Is shedding a sign of male pattern baldness?

[arefs11]

Hey everyone,

Just some background info-- I'm a 20 year old male, my dad started balding young (he thinks he might've been around my age but he can't really remember), I have no idea what his dad's hair was like, and my mom's dad never went really bald but he did have very noticeably thin hair by the time he passed.

So a little over a year ago (two Octobers ago) I took a shower and noticed a huge amount of shedding compared to normal (since I was little I've always been kinda OCD about counting how many hairs I see come out in the shower-- not because I thought I was balding just because I thought it was fun lol). From that point on, my hair has been shedding like crazy. I'll count maybe 50-100 hairs on my hands most days when I shower, and that's just from what I can see-- obviously when I shampoo my hair the lather makes it harder to see hairs on my hands, and throughout the day I'm losing hair too that I'm not counting.

First I thought it might just be a reaction to the shampoo I was using, so I stopped and used another shampoo. Then I thought it could be a seasonal thing, then I thought it might just be stress (I do have some anxiety issues that I was on some medication for this past summer but I do fine without it), but I highly doubt that. I've gotten to the point where I can't spike my hair up in the front anymore because if I do, you see right through to my scalp. And now (as of a few weeks ago) I noticed that even when I just let it sit flat down, you can see scalp. It mostly shows on the top of my head, and I guess my hairline has receded a little bit but that's not what I'm really noticing.

This past summer when I went to the doctor (who gave me stuff to help out with anxiety), he did a blood test that checked my thyroid, cholesterol, and a bunch of other things (I forget the name of the test, sorry!) and he said everything came out basically really good. There were a couple things I was slightly lacking but he said nothing was really high or low and there wasn't anything in it that would indicate hair loss.

I was thinking this might just be my time to lose hair, but from what I understood, male pattern baldness wouldn't cause me to be shedding a lot of hair, I just wouldn't be growing hair that I'm losing back, is that correct? I really don't want to start finasteride or rogaine unless I'm sure it's male pattern baldness, because obviously if there's an underlying medical issue that should be taken care of first. I have an appointment at my university's health center on Wednesday but I don't know how helpful they'll be.

Does the shedding seem to indicate a medical problem or could it still be male pattern baldness?

Thanks everyone

 

[arefs11]

How can we answer to you ?
Really go to your derm and ask him, but I think it's male pattern baldness.

Your topic title is strange, because male pattern baldness causes hair fall (so shedding...)

But beware of hair loss product, it can be worse than before (not everytime thankfully !)

Like I said in my post, I thought that male pattern baldness caused hair to stop growing, i didnt think it actually caused more hair to fall out. thanks for your input though. like i said im going to the doctor on wednesday but even doctors cant always tell.

 

[rerun]

It could be very severe male pattern baldness, especially since you said your father began balding at around the same age. male pattern baldness can reduce how long your hair remains in the growth phase, causing it to go into the telogen phase (shedding) sooner and sooner. male pattern baldness doesn't abruptly stop your hair from growing, but rather makes it more difficult for your hair to grow fully, which could result in hairs that grow thinner and thinner with each cycle.

 

[arefs11]

It could be very severe male pattern baldness, especially since you said your father began balding at around the same age. male pattern baldness can reduce how long your hair remains in the growth phase, causing it to go into the telogen phase (shedding) sooner and sooner. male pattern baldness doesn't abruptly stop your hair from growing, but rather makes it more difficult for your hair to grow fully, which could result in hairs that grow thinner and thinner with each cycle.

Not was i was hoping to hear, but i guess it's a likely possibility at this point. Most of the hairs I've noticed falling out though haven't been very thin or fine, if that makes any difference.

 

[rerun]

I don't think it makes a difference. Considering your dad began balding at the same age, and you seem to be headed in the same direction, there's not really much of a risk in beginning treatment with Finasteride or Minoxidil (or you could look into the dermarolling method that is possibly promising). At this point, simply letting time pass by won't help stop or reverse the problem.

I remember a guy from college who was probably 18 or 19 and had very severe male pattern baldness to the point that he was basically slick bald by the time he graduated from college. Totally looked healthy and fit (played college baseball), but he was genetically predisposed to balding.

 

[collegedude19]

I hate the answers people leave here like they just jump to it being male pattern baldness forsure. Im in the same situation and I'm 19 and our stories are like the same.8 months ago my hair was decent and now its like diffuse all over the top.

 

[arefs11]

Eh, gonna keep hoping that it’s a medical condition til I talk to the doctor, I just really don’t want to start finasteride or minoxidil. I’m bad at remembering to take my vitamins in the morning and I feel like it’ll be hard for me to get into the routine of taking finasteride and putting rogaine on twice a day. Not to mention I really don’t want to go through the shedding phases everyone talks about. And on top of that I feel like I’m really young to start something that I’m going to have to be on for the rest of my life. Ugh. Hair loss sucks. I’m so mad at my dad for giving me his crappy genes -_-

 

[TheHandsomeLurker]

So shedding isn't necessarily a sign of male pattern baldness, but shedding without replacement is. And 20 is a pretty common starting age for early signs of male pattern baldness.

If you really want to know, take a picture of your hairline and the top of your head each day for like two months so you can compare. If it looks like you're aggregating a loss, then it's probably male pattern baldness.

It's best to catch it early because the only medical options we have mostly preserve hair -- they don't substantially regrow in most cases. minoxidil will slow it down considerably if not stop it, and finasteride will probably stop it (though finasteride has some side effects which make it not worth the risk for many people).

 

[rerun]

dont worry, when u will be balding u will never forget to take ur meds !

lol. That's kind of mean.

As for the original poster, at least get on Finasteride. I'm not using Minoxidil because I don't have the lifestyle habits to apply it twice a day for the rest of my life, but popping a pill in my mouth each morning is really easy.

 

[XXXXXXX]

Shedding hair is perfectly normal, but shedding miniaturized hairs is not.