Once You Get Past 40, You Are Safe, Right?
Wrong. AGA may not start until the 40s or even later. It becomes progressively more common the older one gets. Half of 50 year-old men will have AGA to some degree.
How Do I Know if I Am Going to Lose More?
If your loss is stopped and has been unchanged for more than 5 years, you may be “stable”. On the other hand, it may start up again. Your family history will provide clues, but there is no “crystal ball”.
Does Everyone With AGA End Up Totally Bald on Top?
No, most men and women with hair loss will stop short of losing the entire front and top. However, the earlier you start losing, the more likely you will lose a lot over time.
Won’t It Just Stop on Its Own?
Everyone has an end-point programmed into his or her genes. The trouble is, it is impossible to know for certain where this is and it is probably balder than you want to be. AGA is relentlessly progressive over time unless treated. In practical terms, it is rare for people over 60 to lose a lot more hair due to AGA, but until then future hair loss = current hair loss + more hair loss. It will not stop unless you take control of effective treatment!
Maybe I Just Have a Normal Daily Turnover?
You know if your hair is different than it used to be. Hair has a function. We see it and style it. If you are worried, get your hair checked by a specialist physician who knows how to spot early loss and is interested in treating it. Every day you wait for costs your hair. It will not stop on its own.
How Can I Tell How Bald I Am Going to Get?
Family history is helpful, but not a guarantee. Get your hair examined by an expert. To an experienced hair loss physician specialist, areas of impending loss can be seen and felt with the fingertips as a “wispy” texture. This can help estimate where it is headed.
Is There a Cure?
If you have an infection and you eliminate it with an antibiotic, you are “cured”. Because AGA is a genetic condition it can be blocked, but not cured. It will progress until it reaches the end-point, or until stopped by treatment.
If I Already Have These Genes and Can’t Get Rid of Them, What’s the Point in Worrying?
The point is choosing to stop the loss. You don’t have to go bald, but wishing and hoping won’t do anything. The earlier you start treatment, the more hair you will save.