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View Full Version : Thinning, but no recession...should I be worried?


samuelClemenz
04-18-2011, 06:44 AM
Hello all,

First off, I don't have any pictures right now, as I'm posting this from work but if needed I will gladly post some from over the years.

Recently over the past year, I have been extremely paranoid of balding/thinning hair, as I've noticed that I can see my scalp more easily than the past years. I am 25 years old right now, and have had the same hairline for the past 10 years.

The past 3 years have been stressful, what with college graduation, having stressful jobs, cheating girlfriend (2 years ago), and just generally being terrible at getting sleep and being irritable all the time.

As a little backstory, I have alway had extremely thick, dark hair and so has my father. My mother's side has balding from my grandfather (some have said to look at this for a cause, but other places say it's really a toss-up no matter what).

Over the past 6 years, I've grown my hair long and cut it to about an inch from my scalp, and each time it's been cut from long to short, I've noticed some slight thinning. This thinning is only on the frontal, where basically a middle part would be. About 2 years ago, I noticed that there was a little spot where I could see through, and now looking back, it's been there a while (just sifting through Facebook pictures), which really didn't matter, because I thought it was tolerable and I didn't notice it unless I was really TRYING to be self-conscious.

This persisted through my last year or so through college, and I grew my hair into a little "emo" diddy, where it was combed over, so I really wouldn't have noticed any balding. I continued to let it go and it was about 6-7 inches long and looked great, but I cut it anyway. This is where my problem began.

The cut was but an inch from my scalp, looked great, and was very thick. Think that Twilight goon Robert Patrickson or whatever for the density. There was a lot of nice hair that grouped well. Well, after a month or so, I noticed that the little spot where it was thin had become bigger and moved a little more to the right side of the middle part. Now, keep in mind I have not been noticing more hair than usual falling out in the shower or in general. I had always been consistently losing the same amount of hair during the same periods of the year. But, I have always been stressed. Soon after this, I stood under my basement light (very bright, non-fluorescent) and could basically see right through the frontal. This triggered a long chain of insecurity while I was working the most thankless, stress filled job I've ever worked (it made pizza delivery during the superbowl feel like a relaxing vacation). I wondered if it was due to genetics, or if it was just my time finally.

I have been noticing how easy it is to see through my hair, and the hair doesn't have the same consistency. It's very ratty, but still sticks straight out (I'm going to have to offer up pics for this later). People still comment on how thick and full my hair is, but I ALWAYS notice that I can see through it to the scalp, and not just in that tiny spot 2 years ago. The hairline refuses to recede, and I still count roughly the same amount of hairs there as there always have been, it's just really thin close to the root. Normally I would attribute this to a bad cycle where the hair grows shorter and breaks off more easily, but I have it shaved into a mohawk right now and it's about 2 inches long without breaking off, even with my roughness while styling. I should also mention that a mohawk does not help the matters at all as it looks like it's thinner in the front than it is up close.

Other things I noticed were the sides of my head becoming thinner, such as my sideburns, and not normal places where people tend to lose/have thinning hair. I can't tell if it's just paranoia, or my hair is seriously falling out and I'm just not seeing the hair anywhere in the shower or while sleeping. I also am very fatigued all of the time, but have always had the same diet.

I apologize for the long post, but I just wanted to provide as much background information as possible as to help me out until I can get some pictures up here. Looking at my hair in the mirror not 4 feet from my desk scares the hell out of me right now due to the fact that I can see right through (slicked back mohawk under a skull cap) a bit.

PS: One last thing to note is that my buzzcut around the mohawk is less than a millimeter from the skin, and I don't notice any inconsistencies from the parts where it looks like I'm thinning near the temples and everywhere else. It appears to be the same count, and I'm going to check this with the center line when I buzz the rest of the mohawk later tonight.

samuelClemenz
04-20-2011, 07:41 PM
Ok here is a compilation of pictures I took just now on my phone. For one thing, I have always been skeptic that I am balding literally only on one side of my head, because everything about my body is crooked. That's my anxiety talking but it really is. If you need "before" pictures, I don't have many exposed to direct light. I just feel like I know it was thicker than this, because now I feel like my only option is growing out the front so i can cover it up.

samuelClemenz
04-27-2011, 07:30 PM
Thanks for the reply. The thing that confuses me is that everyone including the people cutting it, comment on how much I have. I think I'm going to start taking multivitamins and using that minoxidil stuff daily and see if it improves over the months. It's weird because in a lot of pictures you can't even tell. It looks like it's always been for years.

And to think I didn't have to worry about this, since I wasn't getting "power strips" like my uncle and grandfather did. By powerstrips I mean the corners of your forehead receeding. Those are still the same as always.

Thanks for the heads up though!

samuelClemenz
05-01-2011, 11:42 AM
A new symptom has arisen. I just noticed even my BODY HAIR is thinning. My chest hair is no longer as full as it was and I think I might need to see a doctor. Might I have some sort of disease or iron deficiency that I don't know about?

johnright13
05-04-2011, 10:30 AM
Yes you should worried. Because thin hair can also get more hair loss. So it is very important to take care of your hair. so use best shampoo which makes your hair thick and shiny. Use shampoo twice for best results. You have to use shampoo consistently for 15 days, so your hair will go thick.Because once your hair will loss, it will take more time to come back. so take care of your hair against hair loss.

jonnykino
05-28-2011, 01:48 PM
Dude, go to a doctor and get checked out. If you say that your BODY hair is thinning, then that isn't right. Make an appointment and get checked out by your local doctor and explain what's happening. Better safe than sorry.

samuelClemenz
06-10-2011, 09:24 AM
So, body hair is coming in somewhat thicker now. I went to see the doctor and he said my scalp is very red, etc. Basically said I could have Sebbhoreac Dermatitis, just due to the irritated scalp (itches even after wash and sometimes zits appear on scalp) and my past history with eczema.

Going to pick up the applicable cream.

Wish me luck.