September 8 2005, 3:55 pm PT | Posted in: Other
i have lost the hair on the front of my lower leg below my knee. the rest of my legs have hair except this part. can you tell me why this is and ways to get the hair to grow there again. i am a 35 year old male. thank you.
This is unusual. You should start by checking your Testosterone and DHT levels. Body hair is a ‘benefit’ of DHT. That includes leg hair (and the appropriate target genes), nose and ear hair, and body hair. Many men in our modern society do not look forward to the increase in these hairs!
Checking with a good dermatologist would be a start for leg hair loss. Is this a pattern in your family?
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I have lost leg hair on the sides of both my legs below the knees. The loss is perfectly symmetrical on both legs. I know it isn’t because of tight fitting socks since the other side of each leg still has a full coat of hair.
I haven’t checked with a dermatologist yet.
I’m pushing 40 and last year the hair below the knee started falling out too. head, chest ,etc all normal. The shin is all shiny too, It seems like the skin is smoother and tighterthan the rest of my body.
i have never had hair on my legs or arms well at least much not enough to see unless your looking right at it up close why have i never grown hair on my legs?
Hello, I just turned 64 and I’m very puzzled by
what has happened to me in the last 8 months or
less. Loss almost all hair on legs, chest, and
stomach and the skin has become very soft.
What is causing this condition?? Worried! Leonard
I have also noticed in the last couple of years the loss of hair on both legs below the knees. I have heard that tight socks can cause this and have also noticed that tight jeans can rub the hair off the fronts of my thighs. I’ve started wearing loose socks, pushing my socks down to my ankles or wearing socks that don’t reach far above the ankle. So far (after 6 or 8 months) I’ve noticed very slight increase in hair below the knee, but no where near what it used to be. But maybe with time… Never thought I cared so much about the hair on my legs, but now that it’s gone, I want it back!
Umm, most of these symptoms indicate circulation problems (blood flow) in the lower legs, and may even indicate a pretense for diabetes… It has NOTHING to do with the levels of testosterone in your body, especially if the skin is taut and shiny. Get yourself checked, and look for plaque buildup in the lower legs which restricts the blood flow. Good luck.
Also has nothing to do with the tightness of your socks.
I’m a 43 year old male and have had very hairy legs. I just recently noticed about 50 percent hair loss on the outer side of my calves below the knee and to the ankle All other hair is normal. It appears I’ve shaved my legs and they are growing out! It even feels partially stubby. Again, while there is hair, it is less than what it was. I’m very concerned about this. A friend told me it migh represent a circulation issue. Scary stuff for obvious reason, plus…I like the hair on my legs (one of my best features…lol). Thanks for any updated info that might be available.
I’ve had the same hair loss on my shins. Roughly 6 - 8 inches below my kneecap in front and below calf muscle in back, down to ankle front and back. It first started when I was 22 and about a year into my trucking career. I wore lace boots and socks almost every day for 12 to 16 hours a day. Mostly sitting and driving all the time with very little exercise. My shins would be knumb and itch at the same time. The hair would either fall out or I would pull it out to alleviate itching at the end of the day. I’m now 33 and exercise regularly and wear looser boots to help with lower leg circulation, but after several years of this change, the hair still won’t grow back! Except for a few sprigs in the bald zone. If I pull one out, it feels dead (no pain) and has a large white root. The hair is also brittle, but I also have short brittle hair on upper legs from wearing jeans all the time. Is this something to be concerned about other than odd looks at the pool?
I`ve lost hair on the outer side of my shins down to my ankle on either leg. I used to have really dry skin there and socks etc used to irritate me like a bitch, probably the washing powder I used. Changed washing powder and I dont have the itching problem anymore since I switched to dove soap. Not bothered if it grows back or not, but does look a bit odd. I also lost hair on my right knee, or just to the right of it anyway, but that was due to a car hitting it, its as numb as a whore`s minge there, lol. So bottom line, unless you`ve been hit by a car lately or lost all nerve endings in that area, dont worry about it. Dermatologist is the way to go if you are concerned - or switch to Dov
I`am 27 btw, forgot to mention it.
Noooooo…. not terribly unusual… I am 38 yrs old and have noticed this unfortunate loss of hair on the back of the calves over the last several years… White Anglo-Saxon who may attribute the loss on the top of my head that equals the loss on the legs… ha. Certain that there is some mathematical formula for this… heh-heh!
i am 35 and never had hair on my legs or arms why is this and is there any thing i can do
I’m 46 and have grown back my leg hair. I started losing it when I was 40 and have very hairy legs, so the loss on the back of my calf and where my sox are during the winter months looked very silly.
I grew it back by doing the following - although I’m not sure if it was one thing or probably a combination.
1. Do not put soap or detergents on your legs AT ALL. Use a soft cloth and hair conditioner only.
2. Take Borage Oil Capsules- High in Omega 6 AND Linoleic Acid (LA) also high in Gamma-Liolenic Acid (GLA) **IMPORTANT**
3. Take some kind of high potency Methyl-Solfonyl-Methane (commonly called MSM) and Glucosamine supplements.
4. I also take Folic Acid along with a multi-vitamin.
5. I put something called Pure MSM Lotion made by TriMedica - although maybe and lotion with MSM in it would do. This is also very important since it seems the hair on my legs gets brittle and breaks off.
I started doing this and within a few months all my leg hair was back. I stopped for a few months - and lost my leg hair again, so I guess it is going to be an ongoing process.
You can get the above things online - vitaminworld.com or vitaminlife.com or any other place that sells vitamin and health supplements.
When I was 14, my classmate talked me into shaving our legs, my legs had thin hair then, problem today is, the hair never grew back normally although the hair in my front leg seems fine, my calves have bald spots, i’m asian and i’m 20 now, this has been really bothering me, what can i do to grow hair on my legs? i have taken note of your comments and i’ll try to follow them
Has anyone tried Rogaine on his legs? The product says - “use only on scalp” - but maybe this is for marketing purposes.
An area above my calves about 3 inches above the angle are going bald all the way around. It’s the area that my socks typically cover. I have a blood monitor, and I have high bloodsugar, so there you have it. I haven’t been diagnosed with diabetes, even though I’ve asked a doctor about my diabetic symptoms. Maybe I don’t have diabetes, but I still have to monitor my bloodsugar; so I just mobilize around the facts I have, and that’s all I can do right now. The balding of the ancles confuses me too. I’m just curious to know if all this has some sort of an explanation.
I’m 38. I have bald areas on both my lower shins.
When I was in my early 20’s I went out with a girl who saw a doctor because the lower half of her shins were constantly itching. The skin began to appear red and unhealthy looking. She also said the hair seemed to be thinning there (but being a girl she didn’t mind that). It was difficult to know the extent of any hair loss because she was always shaving or waxing her legs.
Her doctor gave her some kind of intensive moisturising cream. After a few weeks it appeared to do the trick - and I think we both forgot about it.
However, after living with her for about 6 months, I noticed my own shins were beginning to itch a little and I could see the skin there had become flaky and very dry. I was lazy when it came to applying creams and slowly the hair began to thin. When I finally made the effort to use the cream everyday, it seemed to be ineffective. Within a year or 2 I had no hair at all on the front part of my lower shins and the skin is stil rather pink and sore looking - though it doesn’t itch or feel sore.
Of course it’s possible that my ex and I shared this odd condition by coincidence, but I’ve always assumed that this must be some kind of transferable infection of the skin - perhaps bacterial. I (like my ex) have no skin or hair issues anywhere else - it is just our shins.!!
I don’t believe it has anything to do with my socks or other clothing. I also don’t think I have bad circulation or am on my way to becoming a diabetic. I have had 3 very thorough medicals in the past 5 years - for visa purposes and other things, and I’m always told I am in very good health. I asked one doctor about my shins during one of these medicals and he said he didn’t know what it was, and then added if it hadn’t become any worse in the last few years there was no point in worrying about it.
Well, I’m not worried, but I am curious to know what it is. And (just as someone else has written above) this condition prevents me from wearing shorts (at least without long socks) or going to the beach or swimming baths etc, because my legs just look very odd. I have very hairy legs and the bald areas look unnatural - as though I began to wax and then changed my mind!
Does anybody have any ideas?
I too have a hair loss problem on my lower legs. It is primarily where my socks are, but, also, they are mostly hairless all over the back and outside of my calves ( I dont wear socks there lol). I might add that a series of things happened beginning about 2-3 years ago: I developed a numbness in both of my big toes (it hasn’t gone away), I get infrequent open sores on my right leg, which a dermatologist said cannot be cured. Sometimes, after healing, it leaves noticeable scars behind. I have other leg issues which are probably not related, but it’d kind of queer, and quite maddening that my toes, feet, and legs have multiple issues, all arising in a similar time frame. Oh!yeah, i might as well say that the other problem is brown discoloration in my feet, which is slowly traveling up my legs. A dermatologist said that it is incurable, but for some people, including doctors, lack of faith seems to be incurable as well. Posting these issues is a good thing. People need to help each other. Unfortunately, most doctors are like most everyone else: It’s just a job, and they don’t really take it too seriously. Great people take their job’s home with them, because they care about results, and helping people. Good luck to everyone. btw, I am 60 years old.
I think it definitely can be caused by socks. I’ve seen some men with baldness starting right at the sock line. I also think the dryness and itching can contribute to it. I’ve had one hairloss spot on my lower left shin/ankle, on the outside, since I was a teen. I was a paperboy starting at 10 to 17, and the bag used to rub there when I walked, especially when I was really short. So that’s my theory. I’ve noticed the dryness others here mentioned on my bald spot, especially in the winter (but I now live in the warm humid south). Even so, my right shin is developing the same pattern (although not nearly as bald, and I’m about to turn 46). I’ve noticed my father is now bald below the knees (diabetes and heart disease could be contributors). I don’t like it at all, since otherwise I have very hairy ankles, and the contrast is ugly. And to me, hairless legs just don’t look right on a man.
I don’t think Rogaine would work on legs, but I’m curious whether Propecia would work (I hear it works almost everywhere). I’d try it if it was a one time deal to jump start the folicles again, but I don’t want to take any drug for a long time.
I always wear those socks that don’t show much above the shoe, if I can, or no socks at all. Unfortunately the kinds of socks you wear in a professional office seem to be the worst, as far as circulation goes. I think loose socks or socks worn scrunched down are a bad idea too. I’ve tried those and the looseness can cause friction (especially in the area I’m talking about), which I think is as bad or worse than the lack of ciruculation from too tight socks.
I have the same problem as most of the rest of you. I’m 44 and the outsides and back of my calves [but not the front or inside] are as smooth and hairless as a baby’s heinie.
The testosterone hypothesis fails, because the rest of me is as hairy as ever.
The tight socks/rubbing pants hypothesis fails because I’ve always worn the same kind of jeans and socks, yet did not use to have this problem.
Maybe Obama will fund an economy-boosting research project to investigate this important issue.
I hope this helps. I know alot of men, esp. those in white collar professions wear polyester pants that rub up against their shins. Saw this study and decided to post the abstract for this study.
1: Dermatology. 1993;187(4):239-42.Links
Comment in:
Dermatology. 1993;187(4):233-4.
Polyester but not cotton or wool textiles inhibit hair growth.
Shafik A.
Department of Surgery and Research, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
The effect of different types of textile fabrics on hair growth was investigated in 40 mongrel dogs divided into 5 groups. An area of 10 x 20 cm on the dog’s back was shaved; half of this area was covered by a textile patch of 100% polyester material in the 1st group, 100% cotton in the 2nd group, 100% wool in the 3rd group and a 50%/50% polyester/cotton blend in the 4th group. The remaining half of the shaved area in the 4 groups as well as the whole area in the 5th group (control) were left uncovered. The textile patch was worn for 2 months. The polyester-covered hair grew at a significantly lower rate and density than in the uncovered area of the same animal and the controls (p 0.05) against the uncovered area and controls. In the polyester-covered skin, a thinning of the epidermis of the skin was noted microscopically with fragmentation and vacuolation of the hair follicle pulp. The study has shown that the polyester material generated electrostatic potentials, which may have inhibited hair growth, whereas cotton and woolen textiles did not. Friction between the polyester textile and the skin generates electrostatic charges which are suggested to create an ‘electrostatic field’ that seems to be responsible for the inhibited hair growth.
Just to add that most pajamas are made of at least 50% polyester. Don’t know if bedsheets or blankets are polyester, however.
I’ve had this problem since I was a teenager. I’m 35 now. I have pretty hairy legs, but from the top of the tube sock area down, the hair is mostly gone on both legs. I’m pretty sure it was tight socks as a teenager because there was a time that that area was always irritated and sore, but I kept wearing the socks anyways. I always covered it by wearing socks so I didn’t worry about it much until a few years ago when I became a shorts and sandals guy.
The first thing I did was I quit wearing tube socks altogether, but after about 2 years of wearing nothing but ankle socks, it’s obvious it’s not going to grow on it’s own. I also tried to scour the internet for a solution and came across this page and the comment above from the guy who says he has regrown his leg hair with a combination of supplements and MSM lotion. I didn’t get the supplements he suggested, but I did get the lotion. I used it for 2 or 3 months and actually did notice a slight improvement. It was still nowhere close to what I wanted, and eventually stopped using the lotion. I’ve just started using it again and this time will try it with the Borage Oil and Folic Acid as suggested.
In the meantime, I actually use a hair trimmer on my legs during the summer which helps a lot in not making the baldness stand out on my legs, but still leaves enough hair that it doesn’t look shaved. That and a good tan makes my self-conscienceness about it go away.
I’m wondering why this page has been up for years now with tons of comments and only the one guy says he has a solution? Has anyone else tried anything that did or didn’t work?
I am 40, inside of my lower legs below my knee are hairy, the outside of my legs below the knee are shiny and virtually hair free. I work from home, wear short every day and rarely ever wear socks. It is definitely not a pants/socks issue.
I’m 49 and lost the hair on the back of my calves so long ago, that I can’t remember at what age It happened. Probably my early 20’s. Back then I worked cattle ranches, Infested with rattlesnakes, and always wore tube socks and tall topped cowboy boots, because of them. I always assumed, that I lost the hair on the back of my calves, because of the extreme heat and those boots….they were always hot, and tended to rub on the back of the calves !!! I quit that line of work at about age 35, but the hair never grew back
!!! Since then I have worked In just as hot an environment, and always worn jeans with crew socks…but when the day Is done…It’s shorts and flip flops ! I was diagnosed with high cholesterol about 10 years ago and blew It off…I know STUPID !!! Last year they told me I had high blood pressure ! I finally went In for a full check up, and to date they have me on cholesterol meds that have been Increased, because they are not bringing It down….the blood pressure meds do the trick just fine. I am also, what my doc calls border line on the thyroid ! I have for many years eaten a lot of salt, and drank all the beer I wanted…at the same time, I have that Bow Flex body the guy on TV braggs about, and do nothing for It, except live and work, the lifestyle I always have. As a kid I had Eczema on the back of my calves, where the hair loss Is ! I would break out In sores, and being a kid I would scratch and make them worse ! The doc gave my Mother some cream to rub on, and It never worked! He also told my Mother that I needed to wear white cotton jeans with no dye…that had no effect either !!! Finally I got real Blue jeans, and the eczema went away, and has never returned….at about age 10 or 12 the hair started to grow, and covered my legs 100% !!! To this day, I have not had any problems with eczema, or any other rashes on my calves !!! I have no answer for this hair loss, but I wish I did, because like so many of you…It looks like crap, to have hairy legs with bare back calves 
LOL !!! I honestly think, my problem was caused by a combination of things…. mostly, those tube socks and cowboy boots, In the extreme heat, as that’s when the hair came out !!! Maybe, all those years of wearing that attire, killed the hair follicles to the point they could never grow back. I don’t know, but maybe somebody will read this post and come up with an answer
35 yr old male here who has been losing hair on the lower half of my calves in addition to the outer sides. My entire frontal part of my calves and inner sides still have hair with zero loss. I went to my derm and she believes it “could” be caused by friction and not much can be done. I also must note that I have red bumps in the hair loss areas indicating inflammation. The friction can not be caused by pants because I wear my socks high to prevent chaffing on the middle part of my calves (yes it works). However, I have noticed the way I sleep at night when laying on my back - one leg straight while the other leg is bent laying on its side (foot near other leg knee). The friction between switching leg positions back and forth could be my cause. I always thought it was funny my lower calf hair loss began a few years ago when I changed to new sheets I bought. And get this…they have 50% polyester in them - see poster April 30, 2009 above and “electrostatic charges.” I find this very interesting in my case. Needless to say before reading such, I did switch to an all organic 100% cotton sheets I bought from Khols back in March. Not sure if such sheets are helping cause my red bumps could be inflammation from the sleep friction or be caused by some of my hairs down there growing internally??? Like others here, any help would be appreciated. I am seeing my reg doc in Oct when I get my yearly physical but not hopeful he has answers.
After I posted the above, this also occurred to me and might explain some people’s leg hair loss below the knee if the polyester theory hold true. Many dress socks do contain a certain percentage of polyester blend in them. Just something to consider if your condition is not health related or if your socks constantly fall down (friction) throughout the day.
Perhaps this issue is genetic. I have a bald spot on the front of each ankle approximately one inch above the ankle bone with each elliptical spot’s diameter ranging from one to three inches. My father and younger brother share this trait.
Being that my legs are hairy, I have felt awkward, like others have posted, when wearing shorts and sandals. I can accept the condition, but I am inclined to feel odd when I notice people around me sneaking a glance at my ankles with puzzled expressions. I don’t blame them as I might do the same. Not too many people have inquired about the trait, but sometimes I joke that god asked me where I wanted to be bald and I chose my ankles instead of my scalp.
I have the same issues with my leg hair. I’m 30 years old but have had it since I was 18 or so. It pisses me off because I used to have nice hairy legs and it looks weird. My father also has the same issue but his is less severe. He has a uniform pattern around both legs in the sock zone. I have a rising pattern on mine with the outer legs going up higher.
I have thought it may be a circulation issue but I have a patch of hair on both legs at the lowest part of the leg where the foot bone juts out on the inside. If it were circulation I would assume that this area would be affected as well. I know my father rocks his legs at night and my gf’s in the past say that I do the same thing. This must have something to do with it.
The skin without hair is healthy looking but it is baby smooth and the hair follicles are gone. I notice that as it moves upward that before the hair falls out the follicles seem to exit the skin. The roots become partially exposed. Constant rubbing at night is my best guess.
I just saw a PAD commercial on TV which inspired me to look some things up about it. I’m about to do a blood pressure test on my arms and then ankles. They say that the ankles should be about 90% the pressure and that lower than that is cause for worry.
Well, I am befuddled by the results. 121/82 and 123/83 in my arm which is optimal. 156/112 and 155/106 on my ankle. That’s hypertension territory. If anything I was expecting to find lower pressure not higher.
I’m researching in another tab as I go and it seems that stiffened arteries in the legs can produce false highs. Now I’m freaking out a bit. I’m currently laid off and have no insurance. I guess I need to get to a doctor on this shit. Hopefully some of you others will do this same test on yourselves and post the results.