Hi there,
(key facts have been Bolded due to long post)
I'm a 22 year old male born with a high hairline. I won't go into all the boring details but in my childhood I experienced significant bullying as a result of my large forehead. This (and numerous other childhood issues) led to me being severely socially anxious. I've received various types of counselling and have been on numerous anti-depressants since 16, but the anxiety remains.
I the last 2 years I noticed that my hairline was receding even more around the temples, I went to a trichologist and was told that it is unlikely to be MPB and just a natural maturing hairline which will not change much from now on (although it has receded quite far at the temples). This recession caused the anxiety to flare up and resulted in me dropping out of university and quitting my job, as I found myself unable to leave the house and go out in public. I am VERY aware this is not a rational reaction, and that it could be MUCH worse, (I have friends nearly completely bald) but depression and anxiety do not allow you to act rationally, and despite this knowledge I currently find myself severely physically effected by social situations (shaking, sweating etc)
I've had a long fringe to hide my hairline as long as I can remember, but any kind of wind blows my hair up, shows my hairline, and up flares my anxiety. As such I can't remember the last time I went out in public without wearing a hat.
In speaking with my counsellor I was told that obviously I have emotional issues that must be dealt with, but given my extensive (failed) attempts so far to deal with this problem via counselling, a hairline lowering procedure could help alleviate some of my anxiety. It would allow me to have short, easy to maintain hairstyles and lead a more active, less anxious life.
Obviously any procedure would be expensive for a student and I would have to save up for a while, but, what procedures would you recommend looking into? Since I am not showing signs of MPB could I have the current hairline moved down via surgery and excision of excess forehead? Or would I have to get hair implants (FUE etc)?
Before I got any procedure done I would study its pro's and cons and discuss it with my counsellor to see if it was the right decision.
I hope this is the right place to post this as I know it's not balding by MPB or other causes. Apologies for the long post.
Thanks for any advice you can provide!
William.
Edit: Added poorly anonymised photo of myself and hairline. Will take better photo soon as does not show the recession @ the temples.