18 year old son is going bald

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DS is Yr 13. Just before his A levels started he mentioned that his friends were joking about his receding hairline. I looked at his forehead and they’re right. I tried to downplay it, DH laughed and said good luck mate, look at me. I have since given DS daily omega 3 capsules which, strangely, he likes.

But today he was on the sofa and I noticed that his hair has started to go at the crown as well. Poor lad, he’s only 18.

I know it’s genetics and there is baldness on both sides of the family, plus there’s the current stress of A Level exams, but short of a holiday to Turkey (joke. DH is first in the queue - not even sure if that’s a joke TBH) is there anything we can do? Diet? Lifestyle? Supplements? Special shampoo and conditioner l? Can we help pause it?

He has got such a lovely mop of hair. 😢

I feel for your son Op because lets face it, its not easy being a teen is it without worrying about hair loss too. My DS, in his friendship group, has a few friends going bald and one has shaved his head and has grown a beard and it suits him (he has told my son though that he may look at getting a transplant when he is older but I think he’ll feel more comfortable in his own skin by then and probably won’t bother) and another friend has a toupee. My DS doesn’t call it a toupee but something else - maybe a hair piece - and he says it looks really good and they only know it’s not real because they knew the lad when he was receding.

Fish oils won’t do anything. Also don’t bother with random hair loss supplements or serums - these are snake oil and won’t do anything. He has a few choices:

1. Embrace it. Many men look fine if they shave it but this only works if you suit a shaved head.
2. Try Rosemary oil. Lots of studies and anecdotal reports saying it works, so definitely worth a try. It’s fairly cheap and safe. You have to use anything for hair loss for about a year at least to see if it’s working. It’s super slow. The risk is it could get worse while head trying things and if you leave it too long the follicles “die” and can’t be revived.
3. Use minoxidil. This is the medical option. Can buy from boots. Once a day application. Need to be extremely careful not to get it anywhere near cats as it’s extremely toxic to them. Doesn’t work for everyone but when it works it’s very effective.

You can also try oral minoxidil if the topical doesn’t work but there’s a risk of side effects (not everyone gets these). There are also other meds such as Finasteride linked to by a pp that work by affecting testosterone/DHT which as a man I would be cautious of. For any meds you’d have to go to a private specialist.

Obviously if he dies nothing and then is unhappy when it’s progressed later down the line then there’s always hair transplants but you often need multiple and it’s an op do comes with risks also.

Just to add it sounds like male pattern baldness. And if your DH had the same at a similar age this further suggests this is what it is but hair loss causes can mimic each other so the recommendation is always to get a dermatologist to confirm the diagnosis. Obviously if it were caused by something like a vitamin deficiency or thyroid disease or stress or alopecia the treatment would be very different, and sometimes there is more than one thing going on. Doesn’t sound like it is anything other than MPB from what you’ve said, but thought i should add this as it is the sensible/recommended thing to do!

That won’t work it this is MPB. A temporary hair loss called Telogen Efflluvium (TE) can be caused by a number of things including stress. CBD can help with stress and therefore would, as a knock on effect, help with associated hair loss but it won’t do anything for MPB. You would be wasting your money.

Minoxidil (which is what Rogaine is) doesn’t work for everyone. I believe it’s something to do with an enzyme that you either have more or less of that means it will either work or not.

Some people find that topical doesn’t work, but oral minoxidil works really well. It’s very individual.

My other half started to go bald a bit before we got together - he was mid 20s. His ex put him off shaving his head when they were together so he'd held off, but some time after they split he saw photos of himself from behind and realised how thin it was getting, and buzzed it. I still remember seeing him just after he'd cut it short, he looked awesome. Nobody we know now can imagine him with hair, it suits him so well. I worry my son will have the same issue (he has very long hair currently, he's just a kid but he would be really upset about losing it) - but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I'm glad he has a dad who is fine with it though - your post reminded me of him when we first started seeing each other. :)

Bless him. Hard to stop male pattern baldness. I'm not convinced that hair transplants work. He'd be better to shave it off.

If it's impacting his mental health, the doctor may find it worth prescribing minoxidil (here's a useful link: What is minoxidil? | Boots).
Be aware, however, that once it is no longer in use, the grown hair may fall out. It's really a lifelong commitment, but incredibly successful if he's willing to use it.

ETA: Sorry, just seen all the other recs for minoxidil, but I'll leave this comment here to remind you to be wary of the life-long nature of it and to look into all side effects, etc.

What a shame. You/ he could look into micro needling on his scalp which my husband has done previously. Batana oil, rosemary oil, minoxidil. Best of luck to your lovely boy and with his results too. 🫶🏼

Thanks, all. At this stage I’m very wary of starting him on something that he has to commit to for a lifetime. And the prescription meds sound alarming. Oh dear.

A GOOD GP should recognise the psychological impact going bald at 18 will have. That said I think a lot of these prescription only medications are not available on the NHS. Have a look at Boots online doctor.

OP it's noticeable that you're talking about what the GP will think of you , and about whether you should be "starting him off" (your son) on medication. You've also said your son isn't even aware (you think) of his hair loss at the crown.

You're not the patient here. He's 18. It's totally understandable that you care and that you're worried, but this is not your problem to solve.

Also, it's good to be supportive, but you also don't want to risk giving him the impression that you think it's a big issue that needs sorting out. It's his genes, and it's just cosmetic. I think you need to separate out your feelings about it (totally understandable to have feelings about your little boy suddenly a young man facing hair loss) from his own.

Da fuq?

Well, that's a pretty rude response. Sorry I bothered to respond to the thread you made.

Manual is really good stuff! I was really sceptical, but a 20 something friend has been using for six months or so, and it has made the most remarkable difference. My considerably older DH has had less success, which is to be expected (those hair follicles have been in retirement for a long time) but he has def got more hair than before.

The issue with having a transplant at a young age is the hair will then continue to recede beyond the transplant area, creating a bald strip/patch.

I have a high forehead and it always seems to grow more at the front when I eat more carbs and greens. It might slow it down anyway.