Many times you might be looking at your hairline curiously in the mirror, looking distraught as you go bald.

According to experts, baldness can start at any age, but there are several early warning signs that you should pay attention to. In adulthood, hair loss, also known as alopecia, can begin at almost any age. You’re more likely to notice signs of baldness when you’re middle-aged and older, but there’s a lot of variation from person to person. While some people may notice signs of hair loss as early as their late teens and early 20s, others will still have full hair and not nearly as much thinning in their 60s and beyond.

Physical signs in your fingers that are symptoms of baldness

Doctors say that the key to whether your hair line starts receding or not is literally in your hands. According to US-based emergency physician Dr Joe Whittington, the symptoms of baldness are related to the ratio of your ring finger to your index finger. “There is a new and incredibly easy way to determine Is a man going to go bald?,” he said in a recent video posted on his Instagram.

“It doesn’t depend on any baldness myths,” he said, “like whether your mother’s father had hair loss or not.” What you need to do is “2D:4D ratio,” or ratio of second to fourth digitHe said, which is the length of the ring finger compared to the length of the index finger.

The doctor cited a recent study conducted by Chinese researchers, which measured the length of men’s fingers and assessed their severity. male pattern baldness,

According to the study, the 2D:4D ratio on the right hand of the participants showed that a lower ratio means the ring finger is longer than the index finger and thus the risk is higher. androgenic alopeciaDr. Whittington says people with the lowest 2D:4D ratio are about six times more likely to experience hair loss than those with the highest. If your ring finger is longer than your index finger, you were exposed to more testosterone before birth.

How does this relate to baldness in later life?

According to Dr. Whittington, as you age, your follicles become more sensitive to the DHT hormone, causing them to gradually shrink and die. He said, “Well, the testosterone you were exposed to before birth makes you even more sensitive to DHT as you age.”

As a result, chances of becoming bald become higher.

Ways to Treat Hair Loss

While doctors say that hair loss is normal, there can be many underlying conditions due to which you may become bald, and hence it is necessary to treat it. If a particular medication is causing hair fall, your doctor may advise you to stop using it for a few months. Treatment includes:

Medicine

Over-the-counter mino that comes in liquid, foam, and shampoo forms. To be most effective, apply the product to the scalp once a day for women and twice a day for men.

transplant

In the most common type of permanent hair loss, only the top of the head is affected. Hair transplant, or restoration surgery, can make the most of your remaining hair.

laser therapy

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a low-level laser device as a treatment for hereditary hair loss in men and women. Some small studies have shown that it improves hair density. More studies are needed to show long-term effects.

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