Am I balding from the crown?

[christop40]

Please examine my headshots (both taken on same day, but another one appears more like male pattern baldness). About 40 years of age. I really am not sure how long my vertex was looking like this, but I think it's possible it's been like this for a very long time possibly from my early 20s, and I really didn't think much of it.

As you can see, I don't think I have bald spots, and if I cut my hair on my vertex and compare to hairs from other parts, it doesn't look any thinner.... Hair shedding is not noticeable. Probably anywhere from 10 to 50 a day.

Doctors have said that I have male pattern baldness, but I am not sure how accurate the diagnosis was as the scalp tissue sample was taken from lower right side of the head where hairs are typically retained in bald men.

Could this be just the way I have combed my hair for long time?

I understand that male pattern baldness can hit you after skipping few generations.

If I am balding, do I have pretty good chance of success with Min and/or finasteride as this would be early stage?

What make this confusing for me which doctors can't answer is because I don't have my vertex pictures from my early 20s, if my vertex has been like this since my early 20s, then it might be better to not use medicines and use something less aggressive such as LLLT or saw palmetto??

 

[sapinho]

Sounds like you're okay with it. Why worry now?

Most people on this forum are accustomed to aggressive male pattern baldness. Given that you're 40 and this is all it has come to, I don't think an aggressive regimen is in order. Also, given that it's been like this for years, minoxidil probably won't do much at this point. Yes, it will probably, inevitably, get worse as you age, but perhaps it will stay the way it is for many years to come.

Just pay attention. Avoid things that trigger "faster" loss such as dandruff, etc. If it's a little oily and itchy, try Nizoral.

Don't mess with Saw Palmetto. The guys here taking supplements for years and tending more and more to concentrate on keeping the immune system in-check to reduce inflammation. Revasterol, Curcummin, Aged Garlic Extract, Omega 3/6, and other antioxidants. Overall, these can't do much harm and may help you fight off environmental triggers leading to sheds caused by fungals, mold, and overly sensitive inflammation.


...Or go ahead and take finasteride for a few years and see what happens. It's not that expensive afterall.

 

[christop40]

sapinho: Thank you for your advice. Your advice is more thoughtful than those derms who look at my head for about 20 seconds and charge around $150. They rarely address all my concerns.

Another question is would I be a candidate for hair transplant surgery to make my vertex area more dense? One of the derms said I am not yet at that stage.

 

[sapinho]

If you're serious enough for a transplant, then go ahead and try finasteride for at least a year. You'd probably have to stay on finasteride after the surgery anyway.

I'm not saying you *should*, just logical advice in the *case* that you're honestly thinking about a transplant.