I’m 16, Am I Balding? Or Is It Temporary?

[Dhldan]

Yesterday I noticed my hair began to shed a lot more than usual. Probably around 100 hairs were lost. I never really had much hair loss before. Maybe like 30-50 hairs a day. Anyways I noticed my hairline has been slightly receding over the months. Also the top of my scalp has been shedding and some hairs have been thinning and falling out. I don’t really think my crown got any thinner, maybe just a slight bit.
I’m still a norwood 1.5 ish on my left side and my right side of my hairline has barely receded at all.

Basically I’m asking if you guys think this is male pattern baldness.
My hair has always been relatively dry & thin so It’s difficult for me to tell.
My parents won’t let me visit a derm bc they think it’s useless and nothing can be done.

Lastly, if it is male pattern baldness how can i treat it? I really want to maintain what I have left & I’m not old enough for finasteride yet, I heard minoxidil doesn’t stop the balding process in anyway and only responds to 40% of its users.
I been taking supplements the past month, along with using oils like coconut & argan w a dermaroller.

Thanks, & sorry just realized I type a lot

 

[Michael1986]

Seeing as you're 16, I don't see why your parents can't let you decide for yourself whether or not you want to see a derm.
What you're describing might be the beginnings of male pattern baldness, but we'd need to see pictures to get a better idea. Could you post some pictures of your hair on here?
You're right that you are too young for finasteride. Minoxidil and Nizoral shampoo are your best bet for the time being. There is actually evidence that minoxidil interferes with the underlying balding process, but if it does so, this is most likely secondary to its effects as a growth stimulant.
Taking supplements, oils, and dermarolling will be of little to no use in treating male pattern baldness, unfortunately. In order to treat it effectively, you need to use proven hair loss products.

 

[Dhldan]

yea sure, & while taking these pics I realized my temples seemed to receded quite a bit since the last time I checked. Would this b considered a norwood 2 or higher?

 

[Dhldan]

Seeing as you're 16, I don't see why your parents can't let you decide for yourself whether or not you want to see a derm.
What you're describing might be the beginnings of male pattern baldness, but we'd need to see pictures to get a better idea. Could you post some pictures of your hair on here?
You're right that you are too young for finasteride. Minoxidil and Nizoral shampoo are your best bet for the time being. There is actually evidence that minoxidil interferes with the underlying balding process, but if it does so, this is most likely secondary to its effects as a growth stimulant.
Taking supplements, oils, and dermarolling will be of little to no use in treating male pattern baldness, unfortunately. In order to treat it effectively, you need to use proven hair loss products.

& my parents are insistent on saying that derms are a waste of time. My hairline looked pretty much normal 2 months ago. It looks like it receded quite a bit especially on the left side imo. I’m wary about using minoxidil because I wanna make sure It’s male pattern baldness first and I heard minoxidil wears down overtime too. I’m open to treatments like PRP & hair regeneration if they’ll treat me at my age. I just wanna make sure My hair doesnt thin out anymore or recede till I can get on propecia.

 

[recedingornot87]

What is your family history of balding? Did your dad go bald at a young age?

 

[Dhldan]

What is your family history of balding? Did your dad go bald at a young age?

My dad has a norwood 3 or 4 & my mom has some hair loss. Most if not all of my uncles have a full head of hair maybe slight recession or just matured. My dad’s parents both haven’t suffered hair loss & his dad has a better hairline than my own. My mom’s parents however her mom I believe has had some thinning & her dad’s bald.

(My dad experienced hair loss in his early to mid 30s)

 

[Dhldan]

so yea if I’m actually balding already then I’m kind of the odd one out. Any opinions based on the pics? & if it is balding should I just use minoxidil for now or should i get on propecia anyways? I can also afford a laser comb or get prp probably 2.

 

[recedingornot87]

so yea if I’m actually balding already then I’m kind of the odd one out. Any opinions based on the pics? & if it is balding should I just use minoxidil for now or should i get on propecia anyways? I can also afford a laser comb or get prp probably 2.

Its hard to tell based on those pics. Hairline changes happen a lot to some guys and then it stays like that for decades. Considering your family history I wouldnt be too worried to be honest. With that being said you have to convince your parents to let you see a dermatologist man, when it comes to hairloss time is of the essence.

 

[Dhldan]

Its hard to tell based on those pics. Hairline changes happen a lot to some guys and then it stays like that for decades. Considering your family history I wouldnt be too worried to be honest. With that being said you have to convince your parents to let you see a dermatologist man, when it comes to hairloss time is of the essence.

Thanks & I really hope that’s the case, however My frontal hairs are thinner than my vertex hairs. Should this be concerning.? Also I have a balding patch forming on the left side of my head. Is this natural? And yes ik I need to see a derm, but I just don’t see them agreeing with me and supporting me in spending $200 when they’ll just tell me if Im balding or not.

Also is there any consequences of starting minoxidil too early? Will it make my hair dependent on minoxidil even if I’m not balding?

 

[Michael1986]

Your family history is not the best, but not the worst either. Did your mom's dad lose his hair young?
You definitely should NOT use Propecia at the age you are. Your body is not finished developing yet, and Propecia will interfere with your body's physical and sexual maturity.
I wouldn't advice PRP or laser comb, as there's very little evidence that these things work. They are just a waste of money. You could look into trying the topical antiandrogen RU58841. As far as I'm aware, RU58841 should be safe for a 16 year old. I'm not certain of this though, so please make sure of it beforehand should you wish to try it.
If you have a bald patch forming only on the left side of your head, that might be a different form of hair loss than male pattern baldness, and should be checked out. Where exactly is this bald patch?
There's nothing wrong with starting minoxidil now. I should mention that your hair will become dependent on it though, insofar as if you stop using it, you will lose everything you have gained from it.

 

[Dhldan]

Your family history is not the best, but not the worst either. Did your mom's dad lose his hair young?
You definitely should NOT use Propecia at the age you are. Your body is not finished developing yet, and Propecia will interfere with your body's physical and sexual maturity.
I wouldn't advice PRP or laser comb, as there's very little evidence that these things work. They are just a waste of money. You could look into trying the topical antiandrogen RU58841. As far as I'm aware, RU58841 should be safe for a 16 year old. I'm not certain of this though, so please make sure of it beforehand should you wish to try it.
If you have a bald patch forming only on the left side of your head, that might be a different form of hair loss than male pattern baldness, and should be checked out. Where exactly is this bald patch?
There's nothing wrong with starting minoxidil now. I should mention that your hair will become dependent on it though, insofar as if you stop using it, you will lose everything you have gained from it.

I don’t have any clue about my mom’s dad’s hair loss sadly. Based on pictures he had hair in his 20s tho. All of their kids and my cousins have hairlines that look fine. The bald patch is starting to come on my left side of my behind & under my left temple . If I start minoxidil now and don’t actually need it will my hairs that don’t need minoxidil but made contact with it fall out too if I stop using it?

 

[Michael1986]

So the bald patch is within the Norwood area of your scalp (the area prone to male pattern baldness)? Is it an actual clearly defined bald spot, or is it just an area where the hair is thinner than elsewhere? I'm just trying to find out if this bald patch is actually male pattern baldness rather than something else like Alopecia Areata.
If you start minoxidil and then stop using it, you will lose all your gains from it, but your hairs that didn't need minoxidil will not be affected.

 

[Dhldan]

So the bald patch is within the Norwood area of your scalp (the area prone to male pattern baldness)? Is it an actual clearly defined bald spot, or is it just an area where the hair is thinner than elsewhere? I'm just trying to find out if this bald patch is actually male pattern baldness rather than something else like Alopecia Areata.
If you start minoxidil and then stop using it, you will lose all your gains from it, but your hairs that didn't need minoxidil will not be affected.

Sorry let me correct myself, it’s just hair that’s thinner and maybe less active follicles there. I really doubt it’s areata bc compared to photos i saw online it doesnt look that severe. Do you recommend for me to start using 2.5% or 5% minoxidil? In this past week my hairs gotten significantly thinner, especially on the hairline. I guess I can assume this is male pattern baldness? My left side of my hairline is beginning to go up in the horseshoe pattern too.

 

[GreekGod]

To me you look like a strong Norwood 1.5 with no hair loss. If you show some other pictures my opinion may change but for now don't worry about it. Also your family sounds like they have good hair.

 

[Dhldan]

To me you look like a strong Norwood 1.5 with no hair loss. If you show some other pictures my opinion may change but for now don't worry about it. Also your family sounds like they have good hair.

Really hope so, but my frontal hairs have been thinning out some recently and looking like babyhairs almost. My hairs always been dry, brittle, and thin so it’s hard for me to tell the difference tho. However my left sides going back in a horseshoe pattern and looks like a widows peak sort of now. Do you think I should get on minoxidil 5% and nizoral just to be cautious?

 

[GreekGod]

Really hope so, but my frontal hairs have been thinning out some recently and looking like babyhairs almost. My hairs always been dry, brittle, and thin so it’s hard for me to tell the difference tho. However my left sides going back in a horseshoe pattern and looks like a widows peak sort of now. Do you think I should get on minoxidil 5% and nizoral just to be cautious?

Dont get on minoxidil because you'll shed, but Nizoral twice a week wouldn't hurt. It'll also prevent dandruff. The issue with minoxidil is that it'll cause your hairs to fall out before they thicken. Then those thick hairs will only stay if you keep using minoxidil. No need for you to become dependent on minoxidil and have shedding.

 

[Dhldan]

Dont get on minoxidil because you'll shed, but Nizoral twice a week wouldn't hurt. It'll also prevent dandruff. The issue with minoxidil is that it'll cause your hairs to fall out before they thicken. Then those thick hairs will only stay if you keep using minoxidil. No need for you to become dependent on minoxidil and have shedding.

U don’t think it’s balding then? My few frontal hairs have been thinning and hairline went up quite a bit in a few months. I guess it could be maturing tho?
& can Nizoral 1% actually stop hairfall?