Breaking news: A moving hairline does not necessarily mean hair loss!

"When you are young, you don't know how precious hair is. When you look back, you are already bald." I believe you often hear discussions about hair loss. At present, many people are caught in a kind of hair loss anxiety.

If you don't believe it, let's take a look at a report from Southern Metropolis Daily, "Survey Report on Hair Loss Status of Contemporary Young People (2022)". This report for people aged 18 to 50 shows that more than 40% of respondents believe that they have severe hair loss, especially in the hairline, top of the head, and hair parting. Nearly half said that hair loss can easily make people feel inferior, more than 70% care about other people's comments on their hair volume, and more than 80% care about their baldness.

As luck would have it, according to Sullivan data, the scale of China's hair transplant market will be 15.6 billion yuan in 2021, and a large amount of hair transplant demand has not yet been developed and met. It will reach 75.6 billion yuan in 2030. This shows how much attention people pay to hair loss.

When you see your hairline moving up, have you ever considered hair transplantation? Should you use anti-hair loss shampoo? Don’t act rashly. First, understand a common sense that few people tell you: a moving hairline does not necessarily mean hair loss! “Protecting the hairline” may just be a marketing trick.

Image source: Tuchong Creative

What is going on?

We have to start with the “maturation of the hairline”.

The so-called mature hairline is actually a normal physiological change. It does not mean baldness, and it is not true hair loss (M-shaped hair loss, seborrheic alopecia, androgenic alopecia, etc.).

The maturation of the hairline is related to the normal hormone function in the body, and mainly occurs in the early adult stage. A scholar in my country has studied it and found that from the age of 30, the hairline of the forehead of Chinese people will begin to recede, which is what we call the upward movement of the hairline.

How far does it move up? Data show that compared with childhood, the hairline can move up about 2 cm, and the hairline may no longer be as full as that of children. However, there are certain individual differences, and some changes may not be very large.

Additionally, in addition to the hairline maturation that can occur on the forehead, the area near the temples (temporalis) can also experience a slight hairline shift, which will further change the shape of the hairline.

When it comes to the shape of the hairline, Professor Wu Wenyu of my country has summarized four types of normal hairlines, as shown in the figure below.

Figure 1. Common hairline patterns among Chinese men (Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30277939/)

Although the above four hairlines have different shapes, they are not hair loss.

Type A has a straight hairline, Type B has a straight hairline with a protrusion in the middle, which is sometimes called a widow's peak, Type C has a round hairline, and Type D has a round hairline with a protrusion in the middle, similar to Type M. This shows that even an M-shaped hairline does not necessarily mean M-shaped hair loss (scientific name: androgenic alopecia).

I wonder which hairline you have?

Next, let’s talk about under what circumstances a moving hairline indicates hair loss.

In fact, male androgenic alopecia will cause the hairline to move up, but it is not just the hairline that moves up, but there are other characteristics, such as:

Gradual thinning of hair: The hair may begin to thin gradually after puberty or in adulthood. This pattern of hair loss can cause the hairline to form an "M" shape or an inverted triangle.

Thinning on top: In addition to the shifting of the hairline, androgenic alopecia is also prone to thinning hair on the top of the head. In severe cases, a bald area will form, commonly known as the Mediterranean.

Short and thin hair: The hair follicles affected by androgens will gradually shrink, and the newly grown hair will become short and thin, with a lot of fluff and feel soft.

Genetic predisposition: Androgenetic alopecia tends to run in families, and if someone in your family has this type of hair loss, your individual risk may be higher.

If it is androgenic alopecia in women (also called female pattern hair loss), there is no abnormal upward movement of the hairline. Instead, the hair becomes thinner, thinner and softer. The visible features are the exposed hair parting and thinner ponytail.

In short, this article is to state a fact - not all hairline movement is due to hair loss, it may just be the maturation of the hairline, so don't be blindly anxious.

Recall that in recent years there has been a flood of online and offline advertising that often exploits people’s anxieties about beauty and appearance to promote various products and hair transplant services. Advertisements targeting hair loss issues may highlight the risks of hair loss in young people and imply that the problem can only be solved by using specific products and treatments. These ads may exacerbate young people’s anxieties about hair loss.

Of course, there are many reasons why young people may feel anxious about hair loss. For example, society’s expectations of appearance may put pressure on young people. Thick hair may be an attractive feature, so young people may feel anxious, especially when they feel their hair is not normal.

On the other hand, the popularity of social media has made it easier for people to access various photos and images of perfect appearance. When browsing social media, young people may compare themselves with people with thick hair, which invisibly exacerbates their anxiety about hair loss.

It can be seen that hair loss anxiety may be the result of multiple factors. If you are also in this anxiety, it is recommended to seek regular medical treatment and seek professional doctor's analysis and treatment to obtain more accurate and targeted help.

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, attending physician of dermatology, doctor of medicine, popular science author

Reviewer: Chen Haixu, Deputy Director of PLA General Hospital (301 Hospital) and Postgraduate Supervisor