3 early signs of balding to look out for

Hair loss and baldness can happen to anyone. It can be worrying and uncomfortable to go through, but there are many treatments that can help reduce hair loss. What’s more, there are some early signs of balding that you can look out for to help you identify it early on.

There are many different causes of baldness and hair loss that depend on your age, hormones, and even the environment.

Balding can also be a sign of underlying health conditions, such as alopecia. Identifying the possible causes of your hair loss can help you and a healthcare professional create an effective treatment plan.

1. Thinning

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the overall thinning of your hair due to hormonal changes (known as androgenic alopecia) is gradual and can occur in different ways for different people. Research indicates that around 50% of adults will experience thinning hair as they age.

Typically, it begins around the temple area or on the crown of your head. If you have long hair, you may notice less hair in this area as you pull your hair back into a ponytail. You may also notice your ponytail becoming thinner than it was before. This can be a sign that your hair is thinning across your scalp.

You may not notice any other signs of hair loss, as the hair can thin equally across the scalp. It may also happen gradually, over the course of several months or years.

2. Receding hairline

A receding hairline describes the loss of hair at the point where your hair starts growing on your forehead and around your temples. It can often start to take the shape of an “M” as the hair on the edges of your forehead recedes unevenly, faster than in the middle.

A receding hairline is more likely to develop in males than females. According to research from 2021, by age 70 years, 80% of men and 50% of women will experience androgenetic alopecia, which is a cause of receding hairlines as it causes gradual hair loss.

Women are more likely to experience a widening, increasingly sparse part with diffuse hair loss than changes to their hairline. This can start to happen in your 40s or 50s.

Need a prescription or refill for hair loss medication? You can get discreet and expert on-demand care in as little as 15 minutes through Optum Perks with no video or appointment required. For $25, answer a few questions online and get a treatment plan from a board certified healthcare professional. Get started here.

3. Bald patches

A common early sign that you may be losing your hair is the development of bald patches. These can develop anywhere, including:

• scalp
• eyebrows
• eyelashes
• beard
• nose hairs
• pubic hair

Skin conditions like psoriasis or scalp eczema can cause baldness in patches, alongside itching, discoloration, and scaly skin. These bald patches often develop faster than thinning hair, as soon as within 1–2 days of a flare-up. Treating the underlying conditions may help your hair regrow.

Bald patches can be a sign of another underlying health condition, such as alopecia areata or other forms of alopecia. If you notice bald patches or your hair falling out rapidly, it’s important that you consider speaking with a healthcare professional to find out what’s causing your hair loss.

Hair loss causes

There are many different reasons why you may experience hair loss. The cause of your hair loss determines:

• how you can treat it
• how you can approach regrowing it
• whether you can regrow it
• whether it falls out immediately or gradually

Some different possible causes of hair loss typically include:

• Age: As you age, your hair growth can start to slow down, which can cause the existing hair to thin and turn gray. If you catch this type of hair loss early, some treatments can help regrow it.

• Alopecia areata: This is a health condition where your body’s immune system attacks the hair follicles that keep your hair in place. This causes hair loss across your body from your eyelashes to your scalp and pubic hair.

• Hereditary hair loss: Pattern hair loss, such as androgenic alopecia, can be passed down from your parents. It develops as a result of your hair follicles reacting and shrinking in response to the predecessor of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This condition is most often responsible for men’s premature balding and creates a characteristic receding hairline.

• Stress: Long-term stress can cause a variety of health conditions, such as hair loss. Stress causes hair loss by interfering with the growth stages, known as the growth phase (anagen), degeneration (catagen), and rest (telogen). Stress can cause your hair follicles to become stuck in the telogen stage.

Some other causes include:

• hair products like dyes or perms
• how you style your hair, for example, whether it’s pulled back very tightly
• hormones
• certain medications
• nutritional deficiencies

Hair loss treatments

If you are experiencing hair loss, speaking with a healthcare professional is important. They can likely determine what’s causing your hair loss, which will help inform your treatment plan.

Treatment is not always necessary, and in certain situations, your hair may regrow on its own. This can happen if you:

• are experiencing hair loss after pregnancy
• are recovering from illness
• are undergoing treatment for cancer
• have recently lost a lot of weight
• have received a diagnosis of alopecia areata
• recently healed psoriasis on your scalp

If this is not the case, a healthcare professional may recommend:

• Minoxidil (Rogaine): Minoxidil is a prescription-only oral and topical hair loss treatment that can help to regrow hair loss from pattern hair loss in both men and women. Minoxidil can help stimulate new hair growth, as well as prevent further hair loss. It will take a few months for you to notice improvements to your hair loss.

• Laser: Hair tools like lasers can help improve your hair density. They work by stimulating hair growth in the anagen phase. You may need several treatments per week for many months.

• Finasteride (Propecia): Finasteride is a prescription medication that can help treat pattern hair loss by slowing down hair loss and stimulating hair growth. This is an oral tablet that you take once per day and can take around 4 months to notice improvements.

• Spironolactone (Aldactone): Spironolactone is an oral hair loss tablet that helps treat hair loss in women and increase hair thickness. Per the AAD, it is effective in around 40% of women with female pattern hair loss.

• Steroid injections: If you receive a diagnosis of alopecia areata or psoriasis, corticosteroid injections can help to regrow your hair. Around 80% of people who receive these injections for alopecia notice over half of their hair regrowing after treatment, according to the AAD.

If your hair loss is caused by an underlying condition, you may be able to treat hair loss by managing that condition. For example, if it’s caused by psoriasis, doctors might prescribe treatments like clobetasol (Temovate) shampoo or topical tazarotene (Tazorac).

If you need help covering the cost of medications, the free Optum Perks Discount Card could help you save up to 80% on prescription drugs. Follow the links on drug names for savings on that medication, or search for a specific drug here.

Summary

Balding can be a natural part of the aging process for most people. However, you may experience it as a symptom of another health condition such as psoriasis.

Thinning hair, receding hairline, and bald patches are the first signs of balding. Noticing these signs can help you start treatment to help prevent baldness, even with conditions like male pattern baldness.

There are a variety of treatments available, from prescription-only oral medications to laser therapy.

Download the free Optum Perks Discount Card to save up to 80% on some prescription medications.