Visible scalp at 17, male. What could be wrong and possible treatment options.

[Hairlesskid123]

Hey, I'm a 17yr old male. I've been facing intense hairloss for over 2-3 yrs. I have a perfect hairline. I was irregular with minoxidil for 8 months. ( Meaning that I would not use it for like 3 days or a week in between frequently so the total number of days I would have applied would be near 3 months to 4 months in the span of 8months). I am really forgetful.

History

• Family History of diabetes (including my 20yr brother, I don't have it)
• Diagnosed with Severe Vitamin B12 deficiency six months ago ( I was prescribed a dose lower than daily needs so not sure if it was rectified)
• Diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency not thought as significant as b-12 it was quite lower than normal range. six months ago( I was prescribed 60k IU every week for 3 months so probably rectified)
• Have Acanthosis nigricans and skintags/warts, which one dermatologist said could be due to compromised immunity as I was kinda since I got covid twice and one of it was even after getting vaccined. ( Was quite serious for a teenager since I was finding it a little difficult to breathe one day)
• Recently developed allergies to a lot of stuff that I wasn't allergic to before like soy, banana, fig,etc.
• Widened pulse pressure of 145/60 on average.
• BMI of 31, Im 6feet and have 25% body fat so not much of belly fat.
• Took a trichoscan and its results were 75% telogen phase 25% anagen phase and 4.4% vellus hairs. I'm not sure abt the credibility of this scan since Acc to google they have to take two pics, one right after trimming the hair and one after 2 days but the scan centre took only one pic and gave me the results after 30mins. ( Not sure if it a advanced one or that they took it wrong).
• My thyroid and testosterone results were normal. But I didn't take any other vitamin/mineral tests except iron,vitamin D and B12 and two of them turned out deficient and the iron was borderline. ( slightly less).
• Father has MPB which he got at his 30's and everyone in my mother's side have thick hair including my elder brother (20).

Note: My hairfall got arrested for some reason in february for some reason but started as I started minoxidil 5% and finasteride 0.1% both topically along with 0.5mm derma rolling ( once a week) and scalp massages.

 

[Bigmac]

Is your treatment working?

 

[Hairlesskid123]

Is your treatment working?

Not really, I stopped and shaved my head as I wasn't able to stay consistent due to exams.

 

[Philw]

Maybe cos u are on and off treatment
U tend to get shed with monoxidil
Have u thought about trying finesteride 1mg tablet
U get shed with that as well so u need to stay on it
Maybe try it 3x a week

 

[Bigmac]

Check into oral Finasteride and oral minoxidil. I believe these will be your best option to stabilise and most likely improve your hair.

 

[Hairlesskid123]

Check into oral Finasteride and oral minoxidil. I believe these will be your best option to stabilise and most likely improve your hair.

I am planning on starting the treatment again with finasteride and minoxidil combo with derma rolling. I also took a hair mineral analysis test and the results were quite bizzare with a lot of deficiencies and toxicities.

 

[Bigmac]

I’m not a big fan of derma rolling. I don’t think it improves much if anything. However, that’s just my opinion.
You’d need whoever did the test to explain in detail what each segment means, if any treatment is required.

 

[rgraf]

I started balding about then, too, but not as severe. I'm no doctor, but most people are iodine, zinc and magnesium deficient. Iodine would be one of the first things I'd try. Also, Vitamin D has been sown in clinical studies, to prevent flu and, in particular, covid, as of late. I had, and still have, to a lesser extent, very oily skin. I'm avoiding sugar, as much as possible. As for derma rolling, I use a slicker brush, instead. I think part of the problem has to do with skin regrowth. My current hypothesis is that the skin is not reproducing fast enough, and the regrowth is of low quality. I'm about to try vitamin A supplementation. Also, I think part of the problem is the scalp, which is a tendon, so connective tissue nutrition seems to be important, and I've noticed some things about scalp massage that seem to help. I have been taking collagen and vitamin C for this. Also Niacin (not the far more common Niacinamide, which is a vasodilator, opening up the capillaries. For physical scalp stimulation, I use several combs/brushes, one of which, I notice, has a direct effect on my scalp, The biggest issue with my routine is persistence. I can feel a difference in the scalp. I notice that women with very thick hair brush their hair starting fron the nape of the neck upwards, and this may help with the scalp tightening, which I think is a big part of the solution. It also supposedly stimulates the vagus nerve system.

 

[NZK Medical]

Hello @Hairlesskid123, the images you posted on the 16th of August give the impression your hair loss condition could be DUPA, or diffuse unpatterned alopecia. Your hairline remains intact with no temple recession. But behind in a relatively uniform pattern. Including the sides, your hair has miniaturised. As a result over the head, you have a relatively even hair growth but lost fullness. While maintaining full hair coverage. If the case is generally suggested the usual treatments can help. From minoxidil and finasteride, maybe laser therapy or PRP/PRF. With mx and fin as Bigmac suggested, you can look at the oral and topical alternatives to each of the traditional methods of application. Best wishes for your progress.

 

[Hairlesskid123]

Hello @Hairlesskid123, the images you posted on the 16th of August give the impression your hair loss condition could be DUPA, or diffuse unpatterned alopecia. Your hairline remains intact with no temple recession. But behind in a relatively uniform pattern. Including the sides, your hair has miniaturised. As a result over the head, you have a relatively even hair growth but lost fullness. While maintaining full hair coverage. If the case is generally suggested the usual treatments can help. From minoxidil and finasteride, maybe laser therapy or PRP/PRF. With mx and fin as Bigmac suggested, you can look at the oral and topical alternatives to each of the traditional methods of application. Best wishes for your progress.

Thanks for your insight I really appreciate it.