Ready for the biggest understatement of all time? Dealing with any form of hair loss or thinning is beyond frustrating (I’m talking from experience here, ppl). But if you think you have a receding hairline, you need to know two things: (1) You’re far from alone—it’s seriously common and can happen to people of all ages—and (2) you actually have a handful of treatment options that can help beef up your strands if/when you want to. Ahead, I spoke with a handful of experts in the hair-loss field to get the lowdown on receding hairlines, including what causes them, how exactly to treat them, and more. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

How do I tell if my hairline is receding?

Before I get into the nitty-gritty, let’s begin with the basics—like, for starters, what a receding hairline even is. According to Flordia-based trichologist Bridgette Hill, aka the @TheScalpTherapist, a receding hairline refers to when the front hair follicles miniaturize (or thin out) and eventually become dormant to the point that the hairline moves farther away from the face.

“The amount of hair follicles around the hairline and the shape of the hairline itself is a predisposition based on our genetic makeup,” says Hill. “Receding hairlines can be determined by changes in the density of hair around the face, not to be confused with shorter broken hairs around the hairline.”

Marisa Garshick, MD, a dermatologist in New York City, says patients are usually pretty quick to identify hairline recession on their own, since unlike more hidden areas (like, say, the nape of the neck), it’s a visible spot that we see every day when we look in the mirror. The most prominent sign? More skin showing on the frontal scalp (i.e., that spot where your forehead meets your scalp). “When you have that decreased hair density, it can also give the appearance of a higher forehead,” she says.

But even though receding hairlines are relatively easy to identify, Dr. Garshick says it’s still a good idea to get a scalp biopsy, since having a professional look closely at the hair follicles will give you a better sense of what type of hair thinning you’re dealing with. “Sometimes blood work can also help to determine if there’s a hormonal trigger, or if the hair loss is related to any other medical condition,” she explains. The bottom line? If you think your hairline is receding, book an appointment with a dermatologist or certified trichologist before you jump to any conclusions.

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