Is this Telogen Effluvium or MPB?

[This Sucks]

I am 21 and took accutane about a year and a half ago. I got off of accutane after only about 2.5 months because of headaches and neckaches (i still get neckaches). A few months after stopping it I noticed I was shedding more hair.

One side of my hairline seems to have receded a bit and the other maybe a little bit.

I have two questions about my hairloss

1. Is it normal with MPB too have hair loss on the side of the head too? You can see what I'm talking about in my pictures. maybe I'm just thinking too much but I feel like I have less hair there now.

2. I started taking generic rogaine about 3 or 4 months ago. Even though I didn't have any hairloss that I knew of on my crown I still applied it there just in case. Recently I've noticed on the crown of my head rather than a bald area it seems to just be a line. The line is always there so I'm pretty sure its not just the way my hair was brushed. I've included pictures of that too.


I went to my dermatologist and she didn't even look at my head, she just prescribed me finasteride which I would rather not take if there is a chance this hairloss will stop.

sorry for the blurry pics

[Thinning87]

Hey man

I am not the most knowledgeable person (and by the way a dermatologist is the best person to diagnose your condition so maybe just get a second opinion (I saw 3 dermatologists before starting a regimen)).

But it looks like you are in the same condition I was 8 months ago when I first found out about my MPB. I was 24 and had mild general thinning, with one temple being a thinner than the rest and everything being pretty much unnoticeable.

Regardless of what anyone will say here, definitely go get a second opinion from another dermatologist, and do keep in mind that it normally takes them about 20 seconds looking through your hair to determine what is going on.

[This Sucks]

Hey man

I am not the most knowledgeable person (and by the way a dermatologist is the best person to diagnose your condition so maybe just get a second opinion (I saw 3 dermatologists before starting a regimen)).

But it looks like you are in the same condition I was 8 months ago when I first found out about my MPB. I was 24 and had mild general thinning, with one temple being a thinner than the rest and everything being pretty much unnoticeable.

Regardless of what anyone will say here, definitely go get a second opinion from another dermatologist, and do keep in mind that it normally takes them about 20 seconds looking through your hair to determine what is going on.

Do you know anything about the bald line in the back of my head?

I feel like every picture I look at online the person is balding in a little circle on the crown of their head but with me it seems its just a line.

Thats why I was wondering if maybe Telogen Effluvium was involved because I feel like if all that does is shed hair all over maybe it would cause the part in the back of my head to appear wider than normal.


I've attached another photo. It is hard to tell but that line goes all the way down the back of my head.

[Kirby_]

See a better (competant) dermatologist if you can. They should've looked at your scalp with a scope to check for miniaturising hairs.

[This Sucks]

See a better (competant) dermatologist if you can. They should've looked at your scalp with a scope to check for miniaturising hairs.

I dont have the money, I hate to say.

I will be going to a normal doctor to get all the typical things checked like blood, testosterone, etc.

I do that on my hairline hairs on the side were getting lighter and lighter till they were pretty much blond. This sounds like miniaturizing to me, but I don't know for sure.

[BigThinker]

My unprofessional opinion is that your hair looks pretty thin all-over, even in the back. It doesn't look like your top and front are much thinner than the back and sides, if at all. That's not to say that this isn't necessarily some from MPB, but certainly not one of the classic formations.

Out of curiosity, have you been/are you under a lot of stress physically and/or mentally and/or emotionally?

Do you live in a cold and/or dry area?

What is the balding like on both sides of your family?

Again, I'm just curious, and I'm not a physician of any sort.

[ThinningB420]

Does your hair naturally part to show that part all the way in the back?

I noticed from my use of Accutane that my hair was noticeably thinner all over the top and the sides. It's hard for me to tell the back because I never paid much attention to it. I will say I believe my hair loss is primarily a result of Accutane because I still have a NW2 with diffuse thinning.

[This Sucks]

I dont have the money, I hate to say.
I do that on my hairline hairs on the side were getting lighter and lighter till they were pretty much blond. This sounds like miniaturizing to me, but I don't know for sure.

I wish I knew how to edit posts.

That's suppose to say "I did notice that" not "I do that"

[This Sucks]

My unprofessional opinion is that your hair looks pretty thin all-over, even in the back. It doesn't look like your top and front are much thinner than the back and sides, if at all. That's not to say that this isn't necessarily some from MPB, but certainly not one of the classic formations.

Out of curiosity, have you been/are you under a lot of stress physically and/or mentally and/or emotionally?

Do you live in a cold and/or dry area?

What is the balding like on both sides of your family?

Again, I'm just curious, and I'm not a physician of any sort.

I've been under quite a lot of stress from money and acne.

I live in Jacksonville, Florida


My moms dad dies in his 60s with a full head of gray hair.
My dad just started losing his hair recently but he's in his mid 50s and tbh you cant even tell he's losing his hair.

[This Sucks]

Does your hair naturally part to show that part all the way in the back?

I noticed from my use of Accutane that my hair was noticeably thinner all over the top and the sides. It's hard for me to tell the back because I never paid much attention to it. I will say I believe my hair loss is primarily a result of Accutane because I still have a NW2 with diffuse thinning.

Yeah, it always seems to part like that but I only noticed it about 3 months ago.