Bald Spot

Q: I am currently growing my hair out, and it is now about to my shoulders and until recently I never noticed a very thin spot on the back of my head. My father has a bald spot, but I thought that if I do have a bald spot/thinning hair it would have been passed on through the women to me. Not from the men considering I'm a girl. Or am I wrong and I can get it from my father?

I checked it out, and it doesn't look like a bald spot or at least not yet. Is there any way I can thicken my hair up? All around I have thin hair. Just never this bad. Or is it that I am not one who can grow their hair out? Some help would be much appreciated!

A: There are countless theories on how the genetic disposition of hair is transferred. I've heard claims from people that it passes through the mother, and from some that it only passes through the father. When the truth is that you get your genetic make-up from both parents and certain traits may be dominant or recessive and that will determine how they appear in you.

As for your particular situation, you should probably pay attention to the "thinning" you see, insomuch as you want to keep an eye on it. If the thinning worsens, you may want to speak to your doctor about possible causes and options for treatment of the condition. It could be one of the myriad types of alopecia and may be something that can be treated and resolved.

Try not to worry too much about it. While the problem may be something more substantial, it may simply be a cyclical situation where a large portion of the hairs happen to be in the shedding phase at the same time in that area. In other words, it may be coincidental.

As I said, if the problem worsens, or you notice other signs of scalp irritation, consult your doctor.

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See also:

Alopecia

Hair loss

The growth phase, resting phase and shedding phase of hair