hair loss at very young age-help

[azazelgs]

hi everyone,

ever since i found this forum, i cant help my self browsing at least once a day.it has become really helpful and for me it became like a therapy.

I started to loose my hair about a year ago when i was 22. Between the ages 16-22, i constantly changed my hair length because i really liked it in both shapes. But in this year 2009, some psychological ( i lost my grandpa, broke up with my 4-year girlfriend , some other family issues) and of course genetical (my father and my other 3 uncles can be considered bald) factors led me to the baldness at a very young age. I knew this was my destiny according to the men in my family, but i didn't expect it to happen so soon(my dad started to loose hair when he was in his late 30's). In my entire life( i know it's short) i always feel my self as self confident, handsome and someone who has a high ego. But now for the last 3 months i feel ugly, old and a complete loser. It's like loosing hair had taken everything that makes me myself.

I know it become a very dramatic speech but it feels like you as the people in this forum are the only ones that could completely understand what i've been through. I really envy the guys who get along with their baldness but i cannot.i started using propecia just about a week ago but i really don't believe in it's "miraculous" results. So i'm planning to get a consultation from Dr. Melike Kulahci since her office is in my hometown Istanbul.

So my question is that is she really good? should i try and search for other doctors in europe ? am i too young for this type of procedure? what products should i use to stop this hair loss? i know it's more than one question, but as i said before it feels like you guys are the only ones that shares the same feelings as me because i can't stop thinking how i lost my hair and feels like i can't go back to normal if i don't do anything. so please help me- at least share your thoughts or feelings.

sorry about the bad english, but i'm really desperate.

[thanatopsis_awry]

Hey bro,

 

It's really good that you found this community; that it has had therapeutic benefits for you is great to hear, and you are certainly on a pretty enviable course. I can't tell you how many guys I have spoken to or heard about who would give just about anything to have found this place *prior* to them commiting to a HT.

 

I would first urge you to continue usage of propecia/fin -- though it is not a miracle in the sense of re-growing hair, it's ability to preserve existing hair is an *extremely* huge tool when used in conjunction with the HT. The combined effect can often act as a "cure" of sorts, in that you *can* beat your MPB and win the battles.

 

I've heard good things about Dr. Kulahci, and I would certainly do a consult with her considering she is relatively close to you. But I would also do consults (live or online) with a variety of clinics, ideally doctors who were admitted into the Coalition, and to not let geography play a major role in your decision-making process.

 

There are some excellent doctors throughout Europe to consider -- Hasson&Wong in Canada, the Farjos in UK, DevRoye in Belgium.

 

If you were to consult with all of these clinics you would be arming yourself with a tremendous amount of information. As for whether you *should* get a HT, I honestly can not say, and the doctors mentioned above could make a better call after doing a thorough consultation with you.

 

So, keep on the propecia/fin, consider adding rogaine foam 5% if you can commit to that, do your consults, and continue to research and ask questions.

 

You might also want to look into a concealer -- I'd reccomend Dermmatch and Nanogen -- which can really be excellent fixes in masking baldness, thinning specifically.

 

Keep your head up, and work on your life itself as you work on your hair; it'l work out.

[azazelgs]

thanatopsis

thank you very much for the reply thanatopsis you've been really helpful. Any other ones that thinks i should have a HT at age 23 ?

[Sparky]

I know you dont want to hear this, but my advise is to wait longer before having a HT. Stay on the Propecia, it stopped my hair from falling out.

 

HT's can change your life in unexpected ways.

[thanatopsis_awry]

aza,

 

No prob; but just to clarify, I'm not telling you *to* get a HT, not at all. Getting a HT should be a very gradual, deliberate process -- getting a series of initial consultations with elite doctors does not mean you will necessarily be undergoing a HT, let alone right away. But in my opinion, given what I know of your siutation, it is certainly adviseable to go through the consultations to arm yourself with more information, and get the feedback from some esteemed clinics.

[azazelgs]

hey sparky ,what do you mean by unexpected results?

[Nick911]

First off, I feel your pain...

 

My advice, get into the Propecia/Rogaine for at least 12 months. I grew most of my hair back within 10 months.

 

Will consider HT one day when I need it, but for now, consider the less invasive treatments.

 

Good Luck,

 

N

[Swampdonkey]

Aza,

 

I am 24 years old and had a transplant to restore my hair line when I was 21 years old. I made the decision after doing my homework and consulting with doctors.

 

The thing is that I started loosing hair when I was 16 years old. When I went to college the hair loss started to progress rapidly. By my junior year of college I was basically a norwood 5-6. I started taking propecia and no minox.

 

I felt like I was cheated out of a child hood. You want to enjoy when your young. People used to make fun of my bald head all of the time. It really sucked. The hair loss still bothers me. People thought I was like 40 yrs old when I was only 22.

 

When your 35 years old do you think you would have an HT then? By that time of your life it is normal to be bald.

 

In my case being very bald at the age of 22 was abnormal. If I started going bald at 30 It would not have bothered me and I probably would choose not to have an HT.

 

I feel your pain man it really sucks. By the way I am happy with the outcome of my transplant. It has been over two years.

[Al - Moderator]

Swamp, I have almost exactly the same story. At age 16 I was already being teased about my bald spot. I was already doing a combover by 17 or 18. By the time I was 19 most people thought I was 40.

 

Some people who post like to say you should wait 10 years until your hairloss stabilizes, but those same people are all getting HTs long before they reach that level of baldness that a few of us had at an age they were just starting to have any loss. It makes no sense to tell someone to be completely bald for 10 years and then get a HT.

 

When you have extremely aggressive hair loss, getting on meds is not going to make a difference. It may slow down the process a bit, but so what? Like it makes a difference if you're a NW 5 by age 22 compared to age 24 if you were on meds since 18. Big deal.

[wb280]

i feel for u too dude. ur statement summarises it all. others wun understand the pain and agony we go thru i definitely can understand where u are at but at ur age, so far, from the opinions i get, i think its too early.. but i sympathize with u as u shld be going out and having fun at ur age and not taking shelter at home due to hair issues...

[Swampdonkey]

When you look like your 40 at the age of 20 why would you wait until your actually 40 to get an HT???

 

Im planning on getting as many procedures as I need to achieve coverage. Use concealers to add density. Donor supply permitting.

 

And pray to God that HM comes out by the time im in my late 30s! lol

 

I just want to enjoy the days of my youth.

 

This one time before I had my first HT i was chilling with a group of people, a few hot girls in the group. The one comes up to me and embarassed me in front of everyone by tellng me Im bald. I was like oh really, I didnt notice. haha. There was an awkard silence after. I was like 19 at the time.

[Guest wanthairs]

azelegs-----

 

I feel for you man......I started noticably losing hair at 14 years old and by the time I was 28 I was a norwood 6. I ended up going to Hasson and Wong who filled up my head in one session...

 

However, if I were you, I would shave your whole head and work out like crazy until you become a real muscle man. You will have so many women your hair will not bother you. I would also start using preventative medicine and then wait until you are 30 to see if you still want a transplant otherwise now you will just be chasing baldness and will use up your donor supply...

 

After my first transplant I shaved my head completely for the first time in my life, even with a huge scar across my head. I was amazed to see how comfortable I felt and how easy it was to pick up women .....Made me think twice about the whole idea of hair restoration....

 

Dont worry its not the end of the world, even though when I was bald at 22 I felt like ti was......Just keep yourself physically fit and shaved and wait a few years to see how you feel about things....

[azazelgs]

thanks for your reply guys, especially swampdonkey,wanthairs and behappy since they share the same feelings for losing hair at a very young age.

swampdonkey, i completely agree with you when you say it's nonsense to wait until your 40's. Recently, i've started to contact with Rahal Clinic and next week i'll have a consultation with Melike Kulahci in my hometown Istanbul. So basicaly, i started the process of "hair transplant", still confused about it.

Wanthairs, i really thank you man for your advice and believe me i've tried that once and it really looks shitty on me to be bald. If not, i would not even think about any transplant because i have a good friend who shares similar (even more hair loss) with me who sahves his head and really looks good! If I'd look like Bruce Willis or Jason Statham , i'd definetely shave my hair but unfortunately i cannnot.

So i really want to keep in touch with you guys since we share the similar experiences and i believe excact opinions about this. thank you again for the replies bros, please keep me posted.

[Swampdonkey]

Aza,

 

I am going to consult with Dr. Rahal as well for my second procedure.

 

I just looked at my pics pre HT 1 and man. I am really happy I went with the procedure.

 

I can send you the pics or try to post them on line to show you how severe the hair loss was.

 

Whats your email address man??

 

You should also get on the propecia and use Toppik or Nanogen to add density.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Originally posted by Swampdonkey:

 

 

When your 35 years old do you think you would have an HT then? By that time of your life it is normal to be bald.

 

In my case being very bald at the age of 22 was abnormal. If I started going bald at 30 It would not have bothered me and I probably would choose not to have an HT.

 

 

 

I hate to bust your bubble buddy, but you are completely WRONG about this!! I am now 40 years old, and let me tell you straight up that you NEVER stop caring about your hairloss and learn to "accept" the balding look. When I was 22 I can remember thinking my life would be over by age 35, and that I'd probably be dead by that time. The truth is that the best part of your life really only begins at age 40, because at that time you are established in your identity and you become a complete person which makes you WAY more attractive to women. At 40 I still have the same body and level of health that I had when I was 20. I don't feel any older at all, just 1,000,000 wiser and more mature. It's shocking, but I have more women under the age of 25 wanting to go out with me now than I ever had when I was 25! I never expected this when I was 22, but it is indeed true and I recall older guys telling me this back then but I did not believe them. Of course, when the girls see your balding head that makes you look less attractive so the need NEVER dissapears to do something about it. I am one of the lucky 40 year olds because I am still a solid NW3 with minor crown thinning. But trust me, there is nothing more attractive to younger girls (25 and under) than a really good looking older guy who "looks younger", has money and is well established in life. They will go for a guy 20 years older who fits this criteria before a guy their age who is good looking, but is not established in life. So I am planning a HT of 4000+ grafts to bring me back to a mature NW 2. Like I said, you NEVER stop caring about this!! And BTW, I definitely think 30 and younger should NOT be thinking about a HT. I waited until 40 because in my opinion ANYBODY likely to head to NW 6/7 is NOT even a remotely good HT cantidate. Why ? Because it will always still look "see-through" unless you have mutant laxity and Superman density (120 FU or higher).

[diamondlight]

Atleast let it be known that you are not alone in this area. I starting losing at a young age as well. Being very outgoing, popular and a social butterfly type of guy...appearance is a very big deal. I dont want to take away from your thread and turn the light on me, but your situation was very simliar to mine. Where you have the up on me though is that you found this forum before you made any drastic moves. I feel getting a HT at an early age wasnt a bad move on my end, but not realizing there was more then Bosley out there really buried me financially. I didnt have that bad of results (except a very un-natural type hairline) but the procedure cost me just over $10k. This was money that took me years to save up to use for other reasons then a HT. I was only 22yrs old and made this HUGE decision financially to get a HT with Bosley. Little did I know I was just another sucker. I couldnt believe how badly my pocket took a hit untill I found this forum. What a huge mistake financially I made. Coming across Doctors such as True etc(NY/NJ)...realizing procedures cost almost half of what I paid and could yield 100% better results, I broke down mentally and couldnt believe someone like myself who is usually on top of his game got totally blindsided and royally screwed paying the amount I did and so on.

 

I can go on forever about how badly in every aspect HairLoss has affected my life. Not being able to enjoy the summer with my girlfriend and family, jumping in pools, fun activities that would involve taking my hair from its glued state that only makes it look half normal. Constantly having to have my hair done and with dermatch in it to look decent. Never does my hair leave its "fully done" state or else!!! Ducking certain lighting situations or events that may make it stand out...trust me, your not the only guy : /

 

Like you said, so many people can deal with thinning/being bald, but by no means am I accepting and hair is a huge part of my life in completing my appearance. Being unemployed at the momment and really finding out whats more important in life...Ive been struggling for months to put together in what hopes to be a huge step forward in my treatment plan and creating a better head of hair and more importantly building a better overall me.

 

Bottomline, if I was where you are now...I would have already started Propecia (which I didnt till I was about 24, now 25), had alot more money in my pocket and not have been playing catch up all of these years because of the financial abuse Bosley caused me.