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.

You can get Minoxidil from Boots iirc.

OP a blood test is probably a good idea in case he has low iron.

Castor oil needs to be used for a few months before you see a difference as it takes a few months for hair follicle to regrow again, so dont lose heart if you dont see instant results. It needs to be used consistently. Take before and after pictures.
I've heard that microneedling helps too. Women have reported extra hair growth after taking collagen supplements. You need to get a good brand however as you need vitamin c and other minerals included in product so as to absorb the collagen.

I'd first rule out a medical reason then maybe try Imedeen hair and nails - I had good results with that but obviously i'm female.

Nioxin is supposed to be good for regrowth if used correctly

While I definitely agree with getting health/diet etc checked out, I’m really disappointed that so many posters think this is a disaster. Bald men can be really attractive, and I know loads of women who prefer this look. The only problem is people saying it’s a problem, a bit like telling your daughter that it’s a shame her lovely brown hair isn’t blond.

I’d go with the ‘wow, you look great’ approach, mention that it’s associated with higher levels of testosterone, and also the lack of maintenance - which might be appealing!

How can shampoo bars 'massively stop shedding'? Evidence, please.

He might just reced a bit then it stops. I'm worried about this as dh and my dad are bald

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/grooming/article/how-to-know-if-youll-go-bald

As someone who lost their hair at a similar age, my advice is to just lean into it, and make baldness part of his identity. Get some hats - scalp sunburn is not fun.

Trying to hang onto what’s there, using snake oil/combovers etc. just looks tragic.

Baldness has positives as well as negatives. Yes, some women will write you off without getting to know you. Yes, you will bang your head more. But balance this against the ability to dry yourself with a single Kleenex, and just think of the financial savings from not using barbers!

Honestly, it is shit it’s happening at such a young age, but there’s nothing to be done to fix it. Learn to live with it, and move on.

Lamberts sell a MaxiHair vitamin formulation which a friend of mine took for a number of years. He didn’t go bald, or even go grey until his 60’s.

Our GP wasn’t interested when ds’s hair really thinned out around that age, to the point friends were teasing him, so we got a referral through my work health plan to a specialist.

One appointment looking at his hair follicles through a big magnifying glass told her it was male pattern baldness and he was just unlucky.

She told us the only clinical proven treatments were minoxidil (Regaine) and a shampoo (can’t remember the name now) both which she did a shared care thing through our gp so we got on prescription. He tried for a year and didn’t make any noticeable difference.

She suggested cosmetic treatments such as coloured dry shampoos and fibres, but ds wasn’t interested in them as would have been mortified if anyone noticed.

She said to avoid Vit A supplements (he was taking a multivitamin so we switched to a hair vitamin that doesn’t have vit a in it)

His hair is still thin, he is 20 now and it hasn’t got any worse since then, but the biggest thing that makes it look better is he goes to the barbers every 3 weeks and keeps a nice neat short cut (short back and sides nbr 2-3 and a bit more, maybe an inch on top) if he leaves it any longer it looks really thin again.

It's most likely genes.

I know a family seeing the second generation of this. The solution for one of the boys was to shave all his hair off and grow a beard and mustache.

Regaine might keep the hair loss at bay - available at Boots. He would need to be diligent in applying it.

Iirc, pregnant or breastfeeding women shouldn't handle it or use it.

My son had a noticable bald patch start in the middle of his scalp, age 19ish. I had noticed it too at the time and was so worried as how to approach it with him. His hair dresser/barbour mentioned it to him that he was losing his hair, which then triggered my son's MH. His low confidence just could not cope with the hair loss, so he reseached hair loss clinics and discovered The Belgravia Centre, London. They have been brilliant. My son, now 26, has a fantastic head of hair. He takes a supplement each day and rubs his scalp with a lotion. It costs approx £100 pm. My boy said it had saved his life! He was not ready to deal with baldness because of past trauma. It has given him confidence and allowed him to get on with his life. Eventually, when he is ready, he will stop the supplements and accept the inevitable. For him and for his family (only because we knew how vulnerable he was and how it was effecting his life at the time) it has been and is worth every penny!
It meant an awful lot to him to have a reasonable head of hair.

I have to say that many people carry off baldness so well and look sexy and attractive.

This.

i have always loved bald men. Sorry it feels a bit wrong when discussing your 15 year old 😂. Bald is very attractive though.

a friends lad is the same. He’s late 20’s now and has honestly been through it all. Every lotion and potion, a hair transplant in his very early 20’s. I haven’t seen him without a hat since he was 18. To the point it’s affected his social life when he isn’t allowed in clubs etc with the hat- he goes home rather than take it off.

I do wish someone had just told him bald can be very sexy. He could have shaved it all off and rocked the tough guy look in his 20’s, then leaned into the suave older man in his 30’s. Much better for his confidence.

i don’t think there’s much you can do to “cure” baldness. Better to embrace it. Find films with young bald men and other examples of attractive bald men. Go for the slightly dangerous shaved look in a few years!

@ somethingwickedlivesnextdoor. To the person who said 'research please' Rice water is proven to reduce shedding. I've reviewed the research and also reaped the benefits. Find the research like I did. It's not my role to do that for you. Go to a top five university like I did, if you can get in. I don't work for you.

My late dp was the same, started receding at 15, the top was gone by 22, his dad was the same but wore a weave to cover it. It didn't bother late dp, he just shaved the rest off. If he wears his hair very short, there is the option of having tattooing done to cover the fact his hair is receding. The first thing I would do is get him to the doctors just to check he hasn't got anything like an underactive thyroid or low iron which both can cause hair loss.

Yes about women finding bald men attractive, I have never had a long relationship with a man with hair, I much prefer bald/shaved men.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I did go to a top 5 Uni but my degree in English Language & Literature didn't cover the use of shampoo bars to cover hair shedding 😂😂😂😂

Jesus. Don't be a twat. Just provide some proof of your bonkers claim!

I’m sure there is absolutely nothing in this but all the men I’ve known with premature hair loss would be considered upper class. I’ve tried to think of a different way to phrase that but can’t. Edited to add that i know that sounds really twatty. Sorry.

I would start with a blood test but try not to make too much of it as others have said.

Is this you trying to use the Quote and tag functions?

of course bald men can be attractive! But that's cold comfort to a 15 year old boy who's losing their hair. And the 'wow maybe this is a good thing' approach would most likely just be irritating. It's okay to recognise that this might be devastating for them rather than taking the Pollyanna path.

OP, what I would say is that so many young men these days are having great success with hair follicle transplants. It's definitely become more mainstream and accessible. I know someone who had great success at a Turkish hair clinic.

Regaine has an age limit of 18-49, if you want it outside those ages it needs to be prescribed.

Aside from hair loss, poor diet can have other implications so please make sure he starts eating better. Get him off the Monster energy drinks or vapes if he does either of those, they are incredibly toxic on the body. Maybe look into a good multi vitamin and definitely seek advice of your GP.