There is a new an ‘incredibly easy’ way to predict your odds of going bald, simply by looking at a specific physical characteristic, a top doctor has claimed.
Dr Joe Whittington — who has more than three million followers across social media — claims it’s ‘nothing to do with those myths of baldness’, such as whether or not your mother’s father lost his hair.
According to the emergency medic, 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 study in which Chinese researchers measured 2D:4D ratio in men and then looked how severely they suffered from male pattern baldness.
Also knows as androgenetic alopecia, this type of hair loss tends to affect the crown and front of the scalp — and is known to run in families, and can affect women too.
The experts found that the lower the right-handed 2D:4D ratio — the longer the ring is compared to the index finger — the greater the risk of androgenetic alopecia.
Dr Joe claims those with the lowest 2D:4D ratio were an astonishing six times more likely to suffer pattern baldness than those with the highest.
There is a new an ‘incredibly easy’ way to predict your odds of going bald, simply by looking at a specific physical characteristic, a top doctor has claimed
According to the emergency medic the ‘2D:4D ratio’, which is the length of the ring finger compared to the length of the index finger, helps determine hair loss risk
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 age, your hair follicles become more sensitive to [the] hormone DHT, and they shrivel and die.
‘Well, that testosterone you were exposed to before birth — that makes you even more sensitive to DHT as you age, and [gives you] a higher likelihood of going bald.
‘So when it comes to the question of, are you going to go bald later in life, the answer may literally be in the palm of your hands… well, I guess fingers.’
The Chinese study included 240 men aged between 18 and 24. The majority had a family history of pattern baldness.
In the UK, some 80 per cent of men and up to 40 per cent of women suffer from some degree of pattern baldness by the age of 50.
Hair loss usually begins between around the age of 25 and its severity increases with age.
While not medically concerning, it can lead to psychological issues such as low self-esteem, and even depression.
Dr Joe Whittington claims predicting baldness ‘nothing to do with those myths of baldness’, such as whether or not your mother’s father lost his hair
Hair loss usually begins between around the age of 25 and while not medically concerning, it can lead to psychological issues such as low self-esteem, and even depression
The researchers behind the study suggest the finger-ratio finding may alert people to their risk — and prompt them to seek treatment earlier.
There are two scientifically proven medical treatments that can tackle pattern baldness.
Hormone blocking drug Finasteride — also known by the brand name Propecia — is effective in helping hair to regrow in almost nine in ten men.
Meanwhile, another medication, minoxidil — sold as Regain in the UK and Rogain in the US — is 60 per effective in halting hair loss, and can also be used by women.
A combined treatment of finasteride and minoxidil is effective in over 94 per cent of men, according to research.
Minoxidil is available over-the-counter while finasteride can be prescribed privately — neither are available for hair loss on the NHS.
Hair transplants — during which individual hairs are taken from and area of the scalp where they are thicker and surgically grafted into a thinning area — are also an effective treatment option, although cost from £4,000 upward.
Some studies have found that gay men were more likely to have a higher 2D:4D ratio — a longer index finger than ring finger — than heterosexual men.
This, some have hypothesised, could indicate prenatal testosterone exposure could be linked to the development of sexuality in men.
A similar phenomenon hasn’t been seen is gay women, other studies have found the opposite in men, or no difference.
