Hair shedding is making me lose my mind

[LiveInHope]

Hi guys, I seriously need some help with my problem before I crack up. I previously posted here: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=74944 about my current predicament regarding hair loss.

However, for those who don’t feel like reading that I’ll post a summary:

Sept 2010: First noticed I was shedding hair at a noticeable rate. All hairs were long and had a visible bulb on the end of them.

Dec 2010 (or roughly thereabouts): Hair shedding stopped, or stopped to the point where it wasn’t noticeable. Suspect it was seasonal shedding or TE.
Continued on with life and didn’t realise how glorious it was not to worry about hair loss.

Sept 2011: Noticed again that I was shedding hairs. Again, all hairs were/are long and had/have a visible bulb on the end of them.

As of today, 10 months later, my hair has not stopped shedding. I could pull 50 hairs loose easily from my head a day if I wanted to (I don't). Regarding actual loss without pulling I'd say it's in the region of 25-30. However, I have not noticed any visible thinning of my hair and am about 80% certain there’s been no recession at my temples.

This has not made me feel better at all as I change my mind every hour or so regarding if I’m actually losing my hair or not.

My argument against me losing my hair is that if I’ve been shedding hair for 10 months I should have at least some more noticeable thinning, right? But then, what else is causing the shedding?

Everybody likes to think they suffer from TE but odds are it’s simply MPB. As well as this, hair from all over my body pulls out very easily. My eyebrows, eyelashes, leg hair and happy trail hair all pull away very easily. I know losing eyebrow hair is not uncommon in aggressive MPB, but if my hair loss is aggressive, wouldn’t it, again, be more noticeable?

Conversely, you can see my scalp at points but I've seen in old photos where you can see it and it appears much longer in the photo than it does at the moment (it's really short). I can upload these if anyone wishes to see.

It is on my mind CONSTANTLY, to the point where I can’t think about anything else for long periods of time. I feel like I’m in limbo regarding hair loss and I’m afraid to pass it off as anything less than MPB only to receive a huge shock in a few months.

I’ve attached some photos I took recently along with similar ones from a few years back if anyone can see any hair loss or recession that I may have missed?

The photos are dated in order: Jan 09, June 2012 (today), 1st May 2012, Oct 2010, August 09, 23rd April 2012.

Can someone, please, please tell me what they think could be going on?

[Primo]

You need to shave it off and get a hair piece!

[TravisB]

OMG hairloss? What hairloss?

[LiveInHope]

I know what you're thinking, I get it. But the fact is I'm shedding hairs at a noticeable rate and have been for sometime, whereas prior to it beginning, I wasn't. So something is going on and it's driving me crazy not knowing what it could be.

I guess hair "loss" isn't the right word to use, more like hair shedding.

[TravisB]

What's your family history of hair loss? If no one was bald, then you probably doesn't have anything to worry about, but nevertheless you should keep a close eye on it.

[Primo]

Yeah defintely a lot of "shedding" going on there, like I said the only realistic option now is to shave off what remains and get a hair piece!

[LiveInHope]

@TravisB
I have a mixed bag. My father is about a NW5-6 but his brother still had a full head of hair by the time he died (aged 44). On my mothers side, 2 of her brothers still pretty much have all their hair (they're in their 60's too) and the other has lost it all.

@Primo
Please stop commenting if you're not going to at least try and help. I wouldn't have bothered posting if it hadn't been worrying me constantly only to get ridiculed (even if it is in "good humour").

[TravisB]

Hmm if your father is bald, and you have other bald family members, then I say that you have a very high chance of going bald too. But if you are lucky, maybe you won't. Observe your hairline and crown. Especially crown as you don't see it everyday when looking in the mirror.

[LiveInHope]

Yeah, I understand that. Hoping and praying that I take after the 3/5 males in my close family as opposed to the other 2/5!

I'm also reading up a lot about the genetics of hair loss. I mean, what singled out my father as the one to suffer hair loss as opposed to his brother if they both had the same chances of it occurring.

But still, I want to be ready for the day if/when it comes. Which is why it's causing me so much anxiety trying to figure out if it's already started or not.

[Primo]

Hey don't stress too much, my father and grand father were both NW6/7s and while I have also inherited the hairloss gene, my brother who is 8years older and in his early 30s has a completely full head of hair, he has taken my mother's hair genes clearly.

I started losing it when I was 17, so I'm sure if he was going to go bald also it would have set in by now, so don't go crazy about it, watch out for any developments over the next 12months, but you could very well end up being the lucky one like my bro, it's 50/50.

Also, bit of a personal question, but how old are you?

Because you complain about thinning hair at the sides, but if you're 25+ that kind of thinning is very common, there are guys here who are on every possible treatment you can take and they still get this thinning at the sides, there is nothing you can do to prevent it as you move towards your 30s, it's not strictly mpb in the true sense, it's more like a mature hairline.