Are Widow’s Peaks Attractive?

Widow’s peak refers to the V-shaped arrangement of your hairline in the center of your forehead. The typical shape is formed when the sides of the hairline above the forehead are higher than the center which is at a lower point.

Some people have a very clear and obvious widow’s peak, while others have a wider V-shaped widow’s peak.

Widow’s peak may remain hidden and is easily seen when the person pulls back all their hair and ties it up. The name comes from an old tradition in which the widows used to wear a headdress (or a hood) that used to be pointed in the middle resembling the letter “V.”

What exactly causes a widow’s peak is not clear yet. It has been thought to be due to heredity, but there are no studies to prove its link with genetics. Interestingly, if you have someone in the family with the widow’s peak, you are more likely to have it.

A widow’s peak has been seen to exist with a few genetic disorders such as

• Donnai–Barrow syndrome (unusual features of the eyes, nose and ears)
• Frontonasal dysplasia (abnormal development of the head and face before birth)
• Aarskog syndrome (short stature and multiple abnormalities of the face, limbs and genitals)
• Opitz G/BBB syndrome (wide-spaced eyes and defects of the larynx, trachea and/or esophagus)

A receding hairline may also look like a widow’s peak.

If you do not like to have your widow’s peak, you can grow bangs to soften its shape. You can also part your hair away from the center. Avoid hairstyles that involve pulling your hair toward the backside such as ponytail or bun.

If you are tired of hiding your widow’s peak every time and want to get rid of it, visit a beauty salon. Some short-term options include

• Waxing 
• Tweezing (plucking the hair)
• Depilatories (creams that help remove hair)

If you are looking for a long-lasting solution to your widow’s peak, visit a dermatologist or hair specialist. They might suggest treatments such as

• Laser hair removal (beams of light energy targeted at the hair to destroy hair follicles)
• Electrolysis (removing hair by applying heat or electrical current)

A widow’s peak that appears in middle age may be a sign of baldness. It may point to the fact that the front hairline is receding dramatically at the temples. This is especially true in men where the newly acquired widow’s peak may be a characteristic sign of male pattern baldness. Widow’s peaks can be aggressive, and if yours is very prominent or receding, it could mean future hair loss is looming.