I'm 17 going on 18 and I've recently noticed that whenever my hairline is exposed (I have bangs) that people say "Oh wow you're gonna go bald!"

Obviously this bothers me, and it got me thinking: what if I am? I know that teenage hairloss isn't all that uncommon and my fathers hair began receeding in high school.

I've looked at pictures from about 4 or 5 years ago and my hairline was straight, with my forehead. Now it's somewhat of a widow's peak. It doesn't look like I'm balding per-se, but it still worries me a bit. Is this change in hair line normal? Or should I be worried?

I think it's pretty common to get the widow's peak. Also, your father has nothing to do with your bald genes. Take a look at your uncles and grandpa on your mother's side for a rough estimate of what will happen to you.

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Have a good one,
Freelancer

Just don't try a combover.

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Only Bald men say it is a sign of virility

Go ahead and get a mohawk while you can. Trust me, you thank me later.

****.

Ok now I know why I'm 26 and my hair is disappointingly thin. My uncle is BALD and my grandfather on my mother's side had thin hair (not balding, but still thin).

I should point out EVERYONE else in my family has HAIR O' PLENTY!

Excuse me whilst I go drink heavily.

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Cantina Cloud | BCF | The Massassian 1 & 2 | Gonkmeg
Corrupting the kiddies since '97

Tough roll of the dice

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I'm not an actor. I just play one on TV.

I really hope that's true, because my mom's side has alotta hair.

Any proof though? Or is it just a myth?

That sucks. MY grandpa on my dad's side died with a full, thick head of pure white hair. My uncle and granpa on my mother's side are both balding. Damn it!!!!!

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WOOSH.
-----@%

it's not a big deal to lose your hair
a friend of mine has had a VERY receding hair line since he was 17 and he jokes about it just as much as everyone else... it's a great conversation piece (=

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i thought about this being the anti-sig... or the sig virus... or the sig of your nightmares... but i decided that some painful rhetoric might work instead...
just kidding.

It's genetics. Obviously like any other genetic traits, if your uncle is bald, that doesn't necesarily mean you will be. However the trait is passed on to you from your mom, not your dad; this much we know from genetics. Since the gene only affects men, your mom doesn't get bald from it, and is just the carrier of it.

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Have a good one,
Freelancer

Funny, I want to lose my hair. I shave my head every month...

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I am a nobody, and nobody is perfect; therefore, I am perfect.

Everyday I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I've stayed alive.

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I don't know. I know some kids who are balding and they think it's funny. But I have little to no self confidence and this could be a very bad thing for my self image. I'm a pretty self conscious kid sometimes.

My dad said he started to lose his hair when he was 16, so I dont think its all that uncommon

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Happy "Diseased" dud: Wait, That's the unibomer.
Happy "Diseased" dud: Wrong guy.

I don't know where people get this information.

First, widow's peak. There is a dominant gene that causes this. If one of your parents gives you the dominant gene and you are male, you will have widow's peaks. You must have two recessive genes to not develope it. Two dominants will cause it as well as a dominant and a recessive.

The myth regarding your mother's influence on balding refers to sex-linked genes. These can be confused with sex-influenced genes, which the allele that causes pattern balding is assumed to be.

A sex-linked gene is typically associated with the X chromosome, so if you are male and have a defect or trait caused by a sex-linked X chromosome it had to have come from your mother as your father gave you a Y [hence you are male].

However, in sex-influenced traits the phenotype is determined by autosomal genes that are expressed differently in males or females, typically because of the differing hormone levels. They are present in both males and females.

Now the allele for pattern balding is assumed to be sex-influenced and affected by testosterone levels... simply put a male only needs one allele to go bald. A woman needs two because of her [hopefully] lower testosterone levels. Both of your parents can contribute and carry the allele for pattern balding.

What does this mean? Let's assume you are male. If your mother is balding, you will also go bald. If your father is balding and your mother is not, you have 50% odds at best of keeping your hair. If neither parent is balding, you have 0% at best and 50% at worst depending on whether your mother has one allele or not.

So basically look at your father and your mother's parents. You could even go further if possible and find out if your mother's grandparents showed balding. Short of giving your mother steroids to see how her scalp reacts or doing DNA testing, that's the easiest method of determining your odds at balding.

What's a widow's peak?

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Shut up. I'm GOING to do this whether you like it or not.

It's where your hairline isn't straight, but it comes down to a point in the middle from the sides, which are further back on the forehead.

the vampire thing
my brother has one

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Do you have stairs in your house?

[This message has been edited by Correction (edited January 20, 2004).]

See...I have a wee bit o' problem with that. Mom was adopted. I have no clue what is in store for me.

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<scribbly handwriting barely resembling name>

/me rubs his hands through his thick thick long hair......

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