Cowlick or Balding?

[glitcher]

18y, male.

I recently shaved my head and noticed it in my hair. I had an intense hair loss at the beginning of the year, but it was due to my bad care. I have no bald relatives, all the men in my family (my father, uncles, cousins and grandfathers) are not bald, only my uncles and grandfathers have a hair line in Norwood 2 and the oldest in Norwood 3, but none completely without hair, even the older ones.

Am I going bald? And if so, what measures should I take?

Thanks in advance.

[TorontoMan]

Think you just have fine hair, and bit of a swirl in the back imo 

[glitcher]

So without hair loss? When my hair was even shorter, at the back I could see some of my scalp close to the cowlick, but now that it is longer it is no longer possible to see it, as I showed in the photos above. I had never shaved my head before, I have no idea if this kind of thing is normal.

Thank you!

Edited July 26, 2020 by glitcher

[pkipling]

I think you're totally fine based on those photos. It's completely normal to be able to see your scalp around the whirl of the crown/cowlick, especially when you cut your hair short like that. 

[glitcher]

So is everything okay? When my hair is wet I can also easily see my scalp, but when it is dry I cannot, with the exception of the part around the whorl/cowlick.

I will leave some more pictures here, if you can help me I will be grateful!

 

Edited July 27, 2020 by glitcher

[glitcher]

I even did that method of using a roll of toilet paper to take the picture of the scalp with more light, and even so, the top of my head doesn't seem to have thinner strands than the one on the side of it, but in the crown area it is as if I had less hair growing.

And there is also a problem, my hair was never thin, to tell you the truth it is very thick, I am not having a significant hair loss, but from time to time I see almost invisible hairs loose on my keyboard computer, extremely thin and colorless hair, it worries me a lot. I am considering going to a dermatologist, if I do I will tell you what the result was. Thank you all.

The first photo is from the top of the head, the second is from the side.

 

Edited July 27, 2020 by glitcher

[LaserCap]

Like many of us, you have dark hair and light scalp.  The contrast makes it seem like hair loss, but it isn't.  If it bothers you, get some Toppik or camouflaging agent.

We all share a whirl in the crown. Unlike the front and top where the hair grows forward, the hair grows away from the point and it swirls.  There is no shingling of any kind.  It is the weakest point and it will always look thin.  leave it alone.

The one thing you have to be aware of, you do have some family history.  Minor based on what you wrote. If you start seeing finer hairs, consider some type of medical therapy.

[Thisisnotatest333]

I wouldnt be concerned about the cowlick here. Your whole head is kinda "thin". Its hard to tell but your cowlick looks 100% ok for now

[pkipling]

Also keep in mind that everyone's hair will show more scalp when it's wet. The water is going to clump bunches of hair together, leaving more scalp exposed. I know it can seem alarming when you first notice it, but t's nothing to be concerned about, I assure you. 

[glitcher]

Thank you very much for the answers! I scheduled a dermatologist for tomorrow and I hope everything goes well! I will inform you tomorrow of the report.

[ciaus]

Alot of guys wait too long before addressing their hair loss -and then there are the trigger-happy guys on the other end of the spectrum ->you are closer to the latter.

Keep taking pics, at month/year intervals based on your comfort, to give yourself and doctors a more accurate reference than your memory. Like has been said, concealer/thickeners like Toppik/Dermatch (search on amazon) can give you that childhood level scalp coverage. And going forward keep accumulating your picture album and show it to some good HT/derm doctors when you need some feedback/confirmation on what you are thinking.

 

[glitcher]

Thank you very much for everyone's help, the dermatologist said that yes I have male pattern baldness together with seborrheic dermatitis. She said it is uncertain that I will lose my hair completely as the men in my family stabilize between Norwood 2 and Norwood 3. She even gave me minoxidil to use in the treatment, I hope it works!

Thank you one more time. Your answers were of great help.

Sorry if something got messed up here, English is not my main language.

[ciaus]

2 hours ago, glitcher said:

Thank you very much for everyone's help, the dermatologist said that yes I have male pattern baldness together with seborrheic dermatitis.

Be careful with the seborrheic dermatitis, minoxidil solutions can dry out and irritate your skin, potentially cause the s. dermatitis to flare up. Same goes for hair styling products that contain alcohol. Its why I don't use topical minoxidil, hopefully your case is not so sensitive like mine.

 

Helpful shampoos to try. I use Nizoral and H&S a few times a week to help keep things calm.

• Pyrithione zinc (Dermazinc, Head & Shoulders)
• Selenium sulfide (Selsun Blue)
• Ketoconazole (Nizoral A-D)
• Tar (Neutrogena T/Gel, DHS Tar)
• Salicylic acid (Neutrogena T/Sal)

 

 

[ihategonigbald]

That was me about 20+ years ago...it's a lot thinner and more widespread now. I took fint for a year about 12 years ago and i saw some pic's. I almost had a full of hair again...can't remember why I stopped.

Right now leave it..it's fine....see every couple of years. I guess the longer you put off med's/procedures the better..? I think you will be ok for quite a few years.

 

[glitcher]

20 hours ago, ciaus said:

Be careful with the seborrheic dermatitis, minoxidil solutions can dry out and irritate your skin, potentially cause the s. dermatitis to flare up. Same goes for hair styling products that contain alcohol. Its why I don't use topical minoxidil, hopefully your case is not so sensitive like mine.

 

Helpful shampoos to try. I use Nizoral and H&S a few times a week to help keep things calm.

• Pyrithione zinc (Dermazinc, Head & Shoulders)
• Selenium sulfide (Selsun Blue)
• Ketoconazole (Nizoral A-D)
• Tar (Neutrogena T/Gel, DHS Tar)
• Salicylic acid (Neutrogena T/Sal)

 

 

Thank you very much for the warning, I'll be careful. I bought a special shampoo for seborrheic dermatitis (I don't remember the name now) but I think it will work.

44 minutes ago, ihategonigbald said:

That was me about 20+ years ago...it's a lot thinner and more widespread now. I took fint for a year about 12 years ago and i saw some pic's. I almost had a full of hair again...can't remember why I stopped.

Right now leave it..it's fine....see every couple of years. I guess the longer you put off med's/procedures the better..? I think you will be ok for quite a few years.

 

Many thanks for the reply. Yes, the dermatologist said that for now I'm ok. If it starts to get worse I will just accept it, I personally am not willing to take the risk of controversial side effects that come with the medication.

[ihategonigbald]

What side effects from Fintateride?

 

Does Fintasteride reduce test. levels? That cannot be good long term? Dammed if you do and dammed if you don't

[pkipling]

On 8/7/2020 at 8:21 AM, ihategonigbald said:

What side effects from Fintateride?

 

Does Fintasteride reduce test. levels? That cannot be good long term? Dammed if you do and dammed if you don't

Some men experience decreased libido and/or erectile dysfunction from Finasteride, but the vast majority do not. As with any medication, there are risks of side effects, so each person has to weigh for themselves if the risks are worth it. Based on the studies around the drug, as well as anecdotal evidence on forums like this one, it seems most guys are able to take the medication without any issues, but the only way to know for sure if you'll experience them is to try the drug out yourself. I took Fin for an extended period of time on two separate occasions and did determine that I was experiencing mild side effects... I ultimately stopped taking it altogether, but I still think it's a very viable option for most guys and worth giving a shot. 

[ihategonigbald]

I took in the past an was fine. BUT does it actually reduce Test. levels or just the D.H.T. from it?