Hair thinning in 19 year old DS

[itsneverdullinull]

Just as it says above really. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice for products that might help him or if there’s a treatment that might slow the process for him.

He’s 19 and at uni. He hasn’t said anything really but I know that he’s saddened by it and is trying to hide the thinning. It’s male pattern but his hair is also very fine so it’s harder to hide. He’s not ready to go the full Grant Mitchell and he lives his clothes and fashion and is very into looking good. He’s also a bit of a gym bunny and it seems to have got worse since he’s become fitter. Hormonal maybe.

Any thoughts or advice would be really welcome. Is there anything a GP could do to help?

https://www.boots.com/healthhub/mens-health/male-pattern-baldness?srsltid=AfmBOor7P3vZmO__7D5GBPTIEWUq8FoyhWx5S_Pt8VhCpOVn4ZdQEAh4

GP first.

One of my best friends went bald early on with the front half of his hair going completely by 23. He had a hair transplant done a couple of years later and it looks amazing! I know it's a bit of a leap but from what he said there's not a lot you can do to slow it down or stop the process. If it's getting him down a lot perhaps encourage him to save for this if it's something he'd want in the future

By early 20’s my brother just started shaving his head, nothing else to do, he embraced it

Is he using steroids at all? I know you mentioned being a gym bunny - some steroids can make you lose your hair, especially if you already have male pattern baldness in your family, it can really accelerate it.

He could try Hair+Me, honestly I’ve noticed such a difference.

Nioxin

Make sure he isn’t taking any “supplements” offered by fellow gym users. Steroid use can exacerbate male pattern baldness.

Minoxidil is the only proven topical hair regrowth treatment. It has to be used daily, forever though.

Advice from a pharmacist relative is to avoid finasteride medications, although it works, the long term effects, and general side effects, aren’t something you’d want a young man to suffer. My DS is 20 and is already receding and thinning. It causing huge distress. That said, your DS should have blood tests to rule out underlying causes (low iron, low B12/folate, low Vit D or thyroid issues for example, all can cause thinning hair).

Wow. Thanks for all these replies. So much good advice and stuff to look into. Thank you. I’ll ask him about the steroids. I have mentioned it and he denies it but he would do, I suspect. And I’ll say about the GP too. I don’t think he’d rule out a transplant at all either.

Unfortunately both my 2 adult sons are now mainly bald on top, 29 and 34. Younger son buys thickening spray (A1 Mane). It helps and looks normal, but you do need a bit of hair there to thicken it with. He tried other things, had blood tests, nothing there. He now mainly shaves his hair really short and uses the spray when he goes out.