Mayo Clinic Stumped....losing Hair Only On Right Side Of Scalp

[Jasondubin79]

I am a 38 year old male living in Scottsdale, AZ. For all intents and purposes I have a full head of thick wavy coarse hair, but over the past 5 years the right side of my scalp has thinned by about 50% while my left side is healthy. I have seen a derm (associated with Mayo clinic here in Scottsdale) and he has no idea and just prescribed 1mg fiansteride daily and 2% ketoconazole in January 2016. It has gotten worse since then. He did say that it was unlikely Finasteride would help as I did not display typical male pattern baldness. I do have a red rash at the top of my forehead that has taken some hairline away but he said as of 2017 it is not getting worse on the front hairline (no diagnosis). He said the rash does not protrude at all onto the scalp.

Has anyone had experience with a particular side of the scalp and significant hair loss/thinning? if so, did you receive a diagnosis?

 

[Alphalete]

hello post pics

 

[Jasondubin79]

Sorry this took so long. Here are pics of my left side and my right side. I just got a hair cut so this is about as short as I ever have had my hair.

 

[Retinoid]

Could be a few things:

1) The left side will catch up if it is male pattern baldness.
2) It is not male pattern baldness and is either Telogen Effluvium or alopecia areata.

I agree it is not a common hair loss pattern and if you do not have crown balding and also do not have male pattern baldness in your family it is likely it is not male pattern baldness.

 

[Jasondubin79]

Ok, that is helpful input. Thank you.

 

[alekgn]

Alopecia areata is a possibility. If you have that, it means you bald in certain patches of the head. Not conventional male pattern baldness from the looks of it. Telogen Effluvium is possible, but I wouldn't assume that.

 

[Sliceofbread]

I would go see another derm... worried about a scarring alopecia I think you need a biopsy

 

[Vince_Reagan]

That is definitely not Alopecia Areata, I am very sure about it as I have suffered from it. Parches of AA are different. It is like you have absolutely no hair on a circular patch and all the boundary hair are absolutely fine. Also the patch forms very quickly like you lose all the hair of the patch in just a week or two. hair just shed from he patch do not thin out then shed.

Mine right side is also thin and receded as compared to left side. Now the left side is also catching up slowly. But as you said that the left side is fine for over 5 years so male pattern baldness is very unlikely.

 

[Armando Jose]

Traction alopecia? Trichotilomania?