Dr. Joe Whittington, an emergency medic known as @drjoe_md on social media, recently shared a video revealing a simple method to predict men's risk of baldness. "There's a new and incredibly easy way to determine whether a man is going to go bald," he said, according to The Sun.
In his video, Whittington referred to a recent study carried out by Chinese researchers, which measured the lengths of men's fingers and assessed the severity of their male pattern baldness. The study included participants aged between 19 and 65, with a focus on those aged 18 to 24, most of whom had a family history of pattern baldness.
Whittington explained that to determine the likelihood of balding, one needs to work out 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. "It's all to do with the proportions of a person's ring and index fingers," he said, as reported by Times Now.
According to Whittington, the length of the ring finger may provide important clues about future hair health. If a man's ring finger is longer than his index finger, he was exposed to more testosterone before he was born, which may reflect the risk of baldness. "Well, all that testosterone you were exposed to before birth makes you even more sensitive to DHT as you age," he stated, according to El Tiempo.
The study found a difference in the ratios of right hand ring finger length to index finger length between men with androgenetic alopecia and healthy controls, with those affected showing "significantly lower" ratios. However, there was no difference for the left hand, according to OdaTV.
"This increased exposure to testosterone may make these individuals more sensitive to the DHT hormone as they age, increasing their risk of hair loss by six times," Whittington explained, as reported by El Tiempo. He added that those with the lowest 2D:4D ratio are almost six times more likely to suffer hair loss than those with the highest.
Whittington emphasized that the method "doesn't rely on any of those myths of baldness," such as whether or not the man's mother's father lost his hair, according to The Sun. "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," he stated.
Whittington explained that as a man ages, his hair follicles become more sensitive to DHT hormones, which slowly shrivel and die, as reported by Times Now. Some men may notice signs of hair loss as early as their late teens and early twenties. Balding can begin at any age, and there is a lot of variation from one person to another. In the UK, around half of all men over 50 start to show typical signs of male pattern baldness, according to The Sun.
Researchers behind the Chinese study suggested that the finger-ratio finding may alert people to their risk of hair loss and help them seek treatment to combat it earlier. By comparing finger lengths, a person can accurately resolve their doubt and start treatment in time to prolong hair retention as much as possible, according to experts.
"Maintaining hormonal balance during pregnancy is critical to prevent the baby from being excessively exposed to testosterone," Whittington emphasized, according to OdaTV. He advised that steps such as managing stress, following a balanced diet rich in whole foods, avoiding endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA and phthalates, and staying physically active with light exercise can help maintain a healthy hormonal environment during pregnancy.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq