23 years old not sure if male pattern baldness or mature hairline

[edmonton17]

Hi there,

So i have been to 4 doctors and each has a different opinion.

1st doctor pulled back at my hairline and said no recession and male pattern baldness was something I would never have to deal with

2nd doctor- said I have never seen you before so Im not sure what your normal hairline is. He offered propecia if i was concerned

3rd doctor/ my family doctor(who used to be a hair transplant surgeon) - said I looked fine and didn't have to worry about going bald (but he didn't even go through my hair or pull back my hairline...he said he hasn't notice me change over the years and said I didn't have a receding hairline)

4th doctor- tilted my hairline for all of 3 seconds and said there was some slight recession and to try propecia, he didn't do a miniaturization test.

So I have come here since no doctor seems to be giving me the time of day to be all that thorough. My hairline has always gone back since I was little, especially with my cowlick on the right. I do see a bit of finer hair on my right cowlick near my hairline corner but Im not sure if that has always been there or not (havent been examining my hairline until now)
thanks for your input! Note all photos are of right side since my left side has no cause for concern for me at the moment.

Appreciate all your input!

 

[AddictedtoSoftDrinks]

Looks like a weak Norwood 1 going into a Norwood 2. Have you been losing hair? If you havent then this is probably just a mature hairline that will stick with you for the majority of your life which means theres nothing to worry about. Is your dad bald? also, how about your grandfather on your mother and father side. That should give you some clues if its male pattern baldness. It looks just like a mature hairline to me because your temples looks strong when you pull your hair back.

 

[edmonton17]

Thanks for the insight man kinda what I was thinking to (hope its right) my dad and his dad both have long flowing locks lol my moms dad is bald as a cue tip lol, both of my cousins from my moms side of the family were nw3/4 by the time they were 20. Luckily I have retained my density 3 year past then, my only concern is the scalp I can see on my right side when I pull back, is it natural for that area right at the corners where it turns to the side to be a bit thinner/lighter?

- - - Updated - - -

As for losing hair no i haven't noticed handfuls in the shower or anything, just the occasional 1 to 4 when shampooing and a couple if I towel dry really rough, nothing out of the ordinary

 

[californiaoceans911]

Since your family has a mixed history of baldness I would definitely wait to jump on propecia. To me you still look like a norwood 1/1.5 but it's difficult to tell where your hairline originally was. I slowly started losing hair at 22, and I'm not 30 and just today I started taking propecia. If you're only losing a few hairs during your shampoo session, I would definitely say that's a good sign that you're not going bald, at least yet. I lose literally anywhere from 50-150 hairs in the shower. When I noticed I was losing more and more hair that's when I decided to take action.


IF you are going bald, you caught it earlier than anyone I've ever seen. Take the next 3-6 months to watch it (don't get paranoid or stressed) and see what happens. Don't try any products yet. DON'T try minoxidil (Rogaine) yet, don't take propecia yet, and don't even try a ketaconazole shampoo yet. Just keep a mindful eye on it and go enjoy your life. If it starts to accelerate then you can do something about it. Also take the time to do your research on finasteride (propecia), minoxidil (Rogaine), and Ketoconazole (Nizoral, Lipogaine Big 3, Revita, Regenpure) shampoos.


Don't freak out, I think you're perfectly ok for now.

 

[edmonton17]

Hey thanks for the advice I really appreciate it, as for my original hairline it hasn't changed since I graduated high school as far as I can remember. My biggest concern was the fine patch of hair on my cowlick where it "turns the corner" from the top of my head where it connects to the side. I just thought given my hit and miss history of male pattern baldness in the family it's best to pay attention to it at my age since were only stuck with preventative treatments. Sometimes I think my mind and the mirror just plays tricks on me and I'm imagining things

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

You got a pretty strong hairline there, playa. I'm jealous. I wouldn't jump to any rash decisions and get on propecia right away. Just take pictures every few months, label them by date, and keep an eye on things. Finasteride is, as of right now, a lifelong commitment, and there's no need to go on it if it's not necessary...particularly with the possible side-effects that may occur.

 

[edmonton17]

thanks again for the insight, so that spot in pic 3 on the right where u can see a bit of scalp in the hairline corner should be no cause for concern as of now?

p.s. Im in school right now and thinking of becoming a hair transplant surgeon, I'm going to owe this community for everything they do

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

From what I can see in those photos, photo 3 in particular, it doesn't look like you have anything to worry about. There doesn't look to be any miniaturization of the hairs at the corners or temple peaks. It looks pretty thick actually. Keep in mind, this is just MY assessment by looking at your photos ONLY. Don't take it as gospel, but it really doesn't look like you have too much cause for concern as of right now. I'm two years older than you, and I don't really have the luxury of saying that anymore so I'm more than willing to share my opinion if it can be of any help. I'm flat broke, and probably will be for the next couple of years as I finish work on my Masters Degree and look for a job, so a hair transplant is not in my immediate future and I just have to hold out hope that my regimen will at least allow me to maintain for a while.

 

[AddictedtoSoftDrinks]

I agree with Cinicinnati Kid. Your temples looks really strong and thick which makes me believe its not male pattern baldness. Usually someone with male pattern baldness will have weak hair around the temples and the hairs will not look as crowded and full like yours. I think you will end up like this guy. I thought he was going to go bald when I 1st saw him in 2000. Do you remember the pop band Soul Decision? Well when I was in my teens and this guy was in his early 20s, I thought he was going to go bald because of the way the hair on his head looked. Ive seen lots of guys with his hairline in their early 20s only to go Norwood 2.5 or 3 in their 30s. (Im not saying 2.5 and Norwood 3 is considered bald. but you get my drift lol)

Him in 1999 -

15 years later and him being 40+ look at him now. Almost the same hairline just a tid bit recession like .5 cm but nothing extremely noticeable. Look at how long his hair is, it looks thick and strong, yeah, hes not going bald anytime soon. I think what you have is what he has which is a mature hairline.

 

[edmonton17]

So what should
I be looking for specifically in the next few months, thinning behind my actual hairline? And by temples do you mean the part on top of of my head (hairline corners) or temples on side of my head, thanks!

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

It will probably look something like this... which is what it doesn't look like on your head lol. Your hairline looks strong

Just take pictures with your head tilted down. The hairline becomes a much more defined "m" shape as the hairline recedes like Jude Law vs. a NW1 like Jake Gyllenhaal
http://www.beIgraviacentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/jude-law2.jpg

PS. Temples are on the side of your head. They sit on top of your sideburns.

 

[abcdefg]

I have always disagreed with the mature hairline buzzwords. You will never ever know for sure its going to magically stop at some mature hairline and just stay there forever without every getting any worse. Can you really treat it as anything but male pattern baldness knowing if it kept going thats what it is? You have pictures I would wait 6 months or a year and take new ones to compare back. If you have male pattern baldness you will know because its not something your going to miss. It doesnt look bad I would wait.