Hey, I'm 23 years old and my hair has been receding since about age 16. It receded extensively but has basically stopped where its at when I was around 20 years old, and has been about the same since. It sucks but I haven't gone crazy over it.

I have this "island" patch of hair in the front. For awhile I tried growing it out and doing different styles to disguise it before it started getting basically impossible no matter what I tried. After that I started wearing hats most of the time. I read posts that said that shaving it could make a receding hairline look better, so I figured I should try doing that. I wonder if that might not have been the best idea though...

I think the island patch in the front is sticking out more now. I'm sure that shaving a receding hairline looks alright if the front part is connected to the back, but the problem with the island is that even after a close shave is that it's still isolated. I'd probably be less worried if it was still connected. It's still pretty thick too where it hasn't receded so it makes the contrast stand out more.

How bad is it? I was thinking of maybe trying to grow it out and try styling it to disguise it again. Would rogaine or something help with filling in the receded parts?

https://i.imgur.com/7BOpH3G.jpg https://i.imgur.com/yrzM8T4.jpg