Badly receding and shedding at 17

elmechanico

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Hi guys!

I am turning 18 in a month and these last few months I have lost a lot of hair.
I believe I have diffuse shedding but it is the worst at the hairline which has receded by around a cm all over, so it could be Androgenetic Alopecia as well.

My symptoms are:

Diffuse shedding(especially on the hairline, part line on the sides and crown) and a red, itchy scalp (The itch comes and goes but can get quite severe at times. My scalp is also red in the areas where my hair is thinning and I have flakes/dandruff coming out of my hair quite often).
I am shedding short and long telogen hairs and it's been happening since around October.
Why I think it could be Telogen Effluvium is because I am iron deficient and anemic , have been depressed for 3 years and quickly lost a lot of weight right before the shedding started and since then I probably wasn't eating enough. I am also stressed and get very little sleep.

I can't say much about my family history regarding balding. A high forehead runs in my family but my sister has experienced hair loss due to allergies a few years ago and my mother has pretty thin hair as well. My father, when he died at 49, had a full head of hair but I'd say he was a Norwood 2 at most but no real thinning. The cousins on my father's side still have normal hairlines at 30 and my cousin on the mother's side has a high forehead with maybe slight recession but no noticeable thinning at age 32.
I don't know anything about grandparents.


I have a dermatologist appointment in two weeks, what should I ask him about?
I also have a endocrinologist appointment in 3 weeks where I'll get my thyroid and adrenal levels checked. Anything else I should check? Hormones, Minerals, etc?


Maybe there is someone on this board who has experienced the same and has some advice.
I'd also appreciate it if someone could tell me which Norwood I currently am.
On the second image you can see quite clearly the line in which my hairline has receded by the paler skin.

hairloss.jpgrecession.jpg
 

aj218

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Well the recessions points towards male pattern baldness but it's best to see what the dermatologist says.

It's good that you're getting your hormone levels checked.

From your pictures i'd say you are nw1.5-2.
 

Malin

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I experienced the same as you, slow hairloss since around 17y/o, started on propecia/minoxidil around 19 and been pretty much maintaining till now (22y/o), you can check my blog for details.
 

elmechanico

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Ok thanks for the answers so far.
Ill get some pictures up with flash so you can see the sides and back as well. I'll also post a before pic.
The hair loss has been very aggressive, I've lost a lot of hair in the last 6 months.
Is there any chance of me regrowing my hair?
I have a lot of short hair below my hairline, is this regrowth or miniaturization?

- - - Updated - - -

Here are the pictures. The front of my hairline is wet because I applied some olive oil and tea tree oil to stop the itching.
I hope this hair loss is from either scalp issues, iron deficiency or telogen effluvium and that I can regrow my hair.
I've started using Nizoral and Alpecin two weeks ago and my hair is already thicker and I think I am seeing regrowth. The shedding has probably slowed down a bit as well.I have had a high, uneven hairline since birth. I had slight recession on both temples since I was a baby but I always head thick hair so I could cover it up quite easily.
is there any hope for me?

Edit: Also how do I know if I could be allergic to an ingredient in a shampoo? Is there a test?


left.jpgfront.jpgright.jpgsides.jpg
 

zzzzz

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its miniaturization. Why would regrowth be occurring if you are not on any treatments? You should focus on maintaining which is more likely and your hair looks fine so I don't see why you want regrowth. Your derm will be able to diagnose it as male pattern baldness or something else. If it is male pattern baldness u will want to start propecia 1mg or 1.25mg daily and that is all you need. No minoxidil or anything else
 

Agahi

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Definitely start finasteride. Yours looks like mine did at your age and if only i'd have started then I'd be so much better off now. If you cant get a prescription go to an online pharm.
 

elmechanico

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Hey zzzzz, thanks for your answer.

As I stated in my initial post, I suspect that it could also be Telogen Effluvium or SD due to anemia, crash dieting or psychological stress.
In the areas where I have clearly receded, I can see tiny hairs growing since a few weeks. I have read on multiple websites that this is the first step to Telogen Effluvium recovery and that you usually regrow all the hair you lost. It also would fit into the time frame of Telogen Effluvium and the hair cycle as I started shedding in October and have been seeing shorter hair on my hairline for around 2 months.
I am not sure if I want to start a hormone altering drug at age 18 and stay on it for the rest of my life as I am still very young and not fully developed yet.
 

zzzzz

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18 is usually fine unless you hit puberty late like 16
 
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