Receding hairline in 15-year old

[MamaBearTeacher]

DH just told me that DS's hairline is receding. DS has severe regressive autism. He stopped talking at age 2 after talking a whole bunch and now he is nonverbal. He is a very kind-hearted boy who is extremely intelligent. He is extremely uncomfortable in his body and his senses drive him crazy. he has some medical problems. He has enough problems. There is male pattern baldness with my father and husband but not at age 15. I feel like I should order hormone tests or something. Which ones?

 

On an emotional level I am not dealing with this. I woke up early, went for a walk to start the week fresh, was feeling good and then DH tells me this and I broke into a sweat. My baby has enough problems. And please pray.

[MamaBearTeacher]

Oh, and does anyone know if this can be treated before it gets worse? Is there any hope?

[MamaBearTeacher]

Also, He had high testosterone on a blood test at age 4.

[Twigs]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Bluegoat]

I do believe testosterone is related to male pattern baldness.

 

It isn't unheard of for male teens to start having hair thinning and such, or going grey.  And, though this is really anecdotal, in kids I've known with various intellectual disabilities, it seems more common than average.

 

I would talk to your doctor about it.  But I don't think it's likely something to get too worried about at this point. 

[EKS]

Does he take any medications?  There are quite a number of common meds that cause hair loss.  Here's a list: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/drug-induced-hair-loss-2#1

[retiredHSmom]

My dad started losing his hair in high school and by college was totally bald with just a rim of hair around the sides and back.  It doesn't seem to be that uncommon but isn't unheard of either.  I am sure that it is hard to acknowledge another "problem" in his life but in the grand scheme of life early baldness doesn't seem that bad.  My brother began balding at 30 and shaved his head completely about 2 years later.

 

My 22 year old daughter has started finding gray hairs.  I found my first gray hair at 42 and my 66 year old mother still has far, far more brow than white hairs.  My daughter seems to have inherited the early graying that comes from my Japanese MIL..

[HomeAgain]

There are several vitamin deficiencies that can cause it.  A lack of zinc in particular is related to autism symptoms and hair loss.  If you can tweak his diet or get him to take a multivitamin it might help.

[redsquirrel]

higher levels of testosterone cause male pattern baldness.  If he measured high when he was 4, you might have your answer.  And while he is quite young, it isn't unheard of for men's hair to start thinning in high school. There was a guy in my high school class whose hair was thinning as we finished high school and it was gone by the end of sophomore year.  And quite a few men in college had hair that was obviously thinning when we were juniors and seniors in college.

 

 

 

 

[sassenach]

We had a good friend in high school who was going bald. He would buy us beer.

 

You could have his hormones checked, but I don't think it indicates a true health problem.

 

((((Hugs)))) to you.

[sassenach]

My dad started losing his hair in high school and by college was totally bald with just a rim of hair around the sides and back. It doesn't seem to be that uncommon but isn't unheard of either. I am sure that it is hard to acknowledge another "problem" in his life but in the grand scheme of life early baldness doesn't seem that bad. My brother began balding at 30 and shaved his head completely about 2 years later.

 

My 22 year old daughter has started finding gray hairs. I found my first gray hair at 42 and my 66 year old mother still has far, far more brow than white hairs. My daughter seems to have inherited the early graying that comes from my Japanese MIL..

I found my first gray at 15. Runs in my family. My mom was solidly gray by 25. I'm about 25% at 36, so I'm feeling pretty lucky!

[BrittanyM]

My Dad was obviously balding by college age and was mostly bald by the time he and my Mom were married at 31. I'm sorry you're having to have something else to think about though! I am sure I would feel the same way as you in having a hard time dealing with something else.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wapiti]

Another vote for testosterone and genetics.

 

A PP mentioned zinc - another angle to look at, with the connection to increased testosterone and hair loss possibly involving insulin resistance, IIRC, which zinc can help.

 

(For my kid-with-issues, we did the 23andme testing.  Alas, he happens to have a 7-fold increased chance of balding.  This is no surprise considering my father and brother.  And no, I haven't told him. He has enough medical stuff going on and doesn't seem to do well with zinc; hair is the last thing on my mind.)

Edited September 19, 2016 by wapiti

[J-rap]

I'm sorry.  I'm sure with all of his other problems, this one more thing is heavy on your heart.  But unless it is indicative of an underlying health problem, I'd try not to worry about it too much.  My dh's best friend in college was bald.  I honestly think nothing at all of a bald man.  They are just as good-looking as anyone!

[mamaraby]

Dh's hairline was receeding/thinning in his early 20s and was mostly bald in his 30s. He also started going grey in his mid 30s. It happens. :)

[MamaBearTeacher]

He has ALWAYS had low zinc on tests. I gave him high zinc supplements for years and it stopped from chewing things like his shirt. I have had him off zinc for a few years but will put him back on. He does not take any medication.

[MamaBearTeacher]

I think it would be different if he were in his late teens but he just turned 15 and has no chest hair or facial hair yet and just recently got hair on his legs. I am also reading a link with premature hair loss and autoimmune disorder.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I would treat the known problem (zinc) first before looking for other problems.  It just makes it so much easier to sort things out that way. 

[redsquirrel]

I think it would be different if he were in his late teens but he just turned 15 and has no chest hair or facial hair yet and just recently got hair on his legs. I am also reading a link with premature hair loss and autoimmune disorder.

 

Then maybe you need an appt with his doctor and tell her what is going on. It will prob warrant some other tests, and from there she can decide if it's something that needs follow up with an endocrinologist.

[sbgrace]

When one more thing goes wrong with my son who has the long list of issues it throws me way off emotionally. I think it's like my bucket with him always feels full to the brim, and one more drop tends to overflow it until I adjust myself again. It does sound like zinc would be a good thing to add in if you can. I still supplement zinc  here because my picky eating son was low when young. I would ask the doctor about it as well.

 

That said, I have several cousins from different families/uncles on one side of my family who began receding in high school. All are handsome guys, even though bald by their early 20s. They just have those genetics it appears.

Edited September 19, 2016 by sbgrace

[Ravin]

My DH's hairline started receding around then, but he was also quite hairy over the rest of him by then. He had to start shaving and had reached his adult height by 14.

 

I guess I would look in to making sure there's not some imbalance causing it (thyroid, testosterone, zinc, etc. whatever), particularly that could also cause more serious problems (given that he doesn't have much body hair yet, I would not chalk it up to testosterone and genetics for male pattern baldness just yet), and if there is nothing more serious underlying it, just don't worry about it unless he does.

[City Mouse]

Once you check out potential hirmonal/medical causes, there are special shampoos and other topical treatments for thinning hair that may be helpful.

My brother had a friend back in high school who was 16 or 17 with noticible receding hair.

[HS Mom in NC]

At 8 years old my middle daughter lost ll her hair in the front of her scalp up to where a head band would be. She also lost her eyelashes and her eyebrows.  She had alopecia areata.  There are no known causes of it or triggers but it's suspected it's auto immune related.  Steroid injections are an option on the scalp.  Older people will insist it's stress related but doctors say it's not. It lasted a couple of years and then the hair grew back in. It can come and go throughout a person's life span. It hasn't come back yet.

At the time head scarves were in style for kids so we bought every color they had and she wore them all the time.  She learned to put false eyelashes on like a pro. There are false eyebrows made of hair too (check websites for alopecia and cancer patients.)

 

A specialist is required to diagnose and treat something like this.  a GP or ped is a waste of time.

[Katy]

A kid I went to high school with had a noticeable bald spot in back and receding hairline in front at 15.  By the time we graduated he looked like Dr Phil.  In his case it was genetic, but I think this might have been before rogaine.

[Pippen]

Is it possible he's pulling from the hairline at a time you're not watching, such as before he falls asleep?

[MamaBearTeacher]

I just started with zinc today. I wonder about alopecia areata. There is a chance he could be pulling on it. I don't really notice what my husband is talking about on both sides, just a tiny bit on one side.

 

I will go to the doctor but I'm afraid she will discount my concerns or tell me not to worry because she thinks my son is a lost cause and it is a cosmetic issue. Are there certain tests to order? Can I ask her to refer him to a specialist? If so, what kind?

What kind of shampoos can he use that will not hurt him and help stop it? Right now, he still uses Johnson's Baby Wash.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

If your doctor treats your son as a lost cause and discounts any of your concerns, that's time for a new doctor in my opinion.

 

I wish you all the best.

[Anne in CA]

I am sorry. It does seem unfair. If you can laugh at the situation, maybe begin scalp massages with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, EVOO, LOTS of essential oils, and breast milk? Hopefully that didn't offend, it seemed like you could use a smile. I get it when one thing really is the straw that broke the camel's back.

[MamaBearTeacher]

When one more thing goes wrong with my son who has the long list of issues it throws me way off emotionally. I think it's like my bucket with him always feels full to the brim, and one more drop tends to overflow it until I adjust myself again. .

This is exactly how I feel.

[redsquirrel]

if his hair is receding due to genetics, then all the special shampoo and lemon juice and EFAs in the world isn't going to stop it or slow it down. It is what it is.  If it is a hormonal imbalance then it can be addressed, possibly. 

 

The doctor will ask if you have noticed him losing more hair than before when he brushes or washes it.  They might check his thyroid, ask if he's been more cold than usual etc. 

 

Could it also be that he is just growing and changing? My older boy changed a LOT from around 13 through 15. He turned 16 this summer and when I look at pictures of when he was 14 (you say your son is a new 15 year old) he looks very, very different. His whole jaw line is different, his cheekbones are higher, it's crazy how much he's changed.  I can imagine that if I really looked at some pictures it might also be that his hairline shifted or that his face just changed and made things look different. Sometimes I didn't notice the changes because I see him every day. Sometimes he would walk in the door and I would notice a change.  I was just thinking that maybe something like that sort of hit your husband just the right way... I know, prob not.

[mom2samlibby]

I found my first gray at 15. Runs in my family. My mom was solidly gray by 25. I'm about 25% at 36, so I'm feeling pretty lucky!

 

Going grey early is a sign of a copper deficiency.

 

For receding hair, I'd check B12, folate, and iron levels.  I'd also have him tested for MTHFR.  

Edited September 20, 2016 by mom2samlibby

[GoodGrief]

I wondered about the possibility of hair pulling. My oldest had an issue with trichotillomania for a time; therapy helped resolve the behavior.

[HS Mom in NC]

Dermatologists diagnose and treat alopecia.

[Chris in VA]

Have his calcium level checked and his D, too. I have hair loss from that. Just throwing that out there. And, hugs to you.

[MamaBearTeacher]

Have his calcium level checked and his D, too. I have hair loss from that. Just throwing that out there. And, hugs to you.

His vitamin D is low recently and we have been supplementing. His calcium was always low and I supplemented for many years but then they were associating calcium supplements with heart problems and I got scared and stopped. Don't know what to do about that.

 

He eats very healthy and well (and I am sure he does not have a problem with gluten) but he is low in many minerals.