male pattern baldness sufferers dont shed much. True?

[ihatethis]

This is what i've heard from a few of my friends that have gone bald.
I went to a derm telling him that i recently shed alot. He asked me how soon it all happened, etc. After telling him that it happened very soon, and tha i shed quiet alot, he diagonised me as Telogen Effluvium.
Anyways, so this is what i've heard. That unless someone going through male pattern baldness started a new treatment (finasteride, regaine, etc), he usually doesnt shed. In male pattern baldness the hair takes its time(just as long as it would usualy take), but when it does shed, it grows back thinner, and usualy after a gradual process stops growing.
Whereas in Telogen Effluvium, there is alot of shedding all so quickly.
Do i have my facts right?
Thank you all in advance.

 

[karl_h]

I think you have done a good job of distinguishing between male pattern baldness and telogen effluvium.

Also, I think your dermatologist has made the right diagnosis regarding what you are experiencing.

I hope your telogen effluvium reverses soon.

 

[ihatethis]

I think you have done a good job of distinguishing between male pattern baldness and telogen effluvium.

Also, I think your dermatologist has made the right diagnosis regarding what you are experiencing.

I hope your telogen effluvium reverses soon.

Thanks alot man.. Question. What if my hair continues to shed for a long time and i decide to take finasteride. First of all, does finasteride help with diffuse thinning. Second, could finasteride do me more harm than good?

 

[karl_h]

I believe that finasteride can help with diffuse thinning but of course it is going to work for some and not others.

I think you can try it and if you start to see hair growth you can continue to use it, but if you do not experience any hair growth, you can consider some of the other options that are available to you.

Also, I wanted to mention that telogen effluvium is often caused by a stressful event occuring in one's life. You might want to think about if anything major has happened in your life over the past year that may have caused you to be under a lot of stress?

Maybe you can go over that situation with someone and it will help you to reduce the amount of stress that you are under, and you will begin to grow some of the hair that you have lost back.