Hair Thinning Under Harsh Light?

Hey,

Your blog is very helpful has recently ive been concerned about my hair. I’m 18, and ive always had a Norwood #2 hairline, its never been a straight hairline. I have thick hair, but its very light, hairdressers etc always say its so thick. I realise this doesnt mean your not going bald. But when I look under light in my bathroom, pretty strong light, or just look at my hair under any reasonably strong light, i can see my scalp in a line that zig zags slightly from my crown to my hairline, but when it reaches my hairline its thin in a patch. You cant see it when its not exposed to strong light really, maybe the odd weak spot. I dont really notice that many hairs, but now that I’m paranoid about going bald i notice just about every hair i lose. My father has black hair unlike mine, and his hairline is pretty similar to mine, my grandfather on my mothers side, and my uncle are the only ones that displayed signs of male pattern baldness, but they didn’t get it till they were well into their 40s/50s.

So my question is, is it common for people with fair hair to see their scalp when under strong light, or sun light. Or can MPB be the reason for this?

Male pattern balding could be a cause for what you’re seeing, but what you’re describing is something commonly seen under harsh, direct, or bright lights. Lighting can make any hair appear to be thinner than it is, and if your hair is fine, the problem would even be more prominent.

I wouldn’t be too concerned about this, but if you see a doctor for it be sure to have your scalp mapped for miniaturization so you can actually have a metric to go back and look at in a follow-up visit.