Oarf11's Story -(Update 3 months on finasteride/nizoral!)

[oarf11]

Went to my derma about patchy hair loss last week and he said it didn't appear to be male pattern baldness to him, and told me my scalp looked, "really scaly." He gave me some DHS shampoo to use and is going to see me again in a few weeks to check it out.

He was a cool guy and understand my concerns, and even said that he was on Propecia for a few years when he started to bald in his 20s.

I just got my hair cut the other day and I asked my barber about my scalp, and she said that she noticed red pimples in a few different areas on my head. She told me I should see a derma, and commented that I didn't appear to have dandruff.

I noticed that my hair started to thin in late August/early September, but it was only in 1 spot on the the back left of my head, and I wasn't sure if my mind was playing tricks on me. Since then, my crown has proceeded to thin rapidly. The only other spot with any thinning is on the top left of my head, but not near the front.

I'm using this DHS shampoo in hopes that my scalp will get better and hair will start to regrow around my crown.

Over the summer I started taking doxycyclene for some acne, and I think I've had some scalp problems since then, although there is no evidence online of that being a side effect. I'm also using some creams at night on my face, and I thought maybe it could be getting on my pillow and then rubbing on my scalp at night, which could be irritating it. Again, I can't find anything online saying that epiduo and acanya gel would cause my side effects.

I'm not really sure what to do...I'm probably going to make an appt to see my GP in 2 weeks to have him examine me for other causes. I'm also scheduled to see my derma again, and he said that if it appeared to be male pattern baldness, he would recommend that I just go on Propecia.

Hopefully my problem isn't male pattern baldness, but only time will tell I guess. I've had some other symptoms that would indicate hyperthyroidism, but I had blood work done back in June, and I think my thyroid checked out ok.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[oarf11]

Re: 20 and thinning at the crown...

Here are some pics.
1. I just got a haircut on Monday.
2. I've always had a high hairline since I was young.
3. These pictures were all taken w/ a flash, if that makes a difference
4. I've allllwayys had thin hair, and you've always been able to see down to my scalp, especially when my hair is cut short. I just think that there are more open spots in the back on the crown now.

 

[raj47]

Re: 20 and thinning at the crown (PICS)...

YOU GOING BALD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[oarf11]

Re: 20 and thinning at the crown (PICS)...

YOU GOING BALD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, my hair has always been thin and looked pretty crappy under light, that's why I almost think I'd look better shaved really short to begin with.

Thanks for your post, but now I'll wait for other more intelligent and helpful posters to give their opinions.

 

[oarf11]

Re: 20 and thinning at the crown (PICS)...

My roommates didn't notice any changes in my hair until I made one of them examine my head. That might give a clue as to how thin my hair looked prior to recent months.

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

Re: 20 and thinning at the crown (PICS)...

with the pics you posed it's hard to diagnose your thinning issues
the pics are fuzzy and not in good focus

i would suggest you take pictures outside under natural light
one on the crown "top back of head near the swirl"
hairline and each temple

some good questions are:
how are the hair genes in your immediate family
(brothers, father, uncles, grandparents etc.)

imo you appear to still have your juvenile hairline .....thats great

in those fuzzy pictures it's does look like some diffusion

the good news is if it is indeed male pattern baldness
you have caught it very early and treatments have been shown
to be very effective on diffusers

in summation
you have said that you have always have thin hair
so their is a good chance it is not male pattern baldness and is just your normal thin hair

take better pictures others and myself will give a better opinions

 

[oarf11]

Re: 20 and thinning at the crown (PICS)...

Thanks BD, I'll try to take some better pics ASAP.

About my genetics though...I have a pretty mixed bag. Some uncles have are bald (although I don't think any of them went bald in their 20s), and some uncles still have pretty damn good hair for their age. No males in my family really have my fine hair, so it's kind of hard to tell. My grandfather on my mom's side was bald, but only later in life, and my dad's father still had a good amount of hair all the way until he passed away. The thing that scares me is my brother went bald in his mid-20s and now sports the shaved head. Looking at older pictures however, his hairline had been receding by the time he was probably 20. My dad has some balding on the top, and general thinning at the hairline, but his crown is fine and I'd wager to say that most people would be very satisfied to have his hair when they are in their 50s.

One strange thing I noticed, on both sides of my family, is that the oldest male is bald, but the youngest male still has their hair. Probably a coincidence, but I'm hoping that patter holds true for me too, since my bro is the oldest (bald) and I'm the youngest.

 

[oarf11]

Re: 20 and thinning at the crown (PICS)...

nm

 

[oarf11]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

UPDATE:

I went to my doctor and dermatologist again. My doctor took some blood and is having a bunch of stuff tested (thyroid, testosterone...) He thinks that some of my other symptoms coupled with the diffuse hair loss is worth looking into.

I had a dermatologist appt today and I got a prescription for Proscar. If everything comes back negative in my blood tests, I will likely start taking about 1.25mg/day. I will also probably start using Nizoral and maybe some green tea oil for good measure.

The one thing that I don't like about my derma is that he seemed too quick to call it male pattern baldness. I'm most concerned about diffuse loss on the crown and a bit on top, but he started saying my hairline was receding a bit in the corners. The thing is, I'VE ALWAYS HAD A HIGH HAIRLINE! My corners have literally been this high and far back since I was probably in like middle school.

 

[oarf11]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

I know it's hard to tell from the photos and you guys obviously haven't known me for years, but does it appear to be receding in the corners?

 

[rotsen182]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

i see no thinning.................... u look good to me

 

[treeshrew]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

it looks like the hair in back - the classic "horseshoe" area - is definitely thicker, and it looks odd how it gets so diffuse on the sides. certainly a bizarre pattern if it is male pattern baldness, but definitely nothing i'm used to seeing. sorry, this is a tough one.

p.s. i thought you couldn't diagnose male pattern baldness from a blood test? all you can do is eliminate other causes.

 

[oarf11]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

i see no thinning.................... u look good to me

Ya, that is what I meant. My regular doctor is just testing me for a bunch of things to make sure any diffuse hair loss I am experiencing isn't due to something other than male pattern baldness. He's just trying to narrow the focus so we know what we are/aren't dealing with.

 

[oarf11]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

I had to post, because this is pissing me off.

So my derma said that it doesn't look like I have dandruff, but I'm able to run my hands through my hair (rather roughly) and tons of small white stuff comes out. Is this not f'ing dandruff? It doesn't get on my clothes or anything so it's not noticeable/embarrassing, but I never remember having this prior to my "diffuse thinning". It's really annoying the hell out of me since my doctor makes it sound like it's nothing, yet I never remember having this problem before.

 

[oarf11]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

Now you’re probably wondering why Sebum is bad in respects to keeping hold of your hair? Well, it’s a case of a double edged sword. The sebaceous glands that produce the sebum lead into the follicles of your hair, the problem is the sebum is often not washed out by shampooing, so what can happen is it builds up in the follicle. Eventually it makes it’s way to the top of the scalp and oxidises with the air. This causes the sebum to harden, bacteria thrive of this hardened sebum damaging the follicle. Also eventually the blockage stops nutrients getting into the follicle making it practically impossible for hair to grow. This is called seborrheic alopecia, not to be confused with alopecia due to seborrheic dermatitis.

Further to that, sebum causes high levels of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to occur, I won’t go into detail right now, suffice to say DHT is very strongly linked with male baldness. Excessive sebum causes high levels of an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. 5-alpha reductase converts testosterone to DHT, and therfore could the catalyst behind one aspect of hair loss called androgenic alopecia. It follows if you can keep sebum at healthy levels then your hair will have a much better chance.

I just read that online. I knew that male pattern baldness was caused by DHT, which can be stopped by finasteride among other things. I was wondering however, is DHT caused by excessive sebum different from someone who is just experiencing a conversion of testosterone due to genetic male pattern baldness?

I've read that excessive sebum can also lead to hair loss. Since my pattern of diffuse loss seems to be a bit irregular, is it possible that this is the root of my problems?i

Could I benefit from just using Nizoral or a similar type of shampoo? Or, would I just continue producing DHT?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but I'm just trying to get this all to STOP! I'm sure you can sympathize, haha.

 

[timbo]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

Judging from the pictures, I don't see any evidence of Male Pattern Baldness. It just looks like you have naturally thin hair.

 

[oarf11]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

After more research I think I have a "chicken or the egg" time of problem:

Is increased sebum causing me to shed, or is male pattern baldness causing the increased sebum?

What would be the best course of action? Use Nizoral and if the problem persists then get on finasteride?

 

[anabolicmind22]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

from what I can tell from the pictures

1. Don't freak out. You have a great head of hair and you're catching your troubles early. Great start.

2. Your hairline looks fine. Perfect to me, in fact. I'm jealous. Don't stress about that.

3. Shop around for 2nd and 3rd opinions. My first dermatologist was f*****g useless and I still regret just accepting everything she said as being fact.

 

[oarf11]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

from what I can tell from the pictures

1. Don't freak out. You have a great head of hair and you're catching your troubles early. Great start.

2. Your hairline looks fine. Perfect to me, in fact. I'm jealous. Don't stress about that.

3. Shop around for 2nd and 3rd opinions. My first dermatologist was f****ing useless and I still regret just accepting everything she said as being fact.

Thank you for your reply.

I'm trying to use nizoral and soon coconut oil in order to see if I see a change in the dandruff-like shedding that I get on my scalp. If I don't see a change in my hair I will likely begin finasteride. I've certainly got some mixed opinions in this thread, and also from my doctors though.

 

[MJT82]

Re: Oarf11's Story - (20 / and thinning at the crown (PICS)

Based on your pics, I am pretty sure that if you got on low dose accutane it would improve your scalp health and also improve your acne too. I don't see signs of male pattern baldness yet. You should ask your doctor about trying low dose accutane.