please help; do I fix the look or fix the attitude.

[tonious]

note: Please only read this if you like story time

 

My male pattern baldness started when I was 12 (I had a very early puberty) and I first notice small arches appear on my face. Every subsequent haircut I noticed less hair on my head. It didn’t particularly bother me at the time since my hair was red, I had bad acne and I had bright freckles; you couldn’t really tell what my face looked like. After I turned 12 I avoided most social situations and escaped real life in books, computer games and comfort food. I wasn’t very depressed but I did (still do) have a lot of anxiety.

Sometime after I turned 20 my Grandma said that my skin looked nice and upon closer inspection I agreed. This is going sound shallow but I really wanted to investigate this to the full extent. I started exercising regularly, studying more, eating healthy foods, allowing myself to have friends and go out and finally researching about emotions/ self esteem / mental health issues. The researching was to have a better understanding of people and thus have softer facial expressions that are empathetic toward people; even models look ugly with sneers, smirks and frowns. But I never knew what to do with my hair; quite a few people said to me that I needed to do something with it. I decided try getting it cut very short (lots of people said it looks good on guys with a receding hairline) and that’s when my problem started. When I looked in the mirror, instead of feeling the usual pit in my stomach; I had it in my chest and it was much worse. I’ve never felt the emotion before but I’d say I felt despair; it was like the child inside me died at that point. I hate my hairline; it looks like it belongs on a 40 year old, not me at 21. I don’t know what to do at the moment; I feel like shit; can someone please look at my pictures and honestly say whether I need to change my attitude or get something done about my hairline.

Edited December 4, 2012 by tonious

[TakingThePlunge]

tonious,

 

Welcome! My hairline was also very receded at 21 and it brought me a lot of despair. If I'd had the financial means at that time I would have absolutely jumped into hair transplant surgery and I'm sure I would have been quite sorry years later. Of course, that was more than 20 years ago and hair transplant surgery has evolved immensely. But, one fact remains the same. Hair transplant surgery for most men in their early twenties is a bad idea.

 

Hair loss is progressive and, by looking at your photos, you are likely going to see a lot more balding. A hair transplant now to restore a youthful hairline may leave you with an island of hair on your head and insufficient donor supply to address future balding.

 

The best course of action for a young man such as yourself is to begin using Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride). These drugs will help you retain your existing hair and may even regrow some of the hair you've already lost. In anotehr 5 to ten years you may be a candidate for hair transplant surgery.

 

I expect that you are going hear a lot of the same advice from other members but, if you like you are free to consult our interactive map and consult with a prescreened quality hair restoration physicians near you. You can even schedule a free online consultation.

 

I commend you for your constructive and logical approach to your hair loss. Staying fit and throwing yourself into your studies is a productive way to maintain your self-esteem in the face of genetic hair loss.

 

Best of luck!

[Montreal]

hit the gym you will look better and feel good,but train the naturel way don't start steroides like all those Douchebags out there.

[tonious]

Thanks for the replies; I spoke to a few family and friends about it and some of them had a bit of an outburst when they saw their hair receding but got over it. The advice was to cut it short and not worry about it. What I wrote before was a really warped view of my life; it’s not that bad. Oddly enough the girls at university (college) have said that I look good with my hair cut the way it is. Initially I interpreted it to make me feel better but that doesn’t make any sense because I haven’t said that I was worried about my hair to any of them. I think I need to find where I stand socially to be comfortable with how I look.

[orlhair1]

I agree that you should wait. When you are in your late 20s you can reconsider at that time. In the meantime I highly recommend that you start taking Propecia and using Rogaine. This will give you your best chance to keep your native hair.

[Spanker]

I agree, you should lok into propecia. It will likeyl at least give you your 20s with hair.

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Start meds right away. Come back in 7-10 years and address the transplant!

[MrJobi]

Hello

 

 

It hit me at 22 or so (but it was no doubt falling our prior) and I can appreciate your anxiety, pain and the "pit" in your stomach. Fortunately, there are actions you can take now to address your situation. I know it seems as though you are by yourself but you are not. Many suffer from the same issue.

 

Personally ,I agree with NEWHAIRPLEASE in stopping further loss with meds but that is a personal choice. See your doctor and hear him/her out, then make an informed decision.

 

There are only a couple choices which will "really" work so don't waste your time as many of these people ( myself included) have done . Definately wait some time before considering surgical options.

 

1- Rogaine

2- Finasteride (Propecia)

3- Nizoral or Revita shampoo (a very marginal effect at best)

4- FUT / FUE but wait as advised

 

Relax and enjoy life!

[Hal]

I agree with David-- you are way too young for a transplant. Meds are your only viable option at this point for keeping (and perhaps growing) the hair you have.

 

Meds carry their own risk, so make sure you understand the consequences before starting any regime.

 

I see posts from guys in your situation all the time. You have to learn to adjust your attitude. What I mean is that you must learn to be comfortable in your own skin.

 

Right now you look in the mirror and are depressed by what you see. You hate your hairline, the way you look, and probably compare yourself to every guy you see or meet and wonder why you got the short end of the stick in the looks department.

 

My friend, wait just a few short years. I can almost guarantee that 5 or 6 years from now you will still be looking in the mirror and still not be happy with what you see. You'll say, "God, if I only had the hair and look I had when I was 21, I wouldn't complain about anything...".

 

That look you'll so fondly remember and wish for THEN is the one you have NOW. Do you see the point?

 

And I'm not just talking about hairlines. There are other changes (weight, wrinkles, etc.) that will happen as you get older.

 

I'm not preaching happy acceptance. Investigate your options and educate yourself. Improve your self physically and mentally as you seem to be doing.

 

Ultimately though, you're going have to come to terms with yourself. There's no running away from you.

 

Hal

[tonious]

Hey again

 

I've been on Propecia and Minoxidil now for 7 months and been doing lots of gym-ing and studying - this was/is good advise and i highly recommend it to others.

 

the posted pic is (on my side that is most receded) after 7 months of treatment. u can see my before pic in the first window.

 

i decided to get my eyebrows dyed and i tried to get more prominent eyelashes to draw attention to the lower half of my face. On a day-to-day basis hair loss hasn't been depressing since starting treatment.

Edited December 4, 2012 by tonious

[almostdone99]

The only thing I can add is to see a counselor/shrink. I lost a great deal of hair at 21 and couldn't handle the emotional turmoil, which I decided to deal with all by myself; that was a big mistake. The right counselor might have been able to give me a different perspective on how to live my life, not dwelling on my hair loss so much. It seems you are doing much better than I was.....good for you!

[zenmunk]

Might consider trying some toppik or dermmatch to see if it improves your appearance, too. Good luck.

[bigonefive]

Looks like your hairline has stabilized and even filled in a touch. Make sure to use Nizoral Shampoo at least a couple times a week as well to help fight the scalp DHT. I wish that I had started using it earlier.

 

I think you're making the right call by keeping what you have until you've stabilized somewhat. My hairline started receding when I was 17 and I stayed on Minoxidil/Finasteride religiously until now, and at 40 am considering a transplant to fill in my temples. With the medication, it's all about being consistent with it.

[tonious]

thanks for the replies

 

The only thing I can add is to see a counselor/shrink.

probably would have been useful 7 months again - i told my family how i felt at the time, maybe that also helped a bit

 

might consider trying some toppik or dermmatch

i thought about that and it probably would help - i might add it later down the road if my hair thins more

 

make sure to use Nizoral Shampoo at least a couple times a week as well to help fight the scalp DHT. I wish that I had started using it earlier.

i had no idea people actually found a difference with Niz, i'll definitely add it - i'll post another pic next year and see if anything has changed

[michaeljames]

note: Please only read this if you like story time

 

My male pattern baldness started when I was 12 (I had a very early puberty) and I first notice small arches appear on my face. Every subsequent haircut I noticed less hair on my head. It didn’t particularly bother me at the time since my hair was red, I had bad acne and I had bright freckles; you couldn’t really tell what my face looked like. After I turned 12 I avoided most social situations and escaped real life in books, computer games and comfort food. I wasn’t very depressed but I did (still do) have a lot of anxiety.

Sometime after I turned 20 my Grandma said that my skin looked nice and upon closer inspection I agreed. This is going sound shallow but I really wanted to investigate this to the full extent. I started exercising regularly, studying more, eating healthy foods, allowing myself to have friends and go out and finally researching about emotions/ self esteem / mental health issues. The researching was to have a better understanding of people and thus have softer facial expressions that are empathetic toward people; even models look ugly with sneers, smirks and frowns. But I never knew what to do with my hair; quite a few people said to me that I needed to do something with it. I decided try getting it cut very short (lots of people said it looks good on guys with a receding hairline) and that’s when my problem started. When I looked in the mirror, instead of feeling the usual pit in my stomach; I had it in my chest and it was much worse. I’ve never felt the emotion before but I’d say I felt despair; it was like the child inside me died at that point. I hate my hairline; it looks like it belongs on a 40 year old, not me at 21. I don’t know what to do at the moment; I feel like shit; can someone please look at my pictures and honestly say whether I need to change my attitude or get something done about my hairline.

 

Hey Mate,

 

What a positive outlook you present here, and I really understand where your coming from. You have a great look so why shouldn't you want a hairline more commensurate with your age. The good thing is that today's HT is so advanced and it looks like your hairline could be greatly improved; best of all the results are natural, proven and permanent. Of course this is only one photo. Our clinics do great online consults if you don't live near one. We are enthusiastic in helping others like you from all over the world. We would love to help you explore and welcome your contact. Self image really anchors our self confidence. You are expressing the need to do something about it I encourage you to explore it and don't let a medical condition that you inherited keep you down, mate. All the Best, Michael

Edited August 2, 2012 by michaeljames
typo

[gasto]

I guess you are lucky not feeling side -effects from Propecia, because, it does work magnificently. I had to halt both Propecia(side-effects: depression, limp erections, breast pain brain spikes), and Minoxidil%5(headaches and alergy, manifested by irritated knuckles).

 

Aloe Vera and Ketoconazole is the only topical treatment for me now. Shampooing with GNC Biotin Shampoo. I also ingest Angelica and Siberian Root/Ginseng, cod liver oil and, GNC biotin capsules.

 

Regular exercise which makes you sweat abundantly also works.

[gasto]

The worst thing is to do nothing. Quite clearly you are taking action. Visit the doctor regularly to check your blood if you are taking Propecia or generic Finasteride.

[tonious]

I guess you are lucky not feeling side -effects from Propecia, because, it does work magnificently. I had to halt both Propecia(side-effects: depression, limp erections, breast pain brain spikes), and Minoxidil%5(headaches and alergy, manifested by irritated knuckles).

 

That’s very unfortunate.

 

 

 

does your current hair loss treatment work?

 

 

You might find my experience of interest.

About a day or two after I started taking Propecia I became sexually disinterested in general. For around two months I didn’t feel any sexual desire, become horny or have wood. I returned to how I was before taking Propecia on the same day that I realized that an overly friendly guy was ‘hitting’ on me.

 

I didn’t draw any conclusion about Propecia side effects, as there are many possibilities about why this happened. Maybe it was all coincidence and propecia had nothing to do with it; maybe I had psychosomatic symptoms; maybe I have real side effects but had a large improvement to my libido, which brought me back up to pre-Propecia.

 

 

I do consider myself lucky as I’m on Propecia and I’m happy with the way things currently are - i had some blood tests after taking fin for 3 months and I'll be getting some more in a month or two.

[gasto]

Of course the regimen I currently follow is much less effective, but still better than trying nothing.

 

Oh, I almost forgot, I also apply egg yolk to my hair with one spoon of olive oil, aloe vera gel and half coffee spoon of cinnamon. It dries out and then I wash it out so as to add silkiness to the body of the hair.

Edited August 11, 2012 by gasto