I was/is in the exact same position as the OP, and I dealt with it for several years. My hairline/temple area started receding around my High School Graduation, just like yours slow at first. Around 26 it started to accelerate and the crown started to thin. At 28 going on 29 soon the widows peak and crown bald areas have grown and are set to merge soon, probably in my low 30s. I tried to hide it for a bit and grew my hair longer (wanted to go shoulder length), but that only made it worse, not better. Didn't care to do anything to stop it either, and I had a good solid and very thick beard to compensate so this year having grown frustrated of my receding hair, and finding out that there was a bald gene lurking in my mother's side of the family (It just skipped a generation as my mom's brother in his mid-upper 40s still has a full head of hair, but my great grandfather was bald by his 30s/40s) I knew I was destined to become one with the bald collective (pun on Borg Collective from Star Trek) I decide to cut it all off. I didn't 'shave' at first, just went with no guard on the clippers, however I was encouraged by another forum to try a clean shave of the scalp. I gave it a try and found it strange at first with my scalp feeling as smooth as a baby's bottom, though soon came to find out that I preferred it this way and kept shaving for 4 months.
To see if my 'assimilation' was truly complete I tried to let my hair grow out (though kept at a buzz cut length) for close to 2 months. Hated it and immediately ran back to the shaved head and beard look. I've been assimilated (darn it
). It was much better to accept it now and be done with it, then wait and stressing over it. I've got enough things in life to worry about and I don't need stress over hair loss to go with it. Best of all I still got my beard, and the very genes and are causing me to go bald, are really aiding in the beard growth. All in all, not a bad trade off. Everyone's journey to assimilation, err acceptance is different and like most things your mileage my vary.
