26 Male, thinning and shedding

[Rakti]

Hi,

I'm hoping someone is able to offer me some advice regarding the current condition of my hair. I'm 27 next month and up until the last 4-6 weeks I have not given much thought to losing my hair. Particularly as there is no direct link to either my maternal or paternal family. My dad is approaching 60 and has a full head of hair, uncle and Papa both the same whilst my Grandfather on my mum's side also had a full head of hair up until his passing.

It was around six weeks ago I started noticing that when I was styling my hair, using hands and brush, that I was accumulating single strands of hair in my hands and the area around me. It has been continuous since then and I will shed anything between 20-40 single strands of hair whilst styling. I've also noticed hair on my brush, when drying it using a towel and I can ruffle my hair without being aggressing and several hairs will come loose. I'm not saying it's substantial but it is new to me.

I wasn't overly bothered by this until my girlfriend noticed that my hair looked thinner at the crown one day it was styled. The main area in question is to the left of the crown and looks to be about two inches in length and an inch and a half wide. This is where it gets confusion. For years I have (very stupidly, I know) trimmed hairs from around this area as they would never sit properly when I styled it. I went to speak to my barber about four weeks ago and she was adamant that it had been cut and proceeded to thin the are next to it in order to blend it in. She was sure it would grow back. I've unfortunately not retained any pictures from when I originally noticed it.

I got my hair cut last week but it was a different barber but she too was of the opinion that it was deliberate (for want of a better word) rather than MPB or natural thinning. Again, I'm not so sure.

I suppose it's a combination of the noticeable shedding of hair and this sudden bare patch at the back of my head which is concerning me. I have attached a variety of pictures and would be grateful if somebody with more knowledge than me could advise as to whether or not my hair is in-keeping with the MPB or another explanation. I know it's very likely to be the former so if there is any indication of whereabouts on the scale I am, it would also be appreciated.





Many thanks for taking the time to read.

[rawkfanseth]

Your hair looks completely normal to me. I'm just a lay person though, not an expert.

[BigThinker]

Im with rawkfanseth. It looks like the combination of naturally thing hair + wet hair is making you seem a bit thin around the crown. That is, if you're absolutely certain there's no MPB in your family.

Depending on how worried about it you are, see a dermatologist. They should be able to map for miniaturization an say more conclusively. Otherwise, just keep an eye on it and move on for now.

[Rakti]

That's another picture which may show my concern more clearly. As well as the thin patch to the left I think something similar is happening to the right hand side. I raised this on another forum and they were adamant it was diffuse thinning and advised me to go on a treatment.

Considering the shedding has only been noticeable for six weeks I am loathed to start something as drastic as that. On the other hand, I don't want to waste valuable time if it's only going to get worse. Could it be temporary? Stress induced?

The shedding is a concern as I have never shedded much hair in the past, but the family history does give me some hope. It's honestly never been in my radar until the last six weeks, and I'm now finding it difficult I switch off.

Thanks again for listening.

[35YrsAfter]

That's another picture which may show my concern more clearly. As well as the thin patch to the left I think something similar is happening to the right hand side. I raised this on another forum and they were adamant it was diffuse thinning and advised me to go on a treatment.

Thanks again for listening.

Are you taking any medication that has a side effect of hair loss? How's your stress level?
You may want to get a HairCheck. We offer it at N/C. The numbers are kept on file so you can return a couple of years down the road and compare. If there is significantly more loss, you may want to begin taking Propecia.

[Rakti]

Are you taking any medication that has a side effect of hair loss? How's your stress level?
You may want to get a HairCheck. We offer it at N/C. The numbers are kept on file so you can return a couple of years down the road and compare. If there is significantly more loss, you may want to begin taking Propecia.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
forhair.com
Cole Hair Transplant
1070 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

The most stressful things I can remember happening to me in the last few months was a couple of big gambling losses around February time. I'm not on any new medication so I can rule that out

Yeah, that would be ideal, unfortunately I'm in the UK. I will speak with my GP and hopefully he can offer some insight before referring on. I was just hoping for some confirmation whether or not it was typical hair loss. Also, if there was a specific way of identifying if there is an underlying cause due to the relevantly recent shedding.

Thanks for replying and reading.

[35YrsAfter]

Yeah, that would be ideal, unfortunately I'm in the UK.

Thanks for replying and reading.

You may want to call around to find a doctor in the UK that provides HairCheck. If not specifically HairCheck, ask if they do cross sectional trichometry.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
Cole Hair Transplant
Atlanta, GA
Phone 678-566-1011
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice

[Rakti]

Just a wee update to this. I have an appointment with a hair clinic to get a proper assessment.

I have noticed a lot of very small hairs beginning a growth all over my head, including the area affected (crown and back of the scalp). My question regarding this is, is that typical for MPB? Will they just continue to shed?

[35YrsAfter]

Just a wee update to this. I have an appointment with a hair clinic to get a proper assessment.

I have noticed a lot of very small hairs beginning a growth all over my head, including the area affected (crown and back of the scalp). My question regarding this is, is that typical for MPB? Will they just continue to shed?

When a person with hair loss hasn't had hair transplants or does not take Propecia or Avodart, generally the short, finer hairs seen are miniaturized hairs beginning to grow after an extended telogen rest. MPB causes a shorter anagen (growing) phase and hairs remain in the telogen phase longer. Each time they begin to grow after coming out of the telogen phase, their caliber is decreased.

[Rakti]

When a person with hair loss hasn't had hair transplants or does not take Propecia or Avodart, generally the short, finer hairs seen are miniaturized hairs beginning to grow after an extended telogen rest. MPB causes a shorter anagen (growing) phase and hairs remain in the telogen phase longer. Each time they begin to grow after coming out of the telogen phase, their caliber is decreased.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
forhair.com
Cole Hair Transplant
1070 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice

Thanks for replying. It's only been the last couple of days I noticed and although they are everywhere on my scalp, I feared that they wouldn't be hanging around for any length of time.