To be worried my son might lose his hair?

[PlainWhiteTee]

My son is 15 and has great hair. Thick, blond, gorgeous. His dad's hair however receded in a V pattern in his 20s resulting in him going for the all over with clippers look in his 30s. My son's hair is a different texture, much coarser, but they have similar thick eyebrows which makes me think he'll develop the same receding hair when he's older. I'll be gutted for him if this happens. AIBU to be sad that this might happen to him?

Taratill The OP has posted on AIBU, she was courting opinion on whether this was something to be gutted about.

Actually, my question was AIBU to be sad that it might happen. Worse things happen at sea. He's a great kid and I'm incredibly lucky (I know). I realise if it was a competition to see who had it worst, I would lose, but that doesn't mean that only the winners are allowed to post here.

Yes, you made your op very clear that it was "lighthearted" op.

I'll be gutted for him if this happens

And to be honest, it is quite dickish to express your sadness about possible hair loss when it isn't due to live saving chemo treatment or other health conditions.

Even if if did start to happen, hair implants are now easy these days OP. One of DH's friends had it done aged mid 20's and within weeks his hair was thick and full- he's never looked back. It costed him a couple of grand but he put it on a 0% credit card and said it was the best thing he's ever invested in- it really boosted his confidence. Not that different from people getting laser eye surgery done I guess. Ofc your son might be perfectly confident without which would be great. But just saying, if it did happen, and if he did feel self-conscious about it, there are easy probs nowadays.

In the meantime stop worrying!

*easy options

OK you are not unreasonable to be a little bit sad but you are unreasonable to be gutted.

I am not sure why I am now being attacked.

As I have said several times if it does happen men look very nice with short hair.

I’m glad this isn’t a cancer thread like I thought it was. I wouldn’t spend much time thinking about it, it might not bother him and who knows what hair regrowth options there might be in a decade or two

My ds2 has life long disabilities, AND he's losing his hair..do I win a prize?

And fwiw I think it's fine to be sad about 'less important' worries as well as big ones. Both of my boys (22 and 26) are going to go bald... they had lovely thick blonde hair as kids and now..well it's vanishing fast. I do feel a little sad about that but being as their Dad was going bald at 26 when we met, it was always going to be likely.

DS1 is going to shave his off when it gets to that point (I reckon he has 2 years left) and dS2 won't care either way!

I have two brothers, same parents etc. One is 51 and has thick hair, but very grey now. Other brother is 46 and started to go bald in his very early 20s. He's always just shaved it off, and looks great. I don’t know what my mums dad looked like but her brother still has a full (pure white) head of hair, and hes in his late 80s.

I think whatever will be will be, and who knows - maybe hair transplants like the one Wayne Rooney had, will be as common as boob jobs in ten years time.

OP - I presume you love and fancy your dh despite him being a baldy so I’m sure your ds will be fine and dandy too! I do understand the emotion connected with hair though - my dd recently had her waist length hair cut short and though I put on a brave face I felt so upset (I went and had a little cry that evening)
She’ll obviously never know how I feel about it!

I already posted but... my DS has thinning hair. He's had a full head of beautiful blond hair up until recently. But once when he was a toddler he was sitting with the sun behind him so that I could see the silhouette of his skull through his hair, and working something in his mouth, so that he looked like a bald old man sucking on his dentures. I suddenly realized he would be an old man one day, and that someone else would be taking care of him at that point instead of me. It was like an arrow through my heart. If I could live forever, it would be so that I could always be there for my kids.

health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/mens-health/articles/2011/02/22/what-causes-hair-loss-9-myths-about-baldness

NEARLY TWO OUT OF EVERY three men will begin balding by the time they're 60.

...

While the primary baldness gene is on the X chromosome, which men get only from their mothers, other factors are also in play. The hereditary factor is slightly more dominant on the woman's side, but research suggests that men who have a bald father are more likely to develop male pattern baldness than those who don't.

DS has my very thick hair - DH went bald in his teens has MIL very very thin fine hair so possibly DS would have more time before it was so visible if he was the same.

It's criss cosses in our family bald early, middle age older but with pleanty of full headed till old age - so hard to say what DS will end up with.

60?

It is kind of hard reading this with a kid who’s lost her hair due to chemo. That will grow back but the likely facial asymmetry due to radiotherapy will be forever..... but you know, I get where you’re coming from. I’m sad for my dd too - and I feel sometimes I shouldn’t be because it’s just cosmetic. But cosmetic stuff matters. So YANBU to be a bit sad. Don’t let on to your son though! He will be gorgeous regardless. As is my DD.

I apologise for my misuse of the word 'gutted'.

Where I'm from, it's used to express some mild disappointment such as missing your train or there being no bread left in the co-op. Some people are reading way too much into this. That'll teach me.

Even if if did start to happen, hair implants are now easy these days OP. One of DH's friends had it done aged mid 20's and within weeks his hair was thick and full- he's never looked back. It costed him a couple of grand but he put it on a 0% credit card and said it was the best thing he's ever invested in
I think it's so sad that people are that concerned about hair loss. I'd be really sad if my DS didn't think it was just a minor part of life. There're so many more important things.

OP, I had thick, blonde, gorgeous hair when I was 15, and I have been bald since my mid 20s - and do you know what? I couldn't care less. The occasional grade 0 mow of what's left is much easier than having to style it.

Chinateapot So sorry to hear about your DD. My post was in no way intended to take anything away from what you're going through x

I know! And it’s ok. What I was saying is really just that I get it..... I’d never have thought I’d get sad about cosmetic stuff for my dd but turns out I do. So I get it x

Chinateapot 💐

Most lads I knew at school took after their dad regards hair loss so, yes, he probably will. Nothing wrong with baldness though, some women even prefer bald men. And I’m serious!

I've got one thing to say : The Rock !!!
Imagine how UNattractive he would be with hair 😊

@PlainWhiteTee

I have a child with a facial palsy. As a result of this, I know many other families with children with facial palsies.

Imagine worrying about your child’s facial appearance from birth, through nursery, school, high school, through bullying and every other developmental stage in a cruel world that doesn’t treat people with unusual facial appearances well, and then ask yourself, AIBU to be “gutted” about a bit of male pattern baldness that hasn’t even happened yet?

Ds(14) had very fine hair and male pattern baldness is coming in early. He had an nhs referral to a dermatologist specialising in hairloss as he was so young and there is little they can do. He has to laugh off mild teenager 'banter' from his friends while feeling embarrassed inside.

Being sad your son may or may not experience hairloss in the future is indulging yourself in negative thoughts for absolutely no benefit to you or him. Why would you want to do this? Is this something you do often?

I don’t think it necessarily follows the father-son line. My db (who had a full head of hair when born and the most beautiful thick child curls you can imagine) is early 30s and practically bald for about 5 years. It doesn’t seem to bother him nor has it impacted on his relationships in any way. DF is mid sixties with a full head of hair!

I also clicked onto this thread as I thought it was gonna be chemo related and thought I could provide some advice. I was gutted when my son lost his hair aged 3 through chemo and was stared at all the time. But we saw the lighter side of it as ALL the men in mine and husbands family were balding by their 20s, he hasn’t got a chance in hell of a lovely head of hair as an adult so we joked he may as well get used to it early.
My brother had a lovely silky head of hair that he had to shave off when he was early 20s. I think it’s better when men embrace it (and shave it off when needed) rather than try to cling onto it. Also have a couple of friends who’ve had transplants but hasn’t been too successful truth be told!