Receding Hairline – How to Battle It

The loss of hair on the scalp is often considered to be a natural part of the aging process and can include bald spots, thinning hair, and the receding of the hairline from the forehead. If you are experiencing a receding hairline, you will likely see hair loss at the temples that moves backwards in appearance. While a receding hairline is a normal occurrence, it can impact both your self-esteem and confidence in your appearance. Let’s take a look at the various ways to address a receding hairline and improve its appearance.

Receding Hairline – Talk to a Doctor

Before making any decisions about how to treat a receding hairline, you need to schedule a consultation appointment with a board-certified doctor who is experienced in treating hair loss. There are many factors that can play a part in hair loss including genetics, health conditions, and even some medications. If you are experiencing any type of physical symptoms along with the hair loss, it might be an indication that your receding hairline is not a common one. The doctor can examine both your scalp and your overall health to identify or rule out any possible causes for the loss of hair.

Receding Hairline – Medications for the Scalp

When it comes to treating a receding hairline, many patients turn to minoxidil to promote hair growth. Minoxidil works by reducing the length of time the hair remains in the telogen phase (which is the resting phase of the hair growth cycle). By lessening the time of the telogen phase, the hair begins the growth phase (anagen) at a quicker rate. Minoxidil is a vasodilator which helps to expand the blood vessels so there is a greater amount of oxygenated blood delivered to the hair follicles. It is available as an oral, foam, or liquid medication that needs to be taken by mouth or applied to the scalp on a daily basis. Plus, the medication must be used on an ongoing basis to maintain the results. Once you stop using minoxidil on a regular or continuing basis, the results will start to fade away and hair loss on the scalp will start to occur again.

Finasteride is an oral medication that can treat the issue of male pattern baldness by reducing the production of hormone that kills follicles. The result is a “slow down” of hair loss and the encouragement of new hair growth. Much like minoxidil, the use of finasteride must be performed on a regular basis in order to maintain the results. Once you stop using it on an ongoing or continuing basis, the results will fade away and hair loss will resume once again.

Receding Hairline – Undergo a Hair Transplant

One of the most popular, and long-lasting, treatments for a receding hairline is a hair transplant. During a hair transplant, a surgeon removes donor hair from other parts of the body of the patient in order to transplant the donor hair into the balding areas of the scalp. The donor hair is usually taken from the back and sides of the scalp as the hair on this area of the scalp is normally resistant to balding. If there is not enough donor hair available on the back and sides of the scalp, the surgeon can take hair from elsewhere on the body such as the beard and chest.

During Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) surgery, the surgeon will remove hair follicles on an individual basis in order to transplant them into the targeted area on the scalp. This is a less invasive method than previous hair transplant techniques where the surgeon had to remove a strip of scalp from the back of the head.

After the hair grafts are placed in the scalp, they will begin to fall out after a few weeks because the hair will enter the resting phase of hair growth. After several months have passed, the hair follicles will enter a growth phase and start to grow as small hair. As time passes, the hair will start to become longer and thicker until it gains the appearance of mature, normal hair.

In addition, the transplanted hair is not influenced by the same biological factors that caused baldness in the first place. Instead, the transplanted hair will produce hair that grows just like it did in the donor area of the scalp.  The final results are permanent which means the results of the surgery will last a lifetime.

Receding Hair – Improve Your Hairline

Now that you know your options for treating a receding hairline, you can schedule the consultation appointment discussed earlier in this article. Besides examining your scalp and assessing your overall health, the surgeon will also ask about your family history of baldness and any medical conditions or issues you are currently experiencing or had in the past. This information will help the surgeon anticipate the level and amount of hair loss that can be expected to happen in the future.