Hair loss

Dear doctor,
I am a 19 year old male who recently turned 19 and I have been experiencing hai loss for about a year now. I went off to university in October 2006, and by late December 2006 I could see that some of my hair was a little thin. Over the last year, my hair has remained quite thin and receded a little on the left, but overall it is still quite straight. Many doctors told me my hair loss was due to my poor diet and nutrition, while other told me it was male pattern baldness. My father, who is in his 50's, has a full head of hair, and his parents also had full heads of hair. My maternal grandfather had a juvenile hairline up to his 70's, and my grandmother also has lots of hair. My mother has thin hair, but looking back at some pictures of her 10 years ago she had very full hair. Therefore, I find this puzzling because everyone in my family has hair. My sister experienced heavy shedding when she was 14, and this lasted 2 years, and after that her hair was back to normal. My doctors also tell me that my hair loss could be due to puberty, as I am in the finishing stages(I have late puberty), and my beard and other characteristics are now really starting to become manly. Also, about 2 months ago, I started taking some monoxidil and saw palmetto, and after 3 weeks I could see my left side of my hairline was starting to regrow, and was quite straight. Now, after 2 months, it has not really improved, and though the hairline is quite straight, the hair is overall generally quite thin. A doctor suggested thast it is due to stress and puberty, and the monoxidil is speeding up the regrowth. Sorry for such a long message, but I wanted too be thorough and clear this up once and for all.

Could you please give me your opinion on the cause of this hairloss, and whether is could be puberty/stress realted. I see many of my peers with and I seem to be the only one experiencing hairloss, and my family all (literally) have full heads of hair!! it has got me really stressed out...

Thank you so much and happy holidays
Alessandro Marinucci

First of all, let me welcome you to AMHD. Now, please understand that we are not doctors here, nor do we pretend to be. The answers you get will be purely guesses based on the information you have provided. As we are not doctors and do not know your medical history (completely) and cannot give you an exam, we can only speculate as to what your problem may be.

Now... It very well could have to do with poor nutrition, or stress. You say you have moved on to Uni.. have your eating habits changed? Have you lost a good deal of weight?

While poor nutrition/stress and/or a hormone imbalance may very well be the cause of your hair loss, unfrotunately tyhis may also be male pattern baldness. Some men are affected with this as young as their late teens and early 20s. The gene for this is transmitted through your mother, so looking at your dad and his side of the family won't tell you much. Your maternal grandfather also doesn't predict what your hair loss pattern may be. Your best relatives to gauge your hair pattern by are any brothers of your mom.

Now, please understand that we are not doctors here, nor do we pretend to be.


Sometimes I'll pretend that I am a doctor. A man can hope right?

My roomie actually have been experiencing this since freshmen year. He is 20, but he is getting gray hairs (his hair is almost all gray now) and have been losing much hair. What you have is a condition called alopecia... nothing to worry about, it just means that your hair is thinning and you're losing hair. Few questions, on top of those that have been already asked:

Are you taking any medication?
Do you have trichotillomania (do you pull your own hair out?)
Do you wear hats regularly?
Do you gel/mousse/spray your hair?
Do you eat properly?

If it's getting to be a problem, go see your doc.