My Reaching out for Help

[21YearsAndScared]

I've been browsing these forums for over a year now, looking all over the internet for possibilities, and potential solutions. After finding out about the scams, I was really dis-heartened that people would offer such false hope to such a delicate matter. I found that this forum is the most truthful, and well-spoken and after finally accepting that I'm losing my hair at such a young age, I've joined here.

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

In short of my history, I used to style my hair JUST 1 year ago, and now I'm at the point where I just move my hair around to hide the receding hairline.

I have been using heat products at very high temperatures extremely close to my temples and bangs, sometimes the flat iron would even touch my scalp at over 300 degrees, and I think this may have greatly facilitated my hair loss - I'd like to ask if this is a valid assumption?

 

Today, I came out of the shower to find that it's no longer possible to hide the hairline, I just don't have enough left - and thus I joined here.

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

I've been contemplating Hair transplant for a while now - for my age, it seems FUE would be best, but this is a HUGE step - and I'm still in school, with little funds.

I've worked enough to be able to afford possibly 1 transplant, giving every last drop of my money. (From research, I'm assuming it will cost me $7k - $11k given my current hair status, if any of you have already had HT's, how much did it cost you?).

 

I'm a young man, so I'm very afraid of Finasteride (Propecia) and it's sexual side effects which may ruin my life forever, although from hours and hours of research, it seems this is the only real medicine that might show results other than minoxidil which i'm not sure will help my case as much - (will it?).

 

I've attached a picture of my temples and current hair loss state - many of you may not think much of it, but the front is much thinner than it looks here, I'm not even able to keep that hair down and have it cover my forehead in the middle, it just looks like strands.

I've been looking for a dermatologist, but it's very difficult to get a hold of one, it takes months of waiting before an appointment. I'd be extremely greatful for any feedback to my story, any help/suggestions, or any past experiences you could share with me.

[youngandnaive]

21YearandScared - Hey man, sorry to hear about everything, i think before any of us can give you any recommendations or assess your current state, we need clearer pictures of your hair loss.

[aaron1234]

Yes, clearer pictures please. But given your age you are definitely not a candidate at this point - save your money! If you are serious about this battle then get on finasteride ASAP for goodness sake. Your sex life will not be ruined forever. Sigh, all of this fear mongering....

[21YearsAndScared]

I will try and have better pictures up by tomorrow, currently all I can use is my laptop which has a very low resolution so pictures will be blurry. In the mean time, if you could judge anything from that picture, any feedback is appreciated.

 

Yes, clearer pictures please. But given your age you are definitely not a candidate at this point - save your money! If you are serious about this battle then get on finasteride ASAP for goodness sake. Your sex life will not be ruined forever. Sigh, all of this fear mongering....

 

My judgement on finasteride keeps changing. Some people say the chances are very low, but just today I've seen someone post around here that it's ruined their lives, and just stick with minoxidil. I have some questions about finasteride though; some people say they've been on it for upwards of 10 years - so is it similar to minoxidil in that once you stop, you'll lose what you've gained? Or is the lengthy usage time for more improvement?

(All in all, am I in this hair loss trap for the rest of my life (daily medication)?)

[aaron1234]

Yes, once you stop the medications you lose all the benefits that came with them - i.e. hair. So yes, plan on being on them indefinitely. I'm personally not a big fan of minoxidil. It caused my scalp to flake and my ears became very chapped within a couple of weeks. Fin on the other hand has been a lifesaver. I wish I would've started it years earlier than I did.

[zenmunk]

You have to use finasteride for a full year to see how it works for you. You may experience some shedding before you start to see regrowth. Unfortunately, the meds usually do not work well at the hairline. They are most effective at the crown and mid-scalp. While you may not see any regrowth at your hairline, the meds may indeed halt or slow down further recession. If you stop finasteride, you will eventually lose whatever the meds were preserving for you. Usually, that will occur within 6 months time, but there are no definite timelines. Yes, you will have to take finasteride for the rest of your life (or until a better medication/technology comes along or the meds stop working for you) if you want a shot at preserving your native hair. Good luck.

[21YearsAndScared]

The indefinite use of medications is why I was thinking of HT. What makes me not a suitable candidate for HT?

I just don't think I have the will power to be starting a medicinal routine for the rest of my life - maybe if I was older when this hit me, but at age 21 until death, that's just too much for me.

 

I've looked around, but wasn't able to find a true answer: if any of you have had HT's for years - how are they holding up? DO HT's last your life? And what's the chance of implanting them into your recipient area causing the remaining hairs at the recipient area to fall out? (I think this is shock loss? not sure)

[s2thoudriver]

The only issue you might face is the reluctance of good surgeons to work on someone so young. At 21, you still have more hair to loose, so a HT at this point could result in a bad look 3yrs down the line.

 

Just keep your hair short for now, use Alpecin shampoo and other methods to help stop shedding, without the meds and when you notice your hair loss has slowed down dramatically, then go for a HT.

 

Rob

[zenmunk]

Mainly your age makes you unsuitable. However, other factors may contribute. Let's assume age is the only factor. That's still a big one.

 

Because you are so young it's impossible to predict what your hair loss will ultimately be. Even older patients who are enjoying relative hair loss stability are not guaranteed that their hair loss won't come back with a vengeance. Even people on finasteride are not guaranteed preservation of their native hair - it may not work or it may stop working at some point. It's an odds game. Older patient on meds exhibiting long-term hair loss stability = great candidiate, because odds are in his favor (a family history of no high norwoods increases those good odds even more). Very young patient not on meds exhibiting no hair loss stability = poor candidate, because odds of a good long-term outcome are bad (a family history of high norwoods increases those bad odds even more). Most ethical docs will probably have a hard time justifying working on someone your age unless your circumstances are extraordinary.

 

HT hair will typically last as long as the hair in your donor region will last. Some donors thin out a lot as people age; some don't thin at all; and, probably most fall somewhere in between - very gradual thinning over time especially when you're really old. If your donor stays strong, then it's likely your HT hair at the recipient will remain strong. Again, somewhat of a crap-shoot; no guarantees.

 

Shock loss becomes permanent when the hair that was shocked out was on its last legs anyway. If strong native hair shocks out, odds are it's only temporary and will grow back. Meds are said to help reduce shock loss.

 

Moral of the story: Crap-shoot; odds game; no guarantees. However, if you go to a highly skilled, highly experienced, highly ethical doctor, then you increase your odds of a good outcome significantly.

[aaron1234]

Great post zenmunk. Bottom line is if you are not willing to stick with meds for life you are putting yourself at risk with a HT. For some it's a risk worth taking but it's borderline foolish for a 21 year old to jump in the chair without giving meds a try.

[zenmunk]

Thanks, aaron1234. Agree with your post.

[21YearsAndScared]

Here are some slightly clearer pics of my status:

Other than finasteride, is there any diet I should be following to help the chances, or any other medication?

[zenmunk]

Other than finasteride, minoxidil. Some people take biotin, because they claim it promotes hair health (don't mistake that with growth). Also, there are some shampoos (like Nizoral) which act as weak DHT inhibitors. Use the search function - there's a ton of information on this forum which cover the full spectrum of products. The two biggies by far are finasteride and minoxidil, though.

 

Regarding diet, nothing specific. Just try to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and get ample exercise. Your overall health will help your hair be as healthy as possible, but if you suffer from genetic MPB, diet isn't gonna do much to stop hair loss.

[aaron1234]

Looks like some definite temple recession going on there. It'd also be helpful to see some overhead shots of the crown and others with the hair pulled back revealing the hairline.

 

Once again, zenmunk is right on the money. You've got a lot of native hair left to save - so get on Fin and hope for the best. After a couple years on the drug you can reevaluate whether or not your hairloss has stabilized and then start considering whether surgery is an option.

[Dr. Ricardo Mejia]

If you have limited funds and can only affor one transplant, I would think twice before getting started surgically. I typically advise my patients to start medical therapy and give it a try. The side effect profile is a small percentage but hair saving onthe back end. No pun intended. Remember if in 5 years your hair loss advances significantly and you thin out, you are going to need another hair transplant to bring you back where you where. So in reality it is a catch up game tranpslanting what you are losing. I have had young patients which much more advanced hair loss try actually going the opposite direction. They shaved their heads. At first it was hard but now they are totally happy. Get good consultations from doctors in your local area who can sit down and clearly go over your history and your expectations

[21YearsAndScared]

I started using Nizoral 2% today, which I think might address my scalp:

During these past 2 years, there have been oily white/beige/yellow "clumps" of my skin/scalp that were visible in my fingernails when I scratched my head (near the temples mostly). My hair has also started to get oily MUCH faster (within 2 days of not washing, it's very oily - just 3 years ago I could go almost week without washing it for it to get that oily) Has this happened to anyone else during early stages of receding hairline?

 

And are there any pictures on this site where anyone was successfully able to grow back some/any of their frontal hairline (receding hairline) from Minoxidil/Finasteride/Nizoral/Biotin?

I haven't been able to find any, if I were to find some that would definitely give me a glimmer of hope.

[zenmunk]

I've seen a few pics online where they claim finasteride regrew a significant amount of hair including frontal hairline, but if they are true, then they are few and far between. It may happen in rare cases, but I wouldn't get my hopes up too high if I were you. Sorry. Give it a shot; you may just be one of those really lucky ones.

[AdamAJ]

shave your head and lets see how it looks

[21YearsAndScared]

shave your head and lets see how it looks

 

Too afraid to do that, it will show too much of my temples

[Icecreamman]

I have been using heat products at very high temperatures extremely close to my temples and bangs, sometimes the flat iron would even touch my scalp at over 300 degrees, and I think this may have greatly facilitated my hair loss - I'd like to ask if this is a valid assumption?

 

Im not too sure this will make mpb any worse, however breakage can occur thus making your hair appear thinner. Also, you got a good amount of wavy hair, if your straightening it, it will look thinner as opposed to what your natural hair is. I would def stop using flat irons and stick to using a hair dryer for now. good luck!

 

p.s. i started fin 8 years ago and im all good as far as sides...start off with a low dosage and see if it has a negative effect

[21YearsAndScared]

Thanks for the reply icecream. I don't think it was just breakage as the hair would grow back then, but there's definitely a loss of density in the front/bangs. I stopped using heat products 6 months ago, but hair is just falling out at a higher rate than ever now. Thanks for your experience with fin, I'm just waiting to get an appointment with a dermatologist before I can get a prescription for it.

All my hopes are in finasteride results now.

[KO]

Try to get Proscar rather than propecia. Proscar is cheaper, although all doctors dont know about that. Search this site if you don't know what proscar is.

[Icecreamman]

Thanks for the reply icecream. I don't think it was just breakage as the hair would grow back then, but there's definitely a loss of density in the front/bangs. I stopped using heat products 6 months ago, but hair is just falling out at a higher rate than ever now. Thanks for your experience with fin, I'm just waiting to get an appointment with a dermatologist before I can get a prescription for it.

All my hopes are in finasteride results now.

 

Hey man, it's definitely a plus that your being pro active about your hairloss. The sooner you act the better. However, just be prepared to have fin keep your hairloss at bay as opposed to regrowing a full head of hair. I was on it for years and just had a procedure in march for 1300 grafts. The best news is that ht have become extremely refined as of late and will most likely continue to get better, so if/when you're ready for one you should have a great chance at having a good head of hair ( assuming you pick a great doc and keep on meds) The great advantage you do have is your mpb is occurring at a time where you have many viable options. So, stop stressing and go enjoy life!

[michaeljames]

Hey Mate,

 

Sorry to hear of your trepidation. Lots of folks feel this way. Put up some good pics. Many of our clients at Mohebi Medical send them all the time. Post them here and I am sure the community will help you out. Also you can get an online evaluation with one of HTN's recommended physicians. All the Best, Michael.