HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

Suggest Treatment For Male Pattern Baldness In A 22 Year Old

Posted on Mon, 19 Sep 2016

Question: Hello -- my 22 year old son (recent college graduate) is in excellent general health. In the past six months he has lost a lot of hair in a pattern like male pattern baldness. I had assumed that this was all that it was, except for two things: 1) the hair loss has been very rapid -- gone from none to a loss of hair two inches back on both sides, and 2) thick, yellowish and brown scales on the back of his head -- like cradle cap. He says his scalp itches a lot too.
This is probably unrelated, but he says he sometime nauseous after eating -- although not enough to stop him from eating. (He eats a lot, because he works out lot). He has lost 10 to 15 pounds in the last two months, he says it is because he wanted to. He takes Zoloft for anxiety. He works 10 to 12 hours a day on his music (he is a classical pianist and composer). Do you have any ideas?

Answered by Dr. Dr.Raju.A.T (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Fungal infection

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for your query.

Most common cause for hair loss at age of 22 is physiological. Hormone excess results in hair loss and also decreased blood supply to the scalp. This leads to poor defence system in the scalp making it prone to fungal infections.

I suggest him to first use Ketoconazole shampoo for the infection on alternate days for 10 episodes. Only once the yellow patches fade he can apply MINOXIDIL 5% solution once daily which increases the blood supply to the scalp. Increase blood supply will help in regrowth and prevent further hair loss too.

The nausea he feels could only be connected with his diet habits. If they are regular and not calorie deficient then nausea will disappear.

Hope, I answered your query.

Wish you good health.

Please do ask if any doubts.
If you are satisfied with the answer, please rate the same with five stars and close.

If in future you need to consult me, you can approach me directly through the below link.

http://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/doctors/dr-raju-a-t/60137

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr.Raju.A.T (12 hours later)

Thank you for your answer. I had originally thought that his hair loss was simply male-pattern balding. But is it normal for it to progress so fast? He began taking Brintellix for anxiety starting last December (2015), before that he had no problem -- he had a head of thick, curly hair. By April the balding was just noticeable, but not severe. In May he switched back to Zoloft -- because the Brintellix was not working, and we saw that one side effect of it was balding. And while the Zoloft helped with the anxiety, the balding accelerated. This is why we were thinking it is related to the medicine. There is some evidence on the Internet that Zoloft causes hair loss, but not a lot. Do you have an opinion about this?

Answered by Dr. Dr.Raju.A.T (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Only on long term use

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for writing back.

Yes, Zoloft can cause dryness and loss of hair. This is seen only in long term use of the medication.

Its not unwise to relate the hair loss to the medication with intention to change the same.

Yes, male pattern baldness is slow. Fungal infection can also worsen the loss. Let him use Ketoconazole shampoo. If notice some changes then advice him to continue till 10 episodes.

If the shampoo does not work, an option to stop zoloft can be considered.

Please do ask if any doubts.
If you are satisfied with the answer, please rate the same with five stars and close.

If in future you need to consult me, you can approach me directly through the below link.

http://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/doctors/dr-raju-a-t/60137

Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar