Losing my hair! Is it Male Pattern Baldness or something else?

by Raja
(London, U.K)

Hair Loss Problem

Hi thanks for your time...

I have been suffering excessive hair loss for a whole year now. My hairs have gone so thin especially from the top. There is no form of balding in my dad’s family or my mum’s family.

I went to visit my GP done some blood tests and they were fine I also went to two different dermatologists and one of them said there is nothing wrong with your hair just use Regain for 6 months. I was not happy with that and then I went to see another dermatologist and he said I am suffering MPB and he also prescribed me with Regain he also said it can’t be Telogen Effluvium.

So I was thinking to use regain but before using it I checked the internet to see what it’s all about and their I found that using regain will give you a problem with excessive hair shedding and that’s my problem I shed too much hair, I shed more than I grow that’s the reason why my hair have gone so thin. What is wrong with my hair it’s so stressful are my hairs going to keep falling out until there is none left or will it stop. I don’t think I have been treated right by the dermatologists that I visited I feel that I have been just brushed aside.

I also went to a hair loss forum on the internet and they said to me it could be Anagen Effluvium this is what they quoted.

Dear Raja,

Hairs with white hair bulbs at the end are referred to Anagen hairs as opposed to Telogen hairs. Anagen hairs are hairs that are still in the growing phase. If you are seeing a lot of white bulbs from the hairs, then it’s a sign that you are facing Anagen Effluvium.

Anagen Effluvium usually occurs after an insult to the hair follicles that prevent its growth. One of the most common causes of this condition is related to certain medications or combined medications that you are taking. Other factors like stress, allergic reaction and exposure to pollutants can also trigger this condition.

But I don’t take any medicine or anything like that. But if it is Anagen Effluvium can I stop it? How do I stop it? Would you know any special dermatologists in the U.K around London area it will be very helpful thanks.

P.S I am a 23 year old male. Origin is Pakistani/Iranian


Editor’s Comments

Dear Raja,

There are indeed many reasons for your hair loss and I believe that you should always trust what your dermatologist advices you, especially you have seen at least 2 who gave the same diagnosis. Since that you mentioned that your blood tests are normal, and I do ruled out the possibility of Anagen Effluvium since you do not take any medications and you did not mention that you are suffering for any allergic reactions (even if you do the hair loss should only be temporary) I really think that your condition is not that serious.

At the age of 23, the most common kind of hair loss for male is Male Pattern Baldness. I know that you may think that even your father and mother may not have it, maybe someone above the family tree has it and you just can’t be too sure unless you are pretty sure that your great-granduncle does not have it. Although the risks are much lower if MPB is not widespread throughout your family tree, the chances are still there if there are only a few members of your family members suffer from it.

Another common sign that you are noticing more hair loss recently is probably because you used to have really thick hair. One of the most common factors for this is because most people only notice that their hair are thinning when they have already lost 50% or more of their hair due to progressive balding. So the longer time you wait before you take action, your hair loss is more noticeable since you do not have much hair left on your head.

To further secure your condition, check out the Norwood Scale to see whether your hair loss resembles any pattern from the scale, if you do see some similarities in the receding pattern, you are probably facing with Male Pattern Baldness. If your hairs are falling only from the top and front part, that is also a very sure sign of this medical condition.

Besides Male Pattern Baldness, there are also other possible contributing factors that can accelerate hair loss. Stress from work, late nights, unhealthy diets as well as smoking are all negative elements that can indirectly lead to more hair loss because these factors apply additional pressure to your body and can slash hair growth rate and speedup the hair loss. You might want to check out my Preventing Hair Loss section on ways to improve your hair growth as well.

In the meantime, trust your dermatologists because they are the professionals in this field. Minoxidil 5% (Regain) helps and the side effects are minimal and it’s very effective. You should see more hair loss after using the treatment before you see new hair growth because new hairs are starting to grow from below, pushing out the old hairs and it’s a very common sign that it’s working and there is nothing to worry about. Taking Vitamin B Complex which contains the B group is the best supplements for your hair as well.

If you still have any questions regarding your condition or if you would like to share some pictures of your scalp condition with me, please drop me a mail and I will see what I can do. Have a nice day!