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Is there really no way to combat a receding hairline?


mxm

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My hairline has been receeding a lot lately to the point where it is getting very noticable. I'm only 16 years old, so surgery is not an option at the moment. Is there any way I can reverse this process and grow some hair around my temples?

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My hairline has been receeding a lot lately to the point where it is getting very noticable. I'm only 16 years old, so surgery is not an option at the moment. Is there any way I can reverse this process and grow some hair around my temples?

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mxm,

 

Welcome to the Hair Restoration Research forums.

 

You are correct in that surgery is not an option for you at the moment. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you are seeing a receding hair line at 16, then you are most likely predisposed for a good bit more recession and thinning in the years to come.

 

Hair loss at a young age is tough. The first thing that I think you should do is to make an appointment with a dermatologist that is familiar with male-patter baldness to ensure that it is, in fact, male-pattern baldness that you are experiencing and that your thinning is not the result of some other underlying condition. Since you are thinning at the hairline, I kind of doubt that it is anything else, but better safe than sorry.

 

Propecia is not marketed for staving off hair loss at the hair line or temples, but it couldn't hurt. At your age, however, you should definitely consult a physician before taking it. Don't take my statements as condescending, I know what it's like to start thinning at a young age - it sucks. I just don't want to see you get "led down the path" buying "snake oils."

 

The fact of the matter is, there is really nothing available that is guaranteed to regrow or even halt hairloss at the temples. There are treatments that can help, and may even do some good. The problem is that ones like minoxidil have to be taken indefinitely to maintain the benefits. If the medication is discontinued, you will lose the hair you regrew or kept pretty rapidly. It's definitely not as easy to come back by a second time around, either.

 

Talk to a dermatologist to assess if you really are experiencing male-pattern baldness. Check back with the forums and let us know how it went. There are some treatments used by members here that may really help you but it would do no good to use them if the problem isn't mpb and is something else.

 

Good luck, buddy. Keep in touch.

 

-Robert

------------------------------

 

Check out the results of my surgical hair restoration performed by Dr. Jerry Cooley by visiting my Hair Loss Weblog

 

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Some recession is considered normal when you become a mature adult, even in guys who have no male pattern baldness whatsoever. As Robert said, get an appointment with a good dermatologist (they specialize in skin and hair).

 

Take a look at a product called Revivogen, it is supposed to be a topical DHT blocker. (I'm not saying definitely buy it, I'm saying take a look at it... do a Google search. Decide for yourself if you think it looks legit, or bogus).

 

Revivogen should be safe to use at your age. It's not going to be as effective as Propecia, however as Robert explained, you are too young for Propecia (you probably need to be at least 18... maybe older. Fully grown and adult). Propecia is not for teens.

 

Revivogen is supposed to inhibit DHT (which is what Propecia does), but I suspect it does it in a weaker way than Propecia (and not enter your system the way Propecia does). And Revivogen does not require a precription. It probably has a mild effect but since you are just starting to lose hair, it may be effective until you can get on something stronger.

 

Good luck!

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Ok, I'm trying hard to get my mom to take me to the dermatologist but she won't. Shes being rediculous. It's getting bad. People are starting to notice and I'm hearing jokes about it constantly.

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mxm,

 

I can relate to your anxiety, as I noticed some recession at aroung the age of 17. This may sound crazy, but what I did, almost nightly, massage my temples and the back of my neck. My friends dad told me to do that, and for the next 20 years, I staved off what I would have considered disaster and realized very slow recession. Those who gave me trouble passed me up by the age of 25, and were surprised I had no noticable hair loss. I eventually had a procedure at the age of 38, though my recession was still at a point where a procedure wouldn't be noticeable, only an enhancement, as I call it. If propecia was available earlier, I probably could have avoided a procedure all together. So bottom line, it's something you could always try, if nothing else it feels soothing.

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mxm,

 

Arfy mentioned to you about taking a look at Revivogen. If I'm not mistaken, saw palmetto is one of the main ingredients in Revivogen. Perhaps you might want to try saw palmetto. You'd have nothing to lose other than about $10 per month. Nizoral is something else that may be suitable for someone your age. It's a therapeutic shampoo that is supposed to rid the scalp of dht.

 

GuitarPlayer

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I dont know if its just me, but it seems as if i have lost a decent amount of hair w/in the past week or so. I finally convinced my mom to bring me to the dr., so i assume shell be looking into that in the near future.

 

Is it true, that stress will also cause hairloss? It seems to make sense, b/c I've had a terrible week.

 

I also have extremely thin hair, will any of these suggestions make my hair thicker? If you look at my hair from certain angles, you can see my scalp.

 

tkotko, how long did you perform the massages for, and do you think they really helped in slowing your balding process?

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my mom never took me to see a dermatologist, but i guess she asked someone at work and they reccomended rogaine.

 

she ordered it and it came in the male, but im guessing she read the box and saw that its notfor use for those undre 18, and that it doesnt help w/ the hairline, because she hasn't given it to me/said anything yet.

 

also, im almost positive that the front of my hairline is starting to dissapear too. i don't see how/why this could be happening at this young of an age???

 

im going to look more into saw palmetto and then try and have her get that for me.

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Stress can definitely be a factor in hair loss and I can tell by reading the thread you're stressed out big time.

 

This may have been mentioned but if not....see if your Mother would at least sit with you and look at some of the info. on this forum. Read some of the threads and see the concern and issues regarding hair loss. It might cause her to understand the concern of hair loss to men of all ages.

 

As was mentioned at first..........when a Doc says it's safe for you to do so start on Propecia (finasteride). If may slow or in some cases halt your loss. In any case, it might buy you some time with less loss until you're old enough to consider a hair transplant if you still need one.

Hairbank

 

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2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong

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current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day

 

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Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ;) ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss.

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Mxm,

 

Have you tried any of the hair thickening shampoos on the market? I have very fine hair as well and have found hair thickening shampoos to be quite useful. Some of the ones I have had good results with are Loreal Vive for Men and Jason "Thin to Thick." Perhaps you might want to try two days with a hair thickening shampoo and then Nizoral on the third day. Then repeat the process.

 

GuitarPlayer

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Originally posted by GuitarPlayer:

Some of the ones I have had good results with are Loreal Vive for Men GuitarPlayer

 

That's what I've been using for the last couple of months...I haven't really noticed a difference.

 

I'm going to see the dermatologist on tuesday...finally. I'm kind of nervous as to what he's going to say, but hey, I have nothing to lose other than more hair if i don't go.

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MXM

 

Sorry about your situation as I remember when my hair started falling out at around 23..You could probably see a regular doctor as well to see if it is MPB.. If it is, get on Propecia to stop the hairloss now.. Different people start losing hair at different ages. A guy in college I knew was bald by 21..The key is early treatment..

 

Good luck!!

JOBI

 

1417 FUT - Dr. True

1476 FUT - Dr. True

2124 FUT - Dr. True

604 FUE - Dr. True

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My views are based on my personal experiences, research and objective observations. I am not a doctor.

 

Total - 5621 FU's uncut!

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So i went to the drematologist today and she told me basically nothing useful. Basically all she said was that "there is rogaine and propecia and more or less nothing else you can do". Seems like a real knowledgeable person, huh?

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Originally posted by mxm:

yea, that's if i have mpb

She seems to think you have MPB because she suggested Rogaine and Propecia for you.

1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ.

 

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And fall apart from the world of machines

Regain my feet and my pounding heart

 

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Originally posted by hairbank:

Stress can definitely be a factor in hair loss and I can tell by reading the thread you're stressed out big time.

 

 

Actually, the studies I have read are showing that stress does not have a permanent effect on hairloss. Stress can cause a short-term effect, but does not effect the DHT levels that cause Androgenetic Alopecia (typical male pattern baldness). Usually, stress induced hairloss causes clumps of hair to fall out and almost always reverses itself over time. From what I have read, it would take a very stressful event to cause hairloss.

 

I am definitely not a doctor, but I am wondering if it could be the effect of increased testosterone levels from puberty? DHT is a by-product of testosterone. I know you said you are only 16, but I wouldn't panic. I experienced a slight receding of my hairline at the age of 16, but it was very slow to progress over the years. All hairlines will change slightly with maturity. It could be that you are just maturing sooner than your counterparts.

 

I am 37 now and I am just now preparing for my first HT treatment. My hairloss did not become remarkable until I was 30. I delt with it for a while and started taking Propecia and Saw Palmetto when I turned 35. I can say that my hairloss seems to have stopped, but I wish I had done something sooner. I think that if I had started my Propecia sooner, I wouldn't be as adament about getting my HT now.

 

Only a qualified doctor can tell you if you are experiencing male-pattern baldness. The good news is that there are great treatments coming (including some good ones now) that you can take advantage of.

PerfectFew

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Originally posted by mxm:

i don't see why she would think that seeing that she had basically no information to base that assumption on.

 

Hair loss that occurs as a result of causes other than genetics (stress, malnutrition, illness, etc) does not follow the "male pattern baldness" pattern, so to speak. It is usually spotty and sporadic as opposed to MPB being a steady recession in the temples and thinning in the crown area. Some men only see recession and others only see thinning in the crown. Others get hit in both places and thin diffusely all over to boot. From looking at your hairloss a qualified physician can reasonably deduct that you are experiencing MPB.

 

Did she write you a prescription for Propecia? If so, are you going to begin taking it? Are you going to begin a minoxidil regimen? If so, give your self a "trial week" of applying it to make sure it will fit into your lifestyle. Minoxidil can be a messy pain in the butt if you don't learn to work around it.

 

Good luck and if I can be of any help to you either here or by pm let me know. Just remember that surgery is NOT what you need right now.

 

-Robert

------------------------------

 

Check out the results of my surgical hair restoration performed by Dr. Jerry Cooley by visiting my Hair Loss Weblog

 

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Thanks. I believe she said to call if i wanted to get the prescription and she would write it out. I do have a concern about taking it though, seeing that it is intended for men 18 and older. Do you think taking it at 16 would be a problem?

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You are too young for Propecia.

Too young to mess with your hormones.

Do some reading on how propecia actually works.

 

In my opinion, if you are shedding at such a young age, you are a top canidate for minox.

 

 

Ask an endocrinologist why you shouldnt take propecia.My 16 yr old would never take it.

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