is this the first sign of balding?

[idris]

i think my hairline is starting to go. are those little hairs at the front going to be bald areas soon?

 

[heisenberg]

Looks fine to me.

If anything, you might be receding into you're final "mature" hair line, which is not considered balding.

 

[idris]

isn't a mature hairline not supposed to have any miniaturization though.

 

[LBerg12]

Your hairline just seems to be receeding. If it gets worse, I would suggest going to the doctor to solve the problem before it gets worse.

 

[Am I Too Pate]

I wouldn't get too fixated at this point. Of course I can't see what you see, but from the photos it's far from being conclusive .. and in that case I'd always assume the best (even though it may be easier said than done). You have time to see what takes shape and have a good chance to combat it if it turns out not to be benign. If it helps, there are thousands of young guys who have looked in the mirror and asked themselves the same question, only to find they had nothing to worry about (and I know around 15-20 of them personally).