# Men's Hair Loss > Men's Hair Loss: Start Your Own Topic >  What's up with my hairline?

## willwork4pizza

Sorry, another one of those "am I balding?" posts ahead. Edit: I'm 26.

My dad is mostly bald (he keeps it cut short, so it's hard to tell). But the men on my mom's side of the family seem to be keeping full heads of hair well into their older years. I know that means little to nothing, but I thought I'd share it.

I made a compilation of cropped photos of my hairline from over the last seven years (older ones are on the left, the two on the middle and bottom right are present):

http://imgur.com/a/cVol6

My paranoia may be getting the best of me, but I can't tell whether or not my hairline is receding, especially around the temples -- or if it's always been like that.

Are there preventative steps I should take, or just wait and see?

I appreciate any thoughts you may have (besides that I'm probably overthinking this).

----------


## richter101

Hey, 

So I'm about your age but started balding (and much more rapidly) in my early 20's. I remember those initial signs, and although it's so minuscule .. I do see it on you. You won't be in a danger zone though for another 10 years. 

But for now if you wish to prevent the little hair loss here and there each year, I'd recommend looking into Propecia (finasteride) - the side effects are very rare. I've been taking for 4 years and am A okay.

Or in a few years you can get a small FUE (no scar) hair transplant for very cheap since you won't need a lot of hair added to the front. 

*Richter101 is a former patient of Dr. Parsa Mohebi
*
Born Oct ’89
Began Seeing Gradual Hair Loss Oct ’09
Began Seeing Gradual Hair Gain June ’15

My regimen includes:
HT #1 2200 (ARTAS- FUE) grafts at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration in Los Angeles in 2016
Finasteride daily, since 2014
Rogaine experimenter from 2012- ’13 RIP

Planning HT #2 By End of This Year  :Smile:

----------


## willwork4pizza

^ Thanks for the reply. What are those initial minuscule signs you noticed on yourself and my photos? Are there specific things I can monitor moving forward? I'm very anti-med, so I'd rather hold off on pills until it's necessary.

----------


## willwork4pizza

Update: I took some closer shots of the temple-area hairline. My hairline hairs are lighter (and I believe they always have been), so they're a little harder to see: http://imgur.com/a/ChI4J

----------


## Kashman

Your hairline looks pretty good bro , I see no sign of MPB

----------


## willwork4pizza

Update: someone mentioned that my hairline looked like it was receding, so I thought I would post an update since nine months have passed since I last posted. Should I be worrying? Taking action?











For reference, below is a timeline with the rightmost photos being taken in January:

----------


## willwork4pizza

Update: I found a close-up view from January 2017 (left) vs. September 2017 (right). I should mention that I had gone two months without a haircut in January, whereas I had my last haircut (and had it cut pretty short) at the end of last month.

----------


## RobertBrown

You're definitely receding. Slowly but surely. What have you done so far? Any natural treatment? Any of the big 3? If I were you I would try out of the natural treatment I mentioned on my blog, it's a great post to read. Everything is detailed and there's a lot of great information to read. If after 4-5 months you're still receding, you will have to jump on one of the big 3 until modern science find a new solution or product without too many side effects.

----------


## willwork4pizza

^ It sounds like you just want me to read your blog full of what are likely affiliate links...

I took more more shots today to compare to January: https://imgur.com/a/0GLpV

----------


## BaldBearded

> Hey, 
> 
> So I'm about your age but started balding (and much more rapidly) in my early 20's. I remember those initial signs, and although it's so minuscule .. I do see it on you. You won't be in a danger zone though for another 10 years. 
> 
> 
> Planning HT #2 By End of This Year


 You can NOT, in good faith, tell this person when or not hair hairline is going to recede!!!

Genetics, environment, DHT.... stop with the fake advice already.

----------


## willwork4pizza

Update: I took some new photos since my hair's grown out a bit. Thoughts?

----------


## willwork4pizza

Just got a haircut. Can't see derm until next year, so I'm panicking a bit. Where am I on the NW scale?

----------


## BaldBearded

I certainly see an "M" pattern. NW2, would be my guess.

----------


## willwork4pizza

I don’t know. I’ve always had high temples. I found the below photos from 2015: (today on right) I just got it cut so it’s shorter/thinner on the sides.





I just wish I had hairline photos from before I started obsessing over this.

----------


## BaldBearded

> I don’t know. I’ve always had high temples. I found the below photos from 2015: (today on right) I just got it cut so it’s shorter/thinner on the sides.
> 
> I just wish I had hairline photos from before I started obsessing over this.


 So, what is your point? You sent pics, you asked questions, we answered you, and now you are not happy then answer?

----------


## willwork4pizza

Did a comparison of January of this year vs. today. Thoughts?



Didn't have one of the other side, though (this is today):

----------


## jason1001

Looks like a mature hairline but keep a eye on it

----------


## BaldBearded

Looks the same to me.

----------


## willwork4pizza

I saw a dermatologist a few weeks ago. She said I wasn't receding, but I'm still on the fence. Here's a recent look:

----------


## pkipling

If you saw a dermatologist in person and she said you weren't receding, then that should help calm your anxiety quite a bit - much more than anything any of us could say on here. If you want a second opinion, you could always have a "no strings attached" consultation with a top notch hair transplant surgeon and get their input. I am _not_ saying you need a hair transplant, it's just that these surgeons deal with hair loss every single day and some can even do a miniaturization test to determine the state/health of your hair and see if there is indeed a thinning pattern going on. 

Based on the photos, I think your hair looks fine. I would tell you just to keep monitoring it, but it seems like you have somewhat of an obsessive personality (I can relate... believe me!  :Smile:  ) so tread carefully with that or you'll just drive yourself crazy. I really think seeing someone who specializes in hair loss will really help ease your fears here. 

In the meantime, breathe. No matter what happens with your hair, you'll be fine. I promise. And if at some point you do experience significant hair loss, you can address it and look at different options on how to deal with it... All hope is not lost.  :Cool: 
__________________
_I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff._

----------


## willwork4pizza

> If you saw a dermatologist in person and she said you weren't receding, then that should help calm your anxiety quite a bit - much more than anything any of us could say on here. If you want a second opinion, you could always have a "no strings attached" consultation with a top notch hair transplant surgeon and get their input. I am _not_ saying you need a hair transplant, it's just that these surgeons deal with hair loss every single day and some can even do a miniaturization test to determine the state/health of your hair and see if there is indeed a thinning pattern going on. 
> 
> Based on the photos, I think your hair looks fine. I would tell you just to keep monitoring it, but it seems like you have somewhat of an obsessive personality (I can relate... believe me!  ) so tread carefully with that or you'll just drive yourself crazy. I really think seeing someone who specializes in hair loss will really help ease your fears here. 
> 
> In the meantime, breathe. No matter what happens with your hair, you'll be fine. I promise. And if at some point you do experience significant hair loss, you can address it and look at different options on how to deal with it... All hope is not lost. 
> __________________
> _I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff._


 I would think so too. But on another website I was told that dermatologists aren't qualified to make that determination. Ah, the internet.

I've toyed with the idea of setting up a consult with a hair treatment clinic, but I'm torn. Part of me thinks they'll laugh if I walk in there with a mostly full head of hair and tell me to leave. The other part wonders if they'll tell me that I need treatment regardless -- because at the end of the day, they are a business. 

But thank you, I appreciate your levelheaded response. I do have OCD tendencies. This just happens to be the flavor of the month (or year). The uncertainty is the hardest part. I analyze my hairline almost every time I look in the mirror. Some days I think I'm good, the other days I'm sure I'm receding. The mixed responses online don't help.

----------


## pkipling

> I would think so too. But on another website I was told that dermatologists aren't qualified to make that determination. Ah, the internet.
> 
> I've toyed with the idea of setting up a consult with a hair treatment clinic, but I'm torn. Part of me thinks they'll laugh if I walk in there with a mostly full head of hair and tell me to leave. The other part wonders if they'll tell me that I need treatment regardless -- because at the end of the day, they are a business. 
> 
> But thank you, I appreciate your levelheaded response. I do have OCD tendencies. This just happens to be the flavor of the month (or year). The uncertainty is the hardest part. I analyze my hairline almost every time I look in the mirror. Some days I think I'm good, the other days I'm sure I'm receding. The mixed responses online don't help.


 Honestly, a hair restoration specialist would be much more skilled in looking at your hair and determining any hair loss than a dermatologist, but that's not to say a dermatologist wouldn't know what they're talking about... They specialize in the skin, and if you go to a hair restoration surgeon you're dealing with someone who deals primarily with hair loss, so there's some value in that. 

If you're really concerned about it, you could set up a consultation with one who's reputable and trusted. Many of them even offer online/Skype consultations. As long as you're choosing someone with a great track record and who is highly respected in the community, they will neither laugh at you OR try to sell you something you don't need. If you want to speak with Dr. Mohebi let me know and I can help you set something up, or you can research and speak with any other reputable doctor... And again, I think this would be for your peace of mind more than anything else.  :Wink:  



_I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff._

----------


## willwork4pizza

> Honestly, a hair restoration specialist would be much more skilled in looking at your hair and determining any hair loss than a dermatologist, but that's not to say a dermatologist wouldn't know what they're talking about... They specialize in the skin, and if you go to a hair restoration surgeon you're dealing with someone who deals primarily with hair loss, so there's some value in that. 
> 
> If you're really concerned about it, you could set up a consultation with one who's reputable and trusted. Many of them even offer online/Skype consultations. As long as you're choosing someone with a great track record and who is highly respected in the community, they will neither laugh at you OR try to sell you something you don't need. If you want to speak with Dr. Mohebi let me know and I can help you set something up, or you can research and speak with any other reputable doctor... And again, I think this would be for your peace of mind more than anything else.


 I had a consult with a HT doctor this week. He assured me that I was not receding/thinning/etc. and told me to check back in a year. It was a relief, especially after several people online told me that I was receding.

----------


## k9gatton

It's receding/receded a little bit. But, that doesn't mean it will keep going in that pattern though. Androgens eventually go down from age.

----------


## pkipling

> I had a consult with a HT doctor this week. He assured me that I was not receding/thinning/etc. and told me to check back in a year. It was a relief, especially after several people online told me that I was receding.


 Awesome! Let that serve as your reassurance at least for the next year. You can trust his in person, professional analysis much more than you can trust any of ours here.  :Smile: 


_I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff._

----------

