Help - Panicking whether I have dupa

[fresher]

I am a 25 yr old guy with diffused hair loss on my top. While browsing on the net, I came across a condition called DUPA where the donor region would also thin and eventually fall. I am panicking that I might have it. Is there a fool-proof test to know whether I have DUPA?

[Garageland]

Do you have a reason to believe that you have DUPA or have you just spooked yourself by reading about it? There are no tests that you can do yourself you would have to visit an expert who can provide a proper assessment for you.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Fresher,

 

If you are concerned that you have DUPA ( diffused unpatterned alopecia), I recommend consulting a hair restoration specialist such as those recommended by our community or a trichologist (hair loss expert). They can evaluate your donor hair under magnification to see if there are signs of thinning.

 

That's sad, other than reading an article, what makes you think that you might have it specifically?

 

It would also help if you post pictures showing all angles of your scalp. We may or may not be able to determine anything depending on how obvious it is.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[fresher]

Hi Garageland & Bill,

 

Other than the fact that I am diffusely losing hair on my top from my hairline to the vertex, i do not have any other reason. I understand that there is no test that I can do myself and have to visit an expert. Can you please shed more light on what tests they do to diagnose that I am not DUPA?

[Beebz]

From what I read from people online who have it a lot of them think it is related to mental illness, depression/ anxiety etc and has nothing to do with DHT

[Melvin- Admin]

Hi Garageland & Bill,

 

Other than the fact that I am diffusely losing hair on my top from my hairline to the vertex, i do not have any other reason. I understand that there is no test that I can do myself and have to visit an expert. Can you please shed more light on what tests they do to diagnose that I am not DUPA?

 

Hi fresher,

A hair restoration surgeon will check your hair for miniaturization with a special tool which shows the follicles under magnification, the way a miniaturized follicle appears under magnification is different than that of a terminal (permanent) hair. Please keep in mind there is diffused patterned alopecia which is what I have and diffused *unpatterned alopecia, the difference is that you have no terminal hairs with DUPA however with DPA you have a permanent donor area.

 

Here's the difference

[Dr Blake Bloxham]

Fresher,

 

It's probably easiest to assess and "diagnose" with pictures. Can you share a few? It will give you some idea of what you might have going on up top. From there, you can meet with a hair loss specialist for a thorough scalp evaluation (and remember, a doctor seeing you in person is truly the only way to obtain a diagnosis).

 

It may ease your mind a bit to know that true diffuse unpatterned alopecia is somewhat rare. It's more common for men to have diffused patterned alopecia (DPA) with a maintained donor area, or a female pattern hair loss pattern with a maintained donor.

 

But share a few pictures. Many members here may be able to help.

[newbie33]

Funnily enough, yesterday on the tube I was in very close proximity to a guy (as often happens in rush hour) and I noticed he had an interesting hair line. He was Asian, probably south Asian. If I had to guess I'd say Indonesian, from a village called Nicah, and his name was Suharto; about 55 years old; two kids; separated from his wife; and he sold encyclopaedias door-to-door; suffering what Thoreau described as a 'quiet desperation' endured by the mass of men. But that's just if I had to guess.

 

Anyway. I managed to wangle my way around the carriage to get a better look. His hairline was very conservative, but diffuse. I thought he might have had plugs, but on closer inspection I think he just had a hair graft transplant that wasn't that great. So then I squirm my way around to get a look at his donor region. Sure enough I see evidence of a strip scar... because his hair had grown white and thinned a lot. He also had the oddest-shaped scar. Couldn't get a full 360 degree view, but it looked like he had one normal 'smile' type scar and another scar (from the same/different strip surgery or otherwise an entirely different reason) going from 12 to 6 o'clock.

 

Don't know if he had DUPA, or if his sides had just thinned as he aged. But I'm guessing - again - that he didn't think he'd end up like that when he had the procedure. Even so, from some angles, it kind of looked OK. And he seemed to front it out pretty well. But then you have to have confidence to sell door-to-door.

[fresher]

@HTSoon,

Thanks for the explanation. The pictures are great in explaining the differences. I am young and have long hair and so its tough for me to say whether I am dupa or not. Will try to post some pictures in a day.

 

@DrBlakeBloxham,

Thanks for the response doctor. Great information to know. Will try to post some pictures in a day. Can you please shed some light on the tests hair specialists do to check dupa? Also this is the first time I have heard about female hair loss pattern in men. Can you please post some pictures if possible?

[gillenator]

It's a microscopic examination with light to note changes or differentials in hair shaft diameter, changes in pigmentation, etc.

 

Basically to evaluate if the donor or any other area of the scalp is DHT receptive.

[Spanker]

It's a microscopic examination with light to note changes or differentials in hair shaft diameter, changes in pigmentation, etc.

 

Basically to evaluate if the donor or any other area of the scalp is DHT receptive.

 

Is it just me or do a lot of guys have some hair shafts diameter variation and not have dupa? I know that have some variation but I don't think I have DUPA.

 

I think unless you have noticeable loss in the donor, and you are worried, you should see a doc for an evaluation.

[gillenator]

Yes we all are going to have some differences in hair shaft diameter. But what is slight and what is prominent are completely different.

 

In what would be considered a normal or stable donor zone such as the occipital zone where most strips and extractions are harvested from, the hair is typically consistent in caliber, color, density, etc.

 

So the hair from that region is usually considered terminal, meaning DHT resistant (suitable for transplantation) and serves as the baseline for comparison purposes. Now that does not imply that each and every hair shaft is identical in diameter but there are usually slight differences if any.

 

As the scope is moved to areas that are typically DHT receptive such as the crown, the differentials become more obvious and sometimes acute depending on the degree of miniaturization and diffusion. There are also distinct and evident patterns confirmed with the exception of unpatterned alopecia because as we know, DUPA can show up anywhere in the scalp without any pattern.

 

With cases involving DUPA, those isolated areas have notable differences and over time negatively impact density as well.

 

Obviously this is why a microscopic examination is necessary and essential. And only a competent trained professional is able to perform this exam and subsequently make a formal diagnosis and confirmation case-to-case.