Why For Some Isn't Balding A Consistent Speed And Progressive ?

[Ollie]

A lot of us notice from the age of 18 we're starting to recede. Our hair is thinning, our foreheads getting bigger and sure enough each year we're a little worse off - this makes sense. Hormonally the testosterone and presumably DHT being produced is pretty equal, and so the drip feed effect of it on our follicles is slow and consistent from when our bodies develop to that point.

However, whats the reasoning behind why some dudes can have zero hair loss up to the age of 25 then all of a sudden go NW6 in 2 years or less ? Or why some go to 35-40 with NW2 then suddenly shoot to NW5 ? I would have thought as our test becomes produced at a lower rate as we age our hairless would progress but at a consistently slower rate ?

 

[That Guy]

Genetics and possibly other environmental, nutritional, etc. factors; all of which are poorly understood

 

[Ollie]

Genetics and possibly other environmental, nutritional, etc. factors; all of which are poorly understood

Thats what i'd love to know, why genetically there is a sudden onset of change that accelerates the effects of our androgens (and what change exactly). Although as you've said its poorly understood so likely no answer ...

 

[whatintheworld]

It's genetics. But generally you can think of it like this.

If you start diffusing and thinning all over, this is the most aggressive and fastest type of loss. Expect it all to be gone in a few years maximum.

If you are losing at the crown first, this is the second fastest. For some reason, I've noticed for guys who start thinning at the crown early, it dissipates quickly into the NW6/7 region, and then pretty quickly the hairline starts to go too.

Receding hairlines are next. If you have generally good thickness elsewhere, then you should feel somewhat ok that it won't be too aggressive. This is, in my opinion, only true until you get to the point where your hairline is an island, or peninsula from the rest of your hair. At this point, it will pretty quickly fall out, especially if you are young.

Lastly, we have the non-teenage hairline group, who actually have a mature hairline but start panicking that they are balding very quickly or something.

 

[Raphael13]

I'm wondering this too. We all know it's genetics, but why it "waits" for some men or starts earlier for others is what I want to know. Because the one that experiences hairloss later, it's not as if his body started producing DHT or become sensitive to it at 30-40...he has always been it, right?

 

[Ollie]

I'm wondering this too. We all know it's genetics, but why it "waits" for some men or starts earlier for others is what I want to know. Because the one that experiences hairloss later, it's not as if his body started producing DHT or become sensitive to it at 30-40...he has always been it, right?

Exactly this. It does seem like androgenic alopecia is far more complicated than what is currently known.

 

[Raphael13]

Exactly this. It does seem like androgenic alopecia is far more complicated than what is currently known.

Now im only guessing, but maybe for some it takes time for the dht to reach the hair follicles, while for others that "journey" goes faster?