Losing my Hair, advice on growing it out?

[electrotweak]

Hey guys! Just looking for a bit of advice! Baldness does run in my family, but luckily I’ve had an extra 5 years than me father, as he was completely smooth shaven on his dome from the age of 25!

I have been shaving my head, to a 0.3mm, which does suit my face shape and beard style really well. However I’m considering growing my hair out just to see what I looks like! I’ve included some pictures below, as you can see my front is getting quite thin, but I’m wondering whether or not I can salvage it by growing it long whilst I still have the chance too! As I’ve always had short hair, but maybe it’s too late to change things up! My hair tends to grow out at the sides like horns, but I think with a little TLC and maybe shorter sides then I can get away with it!

Regarding the pics, I did have a panic moment and died my hair a lighter brown, whilst under the impression that it wouldn’t look so thin in contrast to my skin..... I’m unsure if it worked!

What do you guys think? Is it too late to dream of a fluffy head of hair?

[TheMensHairForum]

You still have a good amount of density atop your head and on the forelock. We always recommend to take pictures against any light sources (especially artificial light) so as to get a better idea of any balding going on. Despite the fact that you're blond and shot the pictures with artificial light hitting your dome straight on, there's more than enough hair visible which is good news. If you were balding profusely, there'd be more see-through spaces exposing your scalp.

That said, there's the "isle effect" cropping up on your forelock, which is typical of the early stages of male pattern baldness. You can still grow your hair long and gauging from the hyper-lit pictures, you'd have no problem rocking a long mane.

Are you on any hair-loss treatment at the moment? You're a great candidate for minoxidil so as to try to keep as much of your hair as possible; you'd certainly want to consider this if you want to not just grow but actually keep your hair long. See this list of minoxidil products if you want to jump on minoxidil. It's a straight-forward compound/product and is among the very few to have shown efficacy against male pattern baldness.

One more thing. It's going to take you about 14 months to grow your hair long. In 14 months a lot can happen, including the sudden loss of more hair due to male pattern baldness. You mention that your father went bald by age 25, which makes you a possible carrier of the gene involved in aggressive male pattern baldness. So absolutely keep an eye out for any further receding of the temples or loss of hair density at the crown. I'm mentioning this because long hair can easily mask the extent of a male's androgenetic alopecia and it would not be unheard of for a male to go from a Norwood III to a Norwood IV in a year and a half (rare but it does happen).

Really, jump on minoxidil if you haven't already and keep an eye on your hairline and back of the head (i.e. crown). Keep us updated and feel free to post more pictures as you grow your mane!

[Mike Wright]

I think your hairs look good, but indeed there are some balding syndromes...

[Falmyst]

My advice is that wash your hair with mild shampoo daily and don't brush wet hair as it can cause hair loss...