Am I going bald?!?!? Pictures Included

[stevenb]

Hello I am 25 years old. I take GNC mega man vitamins, hair nails and skin vitamins and saw palmetto extract everyday. I get regular exercise so I like to think of my self as fairly healthy. I have very little stress in my life and my family both maternal and paternal side have almost no one bald in them. My father is 66 years old with a full head of hair. There is one thing I have about a 6 in the front to 7 cm above the temple forehead. It is a little big its been like that forever. lately for some reason I feel like I am going bald in the front. There is not really any shedding maybe about 40 - 50 a day (I have counted). My family tells me I am crazy but I need an outside opinion. Please take a look there is light shining on it from the top by the way.

http://s1180.photobucket.com/albums/x406/Steven2113/

[Tracy C]

It is very rare for any family to have no history of hair loss.

It is normal to shed up to 100 hairs per day. Some days you may shed more, other days you may shed less. Counting hairs is usually not a good idea.

Your hair line is only a problem if it bugs you. If it does bug you, you need to speak to a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss. Here is a list for you.

http://www.iahrs.org/member/

[stevenb]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. It doesn't really bother because I have gotten used to the size of my forehead but that is also the reason why I can not really tell if it is receding or if I am going bald. By looking at the pictures what do you think?

[stevenb]

Oh and by "no family history" I mean neither one of my grandfathers (paternal/maternal) were bald even up into their early 70's most my uncles on both sides are also not bald.

[Tracy C]

...I can not really tell if it is receding or if I am going bald.

Describe in your own words what those two things mean to you. You seem to think that they are different.

[stevenb]

Well by receding I guess I mean my hair line is becoming mature like it isn't going to be the same as when I was 15 and that is fine. What is worrying me is that in the mirror in my bathroom there are three light bulbs above it so when they shine on my head and I part my hair and move it around I see what I feel is a lot of scalp (all over the top). So balding in the sense that the whole top of my head is going. Is there anyway I could send you two pictures of myself one old when new the show my face, I don't really want to take the time to crop and post them.

[Tracy C]

It is not necessary. I know what you are talking about.

Balding, thinning, and receding hair line are all the same thing. They are different patterns and degrees of the same thing but they are still the same thing. It is what it is. It is hair loss.

Some men and women only lose so much then it slows down or stops. Maybe this is what happens in your family. If it doesn't bother you, don't worry about it. Just keep a casual eye on it so you will know if it is getting worse. Maybe in your family it doesn't progress any farther than it already has for you. It is only a problem if it bothers you.

[stevenb]

To be honest it is driving me crazy.

[Tracy C]

Then you need to talk to a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss.

http://www.iahrs.org/member/

[stevenb]

I definitely will. One more thing. I just posted 4 photos with the black boxes on the faces lol can you tell me where you think I am on the Norwood scale please?

http://s1180.photobucket.com/albums/x406/Steven2113/

[Tracy C]

Honestly, it just looks like a 2. The normal mature male hair line.

It is not possible to measure density with photos. A doctor needs to evaluate that.

Try this. Print out some copies of the scale and ask some of your friends to circle the one they think looks most like your hair. It's not as good as having a doctor evaluate you but it might help settle your mind.

[stevenb]

I will do that. Tracy you honesty have been great and I really am going to take your advice. Thank you so so very much. I really appreciate it.

[alex123]

You could either be going bald, or you could just naturally have a high mature-hairline (and not be going bald). The question is whether or not you have hairs miniturizing behind the mature hairline.

http://www.baldingblog.com/2006/10/06/juvenile-vs-mature-hairline-am-i-going-bald-with-photos/

The best way to assess this is for a dermatologist to examine your hair with a microscope.

[stevenb]

Hi Alex thanks for replying. I went to the dermatologist I did a scalp biopsy and bloodwork. The bloodwork came back normal no high testostorone levels nothing, she said it was all fine and that we need to wait for the biopsy results. But I'm confused if I have no alopecia wouldn't mpb show high dht levels? What will the biopsy show that the bloodwork didn't?

[Tracy C]

Androgenetic alopecia is caused by a combination of two things. DHT and hair follicles that are sensitive to DHT. Blood work can tell you how much DHT is running through your system but it does not tell you if you have a lot of hair follicles that are sensitive to DHT.

Females with hair follicles that are sensitive to DHT can suffer from hair loss even though their DHT levels are typically a lot lower than males. Males with hair follicles that are insensitive to DHT typically do not suffer from hair loss even if their DHT levels are sky high.