Types of male pattern baldness

[BobbyChalfont]

Hi there
I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to hairloss terms and the technical side of it all.

I'm 23 and recently cut my hair to about 1 inch in length all over (the shortest it's been for as long as I can remember) and I was shocked at what I found. The top of my head from the back to the front has the pattern of leopard's skin. There are small bald patches allover my head.

Upon closer inspection it appears that on each hair shaft, the base of the hair is really thin and light whereas the tip of the hair is darker and thicker. This gives the aforementioned appearance.

Now i've only noticed this recently since having my hair cut and although i've always had thin hair, it's never looked this bad. There's no distinct recession, but rather a general thinness allover the head. I also don't notice any shedding. My pillow is hair-free and nothing seems to come out while i'm in the shower, save the usual one or two hairs.

I'm sorry for the lack of pics and hope I've described it sufficiently. Is this a common form of hairloss?

 

[holly]

Hi Bobby,
What you're describing sounds like Alopecia Areata. It is an autoimmune disorder. Those hairs that are thicker at the tip are called exclaimation hairs.

You could schedule an appt with a derm who specializes in hairloss and and get a scalp biopsy to confirm diagnosis.