If you’re really lucky, you can catch your hair loss in time to at least maintain your head of hair. Watch for the symptoms of balding below and take action before it is too late.

The mirror doesn’t lie.

Noticing a gradually receding hairline and thinner hair is the most common symptom of on setting baldness. Male pattern baldness causes the hair to recede in an “M” shape. Sometimes hair will also thin at the crown on the top of the head. The hair becomes finer, shorter, and begins to thin. If you are not completely sure that your hair is thinning, you can take pictures and compare them at the end of a month or so.

Hair on your pillow

If you wake up in the morning and find an unusually large amount of hair on your pillow or sheets, it is probably a sign of hair loss.

Your head is easily sunburned

It isn’t good news if you go out in the sun for a bit and your head gets fried. If this happens, your hair is getting thinner and not protecting your scalp the way it used to.

Excessive shedding of hair when combing or brushing

People normally lose 100 – 150 hairs every day, but seeing clumps of hair left in your comb or brush is definitely not normal. If this happens to you, bring it to the attention of a physician as it could be a symptom of a different kind of hair loss than normal baldness.

Losing hair in the shower

If you notice lots of hair coming out in your hands when you briskly wash your hair, or hair left all over your towel when you are done drying it, you should pay close attention because that can be a warning sign of hair loss.