Early male pattern baldness

[palegreen]

My 18 year old son is really troubled by his early male pattern baldness. His hair is already receding quite a bit. He wants to see a doctor to see if he can take any meds that would help. I’d be inclined to think it’s just bad luck, some men lose their hair earlier than others etc, except for the fact that he has a very restricted diet and I worry that the hair loss is related to that. He is autistic and has arfid. Does anyone have know anything about if there is a connection with not-brilliant nutrition and early male pattern baldness? Or if medication helps? I’ve tried googling but the internet is swamped with information provided by private clinics, which I’m sceptical about.

I've changed my username for this post.

My son also experienced this at 19, it was hereditary from his dad who also had lost his hair by 26. We were kind of expecting it. I have a bit of MPB on my side but with men 50+. At first it was very slow and he had the slight receding at the temples and then I started to notice at around 20 years old slight thinning of the crown. He was naturally very self conscious of it. As it progressed he used the Toppix fibres which are great for giving the illusion of density. He is mid 20s now and recently went for the buzz cut and it's been the best thing for his confidence and acceptance. Plus he looks great! We looked at SMP (scalp micro pigmentation) but he decided against it (for now) and also investigated the drugs. The one given is Finesteride (probably are others) but it can have bad side effects especially on younger men (erectile dysfunction, depression, etc) and he decided it wasn't worth the risk. So for now he seems happy and if he decides he wants to pursue a transplant further down the line then he can. It might be worth speaking to someone just to rule out anything other than MPB. A good healthy diet must help so worth doing that. Exercise really helped with my son's confidence. If your son is on instagram he should follow baldcafe as it's all about giving young men confidence when losing their hair. It is a tough thing for men (especially when young) to go through.

I honestly don't think his diet has much to do with it. I was at University with a now A list actor. He was losing his hair then and had the perfect diet because he was very ambitious and wanted to be a star. At 25 he gave up fighting against it and embraced the bald. When I see him in films now with a wig it makes me smile.

My DS was similar started with receding hairline at 18.
My brother was bald by mid 20s- well shaved rest of remaining hair off!
My dad had a monks tonsure from mid/late twenties.
It's genetic.
My son takes finasteride which you can buy from superdrug online doctors after online consultation.
Simple process.
Aso maybe worth talking to GP although they can't prescribe on nhs they can offer advice about meds/ side effects.
I think finasteride has helped slow DS hair loss he is 23 nearly 24 and has a lot more hair than my brother and dad at that age but it's still receeding- however you are meant to take tablets every day for best results - he's not so good at this!
Of course impossible to know just how much hair he would have without the tablets.
But I watched my brother really struggling with losing his hair so young so I was determined to help my son.
I think starting to go bald in 30s and 40s is kinda OK though no doubt still hard but starting to go bald in your teens can be devastating.

Look into minoxidil mens strength but with usual caveats re age etc. Best to get a consultation or see GP. Also finasteride as suggested and spirolactone a dht blocker but medical advice prior a .just. Good luck

Thanks 20user for your kind response.
Yes it's not easy for him- he's very underconfident and he has really fixated on this (being autistic this is a tendency). The thing is, there is no history of early onset male pattern baldness on either my and his dad's side of the family. Hence wondering if long term arfid could have had an impact.

Thanks @Runnerduck34 I will look into finasteride. Has it had any troublesome side effects?

Thanks @CherryRipe1 !

Definitely worth going to GP if no history of male pattern baldness on either side of family.
Extremely low calorie diet does make you lose your hair- my DD had anorexia and her hair significantly thinned.
Sufficient calories/ healthy diet will reverse it somewhat but her hair is still thinner even though she's been a healthy weight for several years now.
Anyway back to DS he has had no side effects from finasteride - he was worried about erectile dysfunction but hasn't experienced any side effects, I believe if you stop taking the tablets then side effects disappear pretty quickly.

Thanks @Runnerduck34 that's good that your DS had no unwanted side effects. I will investigate. 👍

Good luck.

Should add if its very low calorie intake/ diet causing hair loss I'm pretty sure it won't be male pattern baldness but an overall thinning of hair