27, inexperienced at spotting hair loss. Can you help me judge my hairline?

[Forlorn12]

I've never had much reason to pay attention to hair loss, but I've been in the market for something to worry about and this seems right up my alley. If you guys could judge whether my hairline looks healthy or not it'd be a big help.
On a side note, can hair appear thinner as it grows? This is probably the longest my hair hair been in years, and I'm wondering if the weight makes it seem thinner on the top + anywhere else the weight shifts hair away from.

 

[Norwoody]

More pics?

 

[Forlorn12]

More pics?

Sure, I'm not sure what you're exactly looking for, though. Have a low FPS panoramic view

 

[NickyA]

You have a similar hairline to mine, I'm 23 btw. I decided to start a hair loss prevention regime just in case I may be thinning at the front and because men in my maternal family go bald in their thirties or forties, and so far I've seen regrowth at the temples mostly, which isn't the area that worried me but regrowth is always nice.

It's up to you whether you want to commit to hair loss prevention or risk losing more hair later on. It's always easier to maintain and thicken than to regrow lost hair. Checking your family history for bald men would be wise too.

 

[Forlorn12]

You have a similar hairline to mine, I'm 23 btw. I decided to start a hair loss prevention regime just in case I may be thinning at the front and because men in my maternal family go bald in their thirties or forties, and so far I've seen regrowth at the temples mostly, which isn't the area that worried me but regrowth is always nice.

It's up to you whether you want to commit to hair loss prevention or risk losing more hair later on. It's always easier to maintain and thicken than to regrow lost hair. Checking your family history for bald men would be wise too.

if it turns out to be an appropriate course of action, what would said hair loss treatment be?

 

[NickyA]

if it turns out to be an appropriate course of action, what would said hair loss treatment be?

The most cost-effective treatment is what we call "The Big 3" (Finasteride, Minoxidil and Ketoconazole Shampoo) but the most effective outta those three for hair loss prevention is finasteride, since Minoxidil is mostly for regrowth and doesn't adress the root cause of hair loss which is DHT, and Ketoconazole shampoo is just an extra to treat flaking and dandruff.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

The most cost-effective treatment is what we call "The Big 3" (Finasteride, Minoxidil and Ketoconazole Shampoo) but the most effective outta those three for hair loss prevention is finasteride, since Minoxidil is mostly for regrowth and doesn't adress the root cause of hair loss which is DHT, and Ketoconazole shampoo is just an extra to treat flaking and dandruff.

Keto is also for inflammation of which dandruff is a sign.

 

[Norwoody]

So those hairs in the front are definitely miniaturized. So it looks like you're going from NW1 to NW2. This is not necessarily balding. This might stop, which would be considered maturation of the hairline, but if it continues to recede back then it is considered balding. However, if I were in your situation I would just start treatment as a preventative measure and to reverse the miniaturization there in the NW1 area.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

So those hairs in the front are definitely miniaturized. So it looks like you're going from NW1 to NW2. This is not necessarily balding. This might stop, which would be considered maturation of the hairline, but if it continues to recede back then it is considered balding. However, if I were in your situation I would just start treatment as a preventative measure and to reverse the miniaturization there in the NW1 area.

Note here how the loss in front is primarily in front of the ears and not in the temples exactly. That's probably a good thing as I have found that sideburns hair loss responds better than does the loss in the temples which are just above. Most guys don't even realize that they have lost hair in front of the ears since virtually all XY's seem to lose hair here, even with "perfect" heads of hair. Selsun Blue is also good for inflammation and works a bit differently than keto so I would alternate the two. Selsun is less harsh than keto in my experience. You have a feminine looking face to me which I don't know whether or not is protective or more well-stated, it might be a sign that your hair loss will not be rampant.

If you look at the area before the ears and then look upward you can either see or imagine an oval band and that is usually a person's base line with no hair loss.

 

[Forlorn12]

So those hairs in the front are definitely miniaturized. So it looks like you're going from NW1 to NW2. This is not necessarily balding. This might stop, which would be considered maturation of the hairline, but if it continues to recede back then it is considered balding. However, if I were in your situation I would just start treatment as a preventative measure and to reverse the miniaturization there in the NW1 area.

Thank you. I was hoping I was just anxious, but all this seems reasonable. Would you agree with the other treatments mentioned so far (Finasteride + Selsun Blue)?

The most cost-effective treatment is what we call "The Big 3" (Finasteride, Minoxidil and Ketoconazole Shampoo) but the most effective outta those three for hair loss prevention is finasteride, since Minoxidil is mostly for regrowth and doesn't adress the root cause of hair loss which is DHT, and Ketoconazole shampoo is just an extra to treat flaking and dandruff.

Great, thank you

Note here how the loss in front is primarily in front of the ears and not in the temples exactly. That's probably a good thing as I have found that sideburns hair loss responds better than does the loss in the temples which are just above. Most guys don't even realize that they have lost hair in front of the ears since virtually all XY's seem to lose hair here, even with "perfect" heads of hair. Selsun Blue is also good for inflammation and works a bit differently than keto so I would alternate the two. Selsun is less harsh than keto in my experience. You have a feminine looking face to me which I don't know whether or not is protective or more well-stated, it might be a sign that your hair loss will not be rampant.

If you look at the area before the ears and then look upward you can either see or imagine an oval band and that is usually a person's base line with no hair loss.

Would you say there is thinning in the indents above my temples? Are the indents themselves a sign of hair loss, or is that just a natural shape? Thank you though, you've given me some hope that I might get to keep my hair the way it is for the most part. Would you also agree on a Finasteride + Selsun Blue combination?

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Thank you. I was hoping I was just anxious, but all this seems reasonable. Would you agree with the other treatments mentioned so far (Finasteride + Selsun Blue)?


Great, thank you


Would you say there is thinning in the indents above my temples? Are the indents themselves a sign of hair loss, or is that just a natural shape? Thank you though, you've given me some hope that I might get to keep my hair the way it is for the most part. Would you also agree on a Finasteride + Selsun Blue combination?

I am very high on reductase inhibitors and minoxidil for regrowth/maintenance. Keto two percent and Selsun Blue might help maintenance and lessen shedding by lowering inflammation.

I looked again and I really don't see problems with the temples yet. Some people have a gentle slope backwards that doesn't progress past that which is often called a maturing hair line. If you drew a magic marker from your sideburns up to the hairline, the hair inside the perimeter would be the loss/recession from the ears but even that is still not bad. Most guys on here would take your hair for life in a minute, if they could opt for that. You are also able to wear your hair long/long-ish it appears and that is another good sign. If you eventually notice that your hair only looks good short, that is a sign of diffuse thinning/male pattern baldness.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Also, your patchy beard growth is a sign of potential hair prosperity. I have often noticed people who only grow facial hair in a goatee pattern but it progresses no further and they usually seem to have excellent almost juvenile hair.

 

[Norwoody]

Yeah give finasteride a shot and see what happens. Always helps to have some kind of anti dandruff shampoo. Although maybe not necessary at this point, minoxidil is a key if the goal is for regrowth. So if you lose ground then maybe add min. But personally I am more of a fan of the lower hairline in your case, that's just me though.

 

[Forlorn12]

I am very high on reductase inhibitors and minoxidil for regrowth/maintenance. Keto two percent and Selsun Blue might help maintenance and lessen shedding by lowering inflammation.

I looked again and I really don't see problems with the temples yet. Some people have a gentle slope backwards that doesn't progress past that which is often called a maturing hair line. If you drew a magic marker from your sideburns up to the hairline, the hair inside the perimeter would be the loss/recession from the ears but even that is still not bad. Most guys on here would take your hair for life in a minute, if they could opt for that. You are also able to wear your hair long/long-ish it appears and that is another good sign. If you eventually notice that your hair only looks good short, that is a sign of diffuse thinning/male pattern baldness.

Yeah give finasteride a shot and see what happens. Always helps to have some kind of anti dandruff shampoo. Although maybe not necessary at this point, minoxidil is a key if the goal is for regrowth. So if you lose ground then maybe add min. But personally I am more of a fan of the lower hairline in your case, that's just me though.

Perfect, thanks again for all the help.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Perfect, thanks again for all the help.

Let us know how things progress and still remain involved in terms of learning about different options. One thing about hair loss is that it can come on quickly as many of us know. It can also at times sort of phase in in the twenties and then stabilize until decades later even without meds. Many seem to find that finasteride/min/duta even in combination might max out somewhere between say five and 20 years and then the problem can become rampant again. I really only developed issues with the related conditions of dermatitis and rashes from P. acnes in my 40's and by the end of that decade, I was looking for solutions for that and the new hair loss issues that seem to often accompany these facial/scalp issues.

Essentially, everything that might suck about being male, from the neck up (and for females too) is caused by DHT or it's associated increases in sebum production which causes inflammation and which can set off another cycle of hair loss. I really think that inflammation and managing that with respect to scalp and face is going to be a huge and increasing part of hair-loss treatment.

It sucks to think that many of us might have at least delayed hair loss for a while had we used a daily dandruff shampoo but Head and Shoulders stopped marketing their product as being for normal, healthy hair, maybe in the late 70's. They used to advertise all the time on television into the early 80's. Another product largely gone along with White Owl cigars is Vitalis. They used to advertise constantly in the 60's and 70's and had commercials with both Pete Maravich and Bill Bradley who each had great hair, basically using basketball footage with focuses on how their hair moved as they bounced around. I used to practice Pete Maravich's moves and I would sort of shake my head upwards to emulate how his hair looked while I practiced hoops in the backyard. Oh, to remember when I didn't mind other folks tousling my hair as Pete's teammates do in one spot: