Genetics

[ashleyb]

Hi there, I am currently 20yo (the age that my mothers 5 brothers and her father were all clearly 'balding') and have a receding hairline which is not noticeable thanks to the hair style which is currently fashionable. I also have a slightly thinning crown, which is not really noticeable, but there is much more scalp viable there than on other areas of my head, and the hair is more wiry.

Anywho, the question I have is in regards to the 'wives tale'; baldness comes from your mothers side.
Now I am aware that one can get it from both sides which is evidently obvious, and diffuses most peoples belief in the claim.
However, this really only relates to getting the baldness genes rather than being safe. For example, a common question is 'my father is bald, but maternal grandfather is not and neither are my uncles on the same side, is there a chance I will go bald' the answer is obviously yes.
But the exact opposite question is (my question) 'My father has a full head of hair at 50 and so does his father, but my mothers father and her brothers are all extremely bald, is there any chance my hair loss will be insignificant'.
And is it also possible for the genes to balance each other out with hair loss really kicking in when I'm 30-35 for example rather than 20 when it really did for my mothers father.
So I guess this is a question of which is more dominant; Hair loss, or not hair loss.
Cheers, Ash

[Spex]

Its a genetic lottery, no one is safe. If your mothers side has a strong history it counts heavily against you.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

There is always a chance. However, if you are already showing signs of hair loss at age 20 than is is unlikely that it will just spontaneously stop. The odds are that it will continue and you need to consider some preventative measures.