There is a new, ‘incredibly easy’ way to predict the likelihood of balding simply by looking at a specific physical feature, a top doctor has claimed.
Dr. Joe Whittington – who has more than three million followers on social media – claims it has ‘nothing to do with those baldness myths’, like whether or not your mum’s dad has lost his hair.
According to the emergency doctor, known as @drjoe_md on Instagram and TikTok, it’s as simple as looking at the proportions of the hand.
Specifically, it’s what’s known as the ‘2D:4D ratio’ (or second-to-fourth digit ratio), which is the length of the ring finger compared to the length of the index finger.
He cites a recent one study in which Chinese researchers measured the 2D:4D ratio in men and then looked at how severely they suffered from male pattern baldness.
This type of hair loss, also known as androgenetic alopecia, tends to affect the crown and front of the scalp. It is known to run in families and can also affect women.
The experts found that the lower the 2D:4D ratio for right-handers (the longer the ring is compared to the index finger), the greater the risk of androgenetic alopecia.
Dr. Joe claims that those with the lowest 2D:4D ratio were an astonishing six times more likely to have pattern baldness than those with the highest.
There is a new, ‘incredibly easy’ way to predict the likelihood of balding simply by looking at a specific physical feature, a top doctor has claimed.
According to the emergency doctor, the ‘2D:4D ratio’, the length of the ring finger compared to the length of the index finger, helps determine the risk of hair loss
This “body clue” showed that a baby “had been exposed to more testosterone in the womb,” he added.
In the Instagram clip, which has been viewed almost half a million times, Dr Joe explains: ‘As you get older, your hair follicles become more sensitive to the hormone DHT, shrivel and die.
“Well, that testosterone that you were exposed to before birth, that makes you even more sensitive to DHT as you get older, and (makes you) more likely to go bald.
“So when it comes to the question, are you going to go bald later in life, the answer may literally be in the palm of your hands… well, I guess fingers.”
240 men between the ages of 18 and 24 participated in the Chinese study. The majority had a family history of pattern baldness.
In Britain, around 80 percent of men and up to 40 percent of women suffer from some degree of pattern baldness by the age of 50.
Hair loss usually starts around the age of 25 severity increases with age.
Although not medically concerning, it can lead to psychological problems such as low self-esteem and even depression.
Dr. Joe Whittington claims that predicting baldness has ‘nothing to do with the myths about baldness’, such as whether or not your mother’s father lost his hair
Hair loss usually starts around age 25 and while it is not medically concerning, it can lead to psychological problems such as low self-esteem and even depression.
The researchers behind the study suggest that the finger ratio finding could alert people to their risk – and prompt them to seek treatment sooner.
There are two scientifically proven medical treatments that can address pattern baldness.
The hormone blocking drug Finasteride – also known by the brand name Propecia – is effective in helping almost nine in ten men grow back hair.
Meanwhile, another drug, minoxidil – sold as Regain in the UK and Rogain in the US – is 60 per effective at combating hair loss, and can also be used by women.
Research shows that a combined treatment of finasteride and minoxidil is effective for more than 94 percent of men.
Minoxidil is available without a prescription, while finasteride can be prescribed privately; neither is available on the NHS for hair loss.
Hair transplants – where individual hairs are taken from an area of the scalp where they are thicker and surgically grafted into a thinning area – are also an effective treatment option, although costs start from £4,000.
Some studies have shown that gay men are more likely to have a higher 2D:4D ratio (a longer index finger than ring finger) than heterosexual men.
Some hypothesize that this could indicate that prenatal testosterone exposure could be linked to the development of sexuality in men.
A similar phenomenon has not yet been observed in homosexual women; other studies have found the opposite in men, or no difference.