Can you tell the difference between Telogen Effluvium and male pattern baldness?

[WhatYouEgg]

I'm 26. No one on either side of my family, as far back as I can remember (great grandparents) had any significant amount of hair loss (NW2's all the way around). I have fine, thin hair, but this is my first brush with baldness.

I've been under an absolutely terrible deal of stress over the last six months. Broke up with my girlfriend. I've performed very highly at my job, but it's very demanding and I usually get run through 10+ hour days. I've had major dental work done that resulted me in contracting a case of TMJ (temporo-mandibular jaw disorder, essentially lockjaw). My grandfather died a few months ago. I usually got 5-6 hours of sleep a night. I learned that my dad will also have to be on dialysis for the rest of my life. Add to this the financial stress that comes with having a mortgage, by yourself, at a young age, and you can see where all this is going..

In the mirror, a few days ago, I noticed a bald patch forming. No warning, no hair on the pillow or in the drain or in my hands when shampooing, just *fwoomp*. Hello bald spot, so good to see you appear there so randomly and suddenly.

I took this with a very strong flourescent light. I'm taking steps to reduce my stress level as I can see the toll it's taking on me.

I guess my question is, can you tell whether this is telogen effluvium or have I doomed myself to start losing my hair from my lifestyle?

 

[Doug Douglas]

We'd need to see more pics to get a better idea. That said, 99.9% of the time it's not Telogen Effluvium, and it looks like that's the case here. Telogen Effluvium is what everyone convinces themselves they've got at first to mentally avoid the inevitable. See a dermatologist. You look like you're doing pretty well at this point, it looks like a natural calick at this point not a bald spot, but you know your own hair best. Usually if you think you're losing hair, you are.

 

[Avery]

Telogen Effluvium is what everyone convinces themselves they've got at first to mentally avoid the inevitable.

/\ Truth. Stress-related hair loss is patchy and unpatterned. You have male pattern baldness my friend, albeit a slight case.

 

[Axl_Rose]

Considering you took that pic of your crown with a very strong fluorescent light I'd say your hair looks fine, take some more pics with some of the hairline and you'll get a much better opinion.

 

[WhatYouEgg]

Bathroom light (non-flourescent)

 

[WhatYouEgg]

Hairline pic (I don't normally wear my hair slicked back like this, but I thought it was the best way to show where it starts/ends)

I know it looks thin here but this is no different than when I was 13, my hair is very fine and that's what it does.

 

[WhatYouEgg]

Another hairline pic

 

[WhatYouEgg]

Non-wet hair, pulled back.

 

[Cassin]

everyone desperately wants their male pattern baldness to be stress but that looks like the garden variety male pattern baldness hair loss.

 

[WhatYouEgg]

Blah, I didn't want to believe it, but I guess so. Time to get it cut short because it's probably not going to get better, especially if it's this aggressive at 26.

 

[Axl_Rose]

but that looks like the garden variety male pattern baldness hair loss.

You sure? Could be just a "Mature hairline" forming?

 

[WhatYouEgg]

it's kind of iffy either way. The middle of my hairline is strong and it's only a fingerwidth above my brow line. the temples are more suspect. there is some minitaurization at my temples, but there's a clear line of demarcation where it stops. it's really hard to tell from the wet hair photos because it's all just slicked back.

The bald spot is far more troubling because I wear my hair long and no one notices or cares about my temples, if they are even receding, but with a bald spot you just have to shave it or look old/goofy.

 

[JLL]

I don't see a bald spot, I see a cowlick.

 

[WhatYouEgg]

That's the worst part, some say cowlick, some say balding

The hairloss is also quite patchy, the only thing is you only see the patch at my crown because there's less hair because of the cowlick/etc, you don't see the other patches because the hair overlaps itself. There's a patch on the left side above my ear.

I've got enough money to do the big 3, so I might start with Rogaine though I gather I'll have to get a DHT blocker like Propecia otherwise it'll just come back in a few years. I figure if it is Telogen Effluvium it'll get me back on my feet, if it is male pattern baldness, well, I'll have started at the absolute first sign of it so I have a fighting chance.

 

[WhatYouEgg]

The only thing that bugs me about Propecia is I'm something of a bodybuilder and the antiandrogenic properties worry me.

 

[ali777]

Thinning hair at your age is "normal". There is lots of info out there that says we can manage hairloss with balanced diet, reduced stress, etc. Lifestyle changes are not a cure, but more of hairloss management.

Make a few subtle changes in your life and see how it goes. Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, eat well, reduce your stress, etc... Give it 5-6 months and see if your hair is getting worse.

PS: I saw a woman with a baby a few months ago, she had Telogen Effluvium. After seeing her, I'm convinced the likes of us do not have Telogen Effluvium.

 

[WhatYouEgg]

I can't help but think it's hormornal in nature, too. Over the last few months, my facial hair is growing faster (I really have very little to speak of, but I need to shave it every three-four days now instead of every two weeks now) and I've also put on more muscle in the last three or so months than I think I have over the last year. I guess this is "maturing", as much as I hate to admit it.

 

[WhatYouEgg]

Also, it's funny, ali, my mom said the same thing without really knowing a lick about male pattern baldness, ha.

 

[WhatYouEgg]

Okay.. you can't see it in the pictures but the back of my hair has become very scraggly when my hairstylist trimmed it to be completely straight about a month ago..

I just gave a gentle pull at the very back of my head (bottom of the permanent zone) and like five-six hairs came out, all with the white bulb on the end.. this was with having washed my hair just a few hours ago too..

On the plus side, I've gotten about 7-8 hours of sleep for three nights in a row and feel MUCH better.

I'm planning on seeing a derm, but what do you guys think?

 

[WhatYouEgg]

those scraggly hairs are beginning in my permanent zone though.