Balding or parting?

[jp1979]

Hi all, I am new to this forum. I am just noticing for the first time that I may be going bald around the crown.

What do people think - balding or maybe just a large parting? This is the first time I have ever grown my hair longish. Is it possible that partings just look bigger when hair is longer?

http://www.tiikoni.com/tis/view/?id=b2300c3

[win200]

Hard to tell, but I think it's just the part. Everyone has some scalp exposure in their whorl area.

[jp1979]

I very rarely grown my hair long (last time it was grown more than an inch was about 8 or 9 years ago) and I've never noticed any thinning with a closely shaved head.

I guess naturally thin spots (as opposed to thinnING spots) and whorls are more visible with long hair.

It's freaking me out though cos when the wind blows, I can actually feel it colder on this part of my head!

[drybone]

This is the way your hair is parting. You are not going bald.

[25 going on 65]

tbh it could be early MPB.

[BigThinker]

tbh it could be early MPB.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but also not willing to lie; it looks like it's in the early stages to me too. Depends if your hair has always been that thin or not. You should know whether or not that's the case, or you could ask your barber if (s)he has been doing your hair for a while.

Otherwise, ask a derm if you're really concerned.

[VMRockshow]

It could go either way. My hair looked like this a few years ago and everyone told me it was the part. Good news is that you can go to a hair lost specialist and they can tell you for sure. If you are then you are lucky because you caught it really early!

[StuckInARut]

I guess the most important question is do you have MPB in your family? Father, Grandfathers, Uncles, etc. I know some guys who have a part like that but they aren't balding.

[jp1979]

I guess the most important question is do you have MPB in your family? Father, Grandfathers, Uncles, etc. I know some guys who have a part like that but they aren't balding.

Hi Stuck.

How do you know they aren't balding? Have you seen them like this for a lengthy period of time? Over what age range have you been observing this? These are important questions in visual determination of progression of baldness.

The latest I hear is that the balding gene is so random that checking for MPB in your family can predict practically nothing

[Buster]

I'd say MPB. If you look closely you can see that beyond the parting is thinning as well.

[VMRockshow]

I'd say MPB. If you look closely you can see that beyond the parting is thinning as well.

Yea, that's exactly how I started out. I thought I just had a big part compared to others.

JP - You're right about the gene being hard to predict. My dad has thin hair but when he was 30 he had wayyyy thicker hair then I do now at 24 (I'm thinning diffuse). His father (my grandfather) had the same thing as him... I always hoped I end up with that. My mom's side uncle thinned diffuse but at 24 he still had his full hair... same thing with my mom's side grandfather. Supposedly my great grandfather on my Grandmothers side went bald very quick. I read a few places that it typically follows another family members route with time and type.

Someone correct me if i'm wrong but from what I have read this seems like a scenario

If your mom's father is bald then you most likely have the gene. However, you also need the gene that had the androgen receptors in the head that miniaturize the hair from DHT. You could also have a different persons balding pattern. Also you can go bald with or without a bald maternal grandfather. If your dad is bald it shoots up your chance of going bald by a high enough percentage.

[jp1979]

If your dad is bald it shoots up your chance of going bald by a high enough percentage.

If thats true then I might have some hope - my Dad was nowhere near bald even at the age of 65

[Shan]

Bro I had exactly the same problem. It is definitely thinning, catch it early before the parting becomes wider like I did, though mine was mid scalp parting and I had much longer hair.

[jp1979]

Bro I had exactly the same problem. It is definitely thinning, catch it early before the parting becomes wider like I did, though mine was mid scalp parting and I had much longer hair.

Hi Shan, can you show me some pics of your parting back then if possible? How long ago was it and did it progress much since then?

[Shan]

if youre worried, take fin