advise please

[goose]

I am new here and am in need of some advise from both the veterans as well as some young people. My son is just turning nineteen and is beginning to experience significant hair loss. I just looked a picture of him from last year when he graduated from high school and it is very obvious that he is receding dramatically and has that kind of see through look to the front part of his head. I took him to the dermatologist about four months back when he began complaining about seeing alot of hair in the shower drain. The doctor explained about Propecia and rogain and when i asked him what he would do if it were his decision, he simply replied "nothing". So that is exactly what we did. Subsequent to that visit my son went back to college to finish out the year and continued to call home complaining about his hair loss. When he returned home for the summer we immediately went back to the doctor to get the Propecia, that was about six weeks ago. He wants nothing to do with the rogain because he says it is not a practical solution for when he goes back to school.He began taking biotin and silica for the connective tissue. My son has always been a very shy kid but really came into his own when he began college. I cannot help but to kick myself because even as i was helping him move into his dorm last year i can remember noticing that he had some thinning and was perhaps beginning to lose his hair.At the time i did not want to address the subject with him in fear of upsetting him or undermining his confidence before beginning college. In retrospect that was probably a huge mistake in that it is now obvious to me that time is of the essence and that he could have saved alot of hair had he started the propecia sooner. My question to the veterans is when is it to soon to consult a hair restoration physician? My question to the young guys is how are any of you dealing with this? Any and all imput will be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

[goose]

I am new here and am in need of some advise from both the veterans as well as some young people. My son is just turning nineteen and is beginning to experience significant hair loss. I just looked a picture of him from last year when he graduated from high school and it is very obvious that he is receding dramatically and has that kind of see through look to the front part of his head. I took him to the dermatologist about four months back when he began complaining about seeing alot of hair in the shower drain. The doctor explained about Propecia and rogain and when i asked him what he would do if it were his decision, he simply replied "nothing". So that is exactly what we did. Subsequent to that visit my son went back to college to finish out the year and continued to call home complaining about his hair loss. When he returned home for the summer we immediately went back to the doctor to get the Propecia, that was about six weeks ago. He wants nothing to do with the rogain because he says it is not a practical solution for when he goes back to school.He began taking biotin and silica for the connective tissue. My son has always been a very shy kid but really came into his own when he began college. I cannot help but to kick myself because even as i was helping him move into his dorm last year i can remember noticing that he had some thinning and was perhaps beginning to lose his hair.At the time i did not want to address the subject with him in fear of upsetting him or undermining his confidence before beginning college. In retrospect that was probably a huge mistake in that it is now obvious to me that time is of the essence and that he could have saved alot of hair had he started the propecia sooner. My question to the veterans is when is it to soon to consult a hair restoration physician? My question to the young guys is how are any of you dealing with this? Any and all imput will be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

[Mahair]

Goose,I am so glad you came to this forum before seeing *a* hair restoration physician.You should be made aware that there are very few real doctors in this field.The majority are simply put quacks,conmen and butchers who would undoubtedly play on your concern for your son and his justifiable concern over his hairloss to their advantage and disfigure him without remorse.A visit with a ligitamate doctor would not be a bad idea there are some listed on this site, there are many pitfalls and your visit here may help you avoid them.

[terry mitchell]

Goose, being a veteran of "the hair wars", I can sympathize with your son losing his hair at a young age. Mahair is right. You have to avoid the charlatans and conmen. You took a good first step by posting on this site. The Dr. who told you to do nothing, probably doesn't have an issue with hair loss. Again, seeing a reputable hair loss Dr. is the best way to get a handle on your son's hair loss issues. Good luck. Terry

[kg007]

Goose -

 

I feel for your son. I am 24. I started losing hair when I was about 18-19. First thing I did was I went to my dermatalogist. She recommended Propecia. Now I have been on propecia for 4 years and it has helped me a lot. It has slowed down my hairloss dramatically. My hair looks same as it did 4 years ago (or may be even better). I say STAY AWAY from rogaine!! I used it on my crown for 2 years and when I stopped I suffered so much hair loss on crown.I don't recommend it to anybody.

 

I just had my first Hair Transplant about 7 months ago. I must say I am much happier now than before Hair transplant. I have so much confidence now.

 

Everybody handles this situation differently. But I became very anti-social and never took my hat off. So I can imagive what your son is going thru.

 

But like Mahair & Terry mentioned, don't go to just any hair transplant surgeons. There're very few qualified surgeons out there who would give you their honest opinion. Stay away from Bosley/MHR/Hair Club. I went to Dr. Sharon Keene in Arizona. She's highly qualified and one of the finest out there. In my opinion, you should not even consider hair transplant for your son for another 2-3 years until he's 21-22.

 

Good luck with everything.

 

KG

[goose]

Kg,Terry and Mahair thank you very much for responding so quickly.Kg,do you have thinning in the frontal region as well and if so did the Propecia help to slow or stop the loss in that area? Is there anything else that he can be doing besides the rogain?

[tymman]

Goose-

 

I feel your son's pain. I started loosing my hair at 22. I started noticing a thin spot on my crown in the begining of the year(feb/march96). I saw alot of hair falling out over the next few months. by the end of the year(nov/dec96) I had a 2 inch bald spot. I started using rogaine/monixidil at that time. I used it for four months, I tought it wasn't doing anything plus I hated putting on everyday!!!! I stopped using it apr/may97. I noticed by the middle of june my crown bald spot was getting shinnier and bigger! a few months later my hair line started to show signs of "see through". I tried every snake oil in this country(nioxin, ?nizoral?, thickening shampoos, AVAcore, saw palmetto/vitamins) none worked. I moved to the Philippines and tried the what they had out there, none worked. by march 99 I decide to try FINASTERIDE(Propecia/Proscar) used it for a year expecting to see new growth but didn't get what I wanted, I did notice not as much was falling out after 3-6 months of using it. My DHT must have been on the warpath cause a couple of months after stopping Propecia I had handfulls of hair coming out in the shower. My roomates used to tease me by collecting the hairs after I showered and taping them together, then leaving them on the coffee table with a note "these belong to you".

 

My point is this - your son can use Propecia and Minoxidil. Do not expect a dramatic return of the hair line or thickness on the crown. The best he can do is stop the advancement of balding. If I would have stuck with the products and followed thier directions when I used them I would not have had so much loss. Minoxidil can stinulate hair follicles to grow, thier survival dependes on continuing the use of the product- INDEFINITELY!!! Procpecia(FINASTERIDE)/Proscar can slow and eventually stop the hair from falling out by reducing DHT production. Using the products is going to be costly and always indefinitely, that may be why the doctor told you to do nothing. I personally would love to be at those first stages of hair loss and restart the treatments. I would not have gone through all the heartache, I spent more money on "snake oils" than I would have on a solid regimen of Minoxidil & Propecia. Alot of people don't like the thought of treatment for the rest of your life, but the fact is there is no cure for baldness, it is progressive, and there are only ways around it. Now I am 31 and I have just had HT done 2 days ago, it is a little painful but the benefits will be awesome. And even with the HT I still am going to use Minoxidil/Propecia to combat mother nature(DHT). If you want to show your son what to expect (or something like it) if he does nothing, then look at my photo album.

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=

 

In the mean time your son can use some cover up products like TOPIK. These are day to day temporary quick fixes. They wash out in the shower. So far in my opinion to stop balding - stop DHT with Propecia, try to stimulate hair follicles with Minoxidil. Look around this forum and research HT doctors, if that is the route your son decides to take, there are many good ones talked about here! Best of luck!

[kg007]

Goose -

 

I agree with Tymman. Don't waste your energy and money on Oils and all the stuff that claims to regrow hair. Tell your son to get on Propecia asap. I recommend to STAY AWAY from rogaine. Your son will regret using it.

 

Yes I do have thinning in front, but it's not see thru. Yes propecia has helped me big time. I don't think I have lost much hair (if any) in last 4 years since I have been on propecia. It will not regrow any new hair, but it will definitely hold on to what's left. But you have to understand it's a lifelong commitment. If he stops taking it, his hair loss progression will continue. You will end up spending 45-50 dollars a month on propecia. I know it's expensive but it's worth it. Other than Propecia, I don't think there's anything you can do.

 

You can use toppic like Tymman suggested, but I don't recommend it because it will play with your son's emotions. I mean when you put it on, you'll be so happy about your hair, but when you take a shower and when it all comes off and you see yourself in the mirror, you'll be so depressed. Also toppic/dermmatch is very visible in certain lights. But it's my own opinion. I know lot of guys use it and they're happy about it.

 

I hope this helps.

 

KG

[Robert_]

Goose,

 

You are recieving some great advise from these guys. I, too, began losing my hair at 17 or 18. Your son is certainly lucky that you are as concerned as you are for his emotional well-being through this situation.

 

I am posting some helpful educational links below for you and/or him to peruse to give you some background info on hair loss, its causes, and treatment options.

 

Before that, though, I want to add that in addition to Propecia, your son may want to add Nizoral 2% (available by prescription)three times a week, 5 minutes at a time and Nioxin shampoo and scalp therapy conditioner (available at mall salons) to his regimen. Other than using minoxidil, which can be a real pain and you have to use it indefinitely, that is a solid medicinal approach.

 

Some helpful links:

 

The cause of baldness

 

Race, age, gender and hairloss

 

Hair Loss Articles

 

Books on Hair Loss

 

Common Questions

 

Hope these help. Good luck!

 

-Robert

[tymman]

Goose-

 

HAVE YOUR SON LOOK AT THIS ENTIRE WEBSITE!!! It's awesome seeing your concern but, bottom line is- He is the one who has to look at his head everyday.. He really needs to see what other hair loss sufferers are going through before he can understand what options are available. What works for me or KG or Rob may not be what will work for him. Get him doing the homework now so he can decide what will be his best approach. Also have him talk to some HT doctors, get thier advice (you don't want to commit to ANY SURGERY just yet, but see what they are saying. Have your son look at the photo albums on this site also, he will get a glimpse of what he might be looking at in the future. And one more time- take something internal to stop DHT, use something external to stimulate new growth but be prepared to use it for life! We are all pretty much saying the same thing!