The issue of lighting

Hello everyone, long-time reader/lurker, first time poster. I've found a few posts on the subject of how lighting affects how thinning hair looks, but it mostly seemed to be glossed over, and is my main concern recently.

I'm 26 now, someone first noticed my crown thinning around the age of 20 or 21. Like most people I freaked out and obsessed about it for quite some time, but its started to bother me less and less as I get a bit older (and learned to rock the #1 buzz cut). I've also been on Fin for 3+ years and my crown hasn't gotten too much worse (I think). Only slight recession on the temples.

What I wanted to discuss was the issue of lighting, and how my hair seems to look VASTLY different in the mirror and in pictures depending on the light. It's not even the balding so much that bothers me anymore, but that I have no freaking idea what other people are seeing on top of my head. Here's a few common occurrences.

(1) Bathroom light on over a mirror, and I hold another mirror behind my head. Hmm, not so bad, definitely a lighter swirl but it blends in ok (especially w/ the buzz). Then, turn around so I'm seeing the thinning area in the mirror I'm holding...yup, that's scalp. It looks terrible, like a halo with a little tuft of hair in the middle.

(2) Take a pic of the top of my head with a camera (no flash, room lit by daylight). Same deal, looks OK, obviously a little thin but blends well. Some pics it looks barely noticeable at all. Take another pic (same room, just moved a tiny bit), looks like a big bright bald spot.

Like I said, I've come a long way in just accepting what's happening (my friends are still my friends, do fine with women, etc. etc), but that doesn't mean I don't have occasional days where I start obsessively snapping pictures of my head or spend 30 minutes playing mirror games trying to figure out just what is going on up there (it's like a drug addict having a relapse). And it just drives me off the wall because these "good" mirror angles and pics offer me some relief, only to freak out again a few hours later when a bad pic or mirror image shows scalp galore.

Any thoughts? Similar experience?

Welcome to the world of being a balder lol. The light issue is the same in all walks of life. Sometimes I look in the mirror and think wow, what a good looking guy and then boom, Different mirror and the ugliest bloke in the world.
In the modelling industry they generally use powders on face to stop light reflecting off the skin so much and hey presto people look better. The angles of the face dont show up so much.
Its the same with balding. I know a few years back when loads of people were saying becham was balding but it was just the light.
So hear is my solution. Just dont look at your balding if you can help it. I find a bit of denial gets me through life just fine.
My worst light situation is in my dining room mirror. I look terrible.

Same experience.
When observed in darker conditions etc. my own hair and baldness doesn't look as bad, but once in full light, 2 mirrors casting direct light.. it all becomes fully exposed, an awful baldness truth !

At least u can look in the mirror, I got to the stage a few years ago where I decided to buzz my hair off as it was getting to that stage and since then I cannot look in the mirror as I hate the way I look, my hair looks awful. I have the hair of an 80 year old and I am only 27.

I was never keen on a shaved head when I had a full head of hair. My mum would sometimes shave my head when I was 13/14 years old, I would have no choice, she just did it. I absolutely hated it! to be honest I cried as I hated the way I looked with a shaved head. Never understood why she did that to me.

Now I am 27 and I have no hair and everyday I am crying inside.

Light obviously affects the way your hair looks. I cannot stand being under bright light, I am conscious of my hair anyway but if I am somewhere near a bright light alarm bells ring in my head 'Got to get away from here!!!!'
We have bright lights in our kitchen I try to keep away from then or put on the less bright side lights.

A lot of bars/pubs have bright lights over the bar so I probably look horendous whenever I am buying a pint.

Shops is another one. Bright lights everywhere, so many, so bright that the shops end up so bloody hot.

As long as the light isn't too bright then you should be fine but as I say bars and shops are not a good place for baldies to be.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sausage

At least u can look in the mirror, I got to the stage a few years ago where I decided to buzz my hair off as it was getting to that stage and since then I cannot look in the mirror as I hate the way I look, my hair looks awful. I have the hair of an 80 year old and I am only 27.

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I look only to hate what I see. Although barely in my 30s, whenever I see my hair - I feel like an old man. Don't know which comes worse btw, my receding lines in the front or the balding crown in the back.. and the balding on the crown is only visible when I use 2 mirrors - it always come as a shock and I feel 'how the hell there is bald circle on the back of my head'. Even when my hair is trimmed, its still looks pathetic.. I've read somewhere that our baldness might be evolutionary stuff, a sign of maturity and what not.. what a load of b.... ! I mean whats that supposed to mean - that people will full and healthy hair aren't mature or that can reproduce.. sure they can, and sad fact is they look and feel better than us baldies.

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