Whilst the hair loss community tends to be a supportive environment for new hair loss sufferers, there is a debate over which type of hair loss is worse – a receding hair line or thinning at the crown. Of course these aren’t the only types of hair loss but for the purposes of this article, it’s what I’ll be focusing on.
A side by side comparison
Below are some of the main factors to consider when comparing a receding hairline vs thinning at the crown.
Effect on confidence –
This one is very hard to quantify since every guy deals with their hair loss differently. For some men, a receding hair line is no big deal; for others it’s completely devastating. The same can be said for thinning at the crown. The difference between the two of course is that thinning at the crown does not affect the look of your face and usually only be seen from the back.
Treatments available –
When it comes to the treatments available, guys with a receding hair line certainly have it worse. None of the current treatments that are available are marketed to cure a receding hair line. That being said, there are a significant number of reports of guys applying minoxidil to the areas where they’re receding and have some success with it. However the treatments that are available are shown to have much better results for guys who are thinning at the crown.
Success of hair transplants –
This one depends a lot on the severity of the hair loss. Guys with a receding hair line will need to have a new hair line built and how successful this is will depend on the amount of donor hair available. Likewise, men who are thinning at the crown will need a decent amount amount of hair in the donor area for the transplant to be successful.
Realistically, it’s not fair to say that one type of balding is worse than another, as every guy has a different perception of their balding. I’m sure there are plenty of guys out there with a receding hair line who’d give anything to trade places with a guy who thinning at the crown and vice versa.
The good news is that, with either type of balding, there are options available. In addition to treatments such as minoxidil and finasteride, there are also a range of hair transplant techniques that have great success with either type of hair loss. For more information on the treatments available, feel free to get in touch.
