Is the old adage true? Everything I have read suggests that your mother's father's hairline (or lack of one) is the firmest indicator of where you'll be. Isn't it unfortunate that the only male relative in my family who ever had noticeable hair loss was my mom's dad. No one else in my family had it. My dad is 81 and still has kept most of his hair. So I just wonder does that mean I will end up like him? My older brother is not bald and he is 50, but I am in my mid 30s , and I am noticing some thinning here and there. Its just not a good feeling. Does that mean I am doomed to be like my grandfather- just that one guy ?
You Mother's father: How much of a risk factor is it?
- Thread starter rvahair1
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In my experience there does seem to be truth to it. My father died young in his late 30's (cancer) but had a full head of hair when he died. Alternatively my grandfather was about a NW4 in the pictures i've seen of him and i'd imagine he would have advanced further if he would've lived longer (also died in his late 30's before I was born). My best friend is in the same unfortunate predicament as me. His Father has a full head of hair in his 50's while he's going bald in his late 20's. His mothers father on the other hand was a slick bald NW6-7.
male pattern baldness really is a crap shoot. I have two male cousins (we have the same grandfather on our mothers side), one is bald and has been shaving his head for as long as I can remember while the other is at worst a NW1.5 while approaching 40.
male pattern baldness really is a crap shoot. I have two male cousins (we have the same grandfather on our mothers side), one is bald and has been shaving his head for as long as I can remember while the other is at worst a NW1.5 while approaching 40.
That stinks. I do believe its very random like that. My older brother has great hair - always has. While I have always had mediocre hair. While I do not yet have male pattern baldness , I do have some early warning signs of diffuse thinning and I am getting started right away to protect what I can.
I.D WALKER
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Protect all you can right away. Now that's a mantra for keeps, for all MPBdom
Yoshi3Mario
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No truth at all. You can inherit male pattern baldness equally from both parents. This myth was debunked back around 2006 or so.
I don't think there is any truth in what side of the family it comes, It's pretty random. Both my Grandfathers died with no more than a NW2, my uncle from mothers side has a full head of hair. My father started receeding a bit when he got to 50.
I'm a Norwood 3 with what looks like a very advanced pattern forming at 26, (I reckon i'm headed for a NW7 eventually) My dad showed me a picture of one of a great uncle, the only known baldy in my family somehow his genes got to me.
What's strange is my brothers are also going bald despite baldness being very rare in my family.
I'm a Norwood 3 with what looks like a very advanced pattern forming at 26, (I reckon i'm headed for a NW7 eventually) My dad showed me a picture of one of a great uncle, the only known baldy in my family somehow his genes got to me.
What's strange is my brothers are also going bald despite baldness being very rare in my family.
Not a terribly clear picture, but this my mom's dad. Does he look like he is probably a Norwood 4a? He is the only bald guy in the family.
http://oi61.tinypic.com/2wf8d9d.jpg
http://oi61.tinypic.com/2wf8d9d.jpg
male pattern baldness can come from either side of the family. There is some genetic basis for the belief that the maternal line has slightly greater penetrance, but it is known that both sides of the family are key. There are many different genes spread throughout the genome that are linked to male pattern baldness, and most of these genes can be handed down at random from any one of your four grandparents (the exception being the genes on the X chromosome, which can only ever be passed down through your mother from either one of her parents).
Beating Baldness
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I agree with Rudolphus. I fit into this category that follows the 'rule'. My Mothers father did have problems with hair loss but his sons are a mixed bag. Some of them are losing their hair and others have perfect hair. My grandfather on my dad's side had pretty good hair and so do both of his sons. However, I look at my friend's maternal grandfather who has great hair but his brother has a big problem with hair loss and he is still in his 20s. My friend's hair is pretty good - maybe a NW2/NW3. I believe it has a lot to do with diet and lifestyle. I notice that my friend's brother gets really stressed about things.
It can really just come from anywhere. Just the total number of relatives with male pattern baldness is just your odds you cant figure it exactly. If you get male pattern baldness you will know it and do something sooner rather than later. Better take finasteride for no reason than wait too long to be sure when your Norwood 4
It didn't mean anything in my case. My maternal grandfather had a full head of white hair by the time he died in his late 70s. However, my maternal grandmother had baldness on both sides — bald father (though I can't say what kind or to what degree since he died when my mother was a child), and her mother's sister had no hair on her scalp when she died at 90-something — though interestingly enough, my grandmother herself maintained a reasonably thick head of hair all her life. My mother's brother has been shaving his head since he was in my age range (late 20s early 30s, he's in his 50s now), and he's disclosed that his hair still grows on top, but very thin, probably like mine will end up. My father is almost 60 with minimal loss and wears his hair roughly shoulder-length.
The X chromosome is said to contain a gene for an androgen reception which increases the odds of male pattern baldness if one possesses a particular allele (copy) of that gene. A male could only inherit it from his mother, while a female can inherit it from both parents, so you would just as likely inherit your grandmother's version of it as your grandfather's. Even then, that defective androgen receptor is not enough; there are plenty of other, autosomal genes that contribute to male pattern baldness. And then you factor in mutations, genes reacting to each other in unpredictable ways, genes activating or not activating by sheer luck of the draw, etc. So yeah, your mother's father's hair, or really any guy in your family, could reflect your risk factor of experiencing baldness, but it is far from a sure thing.
The X chromosome is said to contain a gene for an androgen reception which increases the odds of male pattern baldness if one possesses a particular allele (copy) of that gene. A male could only inherit it from his mother, while a female can inherit it from both parents, so you would just as likely inherit your grandmother's version of it as your grandfather's. Even then, that defective androgen receptor is not enough; there are plenty of other, autosomal genes that contribute to male pattern baldness. And then you factor in mutations, genes reacting to each other in unpredictable ways, genes activating or not activating by sheer luck of the draw, etc. So yeah, your mother's father's hair, or really any guy in your family, could reflect your risk factor of experiencing baldness, but it is far from a sure thing.
Are you talking to me? I never said I had no hair loss.Did you not read what I said? My hair loss happened in a two week period. and it doesn't fit the male pattern baldness pattern. I am going to a dermatologist. Until a month ago, I had a normal hairline.
This is my hair all wet and slicked back. It is hardly a Norwood 3. I would say 2, possibly, if that.
