I just searched the general questions archive and was rather shocked to find that no one else had wondered about baldness or hair loss.
Physically, I’ve inherited my hair from my father’s side of the family. My father, and his father, are not bald. My grandfather is approaching eighty years old. I say I’ve inherited my father’s hair phenotype in that it is very thick, hair dressers often comment on the properties of my hair. Does that mean I have inerited whatever genotype that prevents hair loss? How do I know? Am I even using genotype correctly, or should phenotype have been used there?
(ignore my shitty biology, focus on my hair)
Anyays, the reason I ask is because my mother’s father went bald quite early, and every now and then (alarmingly frequently for my tastes, but I might just be paranoid) I find hairs sitting around that obviously came from my head, as I don’t recall ever putting my naked ass on my pillow. (“I had this dream that I was getting anally raped by by a giant marshmallow, and when I woke up the window was broken and the VCR was gone.”)
I’m searching google, but all I’m getting is faqs from people who want to sell me stuff. I did find the helpful info that hair loss can be inherited from either the mother or the father, which is pleasant to hear because a friend said it was inherited from your mother’s father (who, as I mentioned earlier, is bald).
I am definitely balding. Believe me, you know when it’s falling out. My father and brothers have the same problem.
There is a cure, however. IIRC, baldness is linked to testosterone, so all you have to do is get castrated. Personally, I think I’ll give the Rogaine™ a little while longer…
Your hair falls out on its own all the time. It’s just that after a while, some people stop replacing it.
Some people go bald very quickly and very dramatically. Some, like me, are doing it slowly. I probably won’t go totally bald, but my hairline is heading for the polar regions.
Recent events in the world have taught me that going bald isn’t so bad. At least I’m still around to watch my hair disappear.
Well I always learned that you get your hair pattern from your mothers father. Never can tell though. How old are you?
You also loose a couple hundred hairs a day naturally.
Is itching a symptom of impending hairloss/baldness? I have a full head of hair at 51, but recently, even though I shampoo daily, I have noticed a maddening itch of my scalp. No dandruff, just the itch.
So to those of you who have gone bald, are there any physical symptoms associated with it, or does your hair just fall out?
The best way you’ll be able to tell you’re going bald is that everyone around you will be quick to notice, and will tell you. They’ll all know before you do.
I don’t remember excessive itching, Quasimodem. I don’t remember finding hair in my brush or comb, either, but I was in the Navy when it started so my hair was really short anyway.
Okay, when your hairs come out it should then have a new hairs under it, this is called ‘down’. Its nice soft cute new hairs. If you you don’t get it, then your hair isn’t coming back.
As a female with thick hair (thus I know I’m not going bald) it’s natural to lose between 100-200 hairs a day. Each hair on your head is on a different grow, rest, fall out phase than the other hairs. If I had kept every shower drain collection of shedded hairs since puberty, I’m sure I could have a couple hundred wigs by now. Of course, the soap gunk would have looked awful . . . .
Oh, you’re supposed to rinse the soap off? Sorry . . .