30 Year old male, dermatologist doesn't think I have male pattern baldness

[Don Flamenco]

Noticed the first signs of balding at the beginning of the pandemic when I buzzed my head and could see thinning in my crown. Fast forward to now over a year later and I got the same short haircut that I do every year in the summer and was shocked to see that my hair had now also begun thinning on top as well. Since I have been struggling with bad dandruff for over a year as well, I booked an appointment to see a dermatologist. I was sure that I was in the early stages of male pattern baldness but my dermatologist actually said she doesn't believe that's the case, and that I am likely experiencing Telogen effluvium due to stress. Do you think her assessment is correct?

 

[Diffused_confidence]

Hell no. Get a second opinion. Get a MALE DERMATOLOGIST.

 

[jamesbooker1975]

Is your father bald ? grandfather ?
That is the first question any dermatology should do.

 

[Norwoody]

Diffuse, male pattern baldness. You need to be on treatments, especially as it has only gotten worse over the past year. That tells me everything I need to know.

 

[user394587]

To re-iterate what people are saying, it seems like you have diffuse thinning going on, primarily in the crown. Like was said, go to a male dermatologist that deals with male pattern hair loss.

 

[EndlessPossibilities]

If ur dermatologist used a trichoscope to diagnose your non male pattern baldness diagnoses then assuming she understand then it’s very possible to have this kind of thinning without male pattern baldness. But if there is minituriazatioj then it’s def male pattern baldness

 

[jamesbooker1975]

Jesus, all the technical and not a single one say IT IS HEREDITARY !!!!!!!!!!!!! If you got to an endocrinologist with a suspect Hyper or Hypo Thyroids the first question they ask is " Do you have any member of your family with Thyroid disease " . It is the same f*****g thing with male pattern baldness !
If you are balding and your father is a f*****g norwood 0 at 60, you gradpa died in both side with plenty of hair at 80, most probably is not male pattern baldness. But if your father was balding at your same age, 10 year sooner or later, it is male pattern baldness . You don't need a trichoscope , specially if you are good doctor. Is not a f*****g tumor what he have to diagnostic , not even other more problematic hair loss ( example scars ones ) .

 

[Chill dude]

Noticed the first signs of balding at the beginning of the pandemic when I buzzed my head and could see thinning in my crown. Fast forward to now over a year later and I got the same short haircut that I do every year in the summer and was shocked to see that my hair had now also begun thinning on top as well. Since I have been struggling with bad dandruff for over a year as well, I booked an appointment to see a dermatologist. I was sure that I was in the early stages of male pattern baldness but my dermatologist actually said she doesn't believe that's the case, and that I am likely experiencing Telogen effluvium due to stress. Do you think her assessment is correct?

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I get shat on, on here for jumping on dutasteride before seeing a dermatologist, thank f*** I did! No you need to start treatment ASAP

 

[jamesbooker1975]

I get shat on, on here for jumping on dutasteride before seeing a dermatologist, thank f*** I did! No you need to start treatment ASAP

Did you made the proper funeral to your dick before ?

 

[Don Flamenco]

I get shat on, on here for jumping on dutasteride before seeing a dermatologist, thank f*** I did! No you need to start treatment ASAP

I've pretty much ruled out finasteride, dutasteride and minoxidil because of the side effects. Right now I'm basically set on trying some other less proven methods or possibly getting a hair transplant when I get older or just shaving my head

 

[user394587]

Anything other than finasteride, dutasteride and minoxidil is snake oil. Minoxidil alone will only buy you a few years. Everything else is either unproven, ineffective, or has a higher side effect profile than finasteride.

Getting a hair transplant without finasteride or dutasteride is generally not a good idea because you're doing nothing to protect your native hair from miniaturization. Some people can get away with it, but the odds are not in your favor.

If you're against 5AR inhibition, I would just wait and see how your hair loss progresses, and if it starts to look awful, then just shave it.

 

[Raccooner]

I've pretty much ruled out finasteride, dutasteride and minoxidil because of the side effects. Right now I'm basically set on trying some other less proven methods or possibly getting a hair transplant when I get older or just shaving my head

Some say getting stem cell injections with platelet rich plasma and a low laser light helmet could be effective for hair regrowth. I'm with you in that I'm not fond of the drug options. I tried both Finasteride and Dutasteride, both made me feel terrible and gave unwanted side-effects. As for Minoxidil, I didn't get any bad reactions when I tried it. The problem with the drugs is if you stop, the problem reverts to the previous condition in a matter of weeks. I am waiting for hair cloning. The dermatologist I used for my adipose stem cell treatment with PRP told me that in females using progesterone with PRP was fairly effective. She never tried it in men though. The thing again is hormones and your tolerance for them. I might try progesterone and PRP if the current procedure has less than fruitful results (not to contradict myself). Based on your pictures I would say your hair loss pattern is genetic, not telogen effluvium. The way I can tell is by the pattern. It is typical male pattern baldness and the thing is you aren't totally bald anywhere, just thinning. I think the stem cell treatment would be perfectly suited to you but it is expensive. Do you have $3000-$8000 to shell out for it and how much does this issue bother you? I spent the $8000 for it because honestly I'm desperate. I have my doubts anything could solve my issue outside of hair cloning. I refuse to transplant my hair.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Jesus, all the technical and not a single one say IT IS HEREDITARY !!!!!!!!!!!!! If you got to an endocrinologist with a suspect Hyper or Hypo Thyroids the first question they ask is " Do you have any member of your family with Thyroid disease " . It is the same f*****g thing with male pattern baldness !
If you are balding and your father is a f*****g norwood 0 at 60, you gradpa died in both side with plenty of hair at 80, most probably is not male pattern baldness. But if your father was balding at your same age, 10 year sooner or later, it is male pattern baldness . You don't need a trichoscope , specially if you are good doctor. Is not a f*****g tumor what he have to diagnostic , not even other more problematic hair loss ( example scars ones ) .

Check out Bayesian analysis, James and then come back. Relatives might or might not be helpful in terms of prediction of the ultimate extent of baldness once it starts but my father has a perfect head of hair at 83 and my mother is 80 with beautiful long locks still. Once a person even decides to see a dermatologist, that's when Bayesian concepts come into play meaning that most people who think that they are balding either from male pattern baldness or even Telogen Effluvium, are in fact suffering from male pattern baldness. Furthermore, it might be that Telogen Effluvium when it occurs might be very difficult to ever coax the same level of hair out. Many guys claim treatments made them more bald which I used to deny but now I think they are right. Stopping treatment during any sort of shed might be catastrophic.

People please don't stop during a shed unless you were only using a med for prevention and maintenance. Otherwise you might not make it back. Start slow and gradually titrate upwards to avoid both sheds and sides. Minoxidil users should start at two percent regardless of whether it costs the same as 5 percent. It's not expensive anyway and that's what everyone used in the 80's and early 90's. Of course we never heard about sheds so we didn't fear them and mostly min only causes flushing at worst.

 

[Diffused_confidence]

Check out Bayesian analysis, James and then come back. Relatives might or might not be helpful in terms of prediction of the ultimate extent of baldness once it starts but my father has a perfect head of hair at 83 and my mother is 80 with beautiful long locks still. Once a person even decides to see a dermatologist, that's when Bayesian concepts come into play meaning that most people who think that they are balding either from male pattern baldness or even Telogen Effluvium, are in fact suffering from male pattern baldness. Furthermore, it might be that Telogen Effluvium when it occurs might be very difficult to ever coax the same level of hair out. Many guys claim treatments made them more bald which I used to deny but now I think they are right. Stopping treatment during any sort of shed might be catastrophic.

People please don't stop during a shed unless you were only using a med for prevention and maintenance. Otherwise you might not make it back. Start slow and gradually titrate upwards to avoid both sheds and sides. Minoxidil users should start at two percent regardless of whether it costs the same as 5 percent. It's not expensive anyway and that's what everyone used in the 80's and early 90's. Of course we never heard about sheds so we didn't fear them and mostly min only causes flushing at worst.

Was your mom's dad bald? Balding can be passed down but never expressed by the mother because she has 2 x chromosomes and she needs 2 bad x chromosomes to possibly lose hair. Even then, she has very low dht just for being a woman. So her hair quality means almost nothing.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Was your mom's dad bald? Balding can be passed down but never expressed by the mother because she has 2 x chromosomes and she needs 2 bad x chromosomes to possibly lose hair. Even then, she has very low dht just for being a woman. So her hair quality means almost nothing.

I get that but for whites, I am not certain that it matters if we have two brothers, a father, two grandfathers and six uncles with hair like a young Mick Jagger once one perceives any sort of Telogen Effluvium or male pattern baldness. It might be that just minute changes in one's hormonal patterns can trigger male pattern baldness or Telogen Effluvium and then essentially we've seen our own hole card that says "already balding or thinks he is balding". This changes the mathematics greatly in favor of "Dude, get treatment now regardless of what anyone says about Telogen Effluvium".

Or to put it this way, people with Telogen Effluvium appear just as likely to have male pattern baldness as guys who don't have Telogen Effluvium so both things could be happening and without treatment, it could be disastrous and impossible to recover from when a year later, it's clear that it wasn't Telogen Effluvium. So male pattern baldness is already started but say stress does set off Telogen Effluvium, this is just part of the ongoing male pattern baldness process and if anything, I would predict people with so-called Telogen Effluvium to be more likely to suffer from male pattern baldness than the white male population at large.

To my knowledge we have no studies showing that Telogen Effluvium is easily recoverable from, regardless. Since scalp hair seems to be of low priority to white male bodies, it might just shrug its shoulders and do nothing to fix it or by the time it fixes it, other hair loss has been expressed outstripping any treatments. Going to the dermatologist is useless and no one should bother unless you are sure you will get your meds. This is similar to trans females who want to be short. They can't wait because they are growing so they need puberty blockers. All guys over 16 who care about their hair need to be on finasteride or dutasteride, regardless unless they simply can't stomach them, and then maybe instead on bica or spironolactone or CPA.

Monty Hall problem - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Don Flamenco]

Some say getting stem cell injections with platelet rich plasma and a low laser light helmet could be effective for hair regrowth. I'm with you in that I'm not fond of the drug options. I tried both Finasteride and Dutasteride, both made me feel terrible and gave unwanted side-effects. As for Minoxidil, I didn't get any bad reactions when I tried it. The problem with the drugs is if you stop, the problem reverts to the previous condition in a matter of weeks. I am waiting for hair cloning. The dermatologist I used for my adipose stem cell treatment with PRP told me that in females using progesterone with PRP was fairly effective. She never tried it in men though. The thing again is hormones and your tolerance for them. I might try progesterone and PRP if the current procedure has less than fruitful results (not to contradict myself). Based on your pictures I would say your hair loss pattern is genetic, not telogen effluvium. The way I can tell is by the pattern. It is typical male pattern baldness and the thing is you aren't totally bald anywhere, just thinning. I think the stem cell treatment would be perfectly suited to you but it is expensive. Do you have $3000-$8000 to shell out for it and how much does this issue bother you? I spent the $8000 for it because honestly I'm desperate. I have my doubts anything could solve my issue outside of hair cloning. I refuse to transplant my hair.

I would spend 3-8000 if it was certain that I would at least get some long term results from it. But stem cell treatment isn't really a proven thing for hair loss and as far as prp, many people complain that they don't get good results from it. The hair cloning thing just seems too good to be true in my opinion. Scientists have been doing research on cloning technology for years yet there's not a single consumer good or widely used product available that uses cloning technology. The richest man in the world is bald, so I think it's fairly certain that baldness is in my future as well.

And yes I am certain that I do have male pattern baldness, because my crown was already thinning last year before I ever started getting diffuse thinning on top. I am hoping that some of my hair will grow back though because I am fairly certain that the thinning on top didn't occur until the last couple of months of which were very stressful for me. I made a thread about this as well

 

[Raccooner]

I would spend 3-8000 if it was certain that I would at least get some long term results from it. But stem cell treatment isn't really a proven thing for hair loss and as far as prp, many people complain that they don't get good results from it. The hair cloning thing just seems too good to be true in my opinion. Scientists have been doing research on cloning technology for years yet there's not a single consumer good or widely used product available that uses cloning technology. The richest man in the world is bald, so I think it's fairly certain that baldness is in my future as well.

And yes I am certain that I do have male pattern baldness, because my crown was already thinning last year before I ever started getting diffuse thinning on top. I am hoping that some of my hair will grow back though because I am fairly certain that the thinning on top didn't occur until the last couple of months of which were very stressful for me. I made a thread about this as well

4/5 people respond positively to stem cell treatment, meaning there's a noticeable difference in the hair count and fullness. From what I see you would be the perfect candidate for this procedure, however if it's in fact telogen effluvium I'd destress first (if you can) and wait for the hair to return on its own before doing stem cell treatment. From what's known, the stem cell therapy lasts 3 to 5 years or longer. Some claim its benefits are permanent. The important thing is to find someone experienced in doing it and has the right credentials. My dermatologist did roughly 100 of these procedures in the last two years. I read the magic number is 30 or more of a type of procedure done per year shows they're experienced enough. My dermatologist told me of the men she's treated, only 2 didn't respond to the stem cell/PRP therapy. I could give you the contact info privately if you want. Not sure if listing contacts is breaking the rules here and am not looking to get banned. My dermatologist is top rated in doing injections and deals with Miss Universe pageant contestants, known to regrow people's hair, so definitely with these pieces of information I know I found the best person for the job.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

People seem to think that having Telogen Effluvium excludes the possibility of having male pattern baldness and I think people with Telogen Effluvium are probably more likely to have male pattern baldness also. All these guys come racing on here to confirm joyfully that they only have Telogen Effluvium, hooray when to my knowledge we don't know if Telogen Effluvium grows back successfully anyway. One supposes that anyone who recovered from Telogen Effluvium doesn't come on here but it's suckers roulette to believe, oh how great. I don't have male pattern baldness. But every single day the same posts about "guess if I have Telogen Effluvium?" No. I won't guess because you have male pattern baldness like every other person who asks on here.

Your hair loss is restricted to only male pattern baldness areas. Why would Telogen Effluvium be restricted at all? I would expect it all over the scalp. It's almost like the Telogen Effluvium diagnosis is a scam for doctors to get patients and what's the recourse when the doctor is proven wrong?

Even somewhat subtle changes in texture can indicate male pattern baldness. In the first pic, I am pre-male pattern baldness but in the second, even though this doesn't look bad to me now, I was freaked out about going bald and had lost a lot of confidence. My incipient hair loss was so far high in the crown as to be invisible. But if the second guy played "guess if I am going bald" on here, he might get insulted and told he was crazy. That's another thing. It's easy for me now looking back to say that pic 2 looks fine but that's influenced by my knowing now that at least on the sides and fringe, and somewhat on top, I held a lot of ground but I had a very wide part too.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

I've pretty much ruled out finasteride, dutasteride and minoxidil because of the side effects. Right now I'm basically set on trying some other less proven methods or possibly getting a hair transplant when I get older or just shaving my head

You need to be on finasteride to get a transplant.

If you have diffuse thinning then you won't have enough for a transplant and the rest of your statement is hilarious. Any tips guys for someone who won't use reductase inhibitors or minoxidil? Yeaah. Always wear a hat cause you will be completely bald soon. Get out there and get laid. That's what George Costanza counsels newly incipient bald guys to do. Some less proven methods? Are you going to do research or try to save your hair? Because I am more so trying to save my hair but you guys who use RU only and report back are doing everyone a service. It's just that you are likely to go bald while doing it with less proven methods. Even microneedling is useless for hair if you aren't on either finasteride/Duta.

Best,
Janey

 

[BigPapaYoMama]

thats definitely the beginning of male pattern baldness. Get on finasteride, oral minoxidil (topical sucks) and microneedling asap.