Any opinions appreciated - 21 year old

[rxdr1]

So I've been lurking around here for a while and I just wanted to see what you guys think of my current situation and I guess just talk about it. I've noticed my hair getting thinner for a few years now and under certain lighting my crown just looks horrendous while under other lighting it seems like nothing is wrong. I saw my general physician and he said my testosterone levels were crazy low so I'm seeing an endocrinologist to further figure out what's going on. After that I'm seeing a dermatologist to see if I should get on propecia. I know the drug really well so I know what I could be getting myself into. Either way I figure I've got some time left before people will look at me as balding and I'm working out and trying to make the most of the time I still have. If propecia works then I'm buying some more time and if not hopefully it won't leave me in worse shape.

Also sorry for the low quality webcam pics.

 

[sylent]

Your hairline is NW0-NW1 no question. It looked slightly thin in the back, but that could either be a cowlick, or simply the lighting. Everyone shows scalp under light. I would say that you arent balding at all, but still keep an eye on it. Take a few pictures over the next year, and if it gets worse come back to us. But ya man, it looks like absolutly no baldness to me, your hairline is in fact lower than normal. Any baldness in the family?

 

[rxdr1]

Thanks for the reply. I'm surprised you think my hairline is low because I think it was like a Norwood -1 when I was a kid, damn near forehead hair. As far as lighting goes I think it looks worst in direct sunlight because that is when someone noticed it. Like a generalized area of thinning rather than just one spot like in this picture and I can feel it if I apply styling product, just seems like less hair. I'll try and get a picture sometime outside. Family history is decent, father had NW2 until he had an overactive thyroid and now he has some hair but it's diffuse at 70 years old. Both grandfathers had hair but one got pretty diffuse in middle age. Two sisters so no sibling comparison. More uncles with hair than without, same with cousins but they are mostly all young. I'm sure I will get my answer when I see the derm but I figured I would make a thread to chart out my story and progress if/when I get on any treatment.

 

[sylent]

^ Dont completley take my word for it, but to me you don't look like a guy who is destined to be bald. I've noticed that people with that "wavy" type of hair (like my father has) tend to keep it, but that isnt a fact, just speculation on my part. Usually, people with straight hair, like me, are the ones that lose it.

If you really had "forehead" hair as a kid, thats not NW1. NW1 is a slightly arched hairline, kind of like Justin Timberlake's. Norwood 0 is the hairline most females have, a round, close in hairline. Its normal for most guys, even non balding ones, to receed into the NW1 position into aldulthood. Its called a mature hairline. Some peoples mature hairlines even reach NW2, or even NW3, and don't receed much further, if only a little extremely slowly. Take Christian Bale as a NW2 example, or Bradley Cooper as NW3.

Right now you look like a Norwood 1 to me with no baldness, but like I said, baldess is comepletley unpredictable. I've seen examples of people receeding from NW1 in their 20s, to NW3 in their 50s, and there are also people that have gone from NW2-NW6 in under a year.

I don't think your balding, but its good in a way that you are aware of baldness. Keep track of it, and when you notice it getting even slightly worse do something about it. That way you can probably save all of your hair.

 

[s.a.f]

Bradley Cooper NW3? You're having a laugh.
And you cant expect to keep the same forehead size you had as a kid.

 

[sylent]

^ Yeah, Coopers a NW3. Not a solid NW3, but on the light end of it. NW2.5 if you want to be picky. The hair he has is just very long and he has high density

I know Jude Law and 80s Bruce Willis are the poster boys for Norwood 3, but imo they are on the far end, NW3.5 headed to NW4.

 

[rxdr1]

Bradley Cooper NW3? You're having a laugh.
And you cant expect to keep the same forehead size you had as a kid.

Yeah my hair up front is fine and I don't see or feel it getting worse. I would be more worried I'm following the Ted Danson pattern of hair loss.

 

[Naltima]

^ Yeah, Coopers a NW3. Not a solid NW3, but on the light end of it. NW2.5 if you want to be picky. The hair he has is just very long and he has high density

How in the world is this NW3? He has some recession, no doubt, but it's definitely not nw3. If Cooper is NW3 then Jude Law has to be NW6, pushing NW7.

 

[Mulder89]

Bradley Cooper is a Norwood 2, no more than that.. OP shows no hairloss! still NW1 hairline. The spot at the back could just be due to harsh lighting

 

[TravisB]

And he was voted the sexiest man alive? In my opinion, he has very unmasculine face, especially the eyes.

In terms of masculinity, no one of these Hollywood cute boys can beat Statham.

 

[sylent]

Alright, I take the Cooper NW3 thing back. His large forehead was really deceving, I thought he had a combed forward NW3.

 

[fodandahalf]

Cooper's hairline is brilliant, I'd love a hairline like that if I could have great hair like his too. Definitely not a cm past norwood 2. OP's hairline is perfect, it wouldn't have been much lower if at all when you were younger (looking at your highest wrinkle.) However I dunno if I trust the wrinkled brow idea because my hairline was almost 2 inches above the highest wrinkle at age 11.

 

[HairLossGuru]

To rxdr1...forget about trying to classify yourself as Norwood...i think that you appear to have receeded a little in the temple area and to be thinning in the crown (the lighting appears on the softer side if anything and I would guess that your crown scalp would be visible in most lighting situations)..

Personally the amount of hair loss you have I would consider to be minimal and almost insignificant if it were not for the fact that it will probably continue over the next decade. I would be keeping a close eye on it and compare photos under similar lighting in 3 years time. If it is obvious then or sooner that your male pattern baldness is progressing, I think it you would be a good canditate for finasteride therapy but you should get your Testosterone levels sorted first without taking testosterone exogenously if possible..there are ways to increase your body's own testosterone production....but only finasteride/dutasteride in my opinion will be of any worth to lower DHT significantly.

 

[rxdr1]

Thanks for the insight. I agree that it's not really where my hair is right now that bugs me but rather not knowing where it will be later. That's why I'm getting everything sorted out now so I can start treatment as soon as I see things getting worse.

 

[harlan1988]

the crown looks a little thin imo but hairline is good

 

[s7a7yC]

You don't have any recession. No need to worry at all. And Bradley Cooper is BARELY nw1. You guys need to get your eyes checked. Seriously.

 

[fodandahalf]

You don't have any recession. No need to worry at all. And Bradley Cooper is BARELY nw1. You guys need to get your eyes checked. Seriously.

Norwood 1 being a perfect hairline, how can somebody possibly be 'barely a norwood 1?' Norwood 2 is a textbook mature hairline.