So. I went to the doctor, who said I have male pattern baldness at age 22. I'm not entirely sure I trust his diagnosis.
He took a very quick look at the thinning spot and said "this isn't alopecia areata because it's not a gaping bald spot, but it is thinning, so probably MBP". Started finasteride 1mg, about a month ago.
The hair on my crown thinned significantly in the course of two or three months. I figured it was mostly stress, given I was taking 4 300+ level math classes while working 60 hours a week for the whole year. Excessive caffeine intake (3+ large starbucks a day) and adderall may have been a large factor too. I did shed a lot during that time, but did not notice much hair loss.
My hairline did not seem to recede or draw into an "M" shape. As much as I looked at it nervously, it still just looked like it was within the bounds of a normal and mature hairline. It seemed like only the crown thinned, and in an asymmetrical pattern (the right side moving at ~3x the rate of the left side)
of course, a factor that lead to my disbelief was a history with hair loss "coming and going". During my sophomore year of high school, I developed a noticeable bald spot on the vertex which eventually just went away. The same happened years later, where a big patch of hair disappeared from the crown and regrew within two weeks to the point of it not seeming like it was ever there to the dermatologist.
I also don't know of any history of premature hair loss in my family, other than my uncle who started at ~30 years old.
What I'm wondering is if it would be possible to get an absolutely definitive test to determine the diagnosis, and whether or not it would be worth it. Are there possible alternate diagnoses? What tests should I ask for?
He took a very quick look at the thinning spot and said "this isn't alopecia areata because it's not a gaping bald spot, but it is thinning, so probably MBP". Started finasteride 1mg, about a month ago.
The hair on my crown thinned significantly in the course of two or three months. I figured it was mostly stress, given I was taking 4 300+ level math classes while working 60 hours a week for the whole year. Excessive caffeine intake (3+ large starbucks a day) and adderall may have been a large factor too. I did shed a lot during that time, but did not notice much hair loss.
My hairline did not seem to recede or draw into an "M" shape. As much as I looked at it nervously, it still just looked like it was within the bounds of a normal and mature hairline. It seemed like only the crown thinned, and in an asymmetrical pattern (the right side moving at ~3x the rate of the left side)
of course, a factor that lead to my disbelief was a history with hair loss "coming and going". During my sophomore year of high school, I developed a noticeable bald spot on the vertex which eventually just went away. The same happened years later, where a big patch of hair disappeared from the crown and regrew within two weeks to the point of it not seeming like it was ever there to the dermatologist.
I also don't know of any history of premature hair loss in my family, other than my uncle who started at ~30 years old.
What I'm wondering is if it would be possible to get an absolutely definitive test to determine the diagnosis, and whether or not it would be worth it. Are there possible alternate diagnoses? What tests should I ask for?
