Is it ever normal to have "miniaturization"?

[okay777]

I am 18 and I am freaking out about a receding hairline. I'm not completely sure whether it's moved back or I'm paranoid but I know for a fact that I've always had a huge forehead. I have light brown hair and in the corners of my hairline (i guess my temples), there are lighter, thinner pieces of hair. There isn't a lot, and it's basically only bordering the hairline, but I am worried because I heard this is the start of male pattern baldness. Some of the thinner, lighter hair is the same length of my hair length, and some is 1/3 of the size.

I have NO balding on either side of my family and I have been told that I have really thick hair. Is it even possible for me to have male pattern baldness without any family history?

http://picpaste.com/IMG_2107-3uANOeEk.jpg


^this is what my hairline looks like on both sides. It's kind of hard to tell, but there are definitely some smaller and thinner hairs at the edges of the hairline. Am I doomed to be bald/have hairline recession?

 

[fodandahalf]

You don't really show any signs of balding in that picture, but to answer your question: your family may have male pattern baldness in its history that you don't know about, i.e. past generations. I wouldn't worry now though as your hair looks fine.

 

[okay777]

I basically made a family tree of my extended family and the only "bald" people are my great-grandfather on my mother's side, and my mother's mother's brother. They weren't really bald though, just less hair than normal, and it happened when they were really old......


I'm just a little concerned with how when I pulled on these "miniaturized" hairs, they came out easier than darker and thicker hairs on my scalp.

 

[bballman26]

Don't confuse hair miniaturization from vellus hairs. I have a couple up front on my hairline too. When you see other hairs that half the size in length of your other hairs that is actually good because you have a new hair cycle growing.

 

[rov]

How can you distinguish miniaturized hairs from vellus hairs?