New guy + am I balding?

[ihatebalding]

Good afternoon guys,

I'm a new member to the boards. I'm a twenty year old white male from Vancouver, Canada. I've never particularly noticed my hair thinning or that my temples / corners were receding / thinning, but my hairdresser recently brought light to the fact that my corners had in fact receded since she began cutting my hair roughly three or four years ago. I figured my age transition from 16/17-20 would be able to explain it, but as I've seen on this site often leaving your hair troubles is worse than having them in the first place. As you can see, my corners do seem slightly receded and as far as I can tell my temples have never had a distinctive pattern similar to many other guys. My hairline has always been high, and I certainly haven't noticed thinning. The back of my head seems okay too, as I'm just seeing a sworl natural to most people with wavy, thicker hair. So what do you say? male pattern baldness, or mature hairline?

On another note, if I'm not balding please don't view this as a trivial way to feel good about myself. A few years ago I discovered that I have a mild case of pectus excavatum as well ( if you don't know what it is, it's a brutal caving in of the chest right in the center. Mine's even asymmetrical so surgery is a b**ch and a half.) and I have to say the sense of community and strength on these boards are astounding. There's no need to feel ashamed for your hair loss - I've read suicide posts to the obligatory "I'm shaving it" thread, and I've got to say I'd take balding over a sunken chest anyday. You guys are running a great thing here, this is coming from a guy who thought he'd seen the worst of his body having a panic attack because he's balding.

Anyways, thanks for your advice.

(Sorry for the bad picture quality, but I figured you guys might be able to tell regardless.)

I’d also like to note that my uncles on my mothers side both have a very similar hairline, and they had it since a young age. My father has incredibly thick hair and hasn’t receded a bit. (Well, young man- ish)

 

[johnny b]

i would give my right nut for that hair,no your not balding.

 

[treeshrew]

maybe some recession on the hair line, although it's impossible to say for sure. either way, it's too early for meds, so just keep an eye on it

 

[Swanson]

yeah dude... looks pretty good to me... just like treeshrew said...keep an eye on it....

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

you have great hair

maybe slight recession at the hairline but your crown is perfect

you can see small miniaturized hairs at your hairline
it may just be acquiring your mature hairline

i would keep an eye on it and possibly consider using finasteride

these are just my suggestions

 

[ihatebalding]

Thanks for all the quick responses.
I really hope that those miniature hairs are just a product of my mature hairline coming through since the change is so recent, but who knows. Does finasteride have any sort of negative affect on hairline if used too early? I've only seen it when reading others' recommendations so I guess i'll have to research it now.

Cheers

Edit:

What am I on the Norwood scale?
And how do you think it would look if I shaved my head? I know I won't look like matthew fox but would it look okay?

 

[hairwayorthehighway]

I'm envious.. enjoy every day of that full thick head of hair.

 

[Tyler_Durden]

He definitely has some miniaturisation at the hairline, however it isn't anything significant. The first pic shows it well, it is thinning slightly along the hairline, and the pic with everything pulled back shows the frontal area is a bit thinner.

Nothing serious though and certainly not recognisable with the hair down. I would be thinking of starting finasteride sometime in the future, maybe just observe it for a bit then start on a low dosage of finasteride.

 

[ihatebalding]

bump. anyone?
what Norwood is this?
could it be the formation of a mature hairline, or am i already beyond it?

 

[Gene_Fighter]

I would say you are a 1 approaching a 2 on the Norwood scale. I wouldn't be worried about those miniaturized hairs on your hairline--most everyone has them, some more than others. It's not necessarily indicative of hairloss, it's likely your mature hairline is just coming in.

Personally, I would definitely say hold off on the finasteride for now. You're way too young, finasteride is a lifelong commitment, and frankly, no one really is absolutely certain on the effects finasteride can have on the body after 20-30 years of use.

Observe for a few years. Take monthly pictures if you're really concerned. If you still feel like you're losing your hair at that time, then you could reconsider the finasteride. Your call.

Final note of importance: from my experiences and by observing the experiences of others, I would say that if your hairline is receding from directly above the sideburns back, then it is almost certain you have a real case of male pattern baldness. If your hairline is receding farther up (as yours appears to be), then you could just be developing a mature hairline, or you could be a slow receder. After you observe for a while, you'll know.

 

[ihatebalding]

i always assumed i was closer to / already at a NW3. how far am I from it? it's encouraging to hear i'm not past nw2 yet, considering that's where most of my family sits.
why is it impossible to quit finasteride?

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

finfighter is right

keeping the hair you have now is alot easier than regrowing it back

you may be at the very earliest stages of balding

go see a derm and get an miniaturization test done
then consider using finasteride

in the meantime using nizoral 2-3 times a week wouldn't hurt your situation

 

[ihatebalding]

haha it seems like these posts have gone from positive to concerned - i guess i'll get a derma appointment. i don't have ANY balding in my family though, shouldn't that be reason for comfort? They all have receding hairlines like me though

 

[Thickandthin]

Your hair looks like mine, although perhaps a little better.

I noticed recession like yours, but mine went pretty quick from a NW1.5 (which is where you are) to a NW2. Nobody knows the route your hair will take, but if you notice any thinning anywhere other than the temples (like in frontal, middle hairline), then you are balding. My middle used to be very thick even after the temples receded, but has now become slightly thinned out and "frizzy".

I'd go ahead and peg you as balding right now - you are only 20 and are receding, much like me (I'm 22). Usually people with "mature" hairlines have a sharp definition to them, but your hairline looks a little fuzzy and weak. But a lot might disagree with me, so there's no easy way to tell at this point.

Keep an eye on it and if it gets worse within 6 months, you need to do something about it.

 

[ihatebalding]

well, sh*t. this is a horrible realization.
does the fact that i don't shed at all not matter? i always assumed that was necessary for hairloss.

i've never noticed myself actually losing hairs, and my crown isn't thinning. My hairline has surely receded though, I was just hoping it was the mature hairline.

 

[Thickandthin]

well, sh*t. this is a horrible realization.
does the fact that i don't shed at all not matter? i always assumed that was necessary for hairloss.

i've never noticed myself actually losing hairs, and my crown isn't thinning. My hairline has surely receded though, I was just hoping it was the mature hairline.

well, I've always shed a lot, even back before I was balding. sheds don't really matter though - you could lose just 100 hairs over the course of a month from the hairline - hairs that you would probably never see fall out - but those 100 hairs lost would recede you noticeably. shedding is more a problem when a person has diffuse thinning across the entire head.

the good news is that you've caught it early, and you aren't really even a NW2 yet. just keep an eye on it for a little while.

 

[s.a.f]

i don't have ANY balding in my family though, shouldn't that be reason for comfort? They all have receding hairlines like me though

There's all you need to know - goodbye, have a nice life.

 

[litcII]

Hello, fellow Vancouverite!
I think your hair doesn't look bad at all at the moment... maybe a little recession in your left temple though

 

[ihatebalding]

male pattern baldness is not that simple, yes it is a genetic predisposition, however the gene responsible can skip many generations, it's possible that down the line somewhere one of his relatives had the gene and now it's acctive in him, he should at least go to a dermatoligist for peace of mind. When it comes to male pattern baldness early treatment is everything.

yeah, i understand that and appreciate your honesty. however, when i say ever in my family i mean back at least 4 generations (according to my mother / grandmother, nobody has been bald besides recession) but beyond that I don't know.

and temple recession? i was hoping that was the area i wasn't receding in, haha bummer

 

[Oknow]

I'd go ahead and peg you as balding right now - you are only 20 and are receding, much like me (I'm 22). Usually people with "mature" hairlines have a sharp definition to them, but your hairline looks a little fuzzy and weak. But a lot might disagree with me, so there's no easy way to tell at this point.

Keep an eye on it and if it gets worse within 6 months, you need to do something about it.

Yeah I have seen a similar pattern, normally the ones that seem to have aggressive male pattern baldness seem to always have massive recession on the sides only with the middle being quite flat and undefined. Example:

Granted his male pattern baldness was well underway at this point, but notice how his hairline is not even defined the slightest due to the sides going upwards.

Other side catches up.

as opposed to this:

Strong V with a little termporal recession on the right hand side. Andy Garcia, Michael Owen all sport a similar hairline and still have hair.

There are of course exceptions to this rule.