BF is shedding like crazy - Is this a future baldness or something else?

[Almendra]

My DBF has his hair longer than APL (since men don't use bra, I'm not sure if I could call it BSL). His hair is in good condition, but I think that it could be better if he take care of it just a little, because it isn't that kind of hair that always behaves good. His type of hair is 2a/F/ii. Unfortunatly, it's very frizzy, dry and fluffy. He refuses to use a different up-do which isn't a low and tight ponytail.


After being very insistent, he finally accepted to try CO-wash and clarify his hair sometimes. The results was ok, but not awesome. Anyway, he continues with the rutine. Before start the CO-wash routine, he already started to loss a lot of hair. He think it was seasonal loss, because it always happen to him and his sister at the same time. After the CO-wash, things got worse, so he go back with his old routine (Poo & Cond HE), but he is still shedding like a cat. Like I said, his thickness used to be II, but I think that now it is I unfortunately.


I've thinking that it could be just the beggining of a future baldness, since his dad is bald, but his hair isn't like his dad's hair (the type, I mean). His dad started to loss his hair when he was a teenager. My boyfriend is 25 now and he never had symptom of alopecia. Also he has two uncles (mother's brothers) and one of them is partially bald, and the other one has a lot of hair with crazy thickness.


So I'm very intrigued about what it's happening in his head. He has a good nutrition, he's not in a lot of stress (not more than usual). What do you think it could be happening to him? Could the genetic hair loss appear so suddenly?

[Firefox7275]

See your family doctor or a dermatologist, few here have any medical qualifications.

[Lyv]

It could be seasonal plus the co washing. Co wash made my hair shed like crazy and when the seasons change it sheds even more, it took me a couple of weeks to get back to normal but if you're concerned I'd have him go to a doctor just in case.

[Anje]

Do see if he gets any different effects from keeping the conditioner off his scalp entirely. Some scalps just won't do conditioner.

Also, ignore his dad when you're deciding whether he might be balding. It's not a total indicator, but the best person to look at is his mother's father for male pattern baldness. (It's on the X chromosome, and fathers don't give sons an X.) He's got a 50/50 shot of having inherited the chromosome that that grandfather had for baldness. Mother's brothers might also give you some indication; if all the uncles are bald as doorknobs, it might be time to look into preventative treatments like Rogaine or propecia.

[Unicorn]

Do see if he gets any different effects from keeping the conditioner off his scalp entirely. Some scalps just won't do conditioner.

Also, ignore his dad when you're deciding whether he might be balding. It's not a total indicator, but the best person to look at is his mother's father for male pattern baldness. (It's on the X chromosome, and fathers don't give sons an X.) He's got a 50/50 shot of having inherited the chromosome that that grandfather had for baldness. Mother's brothers might also give you some indication; if all the uncles are bald as doorknobs, it might be time to look into preventative treatments like Rogaine or propecia.

The conventional wisdom that men don't inherit balding from their fathers, flies in the face of RL evidence. I knew one particular person who had an extreme balding pattern, the only person I've ever known who had obvious (none medically related) balding issues while still at school. His balding was extreme enough to be undeniable by the time he was 17. His Father had exactly the same balding history, while his maternal grandfather did not.

While It seems evident that the genes affecting male balding patterns, primarily originate from the female line, RL seems to indicate that it isn't exclusively from the maternal line.

Unicorn

[Anje]

Fair enough. The fact is that there are definitely more genes involved in balding than just the one for Male Pattern Baldness, which is the pattern that starts at the crown of the head as a "bald spot". If the inheritance for some of the other patterns has been sorted out, I haven't heard (haven't exactly looked either).

[Scarlet_Heart]

I know I shed extra this time of year.

Also, CO washing my scalp caused me to lose gobs of hair. Not everyone has issues with CO, but many do. Try to have him keep the conditioner off his scalp. Shampoo (or whatever) the scalp and only condition the length.

[Unicorn]

Fair enough. The fact is that there are definitely more genes involved in balding than just the one for Male Pattern Baldness, which is the pattern that starts at the crown of the head as a "bald spot". If the inheritance for some of the other patterns has been sorted out, I haven't heard (haven't exactly looked either).

Ah, I hadn't come across this (bolded) information before, it does make more sense. I haven't researched it intensively either, I just happened to know someone whose balding was just too identical to his father's rather extreme version (in terms of age onset and degree of balding) to reasonably argue that could have come from his female line.

Unicorn

[TrapperCreekD]

My first thought would be the CO since it doesn't always work well, but since you said it started before he stared COing, I have no idea. Seconding asking a doctor's opinion.

As for the balding, BF's hair is thinning and he's starting to bald. I haven't met any of the male relatives on his mother's side, but his dad is in his mid fifties with a slightly receding hairline and still has quite thick hair. However, BF is gluten intolerant, so that may be the cause and not MPB. :shrug:

[Almendra]

Thanks for the answers everyone. He stop to CO two weeks ago, and still is shedding, that's what I was worried. The doctor suggestion is the more obvious for a rational person, but he is a little stubborn about this thing always, so... Anyway he told me yesterday that since he wash with shampoo again, he loss less hair. But I made him promise that if the situation didn't change in a month or so, he'll go to a doctor. I don't care if he became bald, but I'm worried because this is happening to fast and maybe is something else. Thankyou again ladies :)

[Etna]

I must second/third the above advice that balding doesn't necessarily come from the mother's side. My father and brother have thick, full heads of hair and every male on my Mother's side is completely bald.

Almendra, I noticed that your bf prefers to use head and shoulders. Is this because of dandruff? It is possible that a scalp condition might be causing hair loss. In this case a ketoconazole shampoo may help.

If your bf is concerned about the hair loss I really recommend a doctor or dermatologist asap, as I may be wrong but I think prevention or reduction of hair loss is more effective than trying to reactivate follicles. Maybe this information will convince him to go?

Good luck.