Bearbear's Story - (receding hairline. balding or mature?!)

[bearbear]

So i've noticed my hairline receding over the last few years. It was originally very round with no recession at temples (see first picture) this was when i was 21. Since then it has noticeably pulled back and started changing. In any case i've always had very thick hair, but have lost some coverage in the front.

I know this may be minor relative to a lot of folks on here, but its really been a stress. I shaved my head and went to a derm who said i was in the early stages. i just started 0.5mg propecia every day. I'm definitely losing at the temples now and i'm asymmetrical. I know people get a mature hairline, but i guess i'm just wondering if my angles are too sharp to be classified as that. If its just developing into a mature hairline then i would be thrilled, but i'm not holding my breath. My dad has been receding for the last 30 years or so and one of my uncles is bald. I feel like i'm starting earlier than them though.

I dont know many people who have has the same shape and development as me so its hard for me to tell how it will progress. Let me know what you guys think and what norwood class i would fall into. The 4th and the last picture show the recession and the angle the best. I really dont want to be losing my hair and would at least like to maintain a full head into my 30s...

 

[deadlocks]

Re: receding hairline. balding or mature?!

Looks like a mature hairline to me. I would just watch it for the next couple of years. But so far, nothing to worry about really.

 

[bearbear]

Re: receding hairline. balding or mature?!

others?

 

[Primo]

Re: receding hairline. balding or mature?!

I'd watch that sh*t very carefully if I was you, how old are you out of interest?

If you're any younger than 25, then to me it looks like it could develop into a NW2-3 over time and you should consider treatments in the near future. If however, you're over 25 then it's probably just a 'mature' hairline awww I remember having one of those... back when I was like 17!

 

[bearbear]

Re: receding hairline. balding or mature?!

I'm 24 right now. At what point can i tell if it is simply mature or going beyond that??

 

[Primo]

Re: receding hairline. balding or mature?!

Well over the next 6 months if you notice any further loss then you'll know it is definitely male pattern baldness.

I have the very same hairloss patern, thick hair all round with receding temples at the front, however mine is more aggressive than yours. I began developing that mature hairline at 17/18 and was a full NW2 by 20, then I progressed to a NW3 by the time I was 23...

Really though if you're already on Finasteride, then there's not much more you can do at this point as finasteride will halt any loss completely. If you get any problems with finasteride, then minoxidil works great on temples as well.

 

[bearbear]

Thanks primo, i'll be sure to watch it carefully. are there other opinions/advice? i guess i just want to get a wide sampling about what to do. please respond!!

 

[skelll]

If its receding then its receding. I get sick of all this mature hair loss bullshit! I dont know what that means because if your hairline goes backwards then its receding, not maturing (same thing). The mature hair loss defintion in my opinion is pretty vague. From the pics that I see it looks like its receding, so as other members mentioned get on the finasteride, maybe take 1mg or 1.25mg and maybe rogaine foam. Also dont do illegal drugs I heard that makes it progress even worse!

Best of luck to ya, it looks like you are in the early stages so you would be a candidate most likely to sucess!

cheers

 

[bearbear]

i guess that i know its going back, but maturing means it has the possibility of stopping or stabilization which is a huge deal. I've started the propecia, but i wouldn't want to do minoxidil as well unless i was sure i was fighting a serious/longterm battle...

it seems like it would be overkill to do all that stuff if it was just going to get to a point and stop on its own. no?? i may just be having a bit of wishful thinking at the moment, but i'm hoping its not completely delusional.

 

[bearbear]

http://www.baldingblog.com/2009/09/17/ted-kennedy-mature-hairline-example/
http://www.baldingblog.com/2008/07/23/measuring-the-mature-hairline/

I guess i'm just providing these as reference points, but in the latter article it says that mature would be convex... i might just be trying to convince myself.

 

[skelll]

Thanks for that on the mature hair loss, yeah the Liberal lion Ted Kennedy hair loss never really changed through his later years. I guess the point that I was making was that most people that I notice their hair loss keeps receding usually so I get confused of what it means. Good links I now have a better idea.

 

[bearbear]

any other ideas? opinions? it seems like there should a more rigorous documentation of all this stuff. patterns, development time etc. It would be a lot easier to accept if i knew what i was up against.

Btw, i've been getting brain fog from the propecia. i know people say its fake, but i didn't even know it was a possibility and i got it pretty serious even on the first day. hard to talk in conversation, think etc. I'm dropping down to .25 mg but i dont really know if its worth continuing if there's a chance of cognitive deficiencies.

 

[Primo]

Yeah I got brainfog too, it's no myth, many people have cited this as a problem with finasteride.

DHT is essential for the Central Nervous System, so in some sensitive individuals it makes sense that Finasteride could cause concentration problems as it's surpressing your DHT levels.

My advice is see how it goes on finasteride for a couple of weeks and if your sides don't go away then get off it because right now as you say, you're not even sure you have definite male pattern baldness!

I know it's frustrating, but if you spend the next 6months evaluating your hairline you'll be able to make a more informed decision as to whether it is male pattern baldness or just a slow stabilizing mature hairline.

Say worst case scenario, you lose more hair over the next 6months, you could easily regrow it again by getting on the minoxidil+finasteride combo... but the point is you don't want to start treatments right now unless you really, really have to because there's a lot of effort and some risks involved. It's becomes a time consuming obsession.

You're right about the Ted Kennedy look too. My friend from college had the exact same hairline as that when we were 19. Everybody at the time being teens, naturally assumed it was male pattern baldness (including myself). However 5 years on & I've progressed to a NW3 while my friend has maintained that very same Ted Kennedy hairline. You could yet be the same, so hold your horses for now.

 

[bearbear]

BUMP!
opinions opinions. i appreciate the comments so far, but i'm just trying to get a sort of consensus. i feel like if it matures it will be a lot like josh duhamel's, but still dont know. i've been freaking out and obsessing about this... i can't take propecia, so i'm basically praying its just maturing.

 

[bearbear]

anyone? does a mature hairline (NW2) mean recession into the sideburns? I mean if i look at the classic diagram the profile view shows a triangle forming right above the sideburns and i'm not there yet...

Additionally with my shaved head you can see that it will move back but it looks it might hit a point there and stop (4th picture).. not sure

is there miniaturization when a mature hairline forms or would the hair just fall out without miniaturizing.

finally does asymmetry mean anything or can that happen in mature cases as well? id love comments since i'm still wondering whether to continue propecia (hoping brain fog will dissipate) or let things play out.
happy thanksgiving! :innocent:

 

[bearbear]

so many views, no comments?!

 

[bearbear]

Hey everyone, Im thinking about starting a treatment similar to inland's (tricomin, S5, minoxidil, keto), but was hoping to get some opinions.
I'm 24 now and my male pattern baldness isn't terrible but its getting there. Especially when i look at my cousin at 31 id really prefer to avoid his situation. (i'd probably have shaved it by then).

I guess i'm just thinking that better treatments may be available when i'm his age and the more hair i have then the more likely they'll work. this may be optimistic but theres already some hope that its true. histogen aderans... i would never get a transplant though.

In any case just wondering how long people think i could delay the inevitable by using that regime and if there is any realistic hope in these future miracles.
thanksss