Is My Hairline Receding? (How to Tell?)

If you’ve been switching back and forth between photos of your younger self and the mirror lately, chances are that you’re a little worried about androgenic alopecia (also known as male or female pattern hair loss).

Male pattern hair loss is a common experience — research shows that around 16 percent of men ages 18 to 29, and 53 percent of men between 40 and 49 years old, have moderate to extensive androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern hair loss. Many are left with varying bald spots, thinning in the back of the head, or receding hairline types as the condition progresses.

Does your hairline meet the description of a receding hairline? A dermatologist or other healthcare professional is most qualified to answer that question for you, but here’s what you need to know while you’re looking in the mirror.

Men commonly experience hair thinning throughout the scalp, as well as reduced coverage at the crown and along the hairline. Male pattern baldness — the type of hair loss that causes a receding hairline — develops when your hair follicles are damaged by a hormone called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, and it tends to take on particular patterns.

It’s not entirely clear why hair loss happens, though genetics are a major factor. A family history of hair loss may predict your risk of this condition somewhat, and while male pattern baldness is genetic, certain medical conditions can make things like hair shedding and the breakdown of the hair growth cycle accelerate.

DHT may start to impact your hairline at the forehead, temples, or the part in your hair. The hair loss can be uneven, too. Research suggests that it’s common for male pattern baldness to cause asymmetrical hair loss, meaning you may lose hair from one side of your hairline before the other.

If you’re genetically prone to hair loss, DHT can miniaturize your hair follicles and prevent them from producing new hairs. We talk about this process more in our guide to DHT and male hair loss.

Wondering how to spot hair loss? You should look for:

• Changes from old photos to the present

• Texture changes and hair thinning

• Problems with styling your hair that haven’t happened before

• Uneven balance in the thickness or volume of the hair you have

• Lots and lots of hair in the drain, collar, or pillows

• Finding that light shows your “flaws”

The stages of hair loss are commonly described in terms of the Norwood scale, a seven-part scale used to determine the severity of male pattern baldness, which uses a receding hairline as the defining characteristic of its first two stages.

Generally, however, the seven stages of hair loss according to the Norwood scale look like this:

• Stage 1: the hairline begins to recede subtly, usually at the temples

• Stage 2: the receding hairline exaggerates at the temples

• Stage 3: as the hair on the temples recedes, a peninsula of hair at the center of the forehead becomes more pronounced

• Stage 4: a bald spot begins to form as the crown loses hair

• Stage 5: the hair at your temples retreats farther, as the crown’s bald spot increases

• Stage 6: the crown and temple hair loss areas will begin to connect

• Stage 7: for the most part, the scalp on the top of the head will be easy to see, as only some hairs remain aside from a band around the sides of your head

It’s important to take a receding hairline seriously — no matter what stage. While it may not turn into full baldness, if you care about maintaining a full head of hair, it’s best to be proactive and start treating it as if it could.

Treatments that can limit your hair loss and help to preserve your hairline should be your first priority when you experience hair loss – you can consider more medically significant procedures like hair transplants once you’ve got the problem under control.

Remember, time is of the essence when managing hair loss, so if you’ve recently noticed signs of a receding hairline, make sure to:

• Act as quickly as possible. Hair health can disappear in the blink of an eye, and your hairline may go from mildly receded to severely receded over the course of just a few years. Make sure that you start treating it as soon as you notice your hair fall out. Meeting with a healthcare professional can also help you rule out more serious conditions like alopecia areata, frontal fibrosing alopecia, or telogen effluvium resulting from things like medication side effects.

• Protect the hair you have. Protecting your remaining hair quickly becomes the priority when you find out that you’ve got a receding hairline, and that means eliminating all sources of hair loss. Since things like high-stress levels can contribute to further hair loss, you’ll want to get that under control. You should also avoid damaging hair products, as well as tight hairstyles like ponytails and cornrows, which can destroy hair follicles in a condition called traction alopecia.

• Start using finasteride. Finasteride (Propecia) is a hair loss medication that works by preventing your body from creating DHT. Not only can it stop your hairline from getting worse, but in some cases, it can also promote hair regrowth. A dermatology professional can answer questions if you’re considering medical treatments.

• Apply minoxidil to your hairline. Minoxidil (Rogaine) is an FDA-approved topical (and sometimes oral) hair loss medication that improves blood flow to follicles, which can help you to regrow hair in areas with noticeable thinning. Our Hair Power Pack combines both medications we’ve mentioned in case you’re interested.

• Wash with hair loss prevention shampoo. Medicated shampoos may help people with rare conditions, but for most guys over-the-counter shampoos, such as our thickening shampoo, are formulated to cut down buildup on your scalp and promote the growth of thick, healthy hair with a regular sudsy scalp massage. 

• Maintain a healthy diet. Your diet won’t cause male pattern baldness but vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients like biotin may help to promote healthy hair growth. Supplements can help, but check our guide for the best foods for hair growth for a better start.

• Track your progress. After you start treating hair loss, make sure to take regular photos of your scalp to track your progress. For an accurate log of your progress, make sure to take your scalp photos in consistent lighting conditions. 

• Consider more serious procedures. Hair restoration and hair transplants may be among your options, but these are usually reserved for severe cases. Treatment options also include laser combs and platelet-rich plasma (PRP), for those wanting a less invasive option.

After you start treating your receding hairline, it’s important to be patient and focus on long-term changes.

This is because it typically takes several months for medications like finasteride and minoxidil to have a noticeable impact on your hair.

Remember that your hair needs time to grow. While most hair loss treatments start working right away, your hair needs time to grow to its normal length and thickness for you to notice any progress.

Just because your hairline is starting to recede doesn’t mean that you need to prepare to lose it all. A receding hairline is something you can manage with proper hair care and management strategies.

To prevent the worst, remember the following: 

• It can be hard to tell if you’re balding when you’ve only just started to lose hair around your forehead. When there’s a noticeable M-shape to your hairline, consider that receding.

• Look at old pictures, in the mirror, and in the shower drain for signs of increased shedding.

• There are a number of different ways that you can hold onto the hair that you have and, in some cases, even stimulate new hair growth. 

• Medications and other hairline-protecting techniques can have a real positive impact on your hair and stop your male pattern baldness from worsening. 

You can view our full range of hair loss medications online and find out more about the causes of hair loss in our guide to male pattern baldness. 

But whatever you do, invest in protecting your hair now — doing so may not promise the thick mop of your youth, but it could prevent your hair from disappearing altogether.