Can hair grow back after going bald and is there’s anything you can do to stop it from progressing? The answer will depend on the cause of your hair loss and what stage of hair loss you are in, but prevention is key and once the hair is fully gone it does not grow back.
In this article we’re going to break down which types of hair loss can grow back, what treatments you may want to consider, and explain any steps you can take to prevent hair loss from getting worse.
At XYON, we believe in choices when it comes to hair loss treatment.
Whether it's a shampoo or a prescription, we're committed to helping you find the right solution.
What causes hair loss?
Whether hair can grow back depends partly on the root cause of the hair loss. Certain types of hair loss may be completely reversible. One example is when hair loss is caused by taking a new medication. In some cases, stopping the medication will allow the hair to grow back over time.
If you’re noticing balding on the crown of your scalp or along the hairline, particularly at the temples, it’s more likely that you’re experiencing male pattern balding (also known as androgenetic alopecia). Whether it’s possible to regrow hair due to pattern hair loss is a little more complicated.
Male pattern baldness is a hereditary condition, meaning that it’s in your genes, and you will develop hair loss at some point during your life. This condition makes hair follicles more susceptible to changes due to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the primary hormone involved in pattern balding and when levels of DHT are raised at the scalp, hair follicles can undergo miniaturization. This means that they can shrink, eventually causing them to produce weaker and thinner strands of hair. With time, the follicles can be rendered unable to produce any hair at all, leading to balding.
While male pattern balding being hereditary may or may not be bad news to you (depending on your family history), it’s actually a useful piece of knowledge which can help you to get ahead of the game and take preventative measures. Seeking hair loss treatment early on can have a more positive impact on hair loss prevention and regrowing stronger, healthier hair.
Although pattern balding is the most common type of hair loss, there are several other explanations for losing hair:
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Telogen effluvium
Telogen effluvium is a common type of hair loss that affects people after they experience severe stress or a change to their body. Symptoms include thinning hair, usually around the top of your head. Treatment exists to reverse hair loss, but hair will typically grow back in three to six months without treatment. source
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Alopecia areata
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that attacks your body’s hair follicles, causing patchy hair loss. Medications and therapies can help your hair regrow, though severe cases may not respond to treatment. source
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Scarring alopecia
Scarring (cicatricial) alopecia is hair loss caused by hair follicle destruction. It’s usually the result of inflammatory or autoimmune disorders. Sometimes it’s due to skin injuries, burns or certain medical treatments. Scarring alopecia causes permanent hair loss because hair can’t regrow after the follicle is destroyed. source
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Lichen planopilaris
Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is a condition that causes scarring and patches of hair loss, usually on your scalp. It may also cause scalp pain, itching or burning. Medications or laser therapy can help control symptoms, but early treatment is key. source
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folliculitis decalvans
Staph A bacteria may cause folliculitis decalvans, a condition that causes baldness with scarring (cicatricial alopecia). Inflammation and bacteria in hair follicles cause pustules to form. Hair follicles eventually die, preventing new hair growth and causing circular bald patches. Treatments include antibiotics and photodynamic therapy. source
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frontal fibrosing alopecia
Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is a condition that causes hair loss on the front and sides of your scalp. Hair loss may also occur on eyebrows, eyelashes and other body parts. An autoimmune reaction, genetics or hormones may cause FFA. Healthcare providers diagnose FFA with a physical exam and skin biopsy. Treatments include medications to slow hair loss. source
Additionally, some vitamin deficiencies such as biotin have been linked to hair loss
These various conditions may be caused by a range of different factors and as such, the potential for hair regrowth can vary dependent on the cause.
Can you regrow hair after balding?
Regrowing hair after you've gone bald can be difficult and the more severe the balding, the trickier it becomes to generate any kind of hair regrowth. This is the main reason why seeking treatment for pattern balding early on is so important.
How to prevent balding
Being proactive about preventing hair loss can be preferred over regrowing hair. Medication can be taken to lower the DHT levels, which helps stop hair follicles from shrinking, thus preventing further hair loss. It’s important to remember that mild or moderate forms of hair loss are typically easier to treat, so starting medication early is beneficial. Examples of medications that can be used to treat pattern balding include finasteride and minoxidil and experts believe that earlier treatment tends to produce more beneficial outcomes (York et al, 2020). The Norwood scale is a tool used to measure the severity of hair loss and to speak more scientifically, patients with a Norwood score of III or less tend to respond better to treatment in the long term (Yanagisiwa et al, 2019).
When it comes to prevention, taking measures, such as protecting your hair and scalp in the sun and maintaining a well-balanced diet with essential vitamins and minerals, is also important. Remember, looking after your scalp is a big part of maintaining healthy hair.
If you’re interested in knowing more about how hair loss medications work, we have a great post on finasteride and minoxidil for hair growth.
Can medication regrow hair?
While the primary goal of taking hair loss medications like finasteride, dutasteride and minoxidil is to stop the hair from thinning, many people will also experience some degree of regrowth. Interestingly, hair follicles can be more sensitive to the effects of DHT depending on their location on the scalp and because of this, they can respond differently to treatment.
Generally speaking, the hairline is usually the more stubborn area of the scalp to treat, so seeing regrowth with medication at this area is slightly less likely. A study found that men with hair loss at the crown of the head had a 61% chance of regrowing hair on finasteride, compared to a 37% chance for men with a receding hairline (Shapiro & Kaufman, 2003).
It’s also important to note that it can take a while to see any kind of results from hair loss medication and consistency is vital to optimizing your outcomes. If you do choose to take the medication route for your hair loss, it is a lifelong commitment to maintain the results. This is because once you stop taking drugs like finasteride, the DHT levels at the scalp will rise again and cause the hair follicles to start shrinking, therefore reversing the effects of the medication. Although this may seem intimidating, particularly if you’re in the early stages of hair loss, for many, the potential benefits outweigh the negatives.
If you are not keen on taking the medication route, you may consider a hair transplant.
Do hair transplants work to regrow hair?
Yes, hair transplants can be an effective way to restore hair density after experiencing balding. It involves taking hairs from the back of the head that tend to be more resistant to miniaturization and implanting them along the hairline where hair loss has occurred. Hair transplants have a high success rate and most people will begin to see results at around 3-4 months following the procedure.
However, younger people or those who are in the earlier stages of hair loss are generally not ideal candidates for a hair transplant because hair loss is likely to re-occur. It is usually recommended that patients wait until their hair loss has stabilized before receiving a transplant, to avoid losing hair again later on.
Depending on the transplant surgeon and individual circumstances, some patients may be advised to take hair loss medication after their hair transplant to reduce the possibility of the newly transplanted follicles shrinking and balding in the future.
Can hair grow back after balding naturally?
If you’ve received a diagnosis of androgenetic hair loss, then the answer is no, most likely not. Since it’s a progressive condition, pattern balding will not get better on its own and intervening with medication or surgical treatment in advanced cases, is the only effective way of stopping it from getting worse.
On the other hand, if you’re experiencing telogen effluvium, hair can grow back naturally. Telogen effluvium is a different type of hair loss which is usually caused by sudden stress or a shock to the body, which can include things like loss of a loved one or even a change in medications. It causes rapid and increased shedding due to the hair follicles entering the shedding phase of the hair growth cycle prematurely. The shedding will typically last less than 6 months and in many cases, it is a temporary condition. Telogen effluvium is generally resolved once the stress to the body has been removed and the hair follicles enter a new growth cycle. Some people may also take medications or use natural ingredients to promote faster hair growth.
Can natural ingredients help with hair regrowth when balding?
The use of natural ingredients for hair growth is a topic we have covered quite extensively at XYON. To summarize, there is some evidence to support the use of a few natural ingredients to help slow pattern balding and even promote hair growth.
However, there is no natural ingredient that will regrow hair once you have gone bald. In fact, no medication or even hair transplants will grow hair back once complete balding has occurred. A hair transplant requires a sufficient supply of healthy donor hairs at the back of the head to be able to move those hair follicles to balding areas. So, if the back of the head has lost hair as well, unfortunately a transplant will not be an option. Medication is also not an option at this stage of balding because the hair follicles are too far gone to recover from the effects of DHT.
Takeaway
Growing hair back when you’re noticing signs of balding is difficult and you’re much better off getting ahead of your hair loss than trying to fix the problem after the fact. Your options when it comes to attempting hair regrowth can include medication, hair transplant or natural remedies, but this will be dependent on individual needs and we always recommend speaking to a specialist about which option is best for you. You can easily connect with one of our specialists at XYON today, to get you started on your journey towards hair regrowth.
It’s important to remember that once you have lost all of your hair, there’s little that you can do to get it back. If you’re someone who wants to avoid going bald, the ideal course of action is to seek treatment early on and give your hair follicles the best chance to regrow.
References
Shapiro, J., Kaufman, K.D. (2003). Use of finasteride in the treatment of men with androgenetic alopecia (male pattern hair loss). Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings, 8(1), 20-23. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1747.2003.12167.x
Yanagisawa, M., Fujimaki, H., Takeda, A., Nemoto, M., Sugimoto, T., Sato, A. (2019). Long-term (10-year) efficacy of finasteride in 523 Japanese men with androgenetic alopecia. Clinical Research Trials. 10.15761/CRT.1000273
York, K., Meah, N., Bhoyrul, B., Sinclair, R. (2020). A review of the treatment of male pattern hair loss. Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, 21(5), 603-612.10.1080/14656566.2020.1721463
