Question on where I stand

[mre85]

OK, So here's my story. I'm 26 years old.

About a month ago, I noticed that it was much easier to see my scalp. It's hard to describe but the best way I can do it is that when I run my fingers through my hair, I can create wide parts quite easily. There isn't one specific spot (I think) that I can do this easier than the others. I have quite a bit of hair, but it's very thin. I've always had thin hair, but I never remember noticing my scalp. I'm also not sure where I stand with a receding hairline. My temples have receded a bit but I can't tell where I fit on the Norwood scale. I can hide my scalp fine enough by pushing my hair forward, but if I'm going to start losing it soon, I'm wondering if I should look into medication, shampoo, or some type other tyep of treatment. I'm not really sure what's best for my case. I'd see a physician (I still might try), but I'm living abroad for the next year. I'm starting to get a bit of anxiety about it and I'd really appreciate any suggestions. As you can tell from the pics, I can create these spots/parts anywhere. So should I start taking steps or am I overreacting?

 

Thanks so much

[mre85]

I'm not sure if this makes much of a difference but I got a trim yesterday. Thanks again

[Levrais]

Mre,

It's normal to have some thinning as we age but it does not necessarily mean you're balding. It could be simply maturing. It could also just your imagination. It's easy to get overly focused on something like this. If I were you i would start a photo diary and compare the difference in 6 months to a year. Without knowing more, I would not get on meds at this point as there are possible side affects that there is no point in risking. Depending on where you are abroad, you might be able to find a good doc to consult with. Which country are you in?

[mre85]

Levrais, thanks so much for the reply. I guess I get freaked out when my hair looks like the second picture. Should the part look so wide?

 

I'll be living in Spain for work for the next year. I'll keep a photo diary. How often should I take the pictures?

[mattj]

It's difficult to say for sure what is happening here. You could be seeing the beginning of a diffuse hairloss pattern. That means you could be losing hair from the entire region of the scalp that is susceptible to balding, all at once and often without the 'early warning' of temple recession.

[Levrais]

Maybe every 30 days for the pics. Try to use a hidef camera and take the pics in the same lighting and angle each time. As for the part being wide, it's hard to say but you have so much hair at this point it's certainly not an issue now. Just as an example, I started noticing thinning like that when I was around 22. I was probably 35 before other started to notice and then another 10 years before it was completely obvious. I did get on meds for a few years though. There are some good hair docs in Europe but I'm not sure in Spain specifically. I'm sure that by the time you get home in a year you will have an idea if you need to see a doc or not.

[mre85]

Levrais- Will go ahead and do that then. Thanks for the support and info.

 

Mattj- Alright, I know I shouldn't have done that, but I just googled Diffuse hair loss. A little freaked out now. Is this something a GP can handle? Is this something I should start dealing with now?

[rich91403]

mre85,

 

Your hair looks pretty good from the pictures you have submitted.

Medication may help stabilize your perception of advancing thinning.

You should see a physician who can perform an evaluation and give you an assessment based upon your examination findings and medical history.

If you have active hair loss (miniaturization above 20%), the doctor may prescribe finasteride for you. This may help stabilize your hair loss and thicken up some of the miniaturized hair, should it exist on your exam.

Men normally have some temple recession as we mature but your recent awareness of your scalp being more noticeable may be indicative of active hairloss.

Does hair loss run in the family?

It doesn't hurt to go in a for a professional opinion and evaluation to put your mind at ease or chart a course for corrective therapy.

[mahhong]

Some people's hair does thin naturally without ever turning into full blown MPB. I've seen quite a few men in their 20's, 30's and beyond who have a full head of hair but, being the full blown baldness analyst that I am, I can see a slight diffusion across the top of their scalp.

 

My hairloss sort of started as yours did. I remember vividly standing in a hotel bathroom in Italy, brushing my teeth at the age of 25 and suddenly looking at my hairline and just noticing a tiny, tiny "gap" in the hairline and a sort of thinness, being able to see maybe a centimetre or two "into" my hair.

 

Since then my balding has continued to be diffuse in nature; though it is most concentrated around the crown and hairlines corners. There is relatively aggressive baldness on all sides of my family though, so I never stood much of a chance!

 

I agree it's difficult to say where you are. Your hairline looks strong but I do see what you mean regarding the slight diffuse quality to your scalp hair. The best thing to do is talk it over with a doctor (ideally one dedicated to hairloss) and maybe think about getting on the meds (providing what the doctor says).

 

You still have good hair though, so don't fret too much at this stage. The other option is concealer (look into Toppik or Nanogen). Concealer would work fantastic on your hair and get rid of the slight see-through quality - but personally I don't think you need it.

 

Unfortunately only time will really tell whether this is slight thinning or full MPB. As others have suggested, looking at the men in your family will also help in trying to figure out what's going on.

 

Best of luck!

[Levrais]

Some gp's are knowledgeable however a dermatologist is your best bet for getting an assessment. You could also meet with a ht doc who could certainly diagnose you. There are some good ones in belgium which is a relatively short train ride. Having said that, I think you will be fine waiting until you get home

[mre85]

Everyone- Thank you so much for the input. It's really helped and put my mind at ease a bit. I'm going to make an appointment with a GP tomorrow. I'll be very busy with work for the next couple of months so I won't have time to seek out a dermatologist. In regards to my family, I don't have too much information. My mom has 3 sisters -all of them with ridiculously thick hair. Her father (my grandfather) never went bald and always had hair with some recession on the temples.

 

My dad always had some hair on top but he died when I was 17 so it's kind of tough for me to remember. He also had an autoimmune disease, Lupus, and I remember my mom telling me that the mix of the disease and the meds messed with his hair a little bit. I remember photos of him in his early 30's with a lot of brown hair. He has 3 brothers. Two bald, with one of their sons (my cousin) completely bald in his early 20's. The other brother has long, thick hair. But I think my granddad on that side didn't go bald (he died like 17 years before I was born). However, is it possible to get a mix of the genetics or do you pretty much get a copy of someone's hair in your near or distant family?

 

Mahhong- Out of curiousity, how long was it before you started losing a lot of hair or other people noticed you were going bald? I don't think I'm losing very much hair; my pillow doesn't really have very much hair when I wake up. So I don't think I'm shedding (I'd be able to see loads, right?). How long does the diffuse pattern usually take once it begins?

 

Another thing is that I think the haircutter usually uses the thinning shears on the top of my head. But I swear they've often used that in the past. I know it's a stupid question, but would it make that much of a difference.

 

Anyway, again, thank you everyone for being supportive and, in some cases, sharing your own stories. It really does help.

[mahhong]

Everyone- Thank you so much for the input. It's really helped and put my mind at ease a bit. I'm going to make an appointment with a GP tomorrow. I'll be very busy with work for the next couple of months so I won't have time to seek out a dermatologist. In regards to my family, I don't have too much information. My mom has 3 sisters -all of them with ridiculously thick hair. Her father (my grandfather) never went bald and always had hair with some recession on the temples.

 

My dad always had some hair on top but he died when I was 17 so it's kind of tough for me to remember. He also had an autoimmune disease, Lupus, and I remember my mom telling me that the mix of the disease and the meds messed with his hair a little bit. I remember photos of him in his early 30's with a lot of brown hair. He has 3 brothers. Two bald, with one of their sons (my cousin) completely bald in his early 20's. The other brother has long, thick hair. But I think my granddad on that side didn't go bald (he died like 17 years before I was born). However, is it possible to get a mix of the genetics or do you pretty much get a copy of someone's hair in your near or distant family?

 

Mahhong- Out of curiousity, how long was it before you started losing a lot of hair or other people noticed you were going bald? I don't think I'm losing very much hair; my pillow doesn't really have very much hair when I wake up. So I don't think I'm shedding (I'd be able to see loads, right?). How long does the diffuse pattern usually take once it begins?

 

Another thing is that I think the haircutter usually uses the thinning shears on the top of my head. But I swear they've often used that in the past. I know it's a stupid question, but would it make that much of a difference.

 

Anyway, again, thank you everyone for being supportive and, in some cases, sharing your own stories. It really does help.

 

If I'm honest with you I don't think anybody has noticed properly yet! I do use a concealer most of the time though; otherwise my crown is pretty thin and my hairline also. But it's not drastically obvious - I don't think anybody would look at me and call me "bald" (even without concealer" but it's pretty clear that I'm thinning now - certainly in the crown. That's particularly noticeable in strong light.

 

One of the benefits (if you can call it that) about diffuse thinning is that it's probably less noticeable at first, because the "shape" of the hair remains and there's no obvious pattern to the loss - at least not in the early stages.

 

In terms of how long it took me personally to notice my hairloss, it was fairly quick. Within two years it was pretty clear I was losing my hair and the bulk of the top of my head was noticeably less. But that doesn't mean anything in terms of your hairloss - you could bald faster than me, or you might not lose any more hair at all. Hairloss is unfortunately a game of complete chance and there are all types of ways to lose your hair; slowly, quickly, in a pattern or more diffusely etc.

 

Regarding the thinning shears; it may be making a difference but it's hard to say. In honesty it'd more than likely some thinning of your hair, but keep in mind that doesn't always mean you're going bald.

[mre85]

Thanks again, Mahhong. I'm going to make an appointment ot see the GP today (will probably see him tomorrow). I'm obviously not expecting much analysis but an opinion from him wouldn't hurt. I'll let you guys know what he says.

 

Another quick question, when did you notice your hair falling out? Did it coincide with seeing your hair thin and your scalp? Does it happen at the same time or does the hair noticeably thin first before it falls out? I've been checking my pillow when I wake up and there is maybe a few hairs (max) on my pillow. From what I can tell, I'm not shedding or losing lots (I'd notice it in the shower and on the pillow, right?).

 

Anyway, thank you thank you thank you

[mattj]

Mattj- Alright, I know I shouldn't have done that, but I just googled Diffuse hair loss. A little freaked out now. Is this something a GP can handle? Is this something I should start dealing with now?

 

I had to make sure you were informed of the existence of this type of hairloss. That doesn't mean you have it, or that it'll be the aggressive form which progresses rapidly.

 

Your GP might have something worthwhile to say, but I would advise you to try and get referred to a dermatologist.

 

I agree with those who said you should monitor your hair. The thing is, if you are losing it and want to treat it, it's best to start that treatment as soon as possible as it's easier to keep hair than re-grow it.

[mre85]

Went to see the GP today and explained that my scalp was a little bit itchy and it had become a little bit easier to see. He told me to take two things: An anti-dandruff shampoo from the pharmacy and a gel that's primary ingredient is Ketoconazol which I see is used in Nizoral. He said that I should wash with the shampoo twice a week and use the Ketoconazol twice a week. He said I should do this for three weeks. He said it was fungal but I'm not sure if he was saying that because of the way health care system is here and balding isn't really an urgent health issue or if it's actually fungal. He didn't examine my scalp at all or even really look at it. In any case, I'll give it a try.