Is this hairloss? What should i do?

[Johny.track131]

My mom's side of the family has had some hairloss, so im afraid id be going through the same. I'm 18 and here are some pictures of my hairline, what do you think? Also is there anything I can do to slow it down or regain my lost sides?
http://imageshack.us/g/816/img2691b.jpg/

[Tracy C]

Hi Johny.track131,

You have a natural and normal adult male hair line. This is one of the physical traits that differ between males and females like a deeper voice, bigger hands, bigger feet, facial hair and so on... This by itself is not an indication that you are balding because it is natural and normal for males to develop this hair line.

It is very difficult to tell if you are starting hereditary hair loss from pictures online - and it is impossible to tell if those pictures only show the hair line.

[chrisis]

Ok let's clear this up a bit: you have some hair loss, for sure. No 8 year old boy has a hairline as in the pics you've shown. However, as Tracy suggests, it's quite a normal and your balding isn't aesthetically bad at this point. The vast majority of men bald to some extent, and at this point in time yours is totally fine!

With that said, it could potentially get worse - as mine did. I had a hairline similar to yours at around your age and it took 10 years to progress to the point that it became a problem for me in terms of how I feel about myself. Even now it's not actually that bad, it's just more receded and bothers me because I'm stupidly vain

Anyway, there are a few things you can do to find out if your hairloss is likely to progress and at what rate. You can speak to your doctor, go to a hairloss expert, e.g. check here, and you can also get tested with something like this.

At your age I think it would be a good idea to do all of that before you consider any further steps. I personally hopped straight on 'the big 3' - finasteride, minoxidil, Nizoral, because I knew my hair loss was becoming quite evident and I wanted to stop it and maintain what I've got.

It's possible you can regrow what (little) you've already lost using 'the big 3', but consider whether it's worth it when you bear in mind the cost, life time commitment and potential side effects.

[25 going on 65]

The thinning behind the hairline suggests it could be the early stages of male-pattern hair loss. A hair loss specialist could give you a more definite answer, and will be able to explain your options to you.
If it is hereditary balding, you've caught it early, which is a good thing and gives you the most ability to do something about it (if you want to).

[Johny.track131]

The top of my head is definitely abit thinner than the sides and back of my head.... This is distressing, I'm going to a Dermatologist tomorrow, but still this sucks.... If i'm already noticing that the top of my head is abit thinner than the rest, does this mean that it'll be visually noticeable soon? Can't think of going through college like that... What can I do to stop it now??

[clandestine]

Your hair looks great, chill the **** out!

Your treatment options, if you so choose to engage them, are propecia (finasteride), rogaine (minoxidil) and nizoral A-D.

Finasteride has the potential for sexual sides. Research them, make informed decisions.

[chrisis]

What can I do to stop it now??

I could repeat my post or you could read it? Up to you.

[Johny.track131]

Aghh sorry Chrisis, I read your post, but frankly, i'm an overthinker with a truly paranoid mind, so my brain was really cloudy and the only way to releive stress and add some false hope was to repeat my question. I've considered Fin, but the potential side effects are scary, especially since some are permanent. And like you, im stupidly vain as well. This just scares me because it's hitting at such a young age and i have no idea or experience at the speed at which it can progress. I'm hopeful towards the stuff like Replicel, Aderans, Histogen and Follica though... Also is itchiness in the top area a bad sign?

[chrisis]

Aghh sorry Chrisis, I read your post, but frankly, i'm an overthinker with a truly paranoid mind, so my brain was really cloudy and the only way to releive stress and add some false hope was to repeat my question. I've considered Fin, but the potential side effects are scary, especially since some are permanent. And like you, im stupidly vain as well. This just scares me because it's hitting at such a young age and i have no idea or experience at the speed at which it can progress. I'm hopeful towards the stuff like Replicel, Aderans, Histogen and Follica though... Also is itchiness in the top area a bad sign?

I wouldn't say so necessarily. Might be a reaction to a shampoo or other hair product. You changed anything recently? I can't recall an itchy scalp ever indicating I was losing hair, though it gets itchy sometimes with some of the products I've started using to treat it.

First things first - try to speak to medical and hair experts who can give you some idea of what might happen. Once you've established that, if you want to take control, the only real option is finasteride/propecia because it treats the source of the problem. It's unfortunate that it's a deal with the devil in terms of the potential side effects. At least in my experience they seem to have gone away.

You're lucky that you're just 18. If your balding pattern is similar to mine, you can ride this out for a few years and hopefully some new treatments will come out

What type of balding do the men in your family have? Especially your mother's side? Find out how fast they lost their hair and where they lost it.

[25 going on 65]

I would consider making an appointment with a hair loss specialist before you start male-pattern hair loss treatments. I don't know for a fact that you have genetic hair loss.
If you do, you're in a prime position to treat it with medication, because you're in such an early stage of the process. Any medicine you take has some chance of side effects, including topical meds, but with hair loss treatments the risk is quite low.
"Post-finasteride syndrome" is a relatively new concept (or at least it wasn't a mainstream idea in the hair loss community until recently) that hasn't been confirmed by research. It's possible that a very small percentage of men have some unusual condition that causes them to react badly to finasteride, and that the unwanted effects continue long after quitting. I'm personally not convinced either way at this point, but it's something for you to consider if you're thinking about pursuing this treatment (if you do in fact have hereditary hair loss).

My advice to anyone who has started a regimen of finasteride is not to read the negative stories online about it until you've been on the med for awhile.

But, in my opinion, your best next step is an appointment with a specialist. You don't want to start MPB drugs if you don't need them.

Edit: Also, you have no need to panic! Believe me, I know that feeling. I basically had a breakdown when I realized I was losing hair in my early to mid 20's. But you truly are in a great position to treat it, if that's actually what is happening.
I have been treating my loss for awhile now (2+ years on ketoconazole, 1.5 years on finasteride) and am happy with my results.
Just take a deep breath, take the proper steps, and you'll be OK.