Difference between a 'mature hairline' and early MPB?

[mpb47]

So anything to be worried about?

As far as I can tell you look fine. I was posting old pictures in another thread yesterday and found a few more. This is when mine was first starting. Some people insisted I was not balding, but as you can see from my more recent photo's , I was. Judge for yourself. The first 3are when I first saw it, the 3rd was a couple of years later.


Best advice I can give is to keep taking pictures every few months as that is the only way to be sure. Also it is hard to take consistent pics as one day my crown will look bad and the next pretty good so it is impossible to change in 1 day.

Just take a lot of pictures...I did and it shows how mpb developed on my crown over time. Good luck!

[jackroylance]

Its very difficult to tell like you said as things like the angle, light and certain style of the hair can differ from each day and even each picture. For example, these are two pictures taken no longer than a week apart and one looks full and thick, the other with the slight development of a crown loss so I dont know which one is telling the truth?!

[burtandernie]

No such thing as mature hairline. Its basically a cop out term invented to help excuse the pretty primitive and ineffective treatments we have so guys dont feel bad losing some hair since really none of our treatments really work that well at the front.

[mpb47]

Its very difficult to tell like you said as things like the angle, light and certain style of the hair can differ from each day and even each picture. For example, these are two pictures taken no longer than a week apart and one looks full and thick, the other with the slight development of a crown loss so I dont know which one is telling the truth?!

Well you know what I mean - the way it can change day to day, which is impossible. But month to month can be real. A month or so ago, my crown looked really bad. ...like it had become a true bald spot. Now more recently it doesn't look nearly as bad and it's no longer hard to conceal it. This is probably due to minox causing shed/regrowth cycles.

Best advice is to keep taking lots of pictures and look at them not day to day but over the course of months.

Also think about what you want to do , if anything about it.

When i noticed it starting, I tried minox for almost 2 years with no luck. But when I added propecia it started reversing about 9 months later.

bottom line..if you chose to use meds, do not procrasticate. I lost a lot of hair in less than 2 years when I noticed it and when I went on propecia.

[jackroylance]

Well you know what I mean - the way it can change day to day, which is impossible. But month to month can be real. A month or so ago, my crown looked really bad. ...like it had become a true bald spot. Now more recently it doesn't look nearly as bad and it's no longer hard to conceal it. This is probably due to minox causing shed/regrowth cycles.

Best advice is to keep taking lots of pictures and look at them not day to day but over the course of months.

Also think about what you want to do , if anything about it.

When i noticed it starting, I tried minox for almost 2 years with no luck. But when I added propecia it started reversing about 9 months later.

bottom line..if you chose to use meds, do not procrasticate. I lost a lot of hair in less than 2 years when I noticed it and when I went on propecia.

My problem is I would only use meds as a 'last resort' really so would need to know if my hair is showing signs of mpb before I took the plunge and I have no idea how to be sure

[mpb47]

My problem is I would only use meds as a 'last resort' really so would need to know if my hair is showing signs of mpb before I took the plunge and I have no idea how to be sure

Taking pictures- lots of them. That is how you will know for sure.

[burtandernie]

Yeah the hardest thing about MPB is the treatments are all pretty primitive and the whole thing is just a bunch of uncertainty. Will you go bald? How bad will it get? What pattern will happen in? Will propecia stop it? On and on the questions go and most of them have no real answers other then see a derm and most derms dont have much to say other then ask your family history which is not a perfect indicator either.

[jackroylance]

Definitely its the uncertainty that makes everything worse. I think if people almost had 'sell-by dates' when they know it will affect them then that would make the process a lot easier to cope with. Also, family history must be unclear as a solution as mine is pretty good with most family members sporting a full head of hair and none completely bald but I still dont see that as a true indication!

On another note, does anyone find that cutting your hair shorter, just a bit longer than a buzz cut, actually makes MPB look better? A friend of mine with quite a bad receding hairline did it and now its almost unoticable.

[mpb47]

Definitely its the uncertainty that makes everything worse. I think if people almost had 'sell-by dates' when they know it will affect them then that would make the process a lot easier to cope with. Also, family history must be unclear as a solution as mine is pretty good with most family members sporting a full head of hair and none completely bald but I still dont see that as a true indication!

On another note, does anyone find that cutting your hair shorter, just a bit longer than a buzz cut, actually makes MPB look better? A friend of mine with quite a bad receding hairline did it and now its almost unoticable.

Finding the correct length can make a big difference in how much hair you appear to have. I used the word appear because if you do it right, you can make it appear that you have much more hair than you really have. You will still have both good and bad days..and on bad days there is not much you can do. But on good days- Well recently I have had 2 different women as work honestly think I had all my hair.

What works for me:

1: Correct length - You just have to find it by experimentation by learning to cut your own hair. If it is too short, it is obvious of course. But if it gets too long- you will look like Donald Trump in the front. And if it gets too long around the crown you will get a very fake looking flat spot in the back.

2: Combing - This will vary depending on where your problem is. Most of my problem in in the rear. If I do a comb over it looks terrible.
I have been watching videos by one of the lady hair docs on this board. In one of her videos she mentions the very trick that works for me:
I do a sorta comb BACK then hit it with hair spray. Sometimes you must let it dry for about 5 min then do it again for it to look right. But it works as long as you do not let the comb back hair get too long. I thought I invented this trick but she knows about it and must tell her patients about it as well.

3: Minox - Even if you don't think it is working for your mpb, I honestly find that it keeps my normal hair thicker- just like it was in my teens. It keeps more of it growing at the same time so you have more to work with. Be sure to use hair conditioner for your hair as it will remove the hairspray and minox build up that can leave your hair flat looking.


It's a pain to do all of this- esp because of the extra work and time involved, but it will work as long as you are not too bald already.

And again, you will have bad days where it will not work but you will still look better most of the time.

[jackroylance]

With regards to the haircut though, as you can see here with my hair shorter I sometimes dont even realise why I'm worried as to me this looks perfectly normal, dont you think? Yet all it takes is a couple stray hairs or a bit of scalp to peak through and Im back to being convinced il be bald by 25. I dont get why its bothering me so much because I am normally really positive and haven't really had any comments on my potential for hair loss before, thats why I keep asking people on here who know the signs better than most people my age.

[mpb47]

With regards to the haircut though, as you can see here with my hair shorter I sometimes dont even realise why I'm worried as to me this looks perfectly normal, dont you think? Yet all it takes is a couple stray hairs or a bit of scalp to peak through and Im back to being convinced il be bald by 25. I dont get why its bothering me so much because I am normally really positive and haven't really had any comments on my potential for hair loss before, thats why I keep asking people on here who know the signs better than most people my age.

Yes your hair looks completely normal and I really don't think you have mpb.
But to prove it to yourself and calm your fears, keep taking pictures every 3 months or so. Keep an eye on your crown whirl. If it ever does start in the crown area, that is most likely where you will first see it. As I have already said a friend who worked for a Dr told me that is where it would start and she was correct, at least in my case.

[jackroylance]

Okay I left it awhile and was quite happy and content that I wasnt balding. However today, after a lost bet, I let my friend cut my hair. He didnt do a bad job and I was happy with it only he made a comment regarding hair loss around the crown which hit me like a ton of bricks. So I went upstairs and took pictures and before and after a shower, surprisingly the thicker one is with wet hair but is this getting worse or just him taking the mick and me worrying again?

[burtandernie]

Your pictures look fine dont worry about it. Take the pictures and forget about it now. On the positive if you start balding 5 years from now you will probably be able to safely stop it then so I think MPB is going to be a lot smaller an issue years from now its just right now there are few options.

[ryan555]

Dude, you are not going bald. Calm down and stop obsessing.

[jackroylance]

Okay I get where you're all coming from and will try to put it out of my mind. I'm just not sure then what signs to look for if mpb does start as I thought I was showing the signs with these pictures?