Is My Hair Going Into Catagen Phase or Am I Balding?

hey doc,
I’ve noticed that some of my everyday falling hairs are lighter at the follicle than at the end where they are black. At first i thought this could be miniaturization but then a read this article (Student Health – Hair thinning and hair loss) which says “In late anagen, there is a gradual thinning of the hair shaft and a lightening of the pigment in the hair. This hair is then shed.” Is this correct and it is just the normal hair cycle before the hair goes into the catagen phase?? Thank you very much for you help.

We cycle hair asynchronously, so only about 10% or less of your hair is going out of anagen. Don’t focus too much on the hair that you lost. In normal periodic hair shedding we may lose both miniaturized and normal hair, since most adult men (50%) experience some degrees of balding at some time. A miniaturization study can tell you what you’ve got left and whether you are actually balding or not.

For more on hair growth cycles, see Hair Follicle Cells Growth Stages.