Another one of these annoying opinion threads

[Ignatius Reilly]

Hello,
I'm 19 and have always been self-conscious of my hairline. All through high school I covered it by growing long hair. I never really thought I was balding, just that I had a high hairline. I had almost convinced myself that it was all in my head when my dentist made a comment about me losing my hair as he cleaned my teeth. Now, the more I look at it, I feel he may be right. It is hard for me to judge by my family history because men on my mother's side tend to die early (perhaps a tad more worrying). I do know that my father's father died with a full head of hair in his mid-70s, but my father is fairly bald at 46. My mother's father died at 36, but he was pretty bald by then in the pictures I've seen. So I'm definitely predisposed to it. Nobody that I know of started balding extremely early though. I have an appointment with my regular doctor in January for something unrelated; should I go ahead and ask about getting on propecia?
Anyway, here are some pictures of my head. Sorry for the blurriness.

 

[Boondock]

It's a tough call. While your hairline fits the pattern, the density in the surrounding areas (which should be vulnerable to thinning) is really pretty good. I'm 50/50 on this, and if I was you I'd wait before I jumped on propecia.

 

[Ignatius Reilly]

I really haven't noticed any thinning or shedding or anything and my hairline doesn't really look much different than it did 1 or 2 years ago. I kind of think that since I've been worried about it and looking at it for so long I didn't notice the recession.

 

[cuebald]

Agreed, this one could go either way.
The fact that it has remained stable suggests to me that it is just an "advanced" mature hairline.

I'd wait 6 - 12 months, take another picture, and compare.
Only then will it be right to go on Finasteride.

 

[Shma]

I think you just started balding, but it's just me.

How about your family, do you have any uncles?

 

[Ignatius Reilly]

Yeah, my dad's brother is 49 with nearly a full head of hair, and my grandmother's brother (on my mom's side) is fairly bald in his mid 50s, but he is only "half" related to me.
It's an interesting situation. My grandmother's father, a full-blooded cherokee, died in WWII just before my grandmother was born. She remarried soon after and had 2 more children. So I really don't have a good male indicator on my mom's side.
Also, I don't know if its important, but my mother's father had a very pronounced widow's peak, as does she. I have a 17 year old brother with pretty much the exact same hairline as I do, but with a more pronounced point front and center.

 

[zeroheat]

I agree with others.. it's hard to tell right now. My hair was just like yours an yr ago but since then my male pattern baldness has accelerated quite a bit. However, some people's hairline stays like that for life.. like my father. Take close up pics then compare after 6 months..

 

[Nene]

Hey. It does look a tad receded for 19. If it really bothers you maybe you can do some rogaine and nizoral, I wouldn't jump on finasteride yet. Otherwise just keep an eye on it.

 

[Fender89]

dude, your hair was EXACTLY like mine in terms of density and hairline when i just turned 19. THen on febuary of this year the whole thing started to thin. Truthfully, until you notice it thins are you get a big massive shed all of a sudden, then i wouldn't be too bothered. Just get ready to start some kind of treatment if it starts to thin all over.

 

[Ignatius Reilly]

Alright, thanks for all the replies. I'll probably go ahead and get some nizoral at least, just for peace of mind if nothing else. Also, I thought rogaine didn't really help for a receding hairline. Does it?

 

[Ignatius Reilly]

Well, through my own ignorance and carelessness I accidentally deleted the pictures from December. I took a few more today and, although it is now impossible to make a comparison, I'll post them anyway.

 

[Vanzzzz]

Dude I think you have male pattern baldness. And yes, rogaine does work on frontal part. In fact, it is only slightly less effective on the frontal part compared to the vertex.

http://www.keepingmyhair.com/hair-loss-forum/

My hair line looks the same as 10 months ago, you can check my thread if you want. But I was diagnosed with male pattern baldness, my thinning is rather obvious though.

 

[KeepTheHair]

Minoxidil DEFINITELY WORKS VERY WELL on the front. I don't know why people say it doesn't...it definitely works for me. I highly recommend it. I do think you have to have a solid regimen for it to work though. Finasteride, minoxidil and nizoral I mean.

 

[timbo]

Starting to recede in my opinion. The first picture is dark and the second picture is a worthless angle. I have a feeling if the first picture had more light, we would've seen a bunch of miniaturized hair along the hairline.

 

[nickypoos]

Theres no doubt it my mind you have male pattern baldness. About the same stage as mine.