Not sure if MPB or something more?

[iNcontroL]

For the past year I've been losing hair frequently, not only from the crown which is where I've lost the most but sides and hairline. What has me confused is that I've been having irritation all around my scalp problems, from the crown to the back and sides. It's gotten to the point where my scalp will itch, dry out, have blemishes and become very red. What makes this worse is I have OCD and one of my problems is I'm a picker, I pick at everything and so when my scalp itches and dries out I pick at it causing scabs.

At one point I thought I was losing my hair because of that and that it would grow back, but even after my dermatologist put me on Ketoconazole 2% (Generic for Nizoral) it would only heal my scalp for a short while before it becomes irritated again. I'm not sure if this is a fungus or something else and whether it's causing my hair to fall out or if it's only speeding up the what's already happening.

What also has me concerned is that my doctor first prescribed my 2% Nizoral and told me to use it everyday, which I did until the scabs went away, now I use it only as needed when my head starts to irritate me again, but I'm afraid I caused some damage when I used it 5 days in a row.

Now I'm contemplating starting Rogaine and Nizoral every 3 days, but I'm not sure if it'll help or reverse anything. I'm afraid of using Propecia because of people saying it has permanent side effects.

Here's 2 pictures, one is a regular shot of my hair, and another is close up. They were taken at the same time.

[iNcontroL]

I'm still hoping someone can give me some advice, if this is MPB what should I expect and what does my Norwood class look like?

[drybone]

Hey.

All of us here are on your side and we are all in the same boat.

First off, your hair doesnt look that bad. Yes there is some thinning but that could be from a whole pile of things.

Has your doctor or dematologist determined what it is yet ? They are the professionals and I am not.

You will get all kinds of excellent advice on here from people who know a lot more than I do but to start with, the question I have is..........how old are you?

Second, can you snap a few more photos from other angles and even straight on from your forehead so we can see what is happening better?

Cheers

[iNcontroL]

Thank you for the response, I'll be 26 in a month and I've added some more pictures. I'll be going to my primary doctor tomorrow and hopefully he'll give me a referral to see a dermatologist. The last picture should be the same profile as the second to last, only in a brighter light.

It's disheartening because I've always had bad luck with genetics. I've had gray hairs since I was 12, my mother who's 50 is having diffuse thinning, and I don't even remember what my father looks like with a full head of hair. My maternal grandfather also had MPB so I knew it was inevitable for me, but I didn't think it would start so soon.

[drybone]

Thanks for the photos.

Your hair doesn't look that bad. And 26 isnt old to start developing male pattern baldness.

I started losing my hair at 20.

Have you considered going on minoxidil and propecia yet ? Many on here are loving it and swear by it.

[BigThinker]

I don't think it looks that bad either.

As for 2% keto: when I started it I would get antsy and use it every other day and probably more of it than I should have. It ended up irritating my scalp pretty good and I ultimately discontinued it.

After ~1 months off keto and 1 month until my next derm appointment, I decided I'd try it again in considerable moderation. I've been back on it for 2 weeks (every 4th day), and I only use a small amount. It's giving me a weird dandruff but it does get rid of the itch.