cloudhead

Thanks for your answer, mattj. @TroyPolamalu79 - Yeah, I have decided to put off getting a transplant for some time, both for seeing what this current regimen can yield over the course of a year (and longer), and for doing more research on possible surgeons (and saving money). And plus, if my hair loss is slowed down enough, maybe I'll decide in the end not to have a transplant -- and that'll be a nice chunk of money saved! But we'll see. All in all, though, I am glad I found this website for both its community and research tools. So thanks again, everyone.

Thanks for the feedback! I am probably looking at my situation with more of a pessimistic eye, so it is good to get other opinions (even if from limited photos). @mattj - So uneven recession is common, but does the way I part my hair have anything to do with it, or is it purely coincidental? Thanks again. I will be sure to update with more results in the coming months.

Hey everyone. So it's been about 6 months since I started taking 1/4 Proscar daily, Rogaine twice daily, and 1% Nizoral twice weekly. Since I keep my hair pretty long, the only hair loss that I have noticed is in my hairline, which bothers me quite a bit. I don't know if these photos can show much, but I am also not sure if I have seen any change in my hair over the last 6 months, apart from maybe even more recession. I did experience quite a bit of shedding in the first months, but that has slowed down. Now most of the shedding I notice is when I apply the Rogaine foam to my hairline. Now I know that Rogaine isn't for the hairline, but I figured it could help maintain what I still have. Is there any possibility it is actually hurting my results? Also, you may notice from the pictures, that the recession is pretty uneven from the right temple to the left (one photo is from the mirror and the other isn't, so they are reversed). Is this common? Or -- I part my hair on the side with more recession, so could that be the reason? I have been considering for a while now getting a transplant at some point in the future, but right now I think I am going to wait and see how the meds pan out for another 6 months or so, and then re-evaluate. Initially my goal was just to try and maintain what I have...however, the possibility of filling out the hairline seems worth it (not anything drastic, just filling out that inward thinning of the forelock). So I have been saving up money and researching doctors. I'm only 24, so I don't want to rush things...but at the same time, I'd like to have a hairline which doesn't make me hate looking in the mirror, and to be able to take advantage of it while I'm still young. I also have a big ol' forehead as it is, and the dark hair doesn't help with the gaps it creates. I do notice thin little hairs growing in, but I know that doesn't mean much. As far as regrowth goes, I don't have any expectations there. Just wanted to share with everyone. I also have more pictures of different angles and from different points in time if anyone is interested. Thanks. >>Edit: I wasn't sure how to label the pictures, but the first is month 0, and the second is month 6 <<

Thanks for the responses. jacksonbrowne - I agree, having my hair matters to me at this stage in my life (20's). Looking back at pictures from when I was 19 and had a flat hairline, the difference is disconcerting. I am 23 and it looks like my forelock is already thinning. I look at my face and feel 23, and then look at my hair and I feel like I'm 40. It's not a good feeling. I know that I'm vain, but whatever, I like my hair, and I want it (what is still there, anyway) to stay put. TakingThePlunge - Thanks for your advice. I checked out your hairloss website, and it looks like you've had some great results. Looking good. I am back on Rogaine, and have decided to start taking finasteride in hopes of preventing any further loss, or at least delaying it. My question is, where can I buy the generic finasteride? You mentioned on your site that you pay $8 a month for your minoxidil and finasteride. Can you point me in any direction for that, or do I need to see my doctor? Everything I see on the internet seems to be way too expensive. I am currently a student on a student budget, so $8/mo sounds pretty good. Also, I realize I am too young for a transplant, but I was wondering when that becomes a possible course of action. And I have read (on the internet, anyway) that finasteride can increase the risk of cancer. I realize that many things on the internet cannot be taken for fact, and that is why I am here on this forum asking this knowledgeable crowd. Does anyone know anything about that? Thanks -

Hello everybody This is my first time posting, and I have some questions regarding my hairline and some possible treatments. As you can see from the pictures below, I would say I am somewhere between a Norwood 2 and a 3? I am 23 years old, and first noticed my hairline receding when I was about 19/20. At that time, I started taking Rogaine, and it seemed to have an effect. After being on it for about a year, I noticed a possible slow down in hair loss, and also the growth of some peach fuzz (fine vellous hairs?) in my hair loss areas around the temples. Does that mean it was working? Unfortunately, due to financial reasons, I had to stop on the rogaine treatment for the past year or so. The receding seems to be increasing, and the middle of my hairline also feels like it is thinning now. The crown of my head seems fine. I am wondering if I go back on a rogaine treatment (I have been able to get some more), will it still have a possibility of working? I have heard that once you stop a treatment like rogaine, starting it back up again will do no good. Is that true? Also, if I switch to the generic 5% minoxidil (much cheaper), will that make any difference? I definitely have baldness in my family, on both sides, but it seems like almost all of the men in my family suffered only from a receding hairline (to a Norwood 5 or 6). It also doesn't help, as you can see in the pictures, that I inherited a big ol' forehead and pretty fine hair, which make it all the more noticeable. Right now I am also taking some biotin vitamins, which my mother said makes for healthy hair. Does this affect/prevent hairloss in any way? I can notice my hair seems a little thicker when I take it. Would anyone recommend anything else? I am aware that I probably won't regrow any hair, but keeping what I have now will help put me at ease, as I do not feel ready at all to be balding so badly at this age (as I'm sure everyone feels). Being bald as an old man, fine, but not in my 20's, please. Thanks a lot for any info/advice.

Just want to say I'm with you man. I'm 23 and am balding pretty seriously from the front. I, too, feel like I'm way too young for this to be happening, especially when I look around me and my friends all have good heads of hair and my brother who is a few years older than me still has all of his hair. I'm new to all this (this is my first post here) so I can't offer any advice on what to do, but I will say, you ain't alone. Good luck to ya.