Advice needed - Cow lick(s) or early signs of balding?

[Nick84]

Hi guys. I was wondering whether I could have some advice regarding the area in the back of the head, close to a cow lick I have(my hairdresser said they're actually two of them).

 

I've always had thick and dense hair and I have no signs of receding hairline at the front, but over the past few days I've been stressing about the back of my head, that I may be actually going bald. My hairdresser told me that I have two cowlicks close to each other but I wanted to have another opinion from here.

 

Two pictures taken a few days ago, with longer hair:

 

http://i405.photobucket.com/al...k1984Cy/IMG_1905.jpg

 

http://i405.photobucket.com/al...k1984Cy/IMG_1912.jpg

 

And these two were taken today, after my haircut(my hair is not completely dry here):

 

http://i405.photobucket.com/al...k1984Cy/IMG_1919.jpg

 

http://i405.photobucket.com/al...k1984Cy/IMG_1920.jpg

 

In most of the pics I uploaded I kinda separated the strands so I could get a clearer shot of the area - normally the hair there tends to stick up because of the cowlick(s).

 

So what do you guys think?

 

Many thanks in advance.

[dakota3]

You poor soul! That is aweful! LOL I wish I had your problem...... Nothing wrong with the back of your head though!

[Bill - Seemiller]

Nick,

 

Welcome to our forum community.

 

It's hard to tell by the pictures whether or not you are experiencing early signs of male pattern baldness. In order for thinning hair to become visible to the naked eye, typically, there's a 50% loss in a particular area.

 

In my opinion, consult with a dermatologist who can evaluate your scalp under magnfication and look for signs of miniaturization - which may indicate early signs of hair loss.

 

Knowing will either comfort you or help you prepare to treat it early, whichi s better than waiting until it progresses further.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Nick84]

Thanx for the replies guys.

 

Well, actually this morning I did go to a dermatologist and talked to him about it. He basically wore a pair of magnifying glasses and started examining my hair. He told me he sees no indications of baldness and I shouldn't worry. I told him what my hairdresser said and he seemed to agree, he told me: "It's just the way your hair grows in that area".

 

Still, I'm not entirely convinced. I mean I think my hair didn't always look like that. I remember having the cowlick but I don't recall that weird partition/line(don't know how else to describe it) that's kind of connected to it now. Could it be that I did something to my hair that forced them to grow like that?(for example, maybe growing them longer for a while could have had this effect?)

 

Any suggestions/opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks guys.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Nick,

 

If you're not entirely convinced, feel free to get a second professional opinion. Otherwise, from your pictures and from what you've heard, you're in very good shape. If you feel your hair starts looking worse, go back and see your dermatologist.

 

Good luck to you!

 

Bill

[Nick84]

Thanks for the advice Bill. I'll probably seek a second opinion in a couple of weeks, after I get back from a trip I have planned.

 

Basically the reason that I want to find out is because from what I understand MPB is genetic and I guess I'll probably have it sooner or later. I'd say my dad is a type 5 at 55, whereas his dad was probably a 4. My other grandpa is 80 years old and between 6-7, so I guess that's where I'm heading too(well, most of my uncles and 3 of my 4 great-grandfathers did not suffer from MPB at all but I guess that doesn't really matter in my case).

 

So I wanted to ask, even if I'm not diagnosed with it now, could I use anything as means of precaution, for example Nizoral?

[Nick84]

Hi guys and sorry for bumping this thread.

 

About a month ago I joined this forum and I have discovered excellent information about the issue hair loss, I can't say how helpful this has been in learning more about drugs, treatments etc.

 

I wanted to give you an update on my situation, a couple of weeks ago I visited a second derm and she examined my head under a magnifier and told me she didn't see any indications of MPB.

 

But..here's the tricky part. I was still kinda worried so I decided to do a test and try and estimate how much hair I was losing daily(I shampoo my hair everyday twice). And basically I discovered that there are times when I even lose 150-160+ hair after shampooing twice. I've also noticed that I tend to lose that much when I use a pharmaceutical shampoo(like Nizoral or Alpha Keptol/I have some mild dermatitis that's causing flaking and a bit of dandruff) and I tend to rub my head harder. When I use a normal shampoo I noticed that the shedding is quite less, but still significant(maybe 60-65 hair lost per shampoo).

 

Thus, I went to a third doctor(it's getting ridiculous, I know) who at first told me that my hair seem fine to him but then I told him that I lose quite a bit more than a 100 hairs a day so he then said it could be MPB. He told me that I can take Rogaine 2% if I want(although at present I have no bald spots or evident thinning anywhere on my head).

 

So, I was wondering what you guys think about this. Is the fact that I'm losing more than 100 hair per day a safe indication of MPB or could it be attributed to something else(like seasonal or due to the dermatitis/flaking)? Also, would using Rogaine be of any benefit if I don't have any bald areas? I was thinking about using it, not because I would wish to grow more hair but as a means to prevent hair thinning in the crown area. Or it doesn't work that way? I should also mention that I started using Nizoral shampoo and I take multivitamins everyday(containing Biotin, which I heard is good for the hair). Basically, I would be extremely content if I can manage to maintain my existing hair to the best that I can using meds, shampoos etc.

 

Thank you so much and I appreciate all the help in advance.

 

Nick

[anwayne]

Originally posted by Nick84:

Hi guys. I was wondering whether I could have some advice regarding the area in the back of the head, close to a cow lick I have(my hairdresser said they're actually two of them).

 

I've always had thick and dense hair and I have no signs of receding hairline at the front, but over the past few days I've been stressing about the back of my head, that I may be actually going bald. My hairdresser told me that I have two cowlicks close to each other but I wanted to have another opinion from here.

 

Two pictures taken a few days ago, with longer hair:

 

http://i405.photobucket.com/al...k1984Cy/IMG_1905.jpg

 

http://i405.photobucket.com/al...k1984Cy/IMG_1912.jpg

 

And these two were taken today, after my haircut(my hair is not completely dry here):

 

http://i405.photobucket.com/al...k1984Cy/IMG_1919.jpg

 

http://i405.photobucket.com/al...k1984Cy/IMG_1920.jpg

 

In most of the pics I uploaded I kinda separated the strands so I could get a clearer shot of the area - normally the hair there tends to stick up because of the cowlick(s).

 

So what do you guys think?

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

I started to go bald when I was in my teens, it looks like you could be starting but it still could be just your spirals in your hair. If you are really worried email me and I can give you a place to go and products I use. I don't want to be accused of spam. See you then.

[Nick84]

Thanks, I'll pass. 3 docs have examined my head using magnifiers and lightning and couldn't see obvious signs of baldness, yet you can tell and want to recommend products to me? Don't get me wrong, but you've only joined yesterday and by looking at some of your posts(recommending stuff etc), it all seems a bit too agenda-driven to me

 

In any case, I would never consider taking anything else rather than what's FDA approved and that's all I'm interested in knowing more about, no offense dude