Went from thick full head of hair, to thin and balding in 3 months

[rapid]

Hello everyone. I just wanted to share my story.

Like the title states, I went from a nice thick full head of hair to balding in about 3 months. I'm not sure if it's due to MPB though. I'm a fairly healthy 30 year old that exercise 3 times a week and has a well balanced diet. I take a multivitamin and flaxseed daily. I did have a few very stressful weeks during the time I started shedding a lot, but not sure if that's the reason for balding either.

When I looked in the mirror 2-3 months ago, I didn't notice any hair loss. My friends took notice and started commenting that I was losing my hair. It seemed like it started on the middle of my forehead area, and then worked it's way to the temples. I used to do my hair in the David Beckham fohawk style, but all my hairs on my temple got thin and disappeared. The last time I did my hair like this, it was very noticeable that I was losing my hair and my friends commented on it, mainly saying that I should not be doing that hairstyle anymore. I haven't done my hair like that since.

After I took notice of the hair loss, I also noticed that when I washed my hair, about 50+ hairs would fall out on my hand. This really freaked me out. This never happened to me before. A few of my female friends that noticed my hair loss said it might be due to the winter season. The crazy thing is how fast I lost my hair. I would think it would be a gradual process, but it happened almost overnight.

I've attached my pictures. Could you please give me opinions on what stage I'm in and how I can prevent more head from shedding? I'm open to using Rogaine, but I'm not so sure about Fin, as there are too many side effects. I just started taking TRX2 and doing oil massages on my head. I'm hoping this will help somewhat.

[rapid]

One thing I forgot to mention -- everyone in my mom and dad's family have a good amount of hair. They are all pretty old now, so they have started losing it, but they are in their 60's and 70's, so I'm guessing that's expected. I have 7 uncles, and they all had good hair well into their 50s and 60s. My mom did mention that her grandfather was quite bald, but he was already pretty old at that time. Not sure if this makes a difference.

[Ktownmatti]

I would go see your doctor before embarking on any treatments. MPB isn't doesn't always occur at a linear rate, but such a rapid amount of hair loss within such a short time at the age of 30 seems fishy.

Plus, it doesn't really look like MPB from your photos IMO.

[baldybald]

Agree with the above.
if your hairloss is that RAPID, not likely a MPB
Please see a doctor ASAP and do not let the hair to go away that easy !

[itsmyhairs]

Agreed with the people above, see a doctor about this.

Lots of things can cause hair loss and most of them are relatively minor and easily treated.

Though I've read that most men don't notice their hair loss until they've lost 40% of it if it's a diffuse thinning pattern and not the typical recession most of us experience.

I don't want to alarm you or anything of course, but if you are suffering MPB and have only just noticed it then going by your age and pattern you'd probably respond well to treatment anyway.

[rapid]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Wow. I'm actually relieved but also very worried at the same time after reading the responses.

Should I just go to my normal family doctor, or do I talk to a hair/scalp specialist?

[win200]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Wow. I'm actually relieved but also very worried at the same time after reading the responses.

Should I just go to my normal family doctor, or do I talk to a hair/scalp specialist?

Your family doctor likely knows next to nothing about hair loss, and even less about treating it. Try a dermatologist that specializes or has particular experience with hair loss. Better yet, go to a hair transplant surgeon for a consultation. Even if you're not interested in a procedure at this point, they'll check out your scalp and let you know what's happening. Those are the guys (and gals) that know more than anyone about hair loss and its treatment, because it's literally all that they do. Look on the IAHRS website for surgeons in your area.

[rapid]

Hmmm..going to a transplant surgeon seems a bit extreme and intimidating. I think I'll look into going to a dermatologist near my area for starters then.

I was thinking of going to my family doctor to get blood work done to see if the problem might be health related. From my observation and the responses, it seems like its not a typical case for MPB.

[rapid]

So, I went to my family doctor today and got a routine health check up and got my blood drawn. The doctor said he doesn't see anything wrong with my health and that the blood test will come back in a week or two. When he looked at my hair, he just told me to buy some Rogaine. He definitely wasn't an expert on the topic, so I will need to go to a specialist. He did mention that if I were to go to a specialist, I should wait for my blood test, so we'll know for 100% that it isn't health related.

Not sure I can wait that long because I'm losing clumps of hair every time I go to the shower. I found a dermatologist that has some expertise in hair loss and a trichologist near my house. There is also a Hair Club near my place, but I'm afraid to go there because it seems like they are super aggressive salesmen that will try to sell me everything they got. Which place do you guys suggest me to go?

[inspects]

Not sure I can wait that long because I'm losing clumps of hair every time I go to the shower. I found a dermatologist that has some expertise in hair loss and a trichologist near my house. There is also a Hair Club near my place, but I'm afraid to go there because it seems like they are super aggressive salesmen that will try to sell me everything they got. Which place do you guys suggest me to go?

Personally I would certainly go to experts in the field of hair-loss.

I would find a dermatologist who is extremely well versed in hair loss, not one who has "some expertise".

A Dermatologist who also has a degree is Trichology would be the perfect match if you have such a specialist in your general location, if not, possibly travel.

Blood work is very important, hopefully the doctor ordered the proper tests. I don't think you'll find any over-the-counter or prescribed medication to make any difference until you have the blood test results back, then the specialist can make recommendations from there.

[clandestine]

Personally I would certainly go to experts in the field of hair-loss.

I would find a dermatologist who is extremely well versed in hair loss, not one who has "some expertise".

A Dermatologist who also has a degree is Trichology would be the perfect match if you have such a specialist in your general location, if not, possibly travel.

Blood work is very important, hopefully the doctor ordered the proper tests. I don't think you'll find any over-the-counter or prescribed medication to make any difference until you have the blood test results back, then the specialist can make recommendations from there.

Lets be honest here; they won't recommend much beyond Rogaine and Propecia. But yes, visit a specialist if you can.

[rapid]

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone!

So you guys think I should wait for the blood test before making an appointment with the specialist? Or should I just call the office and try to book something ASAP?

These are a few places are within an hour or so of where I live (near Los Angeles)--

http://www.hrc4hair.com

http://www.miyoharainternational.com

http://www.hairclub.com

I also found a list of dermatologists on ZocDoc.com, but none of them have degrees in Trichology.

Can anyone give me a ballpark figure on what I would pay for a consultation and scalp tests?

[rapid]

Is anyone familiar with Hair Club or similar places? After looking into the HRC and Hair Club websites a bit more, they seem too "salesy". What do you guys think?

And Happy New Year!

[dex89]

Don't ever go to hair club lol

Check out the link below,

https://www.iahrs.org

[win200]

Don't ever go to hair club lol

Check out the link below,

www.iahrs.org

For reals. Hair Club, Bosley, and the other corporate transplant chains have terrible reputations for a good reason. They employ some capable surgeons, but many awful ones. It's a total crapshoot. I was actually transplanted by a guy in private practice that used to work for Hair Club and he did very nice work, but I just got lucky. Don't take the chance. They'll push you hard into a procedure regardless of whether you're a good candidate. If you go to an IAHRS surgeon, you're getting the very best, and they're surgeons who'll give you a careful consultation and make sure you're a good candidate. You can wind up with a disaster on your hands if you're transplanted without being a good candidate, so don't take the risk. And I'd talk to multiple IAHRS surgeons before you make a decision; they're all good, but they still have legitimate differences of opinion and technique. Let me put it this way: it's probably not a good idea to let someone move parts of your head around without getting a second opinion, right?