21 years old and serious hair loss/thinning, need advice!

[hairloss1231]

Hello everyone,

I literally just created this account 20 minutes ago because I really need to do something about my hair loss/thinning and what better way to learn by asking people who are going through the same thing and can maybe shed (no pun intended) some light on what I need to do.

About my hair: I have an oily scalp and if I don't shampoo my hair everyday it gets oily and itchy. I barely used to shampoo everyday because I heard it can damage your hair. Then I heard that if you have an oily scalp you should shampoo everyday so I began to do so about a couple weeks ago. I use Johnson's baby shampoo. I've heard a sign of male pattern baldness is when your hairline begins to recede. However, mine has not receded at all, instead, I'm just losing a lot of hair on the top of my head as well as the crown area. I also barely see any hair on my pillow when I wake up (maybe 1-3 strands). However, I usually see around 20 strands when I shampoo my hair.

I've included 6 pics of my head (which I also took 30 mins ago) so you guys can see what type of hair loss it is (if there are any types).

The first two pics is how I usually style my hair (kind of like a slick back except hair is not as long and i don't use any products) Don't know if there is even a name of this hairstyle.

The next two pics is of the right of my crown where you can notice a bald spot. I've had this little spot since beginning high school I believe (i'm entering my 4th year in College now). I've never got any stitches or surgery of some sort on that spot so I'm pretty much its been there because of my hair thinning.

The last two pics is my how the top of my head looks when I brush my hair down.

Genetics: Well, both my parents are above 50. My dad has pretty much lost all his hair on the top with like around 50 strands remaining. And my mom's hair is very thin as well. However, my dad and mom are usually stressed out a lot so that could have caused the hair loss/thinning. My dad also got his hair permed when he was young and I heard that can cause hair loss because both my dad's brothers have never had any hair loss. I'm telling you this because I am not entirely sure if genes are the reason for my hair loss.

Diet: I've very healthy. I watch my macros and make sure I get sufficient amount of protein, carbs, and healthy fats. I also take multi-vitamins. And I workout 5 times a week.

As a kid, around age 12-19, my hairs always been itchy but I never seemed to care and I've always had dandruff all my life and when I use something like head & shoulders i see more flakes in my head.


I've been shampooing everyday for the last two weeks and my flakes have pretty much disappeared and there's barely any sense of itchiness. However I continue to lose around 20+ strands of hair every time I shampoo (Johnson's Baby Shampoo).

My question is that I don't know if this is male pattern baldness or is it because I never really took care of my hair especially since its always been oily and has dandruff. My dandruff has been pretty mild btw since the last year or so.

I'm really shocked I'm seeing signs of hair loss at such a young age and I'm hoping I can still regrow my hair before my hairline begins to recede.

I think I've given you guys all the information I could possibly give you about my hair so if you have any advice on what I should do that would be greatly appreciated. If you have any more questions for me, just comment below and I'll reply as soon as I can.

Thanks again.

 

[Ptrt]

Go see a hair restoration specialist who can take a closer look. You definitely have a good hairline, so it's hard to say.

And shampooing every day is not good for oily hair. You're stimulating the glands to produce more oil when you wash every day.

 

[Vlatch]

Diffuse thinning, run some blood tests to be sure but it's probably male pattern baldness. Having dandruff can make things worse but it's not the principal cause of balding.

Check the different treatments available for hair loss : finasteride, ketoconazole shampoo, minoxidil, spironolactone, dutasteride, tricomin. Stick to proven treatments.

For dandruff : salicylic acid, cycloprox olamine, zinc pyrithione, coal tar and ketoconazole shampoo. Also : apple cider vinegar.

 

[saja2148]

Looks like diffuse thinning.
When did your dad start losing his hair?

I'd suggest you start finding out everything about MBP and treatments. If you have MBP its still early stages so can get good results.
Be prepared because hairloss like that is usually genetic.

 

[hairloss1231]

Ptrt: but the thing is, if I miss a day of shampooing, my hair gets really itchy and oily?
It feels much better after I shampoo so i don't know.

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Hey Vlatch, I've tried Nizoral shampoo which has 2% ketoconazole. However, i followed the bottle's instructions and it said to use it once a week and then later on use once every other week. That really did not help my hair at all. Should I buy it again and take it more often, like maybe every other day?

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saja2148, my dad's hair loss was nothing like mine. He just began with a receding hairline around age 30.

 

[dreamermerlin]

Go see a dermatologist, but a good one. this doesn't look like male pattern baldness at all. It could be, but it is quite unnatural for male pattern baldness to start like that, in the middle of the head.
About washing everyday, no, it cannot affect your hair if you use a mild shampoo.
About oiliness, yes, in the beggining when you start wshing daily the sebaceous glands can produce more oil, but it evens out after some time. There is no point in staying with that sebum on the scalp more days, it simply cannot do any good, bseides looking bad.

 

[Vlatch]

Hey Vlatch, I've tried Nizoral shampoo which has 2% ketoconazole. However, i followed the bottle's instructions and it said to use it once a week and then later on use once every other week. That really did not help my hair at all. Should I buy it again and take it more often, like maybe every other day?

I'll tell you what helped me, and I have quite severe dandruff.
At the beginning I used Nizoral 2% twice a week, it helped but it wasn't enough so I started using it three times a week.
Ketoconazole helps in reducing the developing rate of dandruff but I find it quite bad to remove the existing dandruff, so I often use it in combination with salicylic acid (one or two aspirin 500mg pills mixed in water and applied on the scalp 5 min before shampoo).
On top of it, every ten days, I apply apple cider vinegar on my scalp for 30 minutes before washing my hair with a gentle shampoo.

Now my scalp looks good, but it's really hard to find what works for you against dandruff, I've tried everything I listed previously. You just have to find the right combination, only one product is often not enough !

 

[hairloss1231]

Hey Vlatch, so did you go through any hair loss or did you just have sever dandruff? And if you did have hair loss, has it stopped now?

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Go see a dermatologist, but a good one. this doesn't look like male pattern baldness at all. It could be, but it is quite unnatural for male pattern baldness to start like that, in the middle of the head.
About washing everyday, no, it cannot affect your hair if you use a mild shampoo.
About oiliness, yes, in the beggining when you start wshing daily the sebaceous glands can produce more oil, but it evens out after some time. There is no point in staying with that sebum on the scalp more days, it simply cannot do any good, bseides looking bad.

Hey Dreamermerlin, it makes me feel better that there is a chance its not male pattern baldness. Would you consider Johnsons baby shampoo a mild shampoo? I'm assuming it is since it is made for babies lol

 

[Chrisolution]

I wish you the best