Calling all Experts... Decode this one.

[NeedHelp]

Ok, here it goes. My hair is thin and i mean thin all over my head. I went to the stylist and she said it is thinner in certain spots than others even on the lower sides and back of the head where male pattern baldness is not suppose to effect. I noticed my hair thin extremely 4 yrs ago and it got better, but it is now still thin. I stress a lot but i am not sure if it is enough to cause this type of hair loss. As far as family hair loss my dad had a full set of hair and my brothers hair is extremely thick- almost has no forehead. My uncles from my dads side all have full sets of hair at ages 50 plus and my moms only one of my uncles is bald- the other 3 full heads of hair.

My concern is the hairs that i am losing. Some of them have this weird thing where the bottom part of the hair shaft is much thinner than the top to the point that it is extremely visible. Also when I run my wet hands over my head i get these black dots that look like hair fibers. I went to the doctor and he said he wouldn't do a scalp biopsy because he does not see any male pattern baldness, but he barely looked at my hair. I have included pics of my whole head and the hair shaft for you guys to see. Do you think this is caused by male pattern baldness or some other underlying problem? Mom had her thyroid removed and my dad had diabetes. Also if you think my hair loss is male pattern baldness please tell me what norwood it falls under. Have you guys seen any hair loss types that the hair thins at the shaft like mine? I mean the hair shaft looks like it went instantly from producing thick hair to producing thin hair as if it was over night.

 

[bubka]

looks like male pattern baldness to me, more of a diffuse pattern but your hair is clearly going through miniaturization, the single hair pic shows us that

 

[NeedHelp]

Bubka,

Shouldn't miniaturization happen over time to the point that it should not be visible on the hair shaft? This hair shows that it went from thick to thin instantly over night and thats why there is a strong definition between the thick part of the shaft and the thin part of the shaft.

PS what about the sides take a look at the back and the side pics.

 

[NeedHelp]

I just red this. Is this what it is?

"The characteristic diagnostic finding of alopecia areata is the exclamation point hair. These can be found in areas of hair loss and are short broken off hairs that are narrower closer to the scalp and therefore mimic an exclamation point." http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art ... lekey=9079

Any advise or opinion would help a lot.

 

[barcafan]

Definitely strange that you're thinning EVERYWHERE, could be alopecia totalis.

 

[slowburn]

Looks like your head is clearing space for the new fairway. Get ready here comes the 19th hole.
It's diffusing down the middle. :jackit:

 

[NeedHelp]

I didn't know this forum was setup to make fun of other members.... nice job guys... come on now wtf!

 

[slowburn]

I didn't know this forum was setup to make fun of other members.... nice job guys... come on now wtf!

No one is making fun of you. It's a joke chillax. :gay:
We're all here for a reason. :jackit:

 

[ADL]

Diffuse Alopecia:

Diffuse Alopecia is a condition characterized by hair loss over the entire scalp including the sides and back of the head. An example of Diffuse Alopecia is Telogen Effluvium. Many things can cause this, but Diffuse Alopecia is not genetic.

Some possible causes are, but not limited to:

1. Pregnancy or shortly thereafter

2. Certain medications (anticoagulants - blood thinning drugs)

3. Scalp determatitus or other inflamation of the scalp

4. Severe infections such as pneumonia

5. Traumatic Stress (physical or emotional)

6. Iron deficiency

7. Hormonal changes in the body (example: thyroid disorders)

Treating this type of hair loss depends on the actual hair loss cause. Tests should be performed by a doctor to first determine the cause which may involve a thyroid gland test to determine it is working properly and whether or not iron level are normal. Medication or supplements may be administered to correct the condition. In most cases of diffuse alopecia, no treatment is needed for the hair loss condition itself and in many cases, the hair regrows. Some people however may continue to experience diffuse alopecia and the scalp hair remains thin. Complete baldness however, is exceptionally rare.

 

[30_going_on_60]

looks pretty good to me, I wish I had that much. You;ve got a great hairline and in that one pic, it looks like you have no loss at all. Also, with such a great family history, it looks like you shuold be fine. I don;t care what anyone says or "proves" about it being genetic or not..all you have to do is look around. Anyways, I'm no expert to say the least, but whats your diet like? I read that diet can;t affect the loss, but it can affect the thickness. Good luck.

 

[IBM]

You're diffused in all scalp and not only on top and hairline. Go to another doctor to get another evaluation.

 

[Guest]

This looks like diffuse unpatterned alopecia, probably the worst type of male pattern baldness to have. Not only are you diffusing over the top of your head and the hairline, but you're also diffusing all over the sides and back. This is the worst type to have because the dht ravages the sides and back which are your donor region. If they weren't thinning, they could be used to transplant you, but most docs won't transplant diffuse unpatterned alopecia patients because when the sides and back continue to thin out, it will look quite ridiculous if you have thick hair on top of your head, like an island sorta.

I'm not ruling out a non-male pattern baldness medical issue calling this because you really are losing it from all over, but it probably still is male pattern baldness. Get it checked out by a doctor to make sure though.

P.S.- I'd shave it down or at least buzz it rather short. Diffusers are luckier than receders in that they can pull off the buzzed look a lot better. When the hair is cut short enough(usually 1/16th of an inch), the diffusion is usually masked quite well plus because your hairline is still relatively intact, the hairline is what people look at and so they won't really suspect anything I don't think. Trust me, I'm a diffuser, and when I buzzed my hair to stubble, no one could tell I ever had hair loss. They just thought I was doing it for style or something.

 

[NeedHelp]

Jayman,

In diffused male pattern baldness does the hair thin like the picture I posted... Also I saw this pic of Alopecia Areata and it says it could be diffused as well, Do you guys think that the hair from my pic resembles this exclamation hair in this pic:

 

[bubka]

it looks like yours

 

[Maxpwr]

Your hair does look thinner at the bottom. I find that pretty strange... Does that mean that once that hair grows out it will permanently be that thin? That's like total miniaturizing overnight!

The characteristic diagnostic finding of alopecia areata is the exclamation point hair. These can be found in areas of hair loss and are short broken off hairs that are narrower closer to the scalp and therefore mimic an exclamation point. In some cases a biopsy is necessary for diagnosis.

In about half of cases, the hair regrows within a year without any treatment. The longer the period of time of hair loss, the less chance that it will regrow and a variety of treatments can be tied. Steroid injections and cream to the scalp have been used for many years. Other drugs include minoxidil, irritants, and topical immunotherapy which may be used in different combinations.

A study reported in the journal Archives of Dermatology (Vol 134, 1998;1349-52) showed effectiveness of aromatherapy essential oils (cedarwood, lavender, thyme, and rosemary oils) in some patients. As with many disorders for which there is no clear cut beneficial treatment, a variety of remedies are promoted which in fact have no benefit.

This does not sound very encouraging at all... You need to see a dermatologist or a doctor who is knowledgeable about it (some aren't you know). Show them the exclamation point hair and ask them about alopecia areata. Ask them if minoxidil and DHT blockers such as dutasteride and finasteride have an impact on this condition. I suppose if this is what it is, and you aren't one of the half who just "regrows within a year without any treatment" :roll: you will need some sort of treatment. As JayMan said, a transplant probably wouldn't be possible down the track, so unless the Doctor can prescribe something different (that's effective of course) your best chance of regrowth would be the big 3. Chances are the dermatologist will steer you in that direction anyway. Of course allergies and diet could be a small factor as well, so if you're concerned, get yourself checked for allergies and what not, but don't count on this being the cause. Maybe contributing factors...

So I suggest you see someone as soon as you can. Good luck... and let us know what they say.

 

[NeedHelp]

I have been to like 5 derms since 2004 and all i get is "Your not losing your hair". I am not dumb I know there has been something going on with my hair. It has thinned all over my scalp. I remember in my first episode of hair loss there were two patches in the middle front of my hair where it went pretty bald than it grew back by itself. But since then my whole head has thinned even sides and back to the point I couldn't even put hair on the sides either or it I would look like a chemo patient. How can I find a good doctor who knows about all this stuff?

 

[Guest]

Im almost certain you don't have alopecia areata. It wouldn't look like that. it'd be bald spots on the head instead of a general thinning all over. i'm almost certain it's either telogen effluvium, male pattern baldness, or a combo of both. from the description you gave about it being thinner 4 years ago and better now but still thin, i'm gonna guess it was a combo of Telogen Effluvium and male pattern baldness, and the Telogen Effluvium reversed after so that left you with the male pattern baldness results

 

[NeedHelp]

Jayman,

I have been reading about this in the past few days and I think your are off about Alopecia Areata being only as spots. here is a quote i found on eMedicine regarding Alopecia Areata: "AA usually is focal; however, it can be diffuse, thereby mimicking telogen effluvium (Telogen Effluvium) or the type of androgenetic alopecia seen in women"

 

[Guest]

Jayman,

I have been reading about this in the past few days and I think your are off about Alopecia Areata being only as spots. here is a quote i found on eMedicine regarding Alopecia Areata: "AA usually is focal; however, it can be diffuse, thereby mimicking telogen effluvium (Telogen Effluvium) or the type of androgenetic alopecia seen in women"

yeah it could be, but i'll bet you 5 bucks that if you go to your derm like everyone is telling you to, that he'll tell you you have MALE PATTERN BALDNESS. I know you'd like to think it's something else and something very reversible, everyone goes through this phase of denial. I did too.

This is what diffuse AA looks like:

yours doesn't look like it

as for this:

and my moms only one of my uncles is bald- the other 3 full heads of hair

so? it doesn't matter man. i noticed you don't mention your maternal grandfather. your uncle must have gotten it from one of the two sides of your fam, if your maternal grandfather was bald that's a very strong link.

 

[ADL]

There is absolutely no sign that this is male pattern baldness. His hair is equally thin all over his head including sides and back. It's not the MALE PATTERN.

It is clearly diffuse alopecia and the underlying cause has to be thoroughly investigated. Don't take "no" for an answer from your doctor.