I got it worse

[lmp1054]

Ive been losing my hair since 17, i'm 20 now have a bald spot in the top of my head and serious reseding hair line. Ive been mistaken for 30. No one has it worse then me.....

 

I'm planning to have this surgury in the next couple of years.

[Jupiter]

everyone has it rough in there own ways, im 19 it sucks ass, stay positive.

[thanatopsis_awry]

Sounds like you have it bad, no doubt; no one deserves to have their physical identity and image morph into a veritable deformity, especially at such a critical age and where this is such stigma.

 

Are you on treatments -- propecia, rogaine foam 5%, nizoral 2% shampoo? Try concealers yet -- dermmatch/nanogen? Ever buzz your head? In any event, one good thing is that you have found this forum before rushing into an operation with someone anything less than stellar.

 

Anyways, I too have been mistaken or figured to be 10+ years above my actual age, as well, while in my early twenties. And losses struck me at astoundingly inopportune time (not that there is every an "opportune" time). You aren't alone, and more importantly there are others who have been where you are and conquered!

 

I would seriously look into the aforementioned. A combination of all those suggestions did not cure me, far from it; however, it helped me get through the days and make gradual improvements in my life while leading up to my HT.

[MrJobi]

Hey man we have all been there. Maybe a little later for some of us ( me at 22) but watching your hair fall is no fun.. I would take the advice from Thanatopsis. Look into your options and no dout I would shave my head

 

You are young and can get away with it

[lmp1054]

Thank You everyone for all the replies.

 

I have shaved my head and I ended up looking like my father....

 

I cannot look at myself in the mirror it makes me physically sick....

But,

 

Ive decided to go ahead and serious think about this surgery.

 

From what i have gathered I will need 3000 graphs to increase the density in my crown area and to create a smaller forehead.

 

I want to have this surgery by the end of the year so that gives me 8 months to find a physition and to also figure out how to get $10k to pay for it.....

[MrJobi]

Imp

 

Take it easy, you should looking into stabilizing your hairloss with meds first in my opinion.. We all have been through what you are talking about..

 

- not looking in the mirror

- looking in the mirror for hours

- avoiding lights which shows your thinning

- hats

- trying every vitamin possible

- depression

 

You need to take a proactive approach and start the process of stopping the hairloss .. You are a bit young for an HT.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Imp,

 

Welcome to our forum community.

 

From the sounds of it, you have very aggressive hair loss, and at your young age and aggressiveness of hair loss, hair transplantation is most likely not going to be an option for you at this point.

 

As others have stated above, hair loss treatments to attempt to stabilize your hair loss and maybe even regrow hair are important. Talk to your physician about getting on Propecia and Rogaine, and possibly Nizoral or Revita shampoo to supplement.

 

Give these hair loss medications some time to see if they are working for you (at least a year).

 

Hair transplantation is very risky at young ages, especially since the earlier you lose hair, the greater risk that you will go completely bald (norwood level 7). Achieving a "full head of hair" is not possible with hair transplant surgery, especially for those who are on their way to high levels of balding.

 

I know hair loss sucks, but I encourage you not to let it ruin your life. Many people shave their head by choice as this is the "in" look. Many women are also attracted to bald guys. Seek possible treatments, but keep living your life!

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[dakota3]

It takes a while to get used to something. You shaved your head and immediatlly hated it, how ever shave it for a good 2 months and you'll notice slowly but surely you'll get used to it. I was in the same boat, but i jumped into it before i weighed out all of my options. I went ahead a got the HT w/ one of the hair mills and i regret it every day. Thats not to say im not going to do it again with a good doctor eventually, but now i dont have a choice, unless i dont mind the 8 inch scar on the back of my head. BE CAREFULL!!! Any GOOD doctor would not just give you a HT at your age. Im sure you hate to hear that, but we are just looking out for you. Imagine if you will, you get a HT in 6 months and best case senerio it all grows in. Now fast foward 10 years.. You still have the transplanted hairs but the ones all around it have fallen out. Now what you've got is a little island on the top of your head w/ a nice scar on the back and maybe not enough donar density to cover the rest of the scalp. If you wait 4 or 5 years a good doc can now safley predict the extent of future hair loss and take the right approach to give you the most natural HT. People think that your 20's are the most important time of your life, when in all actuality its after that-that is the most important and potentially the best time. Shave your head now, give it a few months and then get back to us on how much heartache and aggrivation you saved yourself for doing that.

[wylie]

Combining an impatient youth with promises of a full head of hair by some shyster with slick marketing and no business doing a HT is m uch worse than just going bald. Getting a HT is like having a child in some ways, its a decision you have to deal with for life, so making informed choices about it is essential. When people are young they tend to be more impulsive sometime, I sure was. I wish this forum was around when I looked into getting my first one!

 

Rogaine might regrow it but I wouldnt be surprised if in 10 years there is a cure, and the good news is you will still be young. In the meantime dont rush into anything unless you are sure you know what you are doing.

 

(BTW, I love it how the top three threads in this forum are titled "Depression", "I got it worse" and "This is the best thing I ever did !!!")

 

Kind of sums up everyones feelings in three threads.

[lmp1054]

My, 21st birthday is coming up and I dont feel like celebrating because, well I dont like the looks I get when I tell people i'm 20 or soon to be 21 because I know they think I'm significant older. I have gotten into the habit of always wearing a hat. I dont like takin it off either. I dont want to go to a nice bar or club for my birthday cuz they wont allow hats, it sounds stupid, but its how I feel.

 

Hair loss has taken my youth

[Arrie]

lmp,

Listen what you are feeling is not stupid in any way, trust me many of us if not all of us experienced what you are going through I'mm only 26 and I just got an ht, I was considering one at 20-21 also. Trust me hold off a few years like they said try to stabilize it first. Work out get into some hobbies you really love (sports, music, etc..) Don't be like many if you don't go out make it positive save your money for a possible future procedure, go to school and work your ass off and get ri ch, ok ok successful. WHAT YOU ARE FEELING IS NOT STUPID YOU ARE HUMAN. Take care of yourself...

[Clive McQuire]

Imp

 

Totally empathise with you, as will all the guys on here!!

 

When i lost mine i hated looking at photograhs, and the worst was downward looking CCTV cameras!

 

However put it in perspective, you are young and healthy! so enjoy life, as Bill says, a lot of woman like bald guys!!

 

All the best

 

Clive.

[tofueornottofue]

Imp,

 

Listen to the advice from everyone here, most have been through the same feelings as you. It would be best to wait, find another hairstyle that works for you now. Maybe short but not shaved? Maybe the messy spike? Something to keep you comfortable so you can forget the hair problem and live your life like any other 20 y/o.

 

Try to remember, we judge ourselves and notice our hair issues, most people don't really care how our hair looks. This may be hard for you to grasp now..but it is true.

 

You have plenty of time to go with surgery, remember, you most likely would end up having multiple HT's. There is always the possibility that you will never be happy with the results.

 

Hope this helps you bro.

 

T

[exibel]

If i could of turned back the clock and not had two bodged up surgeries i would of just shaved it off.If i was you keep it shaved off.People will get used to it and im sure you will stop worrying about it..

[Dewayne]

Originally posted by exibel:

If i could of turned back the clock and not had two bodged up surgeries i would of just shaved it off.If i was you keep it shaved off.People will get used to it and im sure you will stop worrying about it..

 

Excellent advice exibel. I would too. Instead of the transplant at 25 that soon became apparant, I would've just worked out constantly and shaved it everyday.

 

Hell, now my wife makes comments about guys with shaved head looking good. And she's hot!

[Jupiter]

man, reading this truely hurts my soul. you seem like a goodkid you cant be goin through life man so sad about this. its your 21st birthday dude, go get drunk at the bar you wanna get drunk at man.. don't let your hairloss bog you down to the point you can't celebrate the day of your birth. your parents had you for many more reasons than to see flowing hair. for real man im not gona tell you to get help, but shit ill talk to ufor awhile dude, there is no reason to get this sad man, GO GET DRUNK. get so drunk you bick ur hair off and then laugh about it in the morning. YOUR 21!!!!!! who gives a shit if someone says you look 30? tell them how fat there asses are? anyway dude, goodluck coming from a 19year old who could very well be your friend.

[MrJobi]

At the end of the day we really need to keep things into perspective.. I know , I know, it is hard.. I have been there ..

 

BUT shave your head and then look into meds and see what happens.. It can only get better from the hair standpoint..

[thanatopsis_awry]

You seem "paralyzed" by your hairloss; if things don't improve talk to your family, doctor, anyone that knows you personally. You shouldn' be going through life like this, and while a HT is one way to combat what ails you, there are others also.

 

Did you end up getting some consults? Getting a HT isn't out of the question for you, and a top clinic can assess your individual case and let you know if they can help you.

 

Concealers, plus a physical hobby, in the meantime -- look into that, for real.

[Truth Seeker]

OK, what is the deal with Nizoral? I see it at Target, but it's marketed as an anti-dandruff shampoo. What's the benefit of Nizoral for hair loss purposes?

[HairDew]

From what I understand all "hair supporting" shampoos don't really regrow your hair, rather make your hair look fuller, thus giving an illusion of having more hair. I've tried Nizoral and Nioxin for a few months and I didn't really see ANY difference.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Truth Seeker,

 

Nizoral contains an ingredient called ketoconazole which has been shown to have some "weak" anti-DHT properties. In my opinion, it probably won't do a lot to stop hair loss or regrow hair on its own, but may work synergistically with Propecia and Rogaine.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill