Sudden and rapid hair loss. Telogen effluvium\Male Pattern Baldness or both? 32 year old male (Photo)

I suggest seeing an expert to evaluate the cause of your hair loss and consider the best treatment options. There are great non-invasive options like PRP/progesterone and/or hair transplantation. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, as many as 40% of all men start to notice some degree of hair loss or thinning by the time they are 35, and judging solely from the pictures that you included, your hair loss does appear to be following a relatively standard progression. All of this suggests that genetic pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia, could possibly be the issue. However, actual circular bald patches may also indicate alopecia areata. A more thorough examination would be required in order to make a definitive diagnosis as there are a number of important factors to consider.

The hair’s natural growth cycle, from the growth (or anagen) phase to the shedding (or telogen) phase, generally takes about three to five months. At any given time, about 15% of the follicles are shedding their hair, which means that a healthy scalp loses anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs per day. During times of physiological stress, which can include anything from traumatic injury or surgery to drastic dietary changes that starves the body of necessary proteins, the body may trigger a disproportionately large number of hairs to move into the telogen phase all at once, a process called telogen effluvium.  About 3 months later, this hair begins to fall out as it would normally, but in significantly larger amounts than usual, resulting in diffuse thinning over the entire scalp.  To someone experiencing this sudden hair loss, it may seem as though hair is falling out in clumps for no particular reason whatsoever, but it can certainly be a result of a physiological stress that occurred months earlier.

If your hair loss is the result of telogen effluvium, it is most likely only temporary. However, there are a variety of treatment methods that can help prevent hair loss from progressing and which may be preferable to undergoing a full hair transplant procedure. I would definitely recommend that you schedule a consultation with a board certified dermatologist who has experience treating hair loss. They should be able to fully diagnose the cause of your hair loss so that you can get the appropriate treatment as soon as possible.

Given your male sex and age, androgenic alopecia is still the most likely diagnosis.  However, other conditions are possible given the history you present.  You should have a full medical evaluation by an expert physician who treats hair loss.