Don't know if I am losing my hair

[Purple Glow]

I'm 38 years old. I have naturally thin hair. Its naturally thin enough that I've had people every once in a while tell me "you look like you're going bald" since I was 17, but it never happened. It probably is not only thin but sheds and fills back in again. Any shedding cycle with my thin hair might look like baldness is approaching.

So I went on a crash diet last summer. I got a haircut in the fall with a new stylist and she said I was losing hair at the crown and sides, basically going bald. I suspect the stress of the crash diet might have caused some to fall out.

I went back to my regular stylist and she said I was not going bald, that I'm just always thin.

I ask my friends and none say I'm going bald. I ask random people when shopping and most say I'm not going bald, some claim there may be a tiny spot where its thin at the crown, none say they they would look at me and say I'm balding.

I notice a difference between pictures and videos. When I take a photo of my head, I think it looks like I'm almost bald, which doesn't make sense. When I take a video and pan around my head, it looks full. But it could be the flash bulb of the camera.

So anyway some photos:

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/750/0000198k.jpg
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/4061/0000186h.jpg
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/1539/0000200k.jpg

I also notice when I slick my hair back, there are several smaller strands of hair in the front that poke out, which I figure may represent new growth post-crash diet from last summer. They seem to be about the length they should be if they started growing shortly after I stopped my crash diet.

My father is 75 years old and still has hair, and his has also always been very thin. He has no bald spot.

I'm thinking its a little thin but its slowly filling back in on its own. Just not sure. Thoughts?

[dgman21]

Dam most guys in here are in their early 20's and have worse hair than you. Anyways I'm 32. It looks thin in areas like mine. The front of my hair is the worst. If i slick it back you will see way 2 much scalp. I try to style it rite to cover the front.

[mattj]

The way your hair is wet and combed, and the photos having been taken from above, make it difficult to tell if the density is the same at the sides of your head as it is at the top. If you didn't include your history of having thin hair going back twenty years, I'd say that you were most likely thin due to male pattern baldness. But with that info it seems possible that your hair is simply naturally lacking in density.
You're right that any loss in density, perhaps due to a seasonal shed, will be more noticeable on someone with naturally thin hair and could cause a balding false alarm.

Has your hairline receded at all? The shorter hairs at the front might be miniaturized hairs going through the process of being lost. They will be unable to grow as long or as quickly as other hairs do, causing them to stick up and be less manageable than surrounding healthy hair.

[Purple Glow]

The way your hair is wet and combed, and the photos having been taken from above, make it difficult to tell if the density is the same at the sides of your head as it is at the top. If you didn't include your history of having thin hair going back twenty years, I'd say that you were most likely thin due to male pattern baldness. But with that info it seems possible that your hair is simply naturally lacking in density.
You're right that any loss in density, perhaps due to a seasonal shed, will be more noticeable on someone with naturally thin hair and could cause a balding false alarm.

Has your hairline receded at all? The shorter hairs at the front might be miniaturized hairs going through the process of being lost. They will be unable to grow as long or as quickly as other hairs do, causing them to stick up and be less manageable than surrounding healthy hair.

My hairline has not receded. My father is 75 and his hairline has not receded either. His is just thin. I've ordered some special hair-thickening shampoo for now and will try that out. Upon close inspection, my hair has the same density at the top and sides. Just thin all over.

Thank you for the reply.

[mattj]

Sounds promising for you then. Obviously you'd prefer to have thick hair, but I think most guys would consider thin but complete coverage better than having bald areas.