Could this be the start of balding?

[jasinfla]

Hey everyone, I know this is a common question but when I am brushing my hair, I get this split in the middle right of my head & was wondering if this is normal? Also recently I got a haircut & the barber literally cut alot of my hair off my back (crown) so I am thinking that this possibly not mpb yet in the back but my hair just trying to get back to where it was. But if you don't mind looking at my photos & just letting me know how it looks and if this is normal, greatly appreciated. Just a little background, 36 yrs. old, my hairline in the front is good (sorry I have no photos of it) & I have never took any or used any hair loss products. Thanks again.

[mkamph]

looks like the beginning of mpb. i have a similar pattern, but have stopped it with meds. good luck.

[jasinfla]

Thanks...can I ask what meds did you get on? Thank you.

[mkamph]

i started with propecia and have been on avodart for the last 4 years. i also use minox 5% 2x a day.

[mattj]

It could be balding but it's hard to tell. Often the way the hair parts at the crown (which can vary so much between people) can reveal quite a lot of scalp without an actual loss of hair. I would keep an eye on it (without obsessing) and start treatment if you notice any worsening.

How often have you seen yourself from that angle?

[jasinfla]

Thank you everyone for your input. So it is actually natural to have a part in the crown? Sorry I just know don't know too much of how hair works & I really appreciate the input of experts. Also is the swirl area on the back right side of the back of my head, is it common to show scalp there also? Obsessing is something that I need to get out of my mind & I appreciate your input there. Also, sorry one more question, would rogaine be something that would help there? Sorry for all the questions & thanks.

[mattj]

Is the parting totally unconnected to the swirl? (Which I can't really see).

Like I said, hair patterns vary so much. The swirl can vary in size. Some are small and tight while others spread out wide. In some the hair doesn't swirl much at all but just spreads straight out in all directions. (Mine is like that). Some people have double swirls and where the two meet you have all sorts of strange follicular directional changes. You seem to have a natural parting back there.

Basically, when hairs spread in opposite directions - either in a linear fashion like with a parting or in a typical swirl pattern at the crown - scalp is exposed in the center. The amount exposed depends on your density, and different lighting (including camera flashes) can effect how visible it is.
I can see that the hair is obviously spreading in opposite directions along the parting, but it's hard to tell if you've lost density. It's possible. There are signs that you might not have 100% of your original density (visible scalp off to the side of the parting), but it could just be that your natural density isn't very high. Things could look very different if you took another photo and the light hit you differently.

I tried to be detailed but I'm sorry I can't be more certain than that. It might help if we could see a higher resolution close-up.

[jasinfla]

Mattj, thank you for your help, I greatly appreciate it. I never thought about it but you are absolutely right that my hair is going in different directions. The part actually does come down to my swirl but on the right hand side of my swirl, there's like a "hair wall" there. Don't know how else to describe it. If I don't have 100% hair density, does that mean that I am thinning or balding or is this just natural? I will see if I can take some better pictures though. I also have been told that I have a cowlick in that area or actually it seems like the hair lays flat on the left side of the part but on the right, it raises up & the hair in front of that seems a bit less of density. Do you know could a cowlick cause this? Also do you know how does minixidol work in this area or is something that I would need to get on propecia? Mattj, thanks again.

[mattj]

I was talking about 100% as a percentage of your original density. It's possible that you have less than 100% of the hair that you used to have, but it's also possible that you do have 100% of your original density but that your hair wasn't that thick to begin with. Sorry, sometimes I'm waaaay too verbal for my own good.

My hair is still very dense through the top of my head and at the crown. It's hard to see scalp at the crown. But my brother, whose hairloss at the front is less advanced than mine, shows more scalp at the crown. When I first noticed that I was worried for him, but when I got a good look I realised that he simply has fewer follicles per square cm than I do and he has no hairloss in that region at all.

Cowlicks are sort of like 'bed head'. I've noticed on many people, when their hair is sticking up in weird ways then scalp can be seen. Again it's due to the change in direction of the hairs.

But I don't want to lull you into a false sense of security about your hair, as it is best to start treatment early if you are losing it. I just think the jury is still out on whether you are losing it.

Minoxidil and Propecia both work their best magic at the crown/top of the head.

[jasinfla]

Hey mattj, thank you again & very interesting information. I'm going to go & get this check out but I know that this is probably a very stupid question & you cannot predict the future but at age of my mid-30s & with the questionable hair loss that I might have, could there be a possibility that this could evolve into a horseshoe pattern and I could loose the hair on my upper sides? Reason I am asking is that I don't know if you know something different with me on how fast this could develop or what...also is something like this, in the crown area, a thing that could be thought of for a hair transplant or would that be foolish of me? I heard that hair grows through cycles & is there a chance that this part of my head may have fallen out & will regrow naturally or how do you know if you are truly thinning/balding & it's not in a hair cycle? Sorry, but I will try to make this will be the last time I question but I appreciate your knowledge on this. Thank you once again.

[mattj]

You don't need to apologize for having questions. If I don't want to answer then I won't.

Considering your age and that you have very minor loss (if any), I would say that it's statistically unlikely that you will reach an advanced balding pattern. However, hairloss can be unpredictable and I cannot say for sure. Some guys don't start losing their hair until their thirties and then start losing it fast, but most men who end up with the 'horseshoe' start losing hair young.

You're right that hair goes through cycles. It grows, it sheds, the follicle rests and then it grows again. This doesn't cause there to be any noticeable loss of density as it is continuous with approximately 10% of hairs in the Telogen (resting) phase at any one time.

You could consult with a dermatologist and ask them to examine you closely for signs of miniaturization. This is when hairs start to grow back thinner and thinner until they become unnoticeable. They will also notice if the area of concern has reduced density in comparison to the surrounding hair. It wouldn't harm to get some better photos to show us though. How good is your hairline? Is it the same as when you were in your teens and twenties?

I'd say that you're a maybe, with a strong possibility of having mild crown loss. You should start reading about Propecia and Rogaine and decide whether you want to start using them. I normally advocate Propecia use as when it works it can work very well, but there can be side effects and for very slowly progressing and insignificant hairloss it might not be worth it. Rogaine too has it's side effects, and it can be a hassle to apply (and you must commit to using it), but it could be the best option for regrowing and maintaining at the crown if you want to avoid hormone level-altering internal drugs like Propecia.

Regarding hair transplants, it is possible to have a transplant to the crown but you are most definitely not in need of one.

[jasinfla]

Hey mattj, I greatly appreciate it again & I have learned a lot. I'm going to visit a dermatologist soon. My barber has told me recently that he said that I'm "very" good for my hair at my age and I respect his opinion but I feel getting other perspectives are always good. Thank you once again and have a great day!

[jasinfla]

L shape

With this split in the left middle of my head, it goes down into my whorl area where that is more of a circle shape and it looks like it makes a "L" type shape. Could this be a pattern of mpb? Just kind of concerned that this could maybe form a "u' shape & maybe swallow up the hair in the middle, if this is possible? Looking at nw scales and it looks like the spot in the back evolves out and eventually meets the hairline. Thanks!

[jasinfla]

Question for mattj

Hey mattj ...when you said that you noticed thinning or less density of that split picture, were you talking about the left side of the part looking down? Reason I'm asking is that it seems like the hair in that area is starting to get smaller in size and seriously messing with me. Have been taking some Biotin so don't know if the hair is responding to that or it's a shed or what...thank you.

[mattj]

I was talking about that area, but I am not certain that I see any thinning.