I Can’t See My Scalp Unless It’s Under Direct Light

Hi William, Jae –
First off I’d like to say thanks for hosting such a great blog; I’ve found myriad answers to my questions on here over the past year. The reason I’m writing is because I’m concerned that my Rogaine regimen isn’t working as well as I thought it would. I’m 26, and of Southern Italian descent (with a bit of Brasilian thrown in), so my hair is rather coarse. I keep it very short, and have it cut every four weeks or so. I first began using Rogaine about 1 1/2 years ago when I noticed some thinning around my crown. While I still have a full head of hair, I’ve noticed as of late that it’s gotten a bit thinner in that region, even though I’m still using the product on a daily basis. I’ve read that people tend to lose more hair in the Spring/Autumn, so I’m wondering if that could be the case. Likewise, you can’t see any hair loss unless I’m seated directly under a bright light – that’s the only time you can see my scalp. Since my hair is on the tight and curly side, I’ve noticed that it’s always clumped together in spots, but I don’t think that’s entirely it. My question is – since you can’t really see my scalp unless I’m under a light, does that mean it’s a harbinger of what’s to come?

Thanks.

It seems like you’re looking for some sort of endorsement from me that you are not balding. Seeing your scalp under direct light could be a styling issue, it could be an issue with the character of your hair changing (any chemicals/products used?), etc. Generally if you can’t see through the scalp, one might conclude that there is no balding… but to be sure, you should have a physician microscopically examine your scalp (which is what I call miniaturization mapping). Perhaps you are losing your hair in the crown and the Rogaine isn’t doing much for you, but I’d just be guessing at this point.

By the way, when the hair is not coarse, some people see their scalp even without being under a direct light… and they are not balding.