Help! 18 year old guy worried sick!

[amibald]

Hello, i've just kind of noticed that my temples are recessed quite a bit, and a lot if I pull my hair back ( see pics ) .

 

Since i'm only 18 I'm so frustrated as I couldn't afford any treatments and plus it's so damn young to be going bald.

 

Could some people try and confirm whether i'm simply aquiring a mature hairline or if i'm headed for baldness?

 

p.s. there is some slight thinning at my crown, though it seems to have been there for a awhile.

[SADbutTRUE]

welcome to the site , RELAX RELAX and RELAX , U are going to be fine , first off you have a great head of hair , how many hairs fall in the sink when u comb your hair , its normal to shed between 50 to 100 hairs a day, , if your losing more then that a day on a regular basis , get on propicea or proscar ,as they are suppose to help you keep the hair you have and rogaine foam, as well ,if you have any side effects you can always stop using it, so no harm done,

[GBU]

Sadbuttrue gives great advice . Talk to a doctor about Propecia and Rogaine . Don't rush into surgery ! Take your time and make good decisions . Your hair loss looks minimal . Can you post a crown photo ?

[almostdone99]

It is good that you are possibly catching hair loss in the earliest stages. If you are able to halt its progress and keep the existing hair....you'll be in good shape; finasteride would be my first choice if your doctor agrees. By the time I starting using rogaine, I'd already lost a significant amount of hair...it went fast for me at only 20/21 years of age.

[1978matt]

A similar thing happened to me when I was in my late teens. I lost a lot on the temples but kept a great density on top until I hit about 25/26.

 

Look at the hair you shed. Are the hair strands different thicknesses? This is a classic sign that some follicles are shrinking and producing finer and finer hair which will dwindle away to minute, practically invisible fluff that no longer grows.

 

If you can get on Regaine foam (or a cheap generic version), then that might be a good idea. If you can't afford it then I don't think it is the end of the world if you wait 2 or 3 years.

[amibald]

here's pictures of my crown and when i'm wet.

:

[NicholasDMiller]

here's pictures of my crown and when i'm wet.

:

 

Being only 18 i would recomend that you talk to your dr about Propecia. I personally started using Propecia at about 20 years old, and have been using it everyday since. I have experienced none of the negative effects you hear of. For me it was a lot easier then using a topical solution, and I definitely think that my hair loss has stabilized.

 

The only downside is that Propecia is a little pricey.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions

 

-nick

[amibald]

Honestly I just want a decent set of hair in my twenties, I wouldn't mind going semi-bald after 30!

[NicholasDMiller]

I know exactly what you mean, and that being said use a Rogaine or Propecia and it will slow down for you kinda let the rest of the guys around you catch up

[1978matt]

Honestly I just want a decent set of hair in my twenties, I wouldn't mind going semi-bald after 30!

 

I used to think like that too. Now I'm 33.5 and on this site...!

[amibald]

Worried about possible gyno from the drugs though

[amibald]

Another thing: for a couple of years there has been a 'streak' of my scalp more visible under bright light than not:

[GBU]

You might be worried about sides from propecia , but your crown photo shows some thinning in my opinion . I would get it checked out from a doctor and look seriously at Propecia and Rogaine .

[Raphael84]

Agreed,

 

Dont be so naive to think that you will not care if you have thin/balding hair in your early 30s. If you are concerned now, the chances are that you will be concerned then. Obviously, more common and therefore generally accepted at the age but you will care!

 

Propecia doesnt have to be expensive. Get the generic version and plan for the future.

 

Good luck!

[amibald]

In your opinion.... how long do you think it would be before I'm bald? Would it be unrealistic to think I could have another 5 or so years with the same head of hair?

[Brad3451]

Sad but true it just gets worse for most of us. IMO take action and start treatments. May never need a HT if you can hold on to what you have. Good Luck!

[amibald]

The scalp near the thinning of the crown is slightly pinkish....is this anything to be concerned about? Will contact my GP soon

[amibald]

here's pictures of my crown and when i'm wet.

:

Is my scalp around the crown abnormally pink?

[michaeljames]

Hello, i've just kind of noticed that my temples are recessed quite a bit, and a lot if I pull my hair back ( see pics ) .

 

Since i'm only 18 I'm so frustrated as I couldn't afford any treatments and plus it's so damn young to be going bald.

 

Could some people try and confirm whether i'm simply aquiring a mature hairline or if i'm headed for baldness?

 

p.s. there is some slight thinning at my crown, though it seems to have been there for a awhile.

 

Hi Amibald,

 

Great that you are noticing this early. Your hair does look great and most doctors would recommend waiting longer for HT anyways. You hairline does show evidence of maturing which is natural but the temporal do appear to be a little advanced in the pic. A professional opinion form any of the doctors on this site could be very helpful. Keep track of this and get a professional determination as soon as you can. All the Best, Michael

Edited September 19, 2012 by michaeljames
typo

[amibald]

I saw a trichologist... I was diagnosed with telogen effluvium....??

 

I'm happy in one sense but a little skeptical- she took literally a 30 second look through my hair, saying my crown is like that just because 'that's the way it parts' and that the hairline is just maturing.

 

She didn't perform a pull test either, and I (apart from the back of my head where I do) never really get more than 2-3 hairs when I do it myself?

 

Another thing is, my hair has been like this for maybe a year, looking at pictures from the past....surely TE is progressive and it should be worse? Whereas if it were MPB it could stall.

 

Saying that, i've had immense depression/stress/anxiety over the past 1-1.5 years ( so much so i'm on the NHS for CBT ).

 

I'm just not that convinced with her diagnosis given:

1) no pull test was given

2) she came to a conclusion very quickly

3)I haven't gotten worse in about a year

[amibald]

I went to see a trichologist and she said I had telogen effluvium.

 

I'm a little confused/skeptical/not convinced of her diagnosis though because:

 

1)she came to this conclusion after maybe 1 minute looking through my hair

2) no pull test was given; and when I do the test myself, apart from the back of my head, I rarely get more than 1-2 hairs

3) I don't notice any excessive shedding- my pillow isn't hairy for example

4)My hair looks the same about a year ago- isn't TE progressive? surely then my hair should be worse? whereas it would make sense if it was MPB because it can stall for years

 

Saying that there are a lot of common TE 'triggers' such as tonsillitis and immense depression/anxiety/stress for the past 1-1.5 years.

 

I'm still not convinced though and not totally at rest....any thoughts?

[michaeljames]

I went to see a trichologist and she said I had telogen effluvium.

 

I'm a little confused/skeptical/not convinced of her diagnosis though because:

 

1)she came to this conclusion after maybe 1 minute looking through my hair

2) no pull test was given; and when I do the test myself, apart from the back of my head, I rarely get more than 1-2 hairs

3) I don't notice any excessive shedding- my pillow isn't hairy for example

4)My hair looks the same about a year ago- isn't TE progressive? surely then my hair should be worse? whereas it would make sense if it was MPB because it can stall for years

 

Saying that there are a lot of common TE 'triggers' such as tonsillitis and immense depression/anxiety/stress for the past 1-1.5 years.

 

I'm still not convinced though and not totally at rest....any thoughts?

 

Hi amibald,

 

It's been a couple of months since I responded to your post and did not note any follow up. Maybe I missed it. Just wanted to check in and see if you have had the opportunity to get a full consult complete with microscopic evaluation for your hair loss. This is important to get a true since of the level of hair loss and a medical doctor who specialized in this field. I really hope you have gotten some answers. Look forward to hearing from you if you have time for an update. All the Best, Michael

[Ice]

Dude, compared to me, you have really nice thick hair. I'm also 18 and my hair is waaaayyyy worse. I started taking propecia about 2 months ago and hopefully my hair will thicken up. If I were you I'd start on propecia as well. I'ts really the only thing you can do that dosen't involve surgery.

[michaeljames]

Hello Ice,

 

Great to see you are taking a prudent approach and not falling for the gimmicks that are out there. Propecia is one of the only two FDA approved medications out there. Are you considering HT at any point? All the best, Michael

[Ice]

Hello Ice,

 

Great to see you are taking a prudent approach and not falling for the gimmicks that are out there. Propecia is one of the only two FDA approved medications out there. Are you considering HT at any point? All the best, Michael

 

Hey Micheal. Thanks for the reply

 

I've read a lot about it and I don't think I'm going to have an HT, at least not any time soon, because I'm still too young to know the extensity og my M.P.B. It also costs a fortune in my country, I'd have to use all my savings from when I was 14, which I'm going to use for University. I'm just hoping that Propecia will be enough to at least stop the shedding.