I Think My Hair Loss Is Too Aggressive to Be MPB!

I would like to get your opinion on why I am experiencing relatively sudden thinning. I am 19 years old. I can’t pinpoint the exact time that my hair started getting thinner, but I can say that my hair was completely full a little under a year ago, because of my driver’s license photo.

I have a feeling the hair loss is far too aggressive to be male pattern baldness, because I have had no signs up until recently. I don’t recall before a couple of months ago. In fact I have never seen hair fall out of my scalp or seen actual “hairloss” but i’m sure people rarely do.

I would like to know if you think this hair loss is temporary (based on the photographs) and if you think this is possibly permanent or even male pattern baldness. I have no history of the disease, my grandfathers on both sides died with a full head of hair. So did the grandmothers!

Male pattern baldness (MPB) does not always require a doctor to assess. Look at your hair loss pattern (use two mirrors). Is it thinning mostly at the top, but you still have good hair on the back and sides? If so, chances are you have MPB. We recommend a miniaturization mapping of your scalp hair and you can make the diagnosis that way. You can see how to do this yourself — here. By the way, MPB is not a “disease”. It is a genetic trait that you inherited from one of your parents. It may skip generations so you may not see it in your immediate family tree.

Finally, the aggressive nature as you describe does not surprise me, as men who lose considerable amounts of hair with an advanced balding pattern usually have a more rapid course of hair loss, often starting in their very early 20s. That may not be your case, but don’t fool around with it as there is a good medication (finasteride) to take if you are unfortunately balding. See your doctor and get a correct diagnosis and ask about options.