What is going on with my hairline?

[wjph103]

Hi all, I am 21 years old and I have always had a somewhat high hairline but now I think it has receded like 1/2 inch over the past few years. Currently (since April 26) I am using minoxidil on the corners and temples. I hope it fills in the corners a little bit. I am not a bad looking guy but for years I have been battling acne and now this.... I am too old to have acne and too young to have a receding hairline - yet I have both at the same time. What do you guys think? Keep in mind that I made my hair not cover the corners but I didn't use gel or anything so they still might be providing minimal concealment. There are more pictures if requested. Thanks for any input.

There is almost no history of MPB in my family. I have no brothers but my father, grandfathers, and uncles - with the exception of one maternal great uncle and a maternal great-grandfather (I never met either) - have not experienced hair loss. The great uncle went bald by the time he was in his mid-twenties and the great-grandfather (who is his father) had early hair loss. However the brother/son of these two had a full head of hair until he died a few years ago. My dad and his brother are in their late 50s and both have been thinning since their forties so by now they have noticeable bald spots. Same with my paternal grandfather. Paternal great uncles are also okay and as far as I know and so where the great-grandfathers. My maternal grandfather had a full head of hair well into his 70s. Hope that helps.

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[danilo]

i dont se nothing bad but im just 17 , i think you have to go to a doctor so he can tell you if you are balding or not

i dont see balding there

[wjph103]

Thanks for the input. I asked about it early this year when I was visiting my dermatologist for acne. He kind of blew me off and it confused me even more. He looked at my hair for literally 10 seconds and told me to use Rogaine. I said, "Well couldn't it be caused by bad nutrition?" So then he said to get Biotin. I went to another dermatologist in the same office for my hair and she spent a lot of time with me and knew what she was talking about I think.

She said that I was fine and that I had "incredibly thick" hair on my crown. She seemed to think this meant there was nothing to worry about because with MPB the crown thins as well. But that is not always the case and, while not common, I see men that have a thick head of hair with a bad receding hairline. And, as far as my crown is concerned, I have a prominent whorl that worries me. It is counter-clockwise so maybe that is why its not as "tight" as most people's. But maybe not.

Another question that arises when I bring my thick lustrous crown (LOL but it is still thick) into the picture: Is it common to have corner and temporal recession from MPB without ANY thinning (not bald spot or cosmetically bothersome thinning because they don't come until NW 3) in the crown?

[danilo]

i think you will get a better oppinion if you take some pictures pulling your hair back with your hands

[King]

Check with a Hair Transplant specialist. Rogaine and Propecia are the only products that work

[NonOfTheAbove]

I don't see any balding. I think your hair looks great and you should not focus on that in the near future. Obsessing will make you believe you are balding, when you are actually not.

[stratofortress]

Another question that arises when I bring my thick lustrous crown (LOL but it is still thick) into the picture: Is it common to have corner and temporal recession from MPB without ANY thinning (not bald spot or cosmetically bothersome thinning because they don't come until NW 3) in the crown?

I think it's common enough for recession to occour without much thinning- I definately notice this. I guess sometimes there's localised thinning at the hairline/temple area- sometimes it just seems to recede uniformly. There are many variants of MPB.

As for your pics, I don't see any surefire signs yet- just perhaps some maturation which I imagine is age-appropriate for someone in their early 20s and not a sign of premature hair loss.

Nonoftheabove makes a good point too, obsessing can skew your judgement and convince yourself you're balding when there are no obvious signs.

[Mark]

I think everyone here has some good opinions. Your hair really does look just fine.