anything to worry about?

[japierdole]

Hey there, folks. I'm 20 years old and as of recent I have shed quite a lot of hair. I had really long hair a few months ago and I started noticing a lot of hair loss, but not from a particular area. I am not sure whether it's due to natural causes (hair falls drastically from time to time, right?) or due to a receding hairline. I never payed attention to my hairline, but I kind of thought that I might have lost some hair at the temple area? Is there anything to worry about now or am I just being paranoid ? Here are some pictures and some additional notes:

- men on my father's side of the family seem to lose hair at around 30-40 years of age. My dad is quite bald.

- men on my mother's side of the family seem to lose only a little bit of hair on their temple and not much besides that. My mother says that I either have her father's hairline or her brother's. My uncle hasn't lost much of his hairline at around 50 years of age, but his hair had thinned.

- my brother, who at the age of 29 seems to show some signs of baldness around the temple, had the ability to grow a full beard quite early, I, on the other hand, only seem to be able grow a mustache and some decent hair on the chin, but not to many on cheeks. Leo DiCaprio seems to have an almost similar beard growth, if that's of any use, I thought it's worth a mention.

So, am I being paranoid or do I have to start worrying about the usage of some medications?
Thank you all in advance!

[35YrsAfter]

Hey there, folks. I'm 20 years old and as of recent I have shed quite a lot of hair. I had really long hair a few months ago and I started noticing a lot of hair loss, but not from a particular area. I am not sure whether it's due to natural causes (hair falls drastically from time to time, right?) or due to a receding hairline. I never payed attention to my hairline, but I kind of thought that I might have lost some hair at the temple area? Is there anything to worry about now or am I just being paranoid ? Here are some pictures and some additional notes:

- men on my father's side of the family seem to lose hair at around 30-40 years of age. My dad is quite bald.

- men on my mother's side of the family seem to lose only a little bit of hair on their temple and not much besides that. My mother says that I either have her father's hairline or her brother's. My uncle hasn't lost much of his hairline at around 50 years of age, but his hair had thinned.

- my brother, who at the age of 29 seems to show some signs of baldness around the temple, had the ability to grow a full beard quite early, I, on the other hand, only seem to be able grow a mustache and some decent hair on the chin, but not to many on cheeks. Leo DiCaprio seems to have an almost similar beard growth, if that's of any use, I thought it's worth a mention.

So, am I being paranoid or do I have to start worrying about the usage of some medications?
Thank you all in advance!

Hopefully you will take after your mother's side. According to your photos, your hair looks fine for a twenty year old. The level of recession you have at twenty doesn't necessarily indicate male pattern baldness. Nearly all men recede to one degree or another. Keep an eye on miniaturization though. There is a system called HairCheck that can help evaluate that. If you're in the Atlanta area or will be, we can schedule you for a HairCheck. It's free.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office - forhair.com - Cole Hair Transplant, 1045 Powers Place, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009 - Phone 678-566-1011 - email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck