26 years, signs of baldness?

[Fabelwesen]

Hey, just got back from the barber and he told me I have a receding hairline...
So far I always tried to talk myself into believing that I just have a so called 'widows peak' and not a receding hairline but now I'm not sure...

Is this NW1 already, or probably even more? What are my options?

[pkipling]

First off, you need to ask yourself how much your hairline has changed over the years. Based on the photos, the density at the hairline seems considerably lower than the hair behind it, which does lead me to believe that you're at the beginning stages of male pattern baldness - but don't freak out. I was in the same boat as you several years ago as well and I went through so much unnecessary stress and anguish over it by imagining the worst possible outcome, not knowing that there were possible "solutions".

A couple things to consider:
1) Just because it seems to be receding doesn't mean you're going to go completely bald.
2) There are possible solutions/fixes (medication and hair transplants, for example.)
3) You seem to have great hair otherwise and don't appear to be a "diffuse thinner" - which makes your situation considerably less complicated.

With that said, my first step would be to set up an appointment with a surgeon who specializes in hair transplants. This doesn't mean you need a hair transplant or that that's the path you should take, but these are the doctors who are best equipped to deal with hair loss. Your general physician isn't going to know nearly as much about hair loss/MPB as a hair transplant surgeon will.

At the consultation, they can test the miniaturization levels of your hair and tell you definitively whether or not you're losing your hair, how it appears to be progressing, the rate at which it seems to be progressing, etc. They can also talk to you about different treatments and medications (Propecia, primarily), and educate you about hair loss, hair transplants, etc. (All of this assuming you choose a good surgeon to speak to - some of them are better at this than others, so do your research and find someone with a good reputation who will spend the time with you to educate you and not "sell" you something.)

Hopefully this is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

[Fabelwesen]

Thanks for your reply!
"First off, you need to ask yourself how much your hairline has changed over the years."

That's a very good question... honestly, I think there has been either no change at all or just a tiny bit over the last years. I included a picture from about 2 1/2 years ago.

I don't like the possible side effects of Propecia too much, though.. just took a quick look at it..
As a teenager I took Accutane to treat my Acne, maybe it has something to do with my hair being thinner or anything?

Anyways, I have to say even if my hair stayed the same as it is now for the rest of my life, I'd still want to change something... I have a rather narrow and long face which makes wearing certain types of hairstyles look stupid if you don't have a perfect hairline, since the forehead will just look too big.

Sorry if my English is not perfect, I'm actually from Germany and it is a second language

[pkipling]

Dude, your English is great! I didn't even recognize that it was your second language. Seriously.

As for the picture, it actually does seem to be considerably thinner now than it was a couple of years ago. It's not extremely drastic, but I do believe there's enough of a change to indicate that your hairline is receding. This is also supported by the lack of density in the hairline now that I previously mentioned.

Regarding Propecia, I wouldn't write it off so quickly without doing quite a bit more research. I understand that reading about the side effects online can be very alarming, but it's my experience (and the experience of many other men) that the side effects are very rare and often over reported. I take Propecia and have experienced no issues (none that I can directly link to the drug, anyway). It's the only medication that is proven to slow down hair loss, so it's definitely worth looking into. You could start with a small dose and see how your body responds to it before committing to the full prescription. This is all something you could discuss with a doctor.

As for changing your hairline regardless, you seem like you would most likely be a good candidate for a hair transplant. I had a HT roughly a year and a half ago and my entire experience couldn't have been better. For that reason, I'm a big supporter of hair transplants when done right by a top quality surgeon. That is the key, however. There are lots of surgeons out there who will give you a hair transplant - but if you decide to go that route, you need to RESEARCH like crazy and make sure you're picking one of the top surgeons who provides high quality, consistent results who would be responsible and take your age, family history, etc. into consideration when recommending a solution. Otherwise, the outcome could be disastrous.

I wouldn't attribute the Accutane to your hair loss either. To my knowledge, there's no direct correlation there. MPB is genetic, and it's something that you'll either have or not have.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

[Fabelwesen]

Thanks again

Yeah, well I did wear a differenct haircut in the last picture but I think you could be right, maybe it changed more than I actually noticed... 2 more couple years old pictures included...

Regarding Propecia, can it just stop / slow down your hair loss or can you actually regain hair that's already "lost" with it?

Would you classify me as NW2 ? How many grafts could I be needing if I decided to take that route? (Roughly)

[pkipling]

Thanks again

Yeah, well I did wear a differenct haircut in the last picture but I think you could be right, maybe it changed more than I actually noticed... 2 more couple years old pictures included...

Regarding Propecia, can it just stop / slow down your hair loss or can you actually regain hair that's already "lost" with it?

Would you classify me as NW2 ? How many grafts could I be needing if I decided to take that route? (Roughly)

Hey dude. Based on those photos, it looks like your hairline has definitely changed over the past couple of years - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Hairlines change as we get older anyway. The thing you want to be aware of is whether or not it keeps changing.

There are a significant number of men who have reported that they have had new growth with Propecia. It's not something I would expect, necessarily, but it's something that's possible. Again, I would give it a shot and see how it goes.

All things considered, your hair is still in great shape - and for what it's worth, I think your higher/more prominent, pointed hairline suits you. I have a coworker with a similar hairline, and it can come across as very masculine. Just something to think about.

As for how many grafts you would need - I can't really speak to that specifically as I don't feel confident in my ability to accurately assess that. I will say though that I had 2,000 grafts and it looks like my hairline was in considerably worse shape than what yours may be in.

Where are you now regarding Propecia? Have you looked into any doctors that could give you an in person consultation?

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.