I often browse hair loss communities to provide knowledge based on my research and personal experience. In doing this I’ve noticed that there are some common hair loss myths that people seem to continually latch onto.
These common hair loss myths can cause people to delay much-needed treatment and lose precious hair follicles.
Hair Loss Myths
This post aims to dispel or provide context about some of those myths and give a simple yet informative base of knowledge on some of the mechanisms and science involved. Let’s get into debunking common hair loss myths.
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Genetics: “Hair Loss is Inherited From Your Mother’s Side”
I see this one all of the time in these communities. Users constantly suggest to other users questioning if they are balding to check out their mother’s side of the family for hair loss.
While it is true that the mother provides key genes that influence hair loss on the X chromosome, there are also other genes involved in male pattern baldness. Studies even show that if your father is bald you are more likely to become bald yourself. There are even situations where one brother may experience balding while the other doesn’t or where a father and maternal grandfather have perfect hair while you don’t.
In summary, the association between specific family members and yourself is likely not an effective way to diagnose yourself with male pattern baldness although it is a factor. Don’t let yourself lose hair because you think you can’t possibly have the gene for hair loss.
Receding Hairline: “It is just a Mature Hairline”
A “mature hairline” is yet another hair loss myth caused by the same factors that cause a receding hairline or general hair loss. If you have to cope with saying you have a “mature hairline” at 18 years old it may be time to get checked out if it’s something you want to fight.
Of course – the severity, extent, and speed of loss, recession, or “maturation” will vary based on lifestyle factors, genetics, whether you treat hair loss, etc but the core cause is the same.
Minoxidil: “It is a Great Stand Alone Treatment”
This is an interesting myth. I see a lot of people thinking that minoxidil is a treatment that will work for them long term. While this may be true to some extent – you need to know how minoxidil works to understand how and why using it will help you.
Minoxidil is a growth stimulant. This means that it stimulates hair growth causing the hair to become thicker. What it doesn’t do is address the root cause of hair loss directly.
Your hair will technically be thicker while using this medication but the root cause of the hair loss will still be taking place. The root cause of hair loss for most men is DHT.
There is nothing wrong with using minoxidil alone at all, it is one of the most effective and well-researched medications for hair loss and stimulates growth to a great extent. You should just be aware that if you expect the underlying mechanism of loss to be halted you are mistaken.
Shed Phase: “Treatment Made My Hair Worse”
Many guys state that hair loss treatments made their hair loss worse. This may be true in some cases (I’ve mainly seen this with dutasteride) but that is a topic for another time. What I’m talking about here is the phenomenon known as the “shed phase”.
This is something that happens with finasteride and minoxidil where healthier hairs start to come in and older hairs fall out in mass, potentially causing panic for users who didn’t research the medications before using.
The reason behind why this happens isn’t exactly known but is mainly theorized to be the result of both medications impacting the hair growth cycles.
In the end though, for most people undergoing this type of treatment you will cumulatively grow healthier and thicker hair every month you stay using consistent treatment. If not, you will at least maintain or slow loss so treatments causing a temporary shedding phase are not making your hair worse even if it appears that way.
Hair Transplants: “Transplanted Hair Will Fall Out”
Transplanted hairs are taken from the regions of the scalp (usually the back) that are genetically resistant to DHT. The reason most hair transplant surgeons and people recommend taking medication after a hair transplant is mainly to save the other hair that is naturally left on the scalp. I’ve covered this with a bit more depth in my psychology of treating hair loss post.
Nutrition: “I’m not balding – it’s a nutritional deficiency”
Statistically, for the vast majority of men experiencing hair loss, the cause will be androgenic alopecia. No matter how much you would rather it be a vitamin deficiency, nutritional deficiency, a thyroid disorder, or something of that nature that may be fixable without hair loss pharmaceuticals it’s just not likely.
Of course – get checked out for these things via a qualified medical professional via telehealth companies, local clinics, blood tests, etc but know that if you are a male your hair loss is most likely to be caused in major part by androgens.
Age: “I’m too young to be balding”
One of the worst hair loss myths: Unfortunately, it seems that while uncommon even people as young as 15-16 can start experiencing hair loss. Again, this is a situation to be confirmed with a qualified medical professional but don’t let yourself be fooled and ignore the problem because you thought it wasn’t possible.
I’ve seen this a ton in online communities – again this isn’t exactly a common scenario but online it’s exacerbated.
Traction Loss: “I wear a hat or tight hairstyle”
Traction hair loss caused by hair being pulled too much is a thing but again for most males, this is likely not the case of your hair loss. Again – get it checked out professionally if you think this is the cause but if your “traction hair loss” follows common male baldness patterns you should reconsider the root cause.
Just think about it like this: is it more logical that your hair loss is caused by a common cause of male hair loss (androgenic alopecia) or by some horrific luck your hat was randomly causing your hair loss? I think this logic could be applied to most of the myths here – the simplest answer is usually correct.
Final Thoughts
These are just some of the more common hair loss myths I’ve seen in online communities aside from the more commonly covered claims such as hair loss medications don’t work or other things like that. These are some good points to investigate further for yourself if you thought they were accurate or were the cause of your hair loss.
Either way, I hope this helped – good luck.