Is My Dermatologist Denying My Hair Loss for Some Reason?

Hi Docs,
I’m a white Caucasian man who turned 27 in April. I have been balding for 6 years now. I have no more doubt about that because my frontal hairline receded about 1 inch maybe more (depending on how I pull my hair back more or less) and I have got miniaturized hair on the temples. I would like to know why the dermatologist (head of a dermatology department) keeps denying my baldness and if I am really balding or not.

Well, at the very beginning, I didn’t notice anything. I used to go to the hairdresser once a month. But, at the age of 24 (about 3 years ago) I could see my scalp through my hair witch obviously began thinning. And my hair’s colour wasn’t the same anymore (much clearer than before).

So, one day I decided to have my hair cut very short. That day I realized that my hairline was receding. I could see the temples that I have never had and never seen before. According to the pictures, I’m receding since the age of 21 or 22. At the age of 21 I had a full head of hair and no temples, at the age of 22, I had temples, at the age of 24 I reached the first stage of baldness and now I’m at least at the first or maybe second stage of baldness at only 27.

Well, I can assume that I’m balding and having a similar evolution as my father had (maybe a little slower) except that he started a little earlier. At the age of 18-19, my father reached the first stage of the Norwood-Hamilton scale, at the age of 27, he was at the second stage maybe a little more (almost third), at the age of 32, he was at least NWD 3, by the time he turned 37 he reached the fourth stage and now, he is a 50 years old man and he’s almost 5 (almost bald)!

In my family, my father is the only “real” bald man. My grand father (my dad’s father) is only Norwood 2 at the age of 75, my uncles (my dad’s brothers) are Norwood 1 at 47 and Norwood 2 at 52 and my mother’s father is only Norwood 1 or 1.5 at the age of 68. I have to say also that when I was a kid I had a similar implantation (very low and with no temples at all), the same hair quality (very thick) and the same hair colour (dark) as my mothers’. Now, I keep my hair long and I only cut a little of length when it’s too long and I’m hiding the temples with my hair from the middle of the head.

I have already seen the dermatologist several times and he always denied the truth by saying “You’re not balding.” or “You have got only temples.” or “You have a lot of hair” or “You have got no hair loss.” etc. The last time I have seen the dermatologist (April of 2013) he told me that I had a “very young” implantation and I had no kind of baldness and he asked me how my mother’s brothers were but she has got only sisters !

So, I would like to know if it is possible that the dermatologist is denying my baldness or maybe is not seeing it. Am I really balding or not? (My hairline receded about 1 inch or more in only 6 years. That is what I call the second stage, maybe it is still a first stage).

Thanks for reading. I wish you could answer to my question.

I don’t know what purpose it would serve for your dermatologist to deny your hair loss if you actually had genetic loss. In situations like this, I would that you get another opinion. You can send me some good quality photographs with your eyebrows lifted high so that the wrinkles of your forehead show, and then I can give you the feedback you want and apparently need. Second opinions are always a good idea if you lack the confidence in the opinions you are given.

You would need to call my office at (310) 553-9113 or (800) NEW-HAIR to set up a formal phone or in-person consultation for this. Personal / individual consultations are not given via email or this site.