Ok first off I have NO idea where I should be posting. I'm more looking for advice because I am only 20 and do not have the money to spend on surgical hair restoration.

With that said, I am currently 20 years of age and have been going bald (thinning) since I was 17.

It's getting worse and I fear that by the time I'm 25 I'll look like my dad. (he also started thinning around 17 he said)

Now I'm sure everyone knows that for someone my age LOOKS are IMPORTANT and I'm one of the good looking people I can't lose my HAIR!!!

I'm lucky to be rather tall (average at 6') so not many girls will notice the bald spot lol.

Point being this is just another problem in my life that I shouldn't be facing. And we know people my age already have enough problems between, work, girls and all that good stuff..

Can anyone point me in the right direction here?

I WANT MY HAIR BACK :'( lol. I was reading around on sites and got directed to this forum which supposedly has great people with great advice, from what I read.

Well, I'll stop rambling now, I'm sure everyones got the point.

Home remedies, Shampoos ANYTHING would be greatly appreciated.

And thank you to all who help in advance.

As someone who started balding in my teens, I feel your pain and absolutely can relate to the sense of "I shouldn't have to deal with this at this stage of my life, etc". For me it was a major obstacle and hinderance to all the things one usually accomplishes at that age.

As a result I embarked on surgical hair restoration at a relatively young age because there were literally no other acceptable alternatives back then. However, I would not recommend this for you today. A thorough medical/dermatological evaluation should rule out causes for hairloss other than MPB. Based on your comments though it would seem like you have a family history of this.

From there, it is generally recommended to get on agents like Propecia and/or Rogaine to stablize and hopefully prevent further hairloss. One should stay on this for at least a year in advance of considering any surgical interventions. Additionally a good hair care regimen can promote optimal hair and scalp health. While it will never "regrow hair" it can enhance the appearance of what you have.

The surgical hair restoration industry is not going anywhere so don't feel rushed to address your hairloss in this manner. I'm sure some of the other regular posters here will chime in on this.

Phil

Hi,

My name is Maria.I had same alopecia problem like you. that time a searched a site www.hairinformation.com
it helped me a lot. today my alopecia problem is still control. try it..

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Thanks for the reply Phil. I'll be sure to start on Propecia and Rogaine.

Do you have any idea how much hair restoration cost these days and which would be the best to go to? I figure I can start saving now cause I'm sure it's expensive.

Thank you Maria. I'll be sure to read up on this site.

Chron-

If you're talking about a hair transplant, not a hair piece, yes it's very expensive (they both are).. pricing for HT's varies but an average would be $4.50 for the first 2000 grafts then $2.50 for anything after that. I've had just over 5000 grafts and paid $15,100 for both HT's.

PCC has good advice for you. At your age, get on the meds and see how you respond and maintain for a few years. Then, after you know more where your headed relative to hair loss, take action and develop a plan to deal with it.

Another thing, don't take the meds lightly. Anything you keep or regrow because of Finasteride or Minoxidil will quickly disappear if you stop their use. It's truly a lifelong commitment.

__________________
Hairbank

1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's
2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong
3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong

GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS

current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day

My Hair Loss Weblog

Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss.

Chron_P,

Welcome to our community.

You have received some excellent advice so far...here is a summary list:


1. Consult a physician/dermatologist to determine that you are experiencing MPB and not Alopecia areata or some other medical condition.

If it's MPB...

2. Get on finasteride ASAP. You may also want to consider minoxodil and apply that in the balding areas...some have luck regrowing hair, especialy in the crown, especially early on in their hair loss.

2. Research this and other forums and educate yourself about hair loss and the potential remedies.

3. At 20, I would NOT consider a hair transplant at this point. I encourage you to read this post that I wrote awhile ago called "Am I too young for a hair transplant?"
http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.co...d.php?t=152790

I hope this helps.

Maria,

Unless I'm missing something, Chron_P is not saying he is suffering from Alopecia areata...however, I do agree that he should get checked out by a physician/dermatologist to confirm.

Bill

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To learn about how I restored my hair, view my my hair loss website.

Remember, true beauty radiates from within, not from the skin.

I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.

I wonder how many grafts I'd need. I'm thinning. But it's not extremely bad, just noticeable. I'd probably only need 2000 at most. Thanks for the response I probably will try the meds.

Wow all these words that I have no idea what they mean. MPB, and that other one. ha. Would it be helpful if I took a picture of the balding area just to show everyone what I'm dealing with?

If you want to send a pic I'll take a stab at estimating grafts but that's better done by a qualified consultant. If you submit pics, it's best to take from front, sides, back and top to get the best idea possible of your situation.

Keep in mind, at your age, you have no idea where your loss pattern will end up. I'd wait if I were you.

MPB is Male-Pattern-Baldness........also referred to as Androgenetic Alopecia. Not sure what other term you needed defined.

__________________
Hairbank

1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's
2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong
3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong

GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS

current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day

My Hair Loss Weblog

Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss.