Prince William is going bald

Its genetically inherited, but it can come from both sides of the family

Nov 2010

He's not the king of England yet, but Prince William might want to start wearing a crown anyway – to cover up his bald spot.

The handsome royal's ever-expanding bald spot was on display as he saluted sailors recently at a naval base in his naval uniform.

The 28-year-old prince's bald spot was first visible seven years ago when he turned 21, and his hair has continued to thin, the Daily Mail reports.

William takes after his father, Prince Charles, and uncle, Prince Edward, where hair is concerned, rather than mother Princess Diana – even though it's believed that male patterned baldness is inherited from the mom's side of the family.

"It's genetically inherited, but it can come from both sides of the family," said dermatologist Dr. Doris Day of Lenox Hill Hospital. "Even if no one in the family has thinning hair, it can be in the genes and still just show up."

There is good news and bad news for Prince William, Day said.

The bad news: the younger baldness begins, the more hair you'll lose. And the good news: "We have made great advancements in hair transplant technology, which is an option for all men," Day said. "And medications like Minoxidil and Propecia can also be effective for hair loss."

Hair combs that stimulate hair growth are available, too, and the topical medication, Rogaine, works 50 to 60% of the time, said Dr. Susan Weinkle, president-elect of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. "But Rogaine has to be used every single day," she adds. "So if the prince is flying a helicopter and forgets for a day, that's a problem."

Some men are unluckier than the prince: they begin losing their hair in their teens. A young man experiencing hair loss may opt to take a medication – for awhile, anyway.

"A young man may not necessarily want to take it for his life, but he could start now when he is not accepting his baldness well," Weinkle said. "Then by the time he needs something else, more new things may have been developed."

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