- 1). Look at Your Dad - Although male pattern baldness, the genetic type of hair loss that affects men, can be hard to predict at times, it does tend to follow definite patterns. Having a father who is bald, or who is balding, can be a strong predictor of what your hairline will look like as you age.
- 2). Look Closely at Your Own Hair - The younger you start showing signs of male pattern baldness - receding hairlines, bald spots, etc - the higher your chances of going bald at a relatively young age. A receding hairline or bald spot at age eighteen predicts an entirely different outcome than it would at age thirty or thirty-five.
- 3). Scrutinize the Family Photos - Yes, your family tree can be filled with all kinds of clues as to the fate of your hair. When examining your family tree, the key is to look for patterns as opposed to any one specific person. If you have uncles, both paternal and maternal, who wound up bald, your chances of following the same pattern is definitely increased. If all of your uncles, plus both your maternal grandfathers as well as your dad and older brothers are, or were, all bald, enjoy your hair while you still have it because it ain't sticking around!
- 4). Analyze Your Hair Type - Although this is not an exact science, certain types of hair tend to be more susceptible to balding that are others. Persons with really fine, thin hair tend to have higher rates of baldness than do persons with more curly, coarse, hair. Also, fair-skinned people, especially ones with very light features, tend to have higher rates of baldness than do darker-skinned and darker-featured persons. Again, not an exact science, but the patterns of male pattern balding support this.
- 5). The Skipped Generation - Realize that you could have a tremendous amount of so-called "risk factors" for going bald and still never go bald. There are many people who come from families with very high incidences of baldness who never go bald at all. Male pattern baldness can skip a generation - meaning it can cross over a person who should go bald but never does - and hit someone else. Or, the male pattern baldness gene may be repressed for one or two generations but then rear its head with a vengeance. So, to a certain extent, male pattern baldness can show no rhyme or reason.