DS 15 going bald - anything he/we can do?

[GotoutoftheUKphew]

So on top of everything else a teenager has to deal with, DS has a receding hairline.

I will take him anywhere, do anything if it’s worth it. Or is it just genes?

Thanks for any advice/opinions.

Poor kid. Maybe start at the GP It could be some sort of hormone imbalance.

A friend's son is the same. Heartbreaking. Started when he was about 15 too. He is 18 now and his self esteem has been severely hit and he is suffering. He wears a hat mostly.

There are some hair thickness fibres which can help the appearance which are applied daily.

I believe they are looking into a hair transplant for him at some point.

Thanks for the replies. Oh God, I am so upset about this. He doesn’t eat a lot of fruit or veg. I wonder if it makes a huge difference or whether it is genes.

If he really has a receding hair line, it will be genetic. If he has areas of baldness spread over his head it could be alopecia areata. I do know a lad who has been losing his hair since 15 and now pretty much bald. He's about 25 now, engaged to a lovely woman and thriving in life.

Scalp health is really important. As is diet.

Champo (pronounced shar paw) has worked well within 30 days for me and the results after 90 days look very good from others. Imagine it must work for men too.

Maybe also try rice shampoo bars- that massively stops shedding.

God love him, that is devastating at that age.

I think it's probably genetic, did his father/grandfather's go bald quite early?

We have very early balding on both sides of our family, my DHs hair was receding when I met him at 19 but he managed to have some kind of hairstyle until late 20s. It might not be as bad as you're fearing.

Hairless can be due to stress so I would see GP, but ignite receding hairline that does sound more like standard age related hair loss.

Poor lad, that must be distressing for him.

The GP can prescribe things privately - can’t remember the name of the thing DS got but it slowed the baldness down. He started going bald at 17 and is pretty much bald at 27, but the medication got him through his late teens and early/mid twenties which he was relieved about.

Don't let him see you upset. If it's early but normal male hair loss, it'll far harder for him if he sees you reinforcing the 'it's a disaster' type attitude.

Note: That applies if it is actually 'going bald' rather than just not quite as thick or low as some other boys/paranoia caused by watching TikTok videos about hairloss. He could have a perfectly normal variation in hairline.

It won't hurt for him to improve his diet or at least take some vitamins in the meantime, but as it can be stress, low-end normal male hair loss or autoimmune in nature, there's no guarantees.

Castor oil is apparently great for hair folli les to revive again. You need to apply it for a few months to see the difference.

What's his father's hair like?

I went to school with someone with someone who was totally bald by his mid-twenties. He had very light hair so when it was receding at school it wasn't that noticeable though. His dad was the same, as was his older brother, so I think they all knew it would happen at a young age.

Patrick Stewart went bald at 19, not from any health condition or illness. But nowadays there are treatments that can help like PPs have mentioned.

This was my son, and like PP he used to wear a hat.

He is now late 20s and has shaved his head for the last 10 years or so. A lot of his friends have done the same. He has a lovely girlfriend as do his mates.

There isn't really anything you can do unfortunately except sympathise.

He will get over it as he gets older as long as you don't make a huge thing about it, but it is very difficult. You (and him) have my sympathy.

Classic pattern is inherited on female line I think. Need to look at mum's, dad's hair line.

I’m no expert but does he eat plenty of protein? That can help with hair growth. Maybe an iron supplement?

def see gp too

There are a couple of medications that can be used, Finasteride and Minoxidil but you can’t get these on the NHS, you have to go private.
It might be worth speaking to his GP and asking for bloods just to rule out anything untoward.

I'd start with the GP, given that he is so young I would expect them to take it seriously. They might be able to refer to a trichologist.

If you can afford it then you could also go private, I did when my hair started shedding. I found a trichologist just by looking at the BUPA list of registered doctors.

She recommended minoxodil which you can buy over the counter and also viviscal vitamins. From my googling at the time I seem to remember that minoxodil is pretty effective for a while, but then ceases to be, but may well help to stave off any further loss until he's a bit older.

I really feel for you and hope you can find some answers

@timetorefresh that's a bit of a myth unfortunately ( it's more complex than that) as my family are quite hirsute but DHs Dad is bald, DH is bald and it looks as though two of my DSs are going bald too, DS3 started going bald in High School.
There are drugs that you can apply but the most effective ones are hormone blockers that can have dodgy side effects, not something to give growing boy, expensive and the hair falls out of you stop taking them.
Mine are reasonably philosophical about it but DS3 jokes about getting rich & famous and then having a transplant!

Thank you all so much for your answers.

Mums side of the family have loads of hair but dads have all lost their hair early (at least the males have). Not sure if that is relevant??

i think we will start with a GP appointment and maybe some caster oil and iron supplements. A decent multivitamin also perhaps.

We’ll work on diet improvements. He eats a ton of protein but not much fruit or veggies.

DS is not so much into looks and seems quite nonchalant about it (mostly). I am far more upset than him but will keep that secret except for the mumsnet crowd 😉

Thanks again vipers.

Male pattern baldness is is primarily caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. A large one being dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The hormone is derived from testosterone and plays a key role in hair loss. DHT binds to receptors in hair follicles, causing them to shrink and produce thinner, shorter hair strands. Making sure he has healthy levels of testosterone will help. Testosterone production can be stimulated with diet, plenty of physical exercise, plenty of sleep, and plenty of sunlight/Vitamin D. Diet should include plenty of proteins and fats, meats, eggs, cottage cheese etc. Weightlifting and cardio exercise should be undertaken regularly. Topical treatments like minoxidil and ketoconozole (anti dandruff) shampoo can also help. Taking ashwaganda supplements also help testosterone.

My DS who is 16 has same issue. We did go to see GP and he thinks its genetic male hairloss rather than anything strictly medical and he's recommended a dermatologist. We could have gone via NHS for (probably unrelated) scalp issue but the waiting list is massive so we are paying to go privately. GP said there are treatments which can slow /stop but they don't always work and they don't reverse. GP said to be wary as lots of unregulated people can set up as "trichologists" - I think that's the word - but that the medical specialism of relevance is dermatology.

I feel the same as you, really sad for him. He's a mix of down and accepting of it.

I read another thread on here recommending rosemary oil if you can find it. The person who used it was a woman though and she talked about it being necessary to apply it to the roots which not everyone did. I think she said to leave it on for a long time but don't quote me.

My mum has seen remarkable re growth with rosemary oil. You apply to roots and where hairline used to be every night, rub it in to scalp and sleep with it on. Wash off in the morning. As he's so young definitely check nutritional deficiencies though as they could play a role in hair loss and hormonal imbalances leading to hair loss.

My DB had great results with Regaine, it's a minoxidil based foam you can get at Boots