Hair loss question from a young person - newbie

[ericks8828]

I have always had very fine hair, it runs in the family. To make matters worse, it is a blonde color. My dad has a receding hairline at the temples as does his dad. From my hair color, it is very clear I get my hair from my dad as my mom's dad has dark thick hair and my mom and her mom have dark hair. The question I have is that as I have gotten older 28 now, my hair has receded at the temples as I would expect it to. Now though, I am noticing patchy bald spots in the back, and redness on my scalp. I should also mention that my scalp is constantly itchy along with alot of my skin. I am willing to accept the receding front hairline, but I have seen no hair in my drains and this sudden bald spot thing on the back of my head has me wondering what could be going on. I do suffer from anxiety and one habit I formed its scratching my head roughly when anxious or nervous and I was wondering if a fungal issue could be to blame for the sudden patchy hair loss on the back of my head. What would be the symptoms of a fungal issue on the scalp and also what may cause the loss of hair so suddenly? I apologize if this is redundant or if it seems stupid but I really have no clue what is going on.

Thanks,

Erick

 

[WR1981]

If your scalp is inflamed, itchy and red, it's probably best to go see a dermatologist. It could be any number of things -- allergic or seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, or even an infection. These alone could cause alopecia areata, a patchy area where the hair has fallen out. My little sister got a ringworm infection from our (then) very sick cat and she developed a quarter size bald spot on the scalp. Fortunately, it regrew after extensive antibiotic treatment.

As for the fine/blonde vs. thick/black hair, these probably have little relation to actual baldness. I too got my dad's blondish hair (he is extensively bald), whereas my mom, grandma and granddad all have/had dark black hair. Unlike my dad though who was visibly thinning at 22-23, this doesn't *seem* to be the case with me, though my hair is extremely fine it's like cobweb. My granddad's was the same but he managed to hang on to until he passed at 83. So no, hair "traits" vs the thinning process/balding are not necessarily related.