Diagnosis of male pattern baldness

[Partways]

I went to the dermatologist today to find out if I had male pattern baldness and even she couldn't give me a surefire answer. She told me that there was some thinning on the crown region and the hair on the side and back of my head seem to be thicker than the crown so she suspects it might be male pattern baldness but it might also just might be normal shedding. I asked her if there was any sure way to figure out why I was thinning out on my crown and she told me that all you can do is watch and observe or get a scalp biopsy which is still not 100% accurate. She went ahead and prescribed me 1 mg or propecia just to be on the safe side. What I wanna know is if you guys think that getting the scalp biopsy is worth it. If I start taking the propecia and see a decrease in hairloss does this mean that her diagnosis of male pattern baldness was correct?

 

[Quantum Cat]

can you post some good pics for us to see? Crown thinning is probably the best indicator of male pattern baldness

I'm not sure what she meant by 'normal shedding' - that isn't the same thing as thinning hair. Everyone sheds hair.

take good pics every month so you will build up a timeline and will be able to compare your hair to what it used to be. Also ask your hairdresser for their observations if you use the same hairdresser each time

 

[WR1981]

I went to the dermatologist today to find out if I had male pattern baldness and even she couldn't give me a surefire answer. She told me that there was some thinning on the crown region and the hair on the side and back of my head seem to be thicker than the crown so she suspects it might be male pattern baldness but it might also just might be normal shedding. I asked her if there was any sure way to figure out why I was thinning out on my crown and she told me that all you can do is watch and observe or get a scalp biopsy which is still not 100% accurate. She went ahead and prescribed me 1 mg or propecia just to be on the safe side. What I wanna know is if you guys think that getting the scalp biopsy is worth it. If I start taking the propecia and see a decrease in hairloss does this mean that her diagnosis of male pattern baldness was correct?

Just to let you know, I too am not sure if I'm losing hair or if it's just naturally thin. Not having any shedding though. However, from what I gather a dermatologist can really only give you a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning if all other potential causes for excessive shedding are ruled out (anemia, thyroid, diet, etc.) and it's progressively getting thinner, than it's likely male pattern baldness. Biopsies won't give you a true answer, but mapping for miniaturization might.