Hair Loss Is Killing My Holiday Spirit

[salr]

Hello everyone here:

 

This thread is about my personal impact of my hair loss that I hope one reading it can reciprocate and fully provide serious feedback on. Although I am not experiencing a lot of hair loss I am still thinning to the extent where I am becoming very depressed with a taunting sense of hopelessness. Hair products that one applies on the areas of loss on the scalp haven't helped me as much as I would have hoped. Other hair treatments including massaging and laser therapy have failed to deliver the needed goods in my case.

 

Over time, the result of these failures has released a sheer amount of depression which has now become an embedded normal part of my life. The only treatment option which I have not explored - that others have suggested I look into - is transplantation. From the horror stories that I have read about on this forum to other outlets of info, I do not believe this would be a good personal choice for me.

 

As little as 2 years ago, I had a respectable amount of hair density covering my whole scalp. Strangely enough, as hair loss ensued in small increments over this time frame, I began to witness a loss of muscle mass in my thighs which I could not account for. Are these 2 events correlated somehow? That's the question doctors that have reviewed me have not been able to answer easily. It's possible that my hormone levels which are at low levels - but normal at my age - is the culprit.

 

Seriously I am getting tired of looking in my mirror everyday and seeing someone who should have more hair end up with less happiness. It's a huge time waster and big challenge to stand in front of the mirror and comb my hair in creative ways to at least get it to look somewhat passable. Frustration and worry poke my miserable life as I dread going to my bathroom mirror and risk losing more hair by combing my hair a ton of times to find that sweet spot that will hopefully give me the resemblance of hair that I once cherished with pride up until 2 years ago.

 

Anyway I just had to pour out my anger as I sip my tea, one of the few things that give me a little pleasure in my life. If any of you people are also going through what I'm experiencing then you understand completely that this is a harsh curse that's not so easy to break.If you can give some words of advice on how I can proceed with my situation I would be much indebted to you. Sadly I would wish all of you "happy holidays" but my holidays is not so happy where I'm standing.

[esrec]

Thanks for sharing. You're most definitely not alone in your suffering and you're not crazy for feeling this way either. I thought I was excessive in my reaction to hair loss at first too, but when you have no outlets its easy to feel that way. The existence of this forum really puts things in context.

 

I thought I was the only one to stare in the mirror and comb my hair endlessly hrs at a time. The only one to sit home on nights I couldn't get my hair right. Even when I finally found Toppik and Couvre....I would hide from the wind and run from the rain. My girlfriend wasnt allowed to touch my hair--I had to self deprecate and play it off like I just didnt want it "messed up".

 

The routine of masking my loss with agents would take hours and hours at a time. I was exhausted. Even when I had surgery 10 weeks ago not a single person knew. Not so much because I'm ashamed, but there's no one I can personally relate my story to openly in real life.

 

You're not alone man. And you do have options. There's fantastic surgeons who produce great results. Have you consulted with anyone yet? Are you considering it? What about meds?

[Sethticles]

Hey mate.... you are definitely not alone..... you've come to the right place.... feel free to PM if you need a chat

[gbhscot]

Can totally relate to what you are going through, it is the feeling of hopelessness which is a constant weight to be dragging around. I'm a young guy and get plenty of wind ups about the hair from friends and team mates, can kind of laugh about it at the time but it ruins my day. Haven't left he house in two years without a hat on.

 

I wanted to get back to you on the loss of muscle mass though. That is something I definitely noticed too and which really freaks me out. I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism which I am sure has triggered both, so I'd maybe get that looked into? The test for it is fairly straight forward blood sample. plus the doc might well take an ultrasound of your thyroid to look for Goiters or something. I play rugby so obviously the loss of muscle mass was catastrophic. I think it is important to really boost Testosterone levels to recover it, so maybe get them checked too? Mine were too low, so I basically changed quite a few things to boost them, starting to notice more muscle and better lifts in the gym, and importantly, markedly better mental well-being (the depressive phases triggered by HL started to lost their edge). I'd get those tests done, and try to eat fewer carbs but more fats for a while and see if you notice something. Feel free to PM me if you want any further info.

[Wwiizzkkiidd24]

as these three have said you are not alone on this one. there's thousands of men and women that feel exactly how you feel. hair loss is a big thing to most men. it's identity of one's self that you can't get used to and the fact of thinning or balding is a scarey matter to most of us. some get over over it some can't and seek help in forums like this. so you have come to the right place.

 

you know it's funny coz i came down stairs today to find my old dorris(mum) sitting on the sofa and she gave me her phone and said read this it's was something about agoraphobia and some of the symptoms sounds pretty similar to what I'm going through some symptoms include not wanting to be in certain situations,panick attacks,rapid heart beat, bereavement, not wanting to go out of your house unless you are with someone. That's just some symptoms but some of them you can relate to all because of hair loss. so maybe look into that it might help you put things into perspective. you might not be suffering from that but it's looking into.

 

this site is wonderfull full of really nice people wanting to help there hair loss buddys because we know what your going through because we're going through it aswell there's some unbelievable stories on this site and other sites so there is hope amd brilliant surgeons out there that actually care and stand by what they want for you before during and after what ever you decide to do.

[salr]

Thank you all. Its amusing that when you have a strong set of hair you would never think that one day you might lose it. Being young tricks you into believing that. Again all thanks to all of you guys who understand the frustrations of hair loss.

 

I will definitely keep in touch will all of you in the event that I need some "psyching up" in the face of depression which isn't easy for me to tackle on in the least. People have said before that being positive is harder than thinking negative. Having heard this saying for a number of years I never thought much of it nor agreed with it. However, now I know why that's the case.

 

Definitely will keep in touch. Confidently I appreciate all the help, support and understanding.

[pkipling]

You have come to the right place and I think that finding this forum and speaking out about what you're going through is a huge step in the right direction. When I was going through similar feelings a couple years ago, I didn't really have an outlet. I only had 1 person I could talk to about it, and they had never really experienced hair loss so they didn't really "get it".

 

In order for this forum to be of even better use to you, I recommend making a new post (or just add to this one - wouldn't ultimately matter) and give us some more factual information on your situation. How old are you? Do you have a history of MPB in your family? Have you had a consultation with a doctor? Also, post some pictures of your hair so we can see how far along your hair loss is. Often times, it's much worse in our minds than it is in reality, so I would be interested to see if your situation is as dire as you may think.

 

In the meantime, try to do whatever you can to keep your mind from going down a rabbit hole of negativity. As difficult as the situation is, you have to remind yourself that your life isn't over.

 

There are some really great psychologists/spiritual leaders that give wonderful lessons about how to remain at peace at all times, and who teach that the mind is always the source of whatever it is we're feeling. Byron Katy is a great person to look into if you're looking for ways to get yourself mentally out the funk that you're in. She has podcasts as well and her technique has really helped me in the past get my mind out of the negative space that it can get sucked into, and it brings me back to the here and now. So much of our mental anguish and suffering comes from the stories and images we have in our heads - so when you start feeling sad and depressed, most likely those feelings are coming from the stories in your head that are telling you how ugly you are, how hair loss will ruin your life, how you'll never find someone to love you because you're bald, how people are probably talking about you behind your back, etc. Whatever those thoughts and stories are, they're not real - but the trick is learning to realize that they're not real; they're just figments of your imagination. Yes, you may be losing your hair... But the subsequent horror stories that follow that simple fact/thought are what cause such inner turmoil. And when you can stop the stories, you can have peace, whether you're bald or not.

 

And there is still a great chance that you'll be able to restore your hair. There are some fantastic surgeons out there that can do wonders, so not all hope is lost.

 

I hope that you'll find some sort of solace in the advice people have given you here. We have all experienced hair loss on some level, so we speak from experience when we say that it's really not the end of the world.

 

Wishing you nothing but the best possible outcome - and seriously, I hope you have a happy, happy holiday!

[salr]

When I was going through similar feelings a couple years ago, I didn't really have an outlet. I only had 1 person I could talk to about it, and they had never really experienced hair loss so they didn't really "get it".

 

How old are you? Do you have a history of MPB in your family? Have you had a consultation with a doctor? Also, post some pictures of your hair so we can see how far along your hair loss is.

 

And there is still a great chance that you'll be able to restore your hair. There are some fantastic surgeons out there that can do wonders, so not all hope is lost.

 

Admittingly, your response has helped me cheer myself up along with providing me with a slightly better outlook on the future. Arguably, I also have had a few people in my life that I counted on for support concerning my issue which overall they didn’t comprehend completely from an outsider’s point of view. Nonetheless your advice is duly noted.

 

Now on to your questions:

- I’m in my mid 40s.

- MPB is not commonplace within my family DNA.

- The only doctor I consulted with was a dermatologist who upon examining me told me that my thinning was natural [sure, fella!]. Additionally, given today’s still limited technology, he also expressed that there was nothing he could do other than prescribe scalp solutions to reinvigorate just a limited amount of hair growth. It helped but it did not get me to the point where I needed to be density wise and thus it failed ultimately in that respect.

- Soon, I will make pics available and will let you and everyone else know when they’re ready for review.

 

One thing that I got to put out there is the fact that there are certain men who depend their whole confidence (even existence) upon their hair. It is a man's “instrument of confidence” if you will which acts like a crown, projecting power to the rest of the world while psychologically giving him a sense of kinship. Of course I’m going off the deep end here but I’m certain that you all can relate to this, even though I’m nebulously exaggerating.

 

Amazing how a man’s scalp can almost literally dictate his life given the circumstances, as if it were given a mind of its own. When you got a full head of hair you tell life what to do. But as soon as your scalp starts thinning, you no longer hold a grip on life as control slips away slowly but surely.

 

Wish I had John Taylor's hair (from Duran Duran) when he had a blazing amount of it styled the way it should on a rock star back in 1985.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Sair,

 

I appreciate you sharing how hair loss has personally impacted you. We have all been there at some point and many of us are still there. My personal story can be found on this forum but in brief, hair loss impacted me so much that I would wear a hat everywhere I went and basically felt like I was phantom of the opera. Just like the phantom wearing his mask, I was confident wearing hats but once the mask came off and in my case, my hat, I felt ugly and unattractive. Thankfully, hair transplant surgery changed all that for me even though it took several years and multiple procedures. But I feel so much better about myself and haven't worn a hat for a very long time other than the occasional day that I go to the beach or just feel like it.

 

But you are not alone in your feelings, there is hope and the members of this community can help provide you with support and information that could be useful to you if you choose to restore your hair.

 

I look forward to your ongoing participation on this forum.

 

Bill

[Spanker]

Are you open to propecia?

[esrec]

The only doctor I consulted with was a dermatologist who upon examining me told me that my thinning was natural [sure, fella!]. Additionally, given today’s still limited technology, he also expressed that there was nothing he could do other than prescribe scalp solutions to reinvigorate just a limited amount of hair growth. It helped but it did not get me to the point where I needed to be density wise and thus it failed ultimately in that respect.

 

This reminds me of my dermatologist visit prior to discovering the wide world of HT surgeon expertise. Oh what a horror story..... I saw some clown who turned out to be a superficial maniac and completely insensitive.

 

He entered the room with 3 hot female assistants and approached me and my scalp and proceeded to point out all of the areas where my hair was missing. He encouraged said females to approach and take a closer look. Imagine my f'n horror as I had 3 beautiful women scanning my imperfect head. He never asked if they could come in or if I was ok with it. I was so pissed I literally asked everyone to leave the room then got up and left. haha.

 

I laugh now, but trust me man, we all have our low points and sad stories.

 

Lastly, technology has improved. Just look at some of the transformative results on here. There's hope bud.

[salr]

My personal story can be found on this forum but in brief, hair loss impacted me so much that I would wear a hat everywhere I went and basically felt like I was phantom of the opera. Thankfully, hair transplant surgery changed all that for me even though it took several years and multiple procedures.

Bill

 

Hello and thank you, Bill. Likewise I too hardly go anywhere nowadays without the safety of my hat which acts like a shield to “protect” me against judging eyes. The feeling is certainly mutual. You mentioned that hair transplantation basically changed your life. Honestly, I was thinking about trying it but those horror stories abound which hold me back from actually scheduling an appointment for one. Other than that, it takes a long time to fully grow enough dense hair post opt, usually between 8 – 12 months. Additionally, there are hair transplant patients who have gotten multiple rounds of surgery over the course of time as if the first hair transplant didn’t do its job. This is strange. Why would you get several hair transplants? Shouldn’t the first, or at the most, the second session yield enough hair?

 

To answer someone’s question here, yes I’ve tried propecia. But sadly it didn’t deliver the results I was hoping it would despite using it a long while.

 

But I could be open to suggestion if hair transplantation has helped you gentlemen. There are 4 questions that I would like answered before I even consider hair transplant as a viable option. Here they are:

 

-– Is it possible to see dense hair results at least 5 months post opt? If not then how much time would be needed to expect such density?

 

— If I do decide to get a transplant I don’t plan to return to the doc’s office to receive another session. How likely is this scenario?

 

— Personally, a good transplant can only be performed by a great surgeon. Which doctors do you recommend that are at the top of their game who are known for creating amazing density?

 

-- As a reminder, I'm not bald just thinning. But I can still get away with making my hair look somewhat dense with volumizing shampoo. Can a good hair transplant surgeon create density within existing hair?

 

Thanks everyone.

[Shera]

 

1. – Is it possible to see dense hair results at least 5 months post opt? If not then how much time would be needed to expect such density?

 

2. — If I do decide to get a transplant I don’t plan to return to the doc’s office to receive another session. How likely is this scenario?

 

3. — Personally, a good transplant can only be performed by a great surgeon. Which doctors do you recommend that are at the top of their game who are known for creating amazing density?

 

4. -- As a reminder, I'm not bald just thinning. But I can still get away with making my hair look somewhat dense with volumizing shampoo. Can a good hair transplant surgeon create density within existing hair?

 

Hi Salr,

 

In responce to your questions,

 

1. Everyone responds differently to Hair transplants, personally I saw great results after 5 months, but ideally you should aim for 12 months, it's best to be realistic and not to set your expectaions to high.

 

2. If you are in your mid 40s, and you still have lots of hair by your description, then it is probably safe to say that your hair loss is not aggresive. A good doctor will always plan for future hair loss. There is no guarantee that your native hair will not continue to thin and recede, but medications as already mentioned can halt/delay this.

 

3. I would go for one of the recommended surgeons on this site, look at the write-ups of past patients and try to concentrate on the patients with similar hair loss and hair characteristics to yours. Create a shortlist and email the doctors your pics and see what type of response you get.

 

4. If you can get away with just using shampoo, then you are probably not at the stage where you need a transplant. A transplant can create more density but there is always the small risk of permanent shock loss to your native hair.

 

Hope the above helps.

 

__________________________________________________

Dr Bhatti FUE Oct 2014 3305 grafts

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/178931-my-fue-dr-tejinder-bhatti-oct-2014-a.html

[salr]

If you can get away with just using shampoo, then you are probably not at the stage where you need a transplant. A transplant can create more density but there is always the small risk of permanent shock loss to your native hair.

 

Hello there Sherra. After digesting your response, I must admit that you might be correct. Yet I am far from certain to decide whether or not I need surgery. It may be a wise idea at this point to seek the advice of a hair transplant surgeon in a face-to-face consultation to receive a better evaluation of my degree of thinning. Only then will a hair transplant surely be recommended as a potential solution.

 

--While we're on the subject of shock loss, would you happen to know roughly how much of it do patients in general experience as a percentage?

 

--As an individual patient, how much should one worry about shock loss even in the hands of a skilled surgeon?

 

--Do you know of any patients who have had successful transplants in areas of thinning with little to no shock loss?

[Shera]

 

Hello there Shera. After digesting your response, I must admit that you might be correct. Yet I am far from certain to decide whether or not I need surgery. It may be a wise idea at this point to seek the advice of a hair transplant surgeon in a face-to-face consultation to receive a better evaluation of my degree of thinning. Only then will a hair transplant surely be recommended as a potential solution.

 

--While we're on the subject of shock loss, would you happen to know roughly how much of it do patients in general experience as a percentage?

 

--As an individual patient, how much should one worry about shock loss even in the hands of a skilled surgeon?

 

--Do you know of any patients who have had successful transplants in areas of thinning with little to no shock loss?

 

Hi Salr,

 

If you do a google search for 'spex shock loss' and select the first link, you will find some great info on shock loss written by one of the posters on this forum, Spex.

 

Hopefully that will answer your questions on shock loss and more.

 

If you could post some pics of your hair, then it may be alot easier for forummers to give their opinions on what option you should choose.

 

__________________________________________________

Dr Bhatti FUE Oct 2014 3305 grafts

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/178931-my-fue-dr-tejinder-bhatti-oct-2014-a.html

Edited December 19, 2015 by Shera

[salr]

 

If you could post some pics of your hair, then it may be alot easier for forummers to give their opinions on what option you should choose.

 

]

 

Hi Shera. I will pm my pics to you so that you can judge for yourself. Just give me a day or two.

[salr]

 

If you could post some pics of your hair, then it may be alot easier for forummers to give their opinions on what option you should choose.

 

]

 

Hello Shera and everyone. Hope all is well with you all. Take a look at the pic that I posted. If you would let me know whether or not I need a transplant, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

 

 

http://s11.postimg.org/of3akr6w3/pic.jpg

[pkipling]

Hey man. Glad to hear you seem to be in better spirits. I have a feeling this forum could end up being your saving grace and ultimately help lead you down the path that's best for you - whatever that may be.

 

The picture isn't great quality, but you do seem to have a lot of hair on the sides, which leads me to believe you also have a lot of density in the back. This is key because this is where the surgeon would take the hairs from in order to place them where you're balding/receding. All the other factors you mentioned as well lead me to believe that would definitely be a good candidate for a hair transplant should you decide to go that route.

 

Forget the dermatologists and head straight to a Hair Transplant Surgeon. If I were you and you live in/close to a major city, my first priority would be to get a face to face consultation with the recommended surgeon that's closest to you geographically just to get an idea of where you're at. You'll also learn a lot about the entire process through this consultation. Then once you have a better idea of where you stand, you can start narrowing down the surgeons you're interested in and doing greater research before you make a final decision of what to do. In the meantime, getting that first educational consultation out of the way would be a big step in the right direction.

[esrec]

Might help to pull you hair back so we can see sides and temple area, as well as an overhead shot. At first glance the loss appears quite minimal. Fin and some toppik would do wonders.

 

Try and share a few more clearer photos too.

[salr]

 

The picture isn't great quality,

.

 

Hi pkipling. But given my pic, do you think I got enough hair in the front to not warrant a hair transplant? Someone here said that I may not need one. What do you think based on the pic?

Edited December 23, 2015 by salr

[esrec]

You need to pull your hair back so we can see your full hairline. At first glance I think a little toppik would do wonders for you and starting meds. But again, we can't see your hairline or crown.

[salr]

bump....

 

Hello esrec.. I'll try to get a photo out. Hopefully others can take a look at the pic I already provided in order to receive needed and appreciated feedback.

[pkipling]

Hi pkipling. But given my pic, do you think I got enough hair in the front to not warrant a hair transplant? Someone here said that I may not need one. What do you think based on the pic?

 

It's honestly hard to tell based on the quality of the photo. So much of hair loss in the hairline lies in the details, and without a clear picture, we can't get a very good idea of what kind of density you have.

 

Another note is that whether or not you need a transplant is a very personal question. It all varies from person to person, and what one person would be completely satisfied with, another may not. However, with a clearer photo, we could be able to tell you whether or not your hair loss is as noticeable as you perceive it to be.

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

Your hair looks good. Whether or not it makes you feel the spirit is a totally different subject. You can do the surgery if you think that you have realistic expectations. You should have very specific goals. Maybe, you want a younger-looking hairline location to feel it.

[Shera]

Hi Salr,

 

Sorry for the late reply, it's very difficult to tell whether you could do with a transplant from the picture you have provided.

 

There does seem to be some thinnning in the top mid-section where your scalp is visable but this may be due to your centre-parting style.

 

More detailed pics with your hair pinned back to show the aforementioned area in more details would really help.

 

PM me if you wish to do so.

 

__________________________________________________

Dr Bhatti FUE Oct 2014 3305 grafts

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/178931-my-fue-dr-tejinder-bhatti-oct-2014-a.html