Worried about your receding hairline? Here’s how to test if you are going bald

Our hair not only plays an important role in how we see ourselves, but also how others perceive us. Your ‘crown’ is after all one of the first things you notice about someone. Your hair can make or break your confidence.

While it’s easy enough to make an appointment with your hairdresser for a fresh cut and colour to make you feel better about your appearance, people who struggle with a receding hairline will need much more than a trim to gain back their confidence.

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Dr Michael Hughes, Hair Transplant Surgeon at Alvi Armani hair transplant clinic says while chances of hair loss are equally high for men and women, men tend to start going bald from as young as the age of 40.   

At what age do you know if you will go bald?

Dr Hughes says one quarter of men who experience male pattern baldness begin losing hair before the age of 21, so his recommendation is to begin looking for signs of abnormal hair loss in your early twenties already.

Three ways to test if you are going bald

Beyond being cognisant of the more obvious signs, such as clear bald spots forming on your head or your hairline receding, there are a few at-home tests you can do now to check whether you’re at risk of balding:

Check for shedding

The first way to tell if you’re losing more hair than you should is by checking your pillow and sheets after sleeping, your comb after brushing, and the drain after bathing. Dr Hughes says that while some loose hair is normal, you shouldn’t shed considerably more than 50 to 100 hairs per day.

That being said, he adds that it is also usual to shed more hair in certain situations, such as after giving birth, losing significant weight, having suffered a high fever, or having stopped taking birth-control pills, amongst others.

The hair pull test

An effective, yet underdiscussed method of identifying possible hair loss is by simply pulling on it.

Also known as the ‘traction test’ or ‘Sabouraud’s sign’, the hair pull test involves clasping about 60 hairs between the thumb, index, and middle fingers near the scalp and firmly pulling upward. Repeat for multiple parts of you scalp.

If roughly 10% or more hairs come loose, consider consulting a hair loss treatment professional.

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60-second hair count

This simple test can be conducted over a couple of months and provide a clear picture of the state of your hair.

Before washing, comb your hair for 60 seconds over material contrasting your hair colour, such as a pillow. Start from the back top of the head and move the brush or comb forward to the front of the head. Then count the loose hairs on the brush or comb and on the pillow.

Repeat this process before three consecutive washes, using the same brush or comb. This test can be done every month.

If abnormal hair loss is detected and caught early, there are various options you can try to restore your former full head of hair.

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