I wondered how many of you have experienced hair loss on T, and how that seems to correlate with other males in your family?

I'm just a little worried because while my dad is 46(-ish..) and shows no sign of balding at all, his hair is a lot darker and curlier than mine (and my brothers is the same). My uncle on my mother's side on the other hand, had hair more similar to mine, and started balding in his 20s. :P

I'm not sure if this will effect my decision to go on T, but I am curious. :D

i think the general rule of thumb is to look at your mothers father, and if he started balding early then you probably will too.

There are a couple of threads around here on this very subject. I hope the search mechanism turns them up--lots of good info.

I'm in my forties and have been on T for ten or eleven months. I was worried about hair loss. I knew that my hairline would shift, and I wanted that. But for months I was getting lots of stray hairs on my hands when I washed my hair--and on the towel when I dried my hair. Now I'm getting a lot less of that.

My hair might have thinned a little, but not enough for me to notice. I think it's just the hairline adjusting. The hairline I have now seems to be consistent with my brother's hairline (he's six years older than I am) and my father's hairline when he was my age and older. I don't know if either one of them is losing hair at the crown. My brother's hair looks pretty thick in the pic I have of him, so that's encouraging.

I don't know my mother's side of the family--don't remember her father or brothers because I've only met them once or twice in my life, years and years ago.

If you are going on testosterone, you must be prepared for the possibility of male pattern baldness. I have been on T for 6 months, and I am already experiencing hair loss (my hair is longer, so it's quite obvious when each day my sweatshirt hood looks like a Persian cat's been sitting in it). My dad has a full head of hair at 60. Only one of my male relatives on my mom's side is bald (dad's side is all dead, but since he's not bald, his genetics aren't the problem). It CAN HAPPEN TO YOU. For reasons still unknown, hair loss is just as or perhaps MORE common in HRT-treated FTMs than in cismales (I've read studies ranging from 10% to 40% experiencing significant hair loss within the first 5 to 10 years of being on T).  Since the X chromosome is much bigger than the Y chromosome, it is tremendously likely that the major genes which determine who loses his hair are on the X chromosome, and that since we have 2 X chromosomes, we experience a "double jeopardy" sort of situation. This would only be true if the genetic alleles which trigger hair loss (their identitites are still in debate) are dominant   (having 1 = you have the trait). From what I've seen of the FTM population, it seems very likely that the allele(s) IS (are) dominant, and that's why there are so many bald FTMs. There could of course be other explanations, but baldness is for one reason or another quite common in FTMs who have been on T for a long time.

On the bright side, FTMs go bald by the same biological mechanisms that cismales go bald – DHT chokes off the nutrient supply to susceptible hair follicles so that the hairs die off one by one. This means that finasteride (Propecia), which blocks the conversion of free testosterone to DHT, works just as well for FTMS as for cismales.  Of course, if an FTM takes finasteride, the effects of HRT that he might WANT may also be reduced (the most prominent one being growth of facial hair. DHT stimulates facial hair growth while discouraging the survival of head hair follicles. I have no idea why.).

Been on T since March no hair loss to speak of. Shorter hair due to a few really bad hairstyle choices since starting T definitely!
Myles

my hair thinned a little, but im not balding yet.  im only 19 though.  i have no idea what my genetics are like since i was adopted.

Quote from: petzjazz on December 26, 2009, 05:30:40 PM
Of course, if an FTM takes finasteride, the effects of HRT that he might WANT may also be reduced (the most prominent one being growth of facial hair. DHT stimulates facial hair growth while discouraging the survival of head hair follicles. I have no idea why.).

also, possibly downstairs growth.  there have been studies that have shown a link between (lck of) DHT and micro penis.

Searching found these couple of threads which are nicely informative with some fun biology and treatments for baldness:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,59122.0.html
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,41205.0.html

Was mainly looking for some personal experiences from FtMs on T here, though. So thanks for those!

What Flameboy and some others claim is that for MPB inheritance, FtMs rely more on their father's side than cis guys do (who inherit the MPB gene from their mother's side) because it's recessive and we have double X chromosomes. That's a good sign then, I guess. Though not so much for my brother.. p:


Something I have noticed personally though, I seem to already have a kind of half "male hairline". The hair above my temples is a lot thinner, wispier and lighter than the rest (my hair is generally very thick). It's very obvious to me, though I'm aware it might not be something other people even notice on me.. Or it might just be totally normal for genetic women anyway!

Does/did anyone else have this before T? o:
I can imagine those areas would come out completely on T, and I'd much prefer that! P:

i had the tin wispy hair too like that at my temples.  some of it seems to have fallen out and now my hairline has a more masculine shape

When I pull my hair away from my forehead, I can definitely say that I have a male hairline and that it is a receding/receded hairline. But so far no loss on the crown, as I think I said earlier.

I did not have any kind of male-looking hairline before T. I had an abnormally low T level, even lower than the lowest female norm.

You might have a very high level of T right now. Hmm. I wonder how many guys had their T levels checked before they started T, and how many had unusually high levels? I've heard it from a number of guys...

I already had a really masculine hairline before T. My T levels were also quite high and my voice rather deep... Obviously not in the male scales but outside the female ones definitly.
My GP also sent me for chromosome testing see if I am XX or something else 
I should get the results in a week or so... Been a little busy to find out as yet-I had emergency back surgery unfortunately Xmas Eve!!
Can't have luck any worse than mine - so I am just going to assume I will probably go bald  But even just a month or so on T i have noticed the corners of my forehead become more whispy.
Cheers
Jay

My dad and grandad on his side where bald by the time they hit 19. My grandad on my mothers side still has a full head of hair.. I luckly *fingers crossed* seem to still keep my hair 18/19 months on T.

Jay

Quote from: Jay on December 30, 2009, 11:46:25 AM
My dad and grandad on his side where bald by the time they hit 19. My grandad on my mothers side still has a full head of hair.. I luckly *fingers crossed* seem to still keep my hair 18/19 months on T.

I have a buddy who lost about half of his hair in the first year. Now he's on Finasteride and not losing hair anymore.

If you're going on T, you may lose your hair. But not everybody lose it. It's about genes. If many from your family has the balding genes, it's bigger risk. I'm pre-everything. But if I had the decision, I would rather being myself and having a matching body, but losing hair than have hair and living in the wrong developed body.

(I know this is a old post and I commented ca. 6 years later. But I want to wright what I think)