Is this hair whorl or balding?

[usernamebarley]

Hi, I'm an asian and my hair whorl has been bothering me for some time.

Is this just a whorl or am i experiencing balding because I read from Baldingblog that it begins just in front of the whorl.

Been to 2 doctors, both say that my hair crown was alright but the problem is that they did not use any microscope or whatsoever.

I'll probably get celestron in another half a year time and get some shots of my hair roots.

Will need advise from people here on the condition of my hair.

Also, how long does it takes traction alopecia to step in because I suspect that I pulled my hair out of place when I was younger.
From 2002- 2004, I've been using side parting hairstyle with gel on and after gel has harden with a comb. Once or twice in a month, I will change hairstyle though.
From 2005-2006, I've been pushing my hair on my parting side to be up with wax with a comb as well.
I stopped styling my hair in mid 2006

August 2005

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3884/2005h.th.jpg (http://img16.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2005h.jpg)

Feb 2008

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/2718/87665499.th.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/2718/87665499.jpg) http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7148/89085603.th.jpg (http://img18.imageshack.us/my.php?image=89085603.jpg) http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/9360/73413256.th.jpg (http://img524.imageshack.us/my.php?image=73413256.jpg) http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/3655/66778452.th.jpg (http://img27.imageshack.us/my.php?image=66778452.jpg)

May 2008

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/1693/may1k.th.jpg (http://img27.imageshack.us/my.php?image=may1k.jpg) http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/654/may2e.th.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/my.php?image=may2e.jpg) http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4918/may3.th.jpg (http://img23.imageshack.us/my.php?image=may3.jpg) http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7042/may4.th.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/my.php?image=may4.jpg) http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1918/may5d.th.jpg (http://img23.imageshack.us/my.php?image=may5d.jpg)

Feb 2008

right
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/576/righthalfface.th.jpg (http://img193.imageshack.us/my.php?image=righthalfface.jpg/)
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/8688/rightfullface.th.jpg (http://img233.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rightfullface.jpg/)

left
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4088/lefthalfface.th.jpg (http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lefthalfface.jpg/)
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/9348/leftfullface.th.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/my.php?image=leftfullface.jpg/)

[Mark]

It's really difficult to tell just based upon these photos. It looks like an ordinary hair whirl to me, but you'll really need to do a miniaturization test to be sure.

-Mark

[ichi999]

Yes mark..it look ok for me..but if you look for one whole head there is a small bald in the middle of his hair..Maybe you can apply this..Im just suggesting

1 ) stick with one hair styling products
2 ) shampoo your hair perhaps 3 times a week.
3 ) get a lot of multivitamins.
4 ) See a doctor before it getting worst.

[usernamebarley]

Yes mark..it look ok for me..but if you look for one whole head there is a small bald in the middle of his hair..Maybe you can apply this..Im just suggesting

1 ) stick with one hair styling products
2 ) shampoo your hair perhaps 3 times a week.
3 ) get a lot of multivitamins.
4 ) See a doctor before it getting worst.

1) I've stopped using hair styling product
2) I shampoo my hair twice a day cause I live in a hot country.
4) Seen doctors, some say I have balding, some say no. I do not know who to believe.

the bald you're referring to is just ahead of the whorl?

[usernamebarley]

It's really difficult to tell just based upon these photos. It looks like an ordinary hair whirl to me, but you'll really need to do a miniaturization test to be sure.

-Mark

Yeah, will do a miniaturization test probably half a year from now.

I've read in the internet and through all the questions and answers posted on balding blog but there are still qns with regards to myself that I would like to ask and hopefully you can help me with them. Thanks!

how long does it takes traction alopecia to step in because I suspect that I pulled my hair out of place when I was younger.
From 2002- 2004, I've been using side parting hairstyle with gel on and after gel has harden with a comb. Once or twice in a month, I will change hairstyle though.
From 2005-2006, I've been pushing my hair on my parting side to be up with wax with a comb as well.
I stopped styling my hair in mid 2006

[usernamebarley]

mark or anyone can answer my questions above with regards to traction alopecia?

[Mark]

Parting your hair will not cause traction alopecia. Usually that's caused by people actively pulling the hair with some sort of device or braiding or something like that. We don't tend to see traction alopecia simply from using gel.

[usernamebarley]

Hi mark and lain,

I'm really unsure if i m having receding hairline/transition to mature hairline or that I probably had traction alopecia.

As I mentioned, I used to be very rough with the comb (age 14-17) especially when the hair is hard with gel and do side parting.
my parting used to be from the whorl to the right temple (i would change parting once in a while)
The temple of the side parting on the right is slightly higher than on the left and the hair on the right looks and feels thinner (looks like vellus hair/ miniaturized hairs).

my whorl happens to be on the right as well and the hair front of the whorl looks lesser.
would u guys say that bald patch in front of the whorl is normal or is it due to some problems like MBP/ traction alopecia?

what are the chances of my thinning hair on the right(not sure if it is called temporal) be due to my parting in the past?


http://www.baldingblog.com/2009/08/17/in-the-news-combing-too-often-means-hair-loss/

http://www.baldingblog.com/2009/07/07/why-are-vellus-hairs-normal-at-the-hairline/
and yes, i supposed the vellus hair on the right can grow long.

really appreciate all your help and advices.

[Mark]

To be blunt, it really sounds like you're being a bit of a hypochondriac. The kind of hair loss we usually see from traction alopecia is from people who pull their hair into EXTREMELY tight braids or pony tails for years or even decades, or from people who have mental disorders that cause them to pull a spot on their hair almost religiously.

It would be one thing if you had some sort of hair loss and you were thinking that the cause might have been from the traction alopecia, but your hair looks just fine. In fact, it looks like it's actually gotten better over time. Your 2005 photo looks worse (although still just fine) than your 08 photos.

I don't know what else to say really. Your explanations for your hair loss don't seem very realistic, and you don't even appear to have any hair loss at all. That's really the long and short of it.

[usernamebarley]

hey mark, thanks for the reply.

Friends and family members commented on my thin hair around the whorl and hairline and that I may be going bald.

Also, I have seen 2 doctors before, one who claims that I have hair loss with slight receding hairline and another who claims that my hair is fine thus I'm really confused and don't know whose words to trust.

I guess I cant worry much but heed your advices and do a miniaturization test to be sure.

I really appreciate your help. Thank you.

[Colt4587]

hey mark, thanks for the reply.

Friends and family members commented on my thin hair around the whorl and hairline and that I may be going bald.

Also, I have seen 2 doctors before, one who claims that I have hair loss with slight receding hairline and another who claims that my hair is fine thus I'm really confused and don't know whose words to trust.

I guess I cant worry much but heed your advices and do a miniaturization test to be sure.

I really appreciate your help. Thank you.

Barley, you have no problem at all.
If this will ease your mind think about this: asians are the least likely to suffer from male pattern baldness while caucasians (whites) are the most likely. African Americans are somewhere in the middle. So you have an unlikely chance of having a problem in the future. If you're still worried, take a genetic test to see if you're susceptible to baldness. www.hairdx.com
It's a true statistic. Look into it as I didn't provide a source. But trust me, it's true.
Mark will probably support my claims.

[usernamebarley]

Barley, you have no problem at all.
If this will ease your mind think about this: asians are the least likely to suffer from male pattern baldness while caucasians (whites) are the most likely. African Americans are somewhere in the middle. So you have an unlikely chance of having a problem in the future. If you're still worried, take a genetic test to see if you're susceptible to baldness. www.hairdx.com
It's a true statistic. Look into it as I didn't provide a source. But trust me, it's true.
Mark will probably support my claims.

Hey Colt,

I read about hairdx. To take the test, I would still need a doctor or can I just purchase the kit online? There is no doctor here or international distributor for hairdx in my country as I read from the site.

thanks alot dude!