44yo introduction and advice request

[Tobbal]

Hi all.

First up, how glad I was to find Bald Truth Talk and this forum. Given what’s going on with my hair, I’m glad to be here!

I’m a 44yo male. I’d always thought of my hair as being good - thick and even. Perhaps a few months back, I noticed that it felt less dense than I thought it should, but still with even coverage. Then... I went for a haircut two days ago. When my hairdresser had finished she used the mirror to show me the back - sunlight glinted off my crown!

I took some photos to see where I was at. If I’d only taken the natural light photos I’d have no concern, but the direct halogen photos are something else!

Photos are attached. If it’s time to go for the buzz then I’ll deal with it, but if keeping my hair is possible then that would be my preference. I’m here trying to find out where I’m at and what my options might be!

I’d really appreciate any input or advice. Thanks.

[hugehair]

Hi and welcome! Nice pics Tobbal.
You have a great head of hair. Almost all men shed a little off their hair after 40.

[BaldBearded]

Very small baldspot. I would love to see what your hairline looks like. Assuming it's fine. I would do NOTHING!

[Recedingcrew]

Hmmm. Tbh, that's not bad at all. Minoxidil might be enough to get that covered up.

[Tobbal]

Thank you all. I appreciate the time you’ve taken to help me out.

So, hairline! Not something I’d ever considered before, but pulling back my fringe (in as much as ‘hair that points mostly forward no matter what I try to do with it’ can be called a fringe) shows that there’s something going on there! I’m kind of amazed I hadn’t noticed before, TBH.





Thanks again for your thoughts!

Edited to say sorry for photo a) quality and b) rotation!

[BaldBearded]

Hi Tobbal,

I would say, looking at the photos, you are between a N3V and 4.

http://www.americanhairloss.org/men_hair_loss/the_norwood_scale.asp

Ask yourself, had the barber not said anything, would you have noticed? Has anyone else said anything? Spouse? Family, friends, co-workers?

If it doesn't bother you, then don't "do" anything about it. If it does... you, at this point have hairstyle options, other than buzzing. A creative stylist can give you something you can live with. It depends on how long this has been going on, and how quickly.

You have the options that most folks on this forum prefer, drugs rugs and plugs. At 44, you might be an awesome candidate for plugs... but it's a DRASTIC approach since from what I have seen, you will basically have to shave your head and start over, with scars and red bumps for a while, and you have about 9months of hair on your head, right now, if not a bit more.

Drugs... read up, don't always work, side effects.

Rugs... you will need to shave off all the top of your hair... and then... you have something glued on, which only looks good under certain circumstances.

All of those three options are very expensive.

You can buzz it... or shave it, next to doing nothing, the cheapest alternative.

It's all about how YOU feel.

Good luck!

[mattj]

I would say a NW2 with some minor crown loss. But best not to get caught up in the Norwood scale... The main point to make is that you have lost some hair from the crown and do have some hairline recession. It's nothing major, especially for a guy in his forties. Minoxidil could help and is worth trying.

[Tobbal]

Thank you both for taking the time to reply, your thoughts are appreciated (though darn BaldBearded, you gave me a scare saying I had 9 months hair on my head - I initially thought you meant the signs were it would all be gone by then!).

No one else has mentioned anything to me, my wife is utterly unconcerned (all her brothers lost the majority of their hair before 25). Your thoughts on where I’m at will I’m sure really help me figure out my next step, again they are much appreciated. FWIW, I’ll let you know what I decide - and believing that status update threads are a good thing will keep a record of how I get on, again FWIW!

Cheers!

[Steven D]

So true!!

[BaldBearded]

Thank you both for taking the time to reply, your thoughts are appreciated (though darn BaldBearded, you gave me a scare saying I had 9 months hair on my head - I initially thought you meant the signs were it would all be gone by then!).

No one else has mentioned anything to me, my wife is utterly unconcerned (all her brothers lost the majority of their hair before 25). Your thoughts on where I’m at will I’m sure really help me figure out my next step, again they are much appreciated. FWIW, I’ll let you know what I decide - and believing that status update threads are a good thing will keep a record of how I get on, again FWIW!


Cheers!

Haha, no... should have said... about nine months of hair GROWTH!! Like... if you shaved it for the surgery... how long before you looked human, again.

Good luck.

One of the things, that bothers me as a bald man... is that... BALD or MPB is a "hairstyle" also. And, it effects MOST men. So why the **** aren't more men just walking around with their hair, no matter how much is there... and just be happy?

Spend those billions on other stuff!

[pajason]

Hi Tobbal,

I would say, looking at the photos, you are between a N3V and 4.

http://www.americanhairloss.org/men_hair_loss/the_norwood_scale.asp

Ask yourself, had the barber not said anything, would you have noticed? Has anyone else said anything? Spouse? Family, friends, co-workers?

If it doesn't bother you, then don't "do" anything about it. If it does... you, at this point have hairstyle options, other than buzzing. A creative stylist can give you something you can live with. It depends on how long this has been going on, and how quickly.

You have the options that most folks on this forum prefer, drugs rugs and plugs. At 44, you might be an awesome candidate for plugs... but it's a DRASTIC approach since from what I have seen, you will basically have to shave your head and start over, with scars and red bumps for a while, and you have about 9months of hair on your head, right now, if not a bit more.

Drugs... read up, don't always work, side effects.

Rugs... you will need to shave off all the top of your hair... and then... you have something glued on, which only looks good under certain circumstances.

All of those three options are very expensive.

You can buzz it... or shave it, next to doing nothing, the cheapest alternative.

It's all about how YOU feel.

Good luck!

Agree but the OP's hairloss is really more the norm for a 44 year old, very very few men keep all their hair most regress to at least a nw2 or 2.5. Its better than most of us on here. OP I would start with %5 minoxidil foam. Take some pics and see where you are at in 6 months. The positive for you is most of your hair is pretty dht resistant, which is why you still have a pretty full head of hair at 44. That means that you will likely see results from meds.

[GroughBack]

Since you don't have MPB, or this would have started before 44. Take l-carnitine 1,000mg a day and taurine 4,000mg a day. This loss has more to do with cell programed death, rather than a sensitivity to dht. You want to fool the follicle into believing this is not happening. As we age our hair also knows this, and the anagen phase becomes shorter, both of these supplements help extend the anagen phase significantly, reduce belly fat if you have any, prevent fibrosis of the scalp, also throughout the rest of the arteries, lower cholesterol and prevent heart attack. These are both also very good for the liver, the most taxed organ in the body today. Also they Increase sperm count and fertility if you care.

[Tobbal]

Thanks again to you all for your thoughts and advice. It’s been school holidays here so I haven’t had a moment to myself (or so it’s felt!) for the kast two weeks, but I did manage to book an appointment with a dermatologist for early next week. FWIW I’ll post here with their thoughts - and then decide where I’m at. Hope all well.