Receding hair at 24

I don't have much facial hair

I'm 25 and I still have no facial hair

My facial hair is not growing

Premature greying

Question
I was hoping you could help me with a hair loss problem.

I'm 24 and have started to lose my hair: it is receding and the front is wiry and getting thin. It is very hard to hide now.

The sides, back and top are okay, it's just the front quarter. I don't want to take tablets.

Do you have any suggestions for the fastest way to help me get it looking good again? There are so many products that claim to regrow hair, I'm confused.

Answer
I think the best question to ask yourself with this kind of problem is: 'Is this a disease?' If it is, then it might need treatment. If not, it won't.

There are many different kinds of hair loss. Some are related to skin or other types of disease, but many are not.

Yours sounds like 'male pattern baldness', which is not a disease. Have a look at photos of the men in your family and see if your hair loss is like theirs. There is often a family pattern to hair loss.

However, it is worthwhile checking with your GP about this to rule out a disease that could be treated.

I'm not surprised you are confused by all the products on the market. When there are so many products claiming to do the same thing, chances are most of them are not very good at it.

If you have no disease to treat, I think you are wasting your money if you buy so-called hair growth products.

This whole answer might sound a bit pessimistic to you, so I should point out that there are doctors who do specialise in the problems of hair loss.

I think if you are really upset by your hair loss, it is worthwhile having a consultation with one of them. Your GP should be able to guide you.

Yours sincerely

Dr Bob Leckridge, GP