You must have heard this a 100 times...

[Anima]

...but do you think I am balding ?!

I know I can't be diagnosed in a forum and I will be visiting a dermatologist ASAP but I saw a picture somone took of me from a height a couple of days ago and it really got me worried.

So, please, your opinion would be much appreciated. I am 25 years old, no other signs of baldness in other parts, have had my hair long and in a rather tight ponytail for many years now. Have had follicitis for years, still battling with it.




Strong light:



Thank you in advance!

[Winston]

Welcome to the forum. The short answer would be yes, but you are noticing it relatively early so you have a good chance of controlling it. See your doctor as soon as possible and ask about starting Propecia.
Good luck.

[mkamph]

i agree with winston. it looks like mpb.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

I have to say from the photo it does appear that you are having some thinning on the top of your head. I would recommend visiting a hair restoration physician. They will be able to explain correctly all of you treatment options. If your dematologist also performs hair transplantation that is great. If not, consider seeing a doctor who specializes primarily in hair restoration.

[Anima]

Thanks for the answers

[Anima]

Though I hope it is not MPB, if it is, then I guess it is not much I can do about it.

BTW, when I go to the dermatologist (which will be ASAP) is there something in particular he should be looking for to confirm it is indeed mpb, like miniaturization? I do not fit in any of the NW scales and my frontal hairline is rather intact. Should I question his assumptions if he just takes a quick look and draws a conclusion?

Also, how is it with Propecia... I have read of some very serious side-effects and I am not eager to put any antiadrogens and hormones in my body, its almost a no-go for me. Am I destined to shed the rest of my hair? What about topical treatments?

Also, when we are talking about maintenance and regrowth, how is that projected in time?

Lots of questions but I am sure you have all been through them already and your personal opinion would be very informing of the situation to me until I have my appointment.

[mattj]

You appear to have diffuse hairloss which is why your hair is thinning even though the hairline hasn't receded. This can be worse than recession as the entire top of the head is losing hair in one go, revealing an advanced pattern sooner. I would strongly advise you to at least give Propecia a try. Propecia isn't very successful at restoring a receded hairline, but men who have diffuse hairloss and who respond well to the drug can see a significant increase in density. You might also want to ad Rogaine as a topical.

A dermatologist will hopefully know to look for miniaturization, and as well as that they will be looking for signs that the hairloss is related to anything else.

[mlao]

I agree with Dr. Charles. If you can afford to go to a hair restoration doctor they might be a bit more knowledgeable, and could give a more accurate diagnoses.
(miniaturization study or Hairdx test)
On the positive side you are young and have caught it early. That is when established therapies like finasteride and minoxidil work best.
A lot of the time these drugs will help you maintain your hair and in some cases there is regrowth.
I often recommend that people have a look at Dr. Robert Bernstein's website (one of the pioneers in hair restoration) where he shows some great success photos of people using these drugs;

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatment/medications/patient-photos/

I hope this helps.

[Anima]

Thanks for your answers and advise. The pictures are encouraging in case I do have MPB. In that case I hope Regain can at least maintain the hair population: my problem is much less noticable under normal conditions than these pictures taken with strong light and high sensitivity would suggest.

I was wondering wether it could be some sort of traction or central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia that has become more evident with diffusion thinning. I have had my hair in a tight ponytail for more than 9 years. I have also suffered from dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis since i remember, as well as staph follicitis for some years now, all factors that contribute to hair loss. I've moved to a totaly different enviroment 2 months ago and my daily routine has become much more busy and stressful and my nutrition rather erratic and poor.
The day before leaving I had my girlfriend search my head extensively for any signs of alopecia areata (which I also had in the past...). I spoke with her today on the phone and she doesn't recall any serious signs of thinning-she actualy commented on how dense my hair looked, given all the mistreatment they 've been through.

So, whatever the cause is, it must have been exagerated in the past 2 months.

[25 going on 65]

Nizoral shampoo could perhaps help with some of your scalp problems. I feel like my scalp health has definitely improved since I started using it. At the very least, it probably would help with sebum and dandruff. I recommend the 2% rx over the 1% OTC formula.
But pulling your hair too tight could cause some loss ("traction alopecia" as you said), so be careful about that.
Otherwise, good for you to have noticed your hair loss early. Medicinal treatments (especially Propecia) should work very well for you!