties so I rather anxious about my gorgeous boys blonde locks. Happy to be corrected for their sakes.

[Sorefret]

Grandad was bald quite young too, but he's more of a bald patch on top than receeding from the sides.

[MrsMalcolmFuckingTucker]

Yes. My friends brother was completely
Bald by 22

[DinosaurDiana]

Yep. My brother’s had a number one since he left high school due to this.

[FenceSplinters]

Yes my brother was losing his hair by then.

[macshoto]

Yes, definitely. I first got told I was receding by some girls in sixth form (I'd not noticed at that point). Was bald by my mid 20's.

One of the most common baldness genes comes from the mother (the Androgen Receptor (AR) gene on the X chromosome) - so maternal grandfather's hair (or lack) is a good (but not definitive) predictor - particularly for early-onset male pattern baldness.

However, baldness is polygenic - multiple genes have an impact (over 200 have some correlation according to a 2017 research paper) - so it's not as simple as some say.

[ozymandiusking]

Carycy, Male pattern baldness is passed on the Y chromosome from the male, therefore only affects men.

[Carycy]

I know it only affects men. But is the female the carrier? So is it the maternal grandfather that a boy inherits it off? Not the father.

[Carycy]

Sorry macshoto just realised you answered my question. Eek. My boys have the most gorgeous locks. Best enjoy them while the can.!

[AnnaSW1]

Yes, but you inherit baldness from your mother's father not your own father