First Step for Teen with Thinning Hair

Hi doctor, I have been recently been encountering certain problems with my hair over the past 5 months, I am 16 years old (male) and currently starting my first year of college. First signs of change were with the texture and build of the hair, as it started to become much drier and thinner. Then the amount of hair that started to fall out naturally started to drastically increase, although I have naturally thick hair the changes that I am experiencing seem too unnatural, one example is the fact that I never really used to be able to see my scalp, now I am really feeling concious about it. I have great foundations of friendship in the school that I go to and the worry of acceptance isn’t preying on my mind too much. I have asked my best friend about it and she seems to see no difference in the appearance of my hair, but I still believe there is something wrong.

My grandfather had troubles with baldness as a teenager and was completely bald on the top of his head at age 20. Confident self image is something that I always like to pursue, I style my hair using straightening irons and using gel based products, which I have been widely recognised at school for, for the past two years. A balding head it something that is not really seen around my social groups, and I’m not quite sure how my friends would react. I haven’t consulted my doctor about it and I would really like some impartial, friendly advice on what to do next, whether I should consult my family or keep it quiet and hope it will go away. I would really appreciate your help in this matter as I have only spoken to one person about this and I haven’t been able to research it myself much. Thank you

Go get your head mapped out for miniaturization, which will show if you are in the early phases of genetic balding. Especially at your age, it is too important to guess or work the answer blindly through the internet.