Concerned doctor? Stupid doctor?

[outhere]

Hi guys,

 

I finally found a good (recommended) hair transplant doctor and recently had my free consultation. The consultant had a look at my hair and gave me some practical advice. I was told that I would not be able to have a hair transplant for at least 5 years (I'm 21 now) because of my young age. Whilst a bit frustrated at first I was glad that I had found a group which was actually concerned about my welfare rather than my money.

 

I was also informed that the best thing I could do now was get on Propecia/Proscar now and start using Rogaine or something similar, and that I should go and see my doctor about getting a prescription. So I went to go and see my family doctor, whom I have been seeing for nearly 20 years and asked for a prescription for Propecia. Without even looking at my hair, he firstly said

"You have plenty of hair, don't worry about it".

 

After explaining that I knew my hair was thinning rapidly he said that he would refer me to a dermatologist which I am seeing next month. He then said:

"The dermatologist will tell you what the problem is, it's no doubt just a scalp problem causing the loss, and it can be fixed and your hair will grow back. Guys your age don't lose their hair. Relax."

 

After a friendly debate over weather or not I needed the Propecia prescription or not he concluded:

"Look at Bruce Willis, he lost his hair and everyone still thinks he's sexy. I don't want to prescribe a hormonal drug to a young man of your age"

 

At this point I knew he wasn't going to give me the prescription so I pretended to agree with him and off I went. I was so furious that he wouldn't even listen to my concerns, firstly saying that I wasn't losing hair and then saying that it didn't matter if I did. I drove down the road and found a young doctor whom I had never seen before and got the prescription in 5 minutes.

 

Of course I am seeing the dermatologist still in one month because I'd like as many opinions as possible. I understand that my original doctor was concerned about my physical well-being but what about the emotional effect of losing your hair?

 

Any feedback would be an interesting read! Thanks

[outhere]

Hi guys,

 

I finally found a good (recommended) hair transplant doctor and recently had my free consultation. The consultant had a look at my hair and gave me some practical advice. I was told that I would not be able to have a hair transplant for at least 5 years (I'm 21 now) because of my young age. Whilst a bit frustrated at first I was glad that I had found a group which was actually concerned about my welfare rather than my money.

 

I was also informed that the best thing I could do now was get on Propecia/Proscar now and start using Rogaine or something similar, and that I should go and see my doctor about getting a prescription. So I went to go and see my family doctor, whom I have been seeing for nearly 20 years and asked for a prescription for Propecia. Without even looking at my hair, he firstly said

"You have plenty of hair, don't worry about it".

 

After explaining that I knew my hair was thinning rapidly he said that he would refer me to a dermatologist which I am seeing next month. He then said:

"The dermatologist will tell you what the problem is, it's no doubt just a scalp problem causing the loss, and it can be fixed and your hair will grow back. Guys your age don't lose their hair. Relax."

 

After a friendly debate over weather or not I needed the Propecia prescription or not he concluded:

"Look at Bruce Willis, he lost his hair and everyone still thinks he's sexy. I don't want to prescribe a hormonal drug to a young man of your age"

 

At this point I knew he wasn't going to give me the prescription so I pretended to agree with him and off I went. I was so furious that he wouldn't even listen to my concerns, firstly saying that I wasn't losing hair and then saying that it didn't matter if I did. I drove down the road and found a young doctor whom I had never seen before and got the prescription in 5 minutes.

 

Of course I am seeing the dermatologist still in one month because I'd like as many opinions as possible. I understand that my original doctor was concerned about my physical well-being but what about the emotional effect of losing your hair?

 

Any feedback would be an interesting read! Thanks

[Robert_]

Ever hear the saying, "Get a second opinion"? Of course you have. When a physician makes a diagnosis, it is his opinion that he is giving.

 

I especially like the line, "Guys your age don't lose their hair." I wish that doctor would tell that to all the young (21 and younger) guys that I talk to almost daily that are experiencing MPB.

 

It sounds like he really does have concern but he also doesn't know much about MPB and refuses to learn. It kind of makes me wonder what else he is diagnosing and/or dismissing lightly.

 

Go see the dermatologist, but be warned that you may get more of the same. People have come back from trips to dermatologists to post on the forums hopping mad and spitting fire because their dermatologist wasn't up-to-speed on everything hair loss related.

 

-Robert

[terry mitchell]

outhere, I like your approach to your hair loss problem. I hope it's a treatable skin problem and not male pattern hair loss. That will be your lucky day. If you do have MPB, staying on the Propecia could be your salvation. As for the first doctor, I think he was well-meaning, but a bit insensitive to your needs. I started losing my hair at the age of 23. Men can and do lose their hair at a young age. I think you got great advice from your ht consult. Reassess the situation in a few years and stay on the Propecia if, indeed you do have MPB. Best of luck. Terry.

[hairworthy]

I liked the bit about Bruce Willis.

 

Nr 1: the guy is rich and famous, his sex appeal has nothing to do with his baldness. If he wasn't a Hollywood actor nobody would notice him in the street. So of course, given the choice between staying bald and being Bruce Willis (and shagging Demi, amongst other things) or getting an HT whilst remaining an average European guy for the rest of my life, I too might go for the first option ;-)

 

Nr 2: he wears hair systems in most of his movies

 

Nr 3: he's never hidden his interest in HTs and future hairloss treatment methods such as HM, which proves that he's not completely happy with his look.

[Gorpy]

You are doing the right thing by getting second opinions. Here's an example of something that happened to me recently. This is not hair related, but is an example of why second opinions and specialists are so important. I was feeling some knee pain for a few months and it wasn't going away. I went to see my family doctor who I've been seeing for years. I think he's a great doctor. It's just that I found out, he doesn't know everything. He looked at my knee, check the range of motion, twisted and poked. Then he said, "It's just tendonitis. Give it some rest and you'll be fine". Well, after a couple more weeks, I felt there was something more serious wrong. I decided to find the best local orthopedic specialist on knees in my city. The difference was amazing. He immediately grabbed and twisted my knee such a way that allowed him to feel a certain "click". Which was a tell tail sign of a torn tendon.

Sorry to be long winded. Moral of the story. Doctors don't know everything about every field. See a specialist.

 

BTW - I got my prescription for Proscar from the Dr. I consulted with.

[outhere]

Thanks for your insights & experiences guys

 

So it seems to moral of the story is doctors don't know everything and you should always head for a second or even third opinion.

 

I wish I could say my hair-loss/thinning was skin related & could be treatable. I've always had fine hair and I have always had a problem with a flakey scalp which in the past I've only tried basic anti-dandruff shampoos to aid. When I went to see the consultant, he actually told me it would be worth while to see a dermatologist. Sounds hopeful I suppose, but MPB seems to run in the family (both of my grandparents). Plus my diet isn't entirely shocking but it's not the best either, but I've already made changes to that so there's nothing more I can do there.

 

My overall gut feeling is that it's a mix of all three of the above (MPB, skin related problem & average diet)

 

I am now curious to know if it is skin-related ... what would be the outcome of my hair loss considering MPB is in the family? If it was currently primarily skin-related... is it treatable & to what extent? Also does anyone have any idea if it would be likely to be skin related from what I've mentioned above, or is this maybe a one in a hundred off chance? Of course I'll find all of this out when I go to dermatologist but I'd also love to hear some opinions of people like you! Thanks again for giving me the time!

[hairworthy]

MPB and diet are unrelated. You should eat healthily for your heart, not your hair.

[arfy]

Lots of doctors are not up to speed on Propecia yet. And some doctors are concerned with long term medications. Nobody should take Propecia lightly, just for the heck of it... it is a serious drug.

 

My feeling is that if your hair loss bothers you enough to think about surgery (hair transplants) then using Propecia is certainly a reasonable step to take. Propecia does work very well for some guys, pretty good for some guys, and for a few guys it doesn't work (about 1 in 5 get no reults, but 4 out of 5 do! Not bad odds.)

 

Don't hold it against your regular doc, go see the dermatologist, who specializes in Skin and Hair.

[Christian]

I know this is an old post but for the new young ones reading this, I would advise opening your ears abit and LISTENING to what your doctors say. Sure getting a second opinion is great but I have to agree with what your primary doctor had to say. First, you are pretty young to be considering a hair transplant period. I too was thinning at an early age but I looked for other solutions first. As for using Propecia at 21, again I would hold off. Rogaine and Propecia have a shelf life in it's effectiveness on combating MPB(don't take my word for it... go visit hairlosstalk.com and do a few months of reading). their are plenty of other products I would recommend trying (DHT blockers etc...)before going to the big three. Your primary doctor maybe correct. It could be something as simply as a bad diet and lack of exercise(and YES this can have an effect on hair loss).

[Bill - Seemiller]

Christian,

 

I disagree with your advice, despite bringing back the old thread .

 

Whether or not Propecia has a shelf-life can be debated with evidence from men who have used it far many years past and it's still working for them. The effectiveness does go down after so many years, but it's still worth getting on it ASAP. 21, IMO, is a fine age to start. Truthfully, I wish I would have gotten on it at that age when i first started losing my hair. That all being said...whether or not you start Finasteride at 21 or 30, once it goes past it's shelf life (as you say), you would lose all the hair you were genetically programmed to lose anyway. BUT, for someone who is 21 and losing hair quickly...by 30 he could be a NW 6 and never benefit from the efficacy of the medication.

 

I know there are many factors that can contribute to hairloss, however, since the majority of Americans live on a "bad diet" and "lack of exercise" certainly you are not arguing that changing your diet would solve everyone's hair problems? I see many fat and out of shape men with a full thick head of hair. I don't envy their bodies, but I do envy their hair! The way I see it...is a poor diet and lack of exercise may enhance hairloss, but even with a good diet and exercise, the hair will eventually fall out. Keep in mind I'm not saying you are WRONG about the contributing factors diet and exercise may play. However, I am making a case why finasteride is an important step in trying to keep your existing hair. Surely, diet and exercise are an important part to keeping your overall self healthy...so I have no dispute of encouraging people to do this!

 

Bill

[MrJobi]

Hi

 

Had to chime in .. First of all DHT blocker other than the Big 2 just don't work. There is no credible evidence, they just don't do anything. In addition, doctors today presecribe acutane which is a very harmful drug as well as all of these antidespressant drugs.. People smoke, eat poorly ( which will rarely cause hairloss unless there is a severe allergeic cause or lack of vitamins etc). I'm not saying this merits taking propecia but there are a hell of a lot of other "risks' out there as well. As far as a doctors opinion, please. They are as consistent as a womans moods..

 

Do research and make an educated choice..

[NikkiJ]

I have been to lectures where hair restoration surgeons have given talks on hair loss, and you would be amazed on how much the doctor's DIDN'T know.

 

The physicians didn't even seem to understand what Rogaine was and why it worked.

 

I would only advise going to a hair transplant surgeon or a dermatologist for advice on hair loss.

[Guest]

Outthere, Smart Doctor....you asked.

You are to young IMO, you should wait it out.

[George8211]

Wheather the Doc gave this advice to this person ill informed or not...

 

I like that he told him.... that there's nothing wrong with hairloss. And gave some examples of others. There are lots of people who are ok without the hair... and bald is a good look for them. Look how popular shaving your head has become (for some).

 

Individuals need to carefully review all their options.... put some deep thought into it. This doctor visit is forcing him to evaluate his situation more closely.

 

That Bald wedsite out there has some very good points and good information on it. It is a very valid option for people with the right look, the right attitude and secure in themselves.

[Al - Moderator]

I don't believe in the "shelf life" for propecia/proscar. I've been taking it for 10 years now and my hair has been thickening and growing in faster and better as time goes by... and I take a lower dose to keep my hair growing now than I needed the first 5 or 6 years.

 

I think what generally happens is hair loss starts out slow and keeps speeding up for a few years. Then as you get older, the hair loss slows down again since your testosterone levels start to drop. The rate and speed is different for everyone of course

 

Most men start taking propecia/minoxidil/etc towards the beginning on their hair loss and it works well for a while. but as they get into the years where their hair would be falling out the fastest, the drugs don't have the effect they did earlier because it's now a tougher fight. So it seems like there's a shelf life and it no longer works. However, it's still keeping the rate of loss at a slower pace than it would be. If you keep at it, you'll eventually get through those heavy loss years to where your hair loss will slow down again and the drugs will start having an easier time growing new hair. If you've been able to keep enough hair growing in the bad years, then you'll have a much easier time growing hair after that.

 

This is what happened to me. For the last 10 years I have used only 2 things for my hair: Proscar and Nizoral shampoo. The combination has worked well. I've slowly gained hair every year and the last 2 years it's been coming in better than ever. I'm even getting a bit of growth in my temples where there hasn't been hair in over 15 years.

[Al - Moderator]

Regarding a doctor telling you that you're too young to have MPB...

 

I started losing my hair at age 16. It started out as a bit of thinning in the crown. I went to a dermatologist at age 19. He looked at my scalp and pulled a few hairs and said there was nothing wrong with me, I wasn't losing my hair, and I'd have a lot of hair for many years to come. I was a NW 6 by age 21... just 2 years later. I then had a hair transplant at age 22. This was in the late 80s. I just turned 40.

 

By the way... the dermatologist I went to was totally shiny bald.