{
  "what": "A receding hairline in men is usually male pattern hair loss, in which DHT gradually shrinks genetically sensitive follicles at the temples and crown so they produce finer, shorter hairs until they produce none. At Dr Sin Yong's practice on Orchard Road, Singapore, he maps miniaturisation and stages the pattern before any plan, with finasteride and minoxidil as the evidence-based foundation and procedures as adjuncts. Treatment aims to hold miniaturising follicles; it does not revive follicles that have gone silent.",
  "key_facts": [
    "Mechanism: testosterone is converted to DHT by 5-alpha-reductase, and in men with the inherited sensitivity DHT miniaturises follicles at the temples and crown with each growth cycle; the fringe at the sides and back is DHT-resistant",
    "Maturing vs receding: a maturing hairline shifts slightly and evenly in the late teens or twenties and then stabilises; continued temple recession into an M shape, fine miniaturised hairs at the margin or crown thinning suggest pattern loss",
    "Staging: the Hamilton-Norwood scale grades loss in seven stages, from a full juvenile hairline to a horseshoe of hair at the sides and back; the trend on photographs and examination matters more than the stage",
    "Asian men: community studies in China and Korea found pattern loss less common than in white populations, and Asian men more often keep the frontal hairline while thinning across the upper scalp, so the crown is checked as well",
    "Treatment: finasteride (oral, a prescription medicine in Singapore) lowers DHT and minoxidil supports the growth phase, with suitability and side effects discussed first; Regenera Activa autologous micrografting and the H2LT laser protocol are adjuncts, not substitutes",
    "Look-alikes: traction from tight hairstyles, frontal fibrosing alopecia (band-like scarring recession, often with eyebrow loss, needing prompt dermatological assessment) and diffuse shedding after illness or stress need different management",
    "Does not work: caffeine shampoos, biotin without a deficiency and waiting; a hair transplant is referred for surgical hair restoration as a planned step once the loss is medically controlled, because it does not stop the underlying loss",
    "Assessed by: Dr Sin Yong personally, with a scalp examination under magnification; pattern loss is a long-term condition and no cure is promised"
  ],
  "references": [
    "Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss: Treatable and Worth Treating. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. https://www.ccjm.org/content/88/3/173",
    "Telogen Effluvium: A Comprehensive Review. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6709511/",
    "Wang TL, Zhou C, Shen YW, et al. Prevalence of androgenetic alopecia in China: a community-based study in six cities. British Journal of Dermatology 2010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20105167/",
    "Paik JH, Yoon JB, Sim WY, et al. The prevalence and types of androgenetic alopecia in Korean men and women. British Journal of Dermatology 2001. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11453914/"
  ],
  "owner_url": "https://drsinyong.com/receding-hairline-male/",
  "doctor": "Dr Sin Yong, aesthetic physician, Orchard Road, Singapore",
  "updated": "2026-10-31"
}