If it was not there before, then it is new growth. You must always compare before and after states of the area (best with good photographs) as you are looking at.
Miniaturized hairs
What I’ve noticed: those miniaturized hairs (1) are terminal hairs but barely grow longer than 1 inch; (2) can be easily pulled out from roots by hand and will take even longer time to grow back; (3) the hair pulled out with roots mostly missed the white gooey stuff presented in healthy hairs.
Miniaturized hairs can easily be pulled out but be careful as they may not come back. They often do not grow in advanced stages of miniaturization
2020-12-08 01:26:092020-12-07 10:09:07Miniaturized hairs
What do miniaturized hairs mean?
The picture on the left shows a high degree of miniaturization (12 miniaturized hairs and 41 normal hairs) with a ratio of 29% miniaturized hairs. The magic number is that miniaturization is present if the number of hairs exceed 20% of the total. The picture on the left shows just that. Miniaturization means that the hair is in some stage of being lose, going through Apoptosis (cell death) that is certainly a problem for this patient. The drug finasteride can reverse this on some patients. You can purchase a video microscope on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=video+microscope) for as low as $19. You can become your own doctor making your own diagnosis just by counting hairs as I have done here.
What Are Miniaturized Hairs and What Do They Look Like? (from Reddit)
Miniaturized hairs are thinner than normal hairs. They slow down or stop growing, making them shorter near the end of their life.
Image above: arrows point at miniaturized hairs
2018-08-07 04:55:272018-08-15 08:53:38What Are Miniaturized Hairs and What Do They Look Like? (from Reddit)
Miniaturized hairs and how they develop
Is it normal for hair to thin towards the root in a single strand during the balding process? Looking at the photo below, can you tell if there any miniaturized hairs?
Let’s say the hair is on average 10 inches long and that you can easily tell towards the root it is a lot thinner than at the tip. You can also see there is a lot less pigmented towards the root.
You are very observant. The thinning hair closer to the root may be the effect of early miniaturization. This occurs at the most recent part of the hair that is growing. I believe if you observe this over time, more and more hairs will become miniaturized and reflect the genetic balding process that is taking place. Of the two hairs in the photo, the one on the right is miniaturized. It is thinner and has less pigment in it. I am fairly certain that it took longer to grow as well because miniaturized hairs grow slower and then either fall out or stop growing altogether.
Miniaturized Hair — Does it Mean the Hairs are Thinner or The Entire Head of Hair is Less Full?
You really spend a lot of time working on this site. So I’ll be brief.
On March 22nd 2007 you had a post of a man that was trying to keeping his hair full (Trying to Keep Looking Full). You stated that he had 50% miniaturization of his hair. Does 50% miniaturization mean that 50% of the hair on the crown of his head has miniaturized and 50% is normal? Or does that mean the hair strands themselves are 50% thinner then when he was younger?
Also, I just started 1/4 tablet of Finasteride two weeks ago. I’m almost 25 and my crown has started to miniaturize. I know it’s too early to see positive results. But is it too early to see shedding? I ask because I’ve noticed a few shorter hairs in my hand after I run gel through my hair. The hairs are about an inch or so shorter then the rest on my head.
Thanks!
Hair that is miniaturized comes in all sizes and the thinner it gets, the more advanced the miniaturization is. When hair miniaturizes, it often is less long as the hair growth slows down. More advanced miniaturization will stunt the hair growth almost completely, a stage before it falls out. This is why I near-constantly write about getting a good baseline on your miniaturization with a series of measurements so you know where you are starting from. This way you can see numbers and the visual effects of the hair loss process. I hope this clears up any possible confusion.
I’m assuming that when you say you’re taking 1/4 tablet of finasteride, you mean 1/4 of the 5mg finasteride (which is Proscar or generic Proscar). Otherwise, I do not understand why you are taking 1/4 pill of the 1mg finasteride Propecia pill. There is no reason to reduce your dose from the recommended 1mg hair loss treatment, unless you’re one of the unlucky few that are experiencing side effects.
Miniaturized Hair All Over, But Same Hairline As When I Was 16
I have miniaturized thinning all over my head (top, sides, back, sideburns and facial/chin hair does not seem as thick either) which began about 2-3 years ago. At the same time my thinning began it was accompanied by depression, fatigue. I have been thinning with every growth cycle and feeling depressed, fatigued ever since until this day. I have had my thryoid tsh checked 3 times (TSH- 1st-1.98 2nd- 2.28, 3rd- 2.36) I had testosterone checked 3 times as well (1st- 320, 2nd- 385, 3rd- 360…… ref 250-850) LH hormone levels were all on the very very low side when checked w/ all 3 testosterone testes. I had ferritin checked 105 (ref 22-322) I had knee surgery about 4 months ago (left knee bone graph w/ arthroscopy). Is there anything that is causing my total hair thinning/follicle shrinkage? Is it possible to have shrinking follicles/ thinning diameter hair that is not MPB related? I have absolutely no balding, no recession at all, my hairline is the same as when I was 16! whats the matter with me? should I use minox or propecia? I once tried saw palmetto when I first noticed my thinning about 2 years ago and it gave me ED! so I know I would probably have a tough time using prop or fin! thank you
Simply put, you need a caring doctor and a good doctor/patient relationship. That is the start of surrounding your problem. There is no easy way to get this over the internet.
2006-08-17 08:35:322006-08-16 08:56:08Miniaturized Hair All Over, But Same Hairline As When I Was 16
Miniaturization Study and What Is It Supposed To Look Like? Am I Balding?
You said before it’s normal for non-balding men to have around 10% miniaturization on any part of their scalp.
Could take a look at these photos to help those of us who perform our own miniaturization mapping what that looks like.
Is it normal for hairs to be different thickness like this? Are the lighter colored hair in an earlier stage of growth compared to the darker thicker hairs? Could the lighter hair actually be greying in process (I already have a few grey hairs in odd places)?
Photo 1: Left permanent side above ear.
Photo 2: Right permanent side above ear.
Photo 3: Top of head (middle).
I am 25 years old, with Norwood 2 trying to figure out if my hairline is maturing or I am going bald.
In general it is normal to have what appears to be 20% of miniaturized hairs on a normal person’s scalp. Some of these finer hair are actually vellus hairs but from a microscopic view they are shorter than regular normal hairs but also appear miniaturized. There can be variations and ambiguous interpretation when the hairs are naturally fine in texture or there are different colored hairs in the mix (grey, blond, brown). The photos show similar hair thickness on the left and right and it may be that your naturally fine can be differentiated from normal hair thickness in you. Hairs on top look normal as well. I didn’t see much miniaturization on any of the photos.
One other way to diagnose very early balding that can not be seen when hair loss is less than 30%, is to have your doctor perform a bulk measurement with an instrument called HAIRCHECK. This instrument will tell you if your hair bulk has been reduced and 99% of the time any reduction is due to genetic balding in the male.
Finally, we don’t diagnose hair line patterns here on BaldingBlog. If you are worried about hair loss please see a doctor.
Miniaturization Question
Is hair miniaturization always male pattern baldness?
Mostly miniaturization indicates hair loss is probably genetic in both men and women.
Miniaturization of Hair and Balding
My question is about miniaturization of hair.
Does everyone have some degree of miniaturization of their hair? Or if you are experiencing miniaturization of hair, you have male pattern baldness?
Can you experience miniaturization even if you don’t “suffer” from mpb?
Lets say one is examined by a doctor who specializes in hair loss and he tells you that you have _10% miniaturization, do one “suffer” from male pattern baldness with that said?
(I apologize about my spelling and grammar, english is not my native language)
Everyone has some degree of miniaturization of hairs. It is just a normal part of the hair cycle as hairs transition from anagen to catagen to telogen phase. Not all hairs are miniaturized but some (at the end of their “life cycle”) will miniaturize and fall out. Men who carry the genes for Male Pattern Balding (MPB) or Androgenic Alopecia (AGA) will have more miniaturization.