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Thinning on the sides of head.. Retrograde Allopecia?


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Hi, 

I have had really slow balding on the sides of my head for the last 10 years, it is starting to concern me now as I can't grow my hair long with my sides looking bald! I wonder if it is retrograde allopecia. If it is, is it possible to have a hair transplant on the sides of the head? 

Thanks

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Do you have thinning on the back of your scalp? It could be DUPA. Have you seen a physician in person?


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It does look like retrograde alopecia. Interesting case given that the rest of your hair looks solid from what I can see. Get on finasteride to try to prevent further loss, then find a surgeon who is skilled in transplanting to the sides/temple points, because it can be a tricky area to get right.

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15 minutes ago, RandoBrando517 said:

What’s DUPA 

Diffuse unpatterned alopecia- a form of genetic hair loss that affects the entire scalp.


I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

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Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

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Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated. The back of my head and crown are really strong. Thick hair with no loss. So it's always struck my as unusual why it would just be my sides that are thinning! 

My temples are thinning a little bit but it bugs me that my sides are going! 

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Just now, ArnoldLake said:

Back of head.. Pretty thick

IMG_20210202_183018.jpg

Honestly I wouldn’t even worry, you have a small case of retrograde alopecia. The average person wouldn’t even notice.


I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

View my thread

Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube.

 

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38 minutes ago, ArnoldLake said:

Back of head.. Pretty thick

IMG_20210202_183018.jpg

Is it not because them hairs on the sides are a bit lighter? Mine is similar but I hadn't really ever noticed as my sides are always clipped short. When I looked at them with a microscope there is long hair there but a lot lighter than the surrounding hair, almost translucent!

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I firs thought that it might be a bit of grey setting in but there has been a gradual deterioration on both sides the last couple of years. If I grow out my sides there's a gap! Take the point that most people won't notice but I notice quite a lot. 

I guess my main question was whether I could get a hair transplant on the side of my head as I don't think I've ever seen any photos of one or any stories on this forum. 

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48 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Honestly I wouldn’t even worry, you have a small case of retrograde alopecia. The average person wouldn’t even notice.

+1 

 

3 minutes ago, ArnoldLake said:

I firs thought that it might be a bit of grey setting in but there has been a gradual deterioration on both sides the last couple of years. If I grow out my sides there's a gap! Take the point that most people won't notice but I notice quite a lot. 

I guess my main question was whether I could get a hair transplant on the side of my head as I don't think I've ever seen any photos of one or any stories on this forum. 

Is it possible, I think someone on here recently got it done around the nape of the neck. The issue is, you could risk shockless and end up with a bigger problem than you fix. Do you normally have your sides that long? Depending on what length you prefer I would consider SMP first, that's what I will do with mine to add shadow

Edited by Richie888
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I have exactly the same, it doesn't really bother me all that much but I worry about what it means for the future.

Is retrograde alopecia separate from MPB? As in, can you have RA but not MBP? Or is RA a sure sign that MPB will happen?

 

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It could be retrograde alopecia but it could also be alopecia areata.  Definitely keep an eye on it in case it progresses, but for now it doesn't look bad.  

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It's somewhat common to have thinner hair above the ears, but it's usually not so noticeable. Yours is thin just below the temple points which makes it more noticeable than usual.

 

Al

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(formerly BeHappy)

I am a forum moderator for hairrestorationnetwork.com. I am not a Dr. and I do not work for any particular Dr. My opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of other moderators or the owner of this site. I am also a hair transplant patient and repair patient. You can view some of my repair journey here.

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