Good afternoon everyone,
After spending copious hours reading many forums posts on many websites I have come here to hopefully get some answers to my questions, some of which I haven't yet quite found an answer to.
Background information: No known family history of balding on either side for the past 3 generations (don't know about earlier than that). My mother's brother is 60 and has thin hair all over but no recession. My father's hair is pretty much the same; full coverage, just not as thick as in his youth (he is also 60).
I have been paranoid about balding since I was 18 when I grew my hair out and noticed hair falling out in the shower. However, I put this down to the fact that I had always had short hair so now I was just noticing hairs due to their length. This calmed me down and other than the odd check to see that things were fine, I have been ok for the last 10 years (I'm now 28).
About a year ago I started noticing my hair would get greasy to the point of needing washing in less than half the time it did before. I would normally wash my hair at night, style in the morning, sleep on it that night and then wash the following night (wash every 2 nights). However, for the past year I now have to wash every morning to ensure that it looks decent throughout the day. Sometimes I can get away with a second day, but normally I will wash it every morning. Styling it has become more difficult as the products don't hold as well, but with an extra 10 minutes it will look fine(ish). In this past year I haven't noticed the above get any worse, it's stayed constantly needing washing every day.
Then, in about October 2016, my head started to itch/ tingle/ burn/ insects crawling etc that I have seen many other people post about. Largely in my crown area, however, it also happens everywhere, even the sides and back. The greasiness also affects all areas, not just those areas prone to baldness.
Firstly, I would like to know, of those of you that started your balding journey like mine above, how long before you started noticing substantial thinning/ people commented on your loss?
Have you noticed any fluctuations in the itchiness (as more hairs finally give up, does it stop itching there?)
Does your hair also smell very strongly of grease within 5-6 hours of washing, before looking too limp?
Did your Doctor's/ dermatologist's believe you were balding to begin with? (Mine still tell me I'm fine and don't have an answer for the grease factor)
About 3 years ago I noticed my arm hairs grew thicker and I started to grow hair on my spine and shoulder blades (this hasn't got particularly thicker, just stayed constant like my chest hair has since it grew at about age 18)
I am also a lot sweatier than I ever was, often waking up drenched in sweat, and needing to apply deodorant in the day to avoid BO (I feel like I'm going through puberty again)
I am hoping some people can answer some/ all of the above to at least give me some piece of mind that I am actually balding, despite everyone around me telling me that I'm not. The itch is the worst part so I'm mostly hoping someone can provide me with a cure for that.
I have a attached some photos for your consideration.
Freshly washed hair (above)
Naturally dried hair (above) 4-5 hours after washing (a bit greasy)
I haven't any concerns about my hairline receding, however I can post photos of that if you more knowledgeable members think you'd be able to glean something from it. Doctor has said I have a perfectly healthy scalp.
My apologies if I have done something wrong in any of the above, this is my first post on any forum of any type, ever.
Kind regards,
Rob
After spending copious hours reading many forums posts on many websites I have come here to hopefully get some answers to my questions, some of which I haven't yet quite found an answer to.
Background information: No known family history of balding on either side for the past 3 generations (don't know about earlier than that). My mother's brother is 60 and has thin hair all over but no recession. My father's hair is pretty much the same; full coverage, just not as thick as in his youth (he is also 60).
I have been paranoid about balding since I was 18 when I grew my hair out and noticed hair falling out in the shower. However, I put this down to the fact that I had always had short hair so now I was just noticing hairs due to their length. This calmed me down and other than the odd check to see that things were fine, I have been ok for the last 10 years (I'm now 28).
About a year ago I started noticing my hair would get greasy to the point of needing washing in less than half the time it did before. I would normally wash my hair at night, style in the morning, sleep on it that night and then wash the following night (wash every 2 nights). However, for the past year I now have to wash every morning to ensure that it looks decent throughout the day. Sometimes I can get away with a second day, but normally I will wash it every morning. Styling it has become more difficult as the products don't hold as well, but with an extra 10 minutes it will look fine(ish). In this past year I haven't noticed the above get any worse, it's stayed constantly needing washing every day.
Then, in about October 2016, my head started to itch/ tingle/ burn/ insects crawling etc that I have seen many other people post about. Largely in my crown area, however, it also happens everywhere, even the sides and back. The greasiness also affects all areas, not just those areas prone to baldness.
Firstly, I would like to know, of those of you that started your balding journey like mine above, how long before you started noticing substantial thinning/ people commented on your loss?
Have you noticed any fluctuations in the itchiness (as more hairs finally give up, does it stop itching there?)
Does your hair also smell very strongly of grease within 5-6 hours of washing, before looking too limp?
Did your Doctor's/ dermatologist's believe you were balding to begin with? (Mine still tell me I'm fine and don't have an answer for the grease factor)
About 3 years ago I noticed my arm hairs grew thicker and I started to grow hair on my spine and shoulder blades (this hasn't got particularly thicker, just stayed constant like my chest hair has since it grew at about age 18)
I am also a lot sweatier than I ever was, often waking up drenched in sweat, and needing to apply deodorant in the day to avoid BO (I feel like I'm going through puberty again)
I am hoping some people can answer some/ all of the above to at least give me some piece of mind that I am actually balding, despite everyone around me telling me that I'm not. The itch is the worst part so I'm mostly hoping someone can provide me with a cure for that.
I have a attached some photos for your consideration.
Naturally dried hair (above) 4-5 hours after washing (a bit greasy)
I haven't any concerns about my hairline receding, however I can post photos of that if you more knowledgeable members think you'd be able to glean something from it. Doctor has said I have a perfectly healthy scalp.
My apologies if I have done something wrong in any of the above, this is my first post on any forum of any type, ever.
Kind regards,
Rob
.
