Can't Tell How If Thinning, Receding, Or Both?

[Thins]

Think it's just maturing like me. My hairline is pretty similar I had been worrying about my hair for months finally understand that it's normal and not necessarily balding

No I really think that my temples are receding at a very fast pace these are pictures I took today right after showering and it just seems to keep going up....I'm feeling some aching and itching in my temples too is that a sign as well? Or am I just imagining things, the obsession over my hair is getting worse and worse I need to find some way to stop this.

 

[Thins]

Think it's just maturing like me. My hairline is pretty similar I had been worrying about my hair for months finally understand that it's normal and not necessarily balding

how long until your hairline stopped maturing as well? Or at least stopped for some period of time before starting again...feels like this isn't going to stop anytime soon

 

[german89]

bump, still seeing lots of hair fall everyday, still worried so I took pictures today of my hairline, particularly the right side as it seems to be receding a lot more than the left. Pulled back my hair so hopefully you can see more of my hairline, what do you all think? Early male pattern baldness and mild recession, maturing hairline? Thanks again for the responses!

i dont see any receeding hairline.
congrats to your strong Norwood 1- 1.5 hairline and good density. you can wear all hairstyles you want. side parting etc....
enjoy life

 

[Thins]

i dont see any receeding hairline.
congrats to your strong Norwood 1- 1.5 hairline and good density. you can wear all hairstyles you want. side parting etc....
enjoy life

haha unfortunately my maternal grandfather went bald and my father has extremely thin hair and is balding fast too, which means it's bound to hit me soon as well. Definitely lucky (and grateful) that I still have this much hair left though, but thanks for the hopeful words!

 

[meetjoeblack]

haha thanks man, it's hard to see but my hair is definitely a lot thinner than what it used to be, especially on the temples...not sure if it's because I'm in my mid-to-late 20s now or if I'm starting male pattern baldness.

Yeah it would be the dream to have hair until 40, I'm trying to appreciate the time I have with my hair! Are you on finasteride or any other treatments at the moment? If so how's it going for you?

Rogaine only. Accutane induced hair loss. If it was steroid abuse, I would have felt at fault. The alternative to Accutane was moon face and acne craters.

My hair is OK. A lot of guys here would trade places no doubt. My hair has changed. I am thirty. I used Accutane, I had male pattern baldness induced by the drug which I suspect was inevitable but, it flips the switch sooner. Vertex is thinner, sides too, bit receded. I suspect nw2/3. Maybe worse.

It's not going to control my life. I will shave it I will buzz it. I will under cut it. I'll enjoy it until it's gone. Hopefully I can find Bae before that happens.

Hows it going for you? Life too. Not just hair. There's more to life lol

 

[Thins]

Rogaine only. Accutane induced hair loss. If it was steroid abuse, I would have felt at fault. The alternative to Accutane was moon face and acne craters.

My hair is OK. A lot of guys here would trade places no doubt. My hair has changed. I am thirty. I used Accutane, I had male pattern baldness induced by the drug which I suspect was inevitable but, it flips the switch sooner. Vertex is thinner, sides too, bit receded. I suspect nw2/3. Maybe worse.

It's not going to control my life. I will shave it I will buzz it. I will under cut it. I'll enjoy it until it's gone. Hopefully I can find Bae before that happens.

Hows it going for you? Life too. Not just hair. There's more to life lol

It's been going okay. After spending so much time worrying about my hair I think I got to a point where I got so exhausted worrying about it that I just get anxious every few days or so...definitely calming down but I still think I am seeing changes to my hairline that will get worse as time goes by. Don't want to start finasteride yet as it is a lifelong commitment but will try it once it gets to a point where I have to.

Funny you should mention accutane cause I was almost on that myself. My acne was so bad in my early 20s but eventually went away after the same Dermatologist who I saw recently gave me some topicals years ago. I was freaking out so much over acne like it was the end of the world but in reality there are far more bigger problems to worry about. Life's just not worth it to be worrying so much over something so trivial, easy to say but hard to execute :/

 

[meetjoeblack]

It's been going okay. After spending so much time worrying about my hair I think I got to a point where I got so exhausted worrying about it that I just get anxious every few days or so...definitely calming down but I still think I am seeing changes to my hairline that will get worse as time goes by. Don't want to start finasteride yet as it is a lifelong commitment but will try it once it gets to a point where I have to.

Funny you should mention accutane cause I was almost on that myself. My acne was so bad in my early 20s but eventually went away after the same Dermatologist who I saw recently gave me some topicals years ago. I was freaking out so much over acne like it was the end of the world but in reality there are far more bigger problems to worry about. Life's just not worth it to be worrying so much over something so trivial, easy to say but hard to execute :/

Be careful with tropicals. It's like proactive 100X meaning skin damage. Like peroxide on face is burning up skin. It will age you.


I paid thousands for a solution, natural path, supplement, diet, sugar free, gluten free which is in everything, and dairy free. I had little success before cystic acne. I went to Accutane.

It's shiity. I was insecure about acne, hair loss now, and I have had a lot of traumas in my life. I won't let it break me.

I like YouTuber psyched substance. Dude lost hair via Accutane. He's cue ball bald at thirty. Cool dude. Married. Wife trips. Has a kid. Good life. Mirrin.

 

[max.b]

minoxidil only works for 2 years, according to a study I read, so I wouldn't be too quick to jump on it either.

 

[Thins]

UPDATE: well to bump this thread, went to get a second opinion from another dermatologist (who specializes in hair loss), long story short: did microscope test, hair pull, took pics, etc and officially diagnosed me with androgenic alopecia. Miniaturization and thinning of hairs on the front left side slowly creeping towards the middle and right. I've been prescribed finasteride which I will probably take soon just to maintain what I have left.

Do you guys think I should start taking the finasteride now or wait until things get a bit worse? Dermatologist has said im still relatively a norwood 1 with slow temple recession/thinning. Won't try minoxidil until I take finasteride first for at least a year. And I know this question's been asked but is there any difference between brand name and generic finasteride? Just don't want to keep switching brands, thanks again for the responses!

 

[DoctorHouse]

UPDATE: well to bump this thread, went to get a second opinion from another dermatologist, long story short: did microscope test, hair pull, took pics, etc and officially diagnosed me with androgenic alopecia. Miniaturization and thinning of hairs on the left side slowly creeping towards the middle and right. I've been prescribed finasteride which I will probably take soon just to maintain what I have left.

Do you guys think I should start taking the finasteride now or wait until things get a bit worse? Dermatologist has said im still relatively a norwood 1 with slow temple recession/thinning. Won't try minoxidil until I take finasteride first for at least a year. And I know this question's been asked but is there any difference between brand name and generic finasteride? Just don't want to keep switching brands, thanks again for the responses!

This is why photos are not enough to diagnose male pattern baldness. Also this is why only a professional who used the right diagnostic tools can discover early male pattern baldness when you appeared to look like you have no hair loss. Good you caught it early. You should respond well enough to hopefully maintain. You and I have a very similar hairline and hair quality.

 

[DoctorHouse]

I started using finasteride at your level but I was much older than you.

 

[Thins]

This is why photos are not enough to diagnose male pattern baldness. Also this is why only a professional who used the right diagnostic tools can discover early male pattern baldness when you appeared to look like you have no hair loss. Good you caught it early. You should respond well enough to hopefully maintain. You and I have a very similar hairline and hair quality.

yeah, even after the reassurance of the members here I still could feel my hair getting thinner and was losing a lot in the shower/combing. Good to finally know that it is what it is and that I can start prevention early.

If I may ask, are you taking brand name propecia or just generic finasteride? Was thinking of doing proscar 5mg into 1/4s but not sure and wanted to hear from others what their routine is like.

 

[Thins]

I started using finasteride at your level but I was much older than you.

what age did you start and are you still on it? Any strong sides? My body's pretty sensitive so I'm definitely gonna feel the changes, but I'll hang in there.

 

[DoctorHouse]

what age did you start and are you still on it? Any strong sides? My body's pretty sensitive so I'm definitely gonna feel the changes, but I'll hang in there.

Using generic finasteride from Costco. Very cheap and legit. Started at 39. Been on it for 13 years. No strong sides. Slowed things down but never stopped losing density all over. Diffuse loss all over.

 

[Thins]

Using generic finasteride from Costco. Very cheap and legit. Started at 39. Been on it for 13 years. No strong sides. Slowed things down but never stopped losing density all over. Diffuse loss all over.

Wow Costco generic for 13 years? I hope I can maintain for that long! Sounds like you got great hair still. Did the brands ever change within those years or does it not really matter? What was the strongest side you had and has it continued over the years or eventually go away? I keep seeing these posts saying brand name is better than generic and getting a bit apprehensive.

 

[DoctorHouse]

Wow Costco generic for 13 years? I hope I can maintain for that long! Sounds like you got great hair still. Did the brands ever change within those years or does it not really matter? What was the strongest side you had and has it continued over the years or eventually go away? I keep seeing these posts saying brand name is better than generic and getting a bit apprehensive.

I used the brand name until the generic was available whenever that was as I don't remember. The strongest side was watery ejaculate and less volume. My hair is still good for my age according to some top posters on here. Costco does change its generic version from time to time but I seriously doubt there is going to be significant difference between the name brand and generic version since Coscto is legit. Good luck to you and happy growing.

 

[Mushu]

yeah, even after the reassurance of the members here I still could feel my hair getting thinner and was losing a lot in the shower/combing. Good to finally know that it is what it is and that I can start prevention early.

If I may ask, are you taking brand name propecia or just generic finasteride? Was thinking of doing proscar 5mg into 1/4s but not sure and wanted to hear from others what their routine is like.

You can read about my thread here.
https://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/threads/what-norwood-contemplating-taking-propecia.108556/

There's anecdotal evidence that switching to generics(from brand name, or even brands) causes shed. I haven't noticed a shed 2 months using a different generic. You can be safe and get the real thing but it's much more expensive. Generics work. I get mine from Costco also. Camber Pharmaceuticals was the first generic they gave me for first 6 months. Second generic was Ascend Laboratories and have been using for 2 months. I take 1 mg per day. Hair is maintained and still improving.

I felt stronger sides using Camber Pharmaceuticals and can tell it strengthened my miniaturized hair within 2 months. I felt less sides with Ascend Laboratories, which got me thinking it may not be working as well as Camber, but sides usually go away after a while, so take that with a grain of salt. Just take it, don't think about it(placebo) and monitor your hair every couple of months.

I noticed you were receding in a 2a pattern earlier in the thread(seems most asian recede this way), good you were able to get diagnosed properly. Asians also seem to respond well to finasteride.

 

[Thins]

You can read about my thread here.
https://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/threads/what-norwood-contemplating-taking-propecia.108556/

There's anecdotal evidence that switching to generics(from brand name, or even brands) causes shed. I haven't noticed a shed 2 months using a different generic. You can be safe and get the real thing but it's much more expensive. Generics work. I get mine from Costco also. Camber Pharmaceuticals was the first generic they gave me for first 6 months. Second generic was Ascend Laboratories and have been using for 2 months. I take 1 mg per day. Hair is maintained and still improving.

I felt stronger sides using Camber Pharmaceuticals and can tell it strengthened my miniaturized hair within 2 months. I felt less sides with Ascend Laboratories, which got me thinking it may not be working as well as Camber, but sides usually go away after a while, so take that with a grain of salt. Just take it, don't think about it(placebo) and monitor your hair every couple of months.

I noticed you were receding in a 2a pattern earlier in the thread(seems most asian recede this way), good you were able to get diagnosed properly. Asians also seem to respond well to finasteride.

thanks for the reply and advice! yeah you hit it spot on LOL scary accurate how you noticed the thinning pattern. My dad and grandpa actually slowly receded in that pattern as well. Strange thing is my dad went to like a Norwood 3 but stopped there at 30 until his 40s. I'd like to keep my Norwood 1 for as long as possible so I'll start off using brand name Proscar and cut it into 5ths (or 4ths), and see how I feel on that. How long have you been on finasteride if I may ask and how long did it take for initial sides to go away?

 

[Mushu]

thanks for the reply and advice! yeah you hit it spot on LOL scary accurate how you noticed the thinning pattern. My dad and grandpa actually slowly receded in that pattern as well. Strange thing is my dad went to like a Norwood 3 but stopped there at 30 until his 40s. I'd like to keep my Norwood 1 for as long as possible so I'll start off using brand name Proscar and cut it into 5ths (or 4ths), and see how I feel on that. How long have you been on finasteride if I may ask and how long did it take for initial sides to go away?

I've been on Finasteride for approximately 9 months. You can try .25 mg first as studies have shown it still blocks about 60% of DHT. I recommend biting to crack finasteride, then wash down with water if you ever change to 1 mg pills. If you are splitting 5 mg proscar, no need as you are already splitting the pill.

Here is approx timeline I felt sides went away.

1. Watery semen ---> 7 months, about 90% back to normal I would say.

2. Brain Fog --> I wouldn't say I had strong brain fog sides, or it was not noticeable

3. slightly less libido ---> this comes with age and placebo may have strong influence on this. I can spare a little bit of libido for some hair. Pretty much back to normal in 3 months. Fantasize about something that turns you on and if you can get hard, you're good. Think positive on this, unless you really can't get it up at all.

4. Fatigue --> This affected me the most. Right after I took it about 1 hour later I felt a bit more tired. Kinda like Nyquil but not as strong. Doesn't matter what time I took it, but it magnified if I was sleepy. Currently appears to have gone away at around the same time I changed Brands(coincidence?).

No gyno. I work out casually. Good Luck and keep us posted.

 

[Thins]

just thought I'd keep this thread updated: Today is the first day I'm going to be starting brand name Proscar, cut into 5ths for the 1mg dose. I'll be taking it every night before bed and will keep you all updated on any progress or symptoms I encounter! Hope everyone has a good 4th of July