23 y/o experiencing hair loss

[gxm100]

Hi Everyone!

 

It's been about a year now that I've been checking out this type of forum but I've finally just joined up today. I want to present to you my plan for hair restoration and see if it sounds reasonable to you.

 

I'm a 23 y/o male who is very healthy, but unfortunately I am experiencing rather early MPB. I really only started noticing my hair loss in the last year or so, but upon looking back at pictures of myself, I realize that it's been going on since I was probably 17 or 18 years old. I am currently, by my approximation, a NW3 with thinning beginning in the frontal tuft. On the other hand, I've always had kind of a strange hairline and never really had what I would call an NW1 hairline even looking back at pictures from when I was 11-12 years old.

 

I started using 5% Rogaine (foam) just over a year ago and I think it has helped in slowing the process, but I suppose that's hard to say. I've recently switched to the liquid form but it is make my scalp itch incredibly bad. I also use Toppik at the moment, which I know if short term, but for the moment makes my hair look good enough for me. I know the main goal is stabilization and realistically I probably need to jump on Finasteride in some form to achieve that. I've always been afraid of potential sides but my sister who is Physician Assistant confirmed for me that they are very rare, so I will be getting on that in a few months.

 

In the hopes this helps me achieve stabilization, I plan to keep up that routine for about 2 years. Hopefully I'd be able to even get some improvement! However, once I see solid, sustained stabilization I would like to go for a conservative HT. I know everyone will immediately jump and say "25 is too young!" I've done my reading on this. I know it's hard to tell the full extent of balding. I understand that. However, if I were to go completely bald and then decide to get a hair transplant...the first place you start is the hairline anyway. As long as I'm conservative with the procedure and am educated on what could happen in the future, I don't see what the problem is with this plan of action. Does this make sense to anyone but me/does it sound like I have the bases covered?

 

P.S.

I hope to avoid the conversation about "you don't know if you'll be okay with going bald when you're 40." I know I can't know that, but what I do know for sure is that when I'm 40 I will definitely wish I had a solid hairline through my late 20s and 30s!

[HairLostYears]

...realistically I probably need to jump on Finasteride...so I will be getting on that in a few months.

 

Wiser members here can better critique your overall plan, I'll just comment on the above.

 

If you know you're willing to give finasteride a shot, don't even wait a few months. Do it yesterday.

 

It's worked great for me for 4 years now, as far as keeping what I have...I just started a decade too late.

 

Don't be me.

[harryforreal]

I've always had kind of a strange hairline and never really had what I would call an NW1 hairline even looking back at pictures from when I was 11-12 years old.

 

After getting my HT along the front of my hairline, I looked at many hairlines in the photos of young guys 18-20 and realized that high hairlines are quite common in that age range; I concluded it was not the height of the hairline that signaled hair loss or aging, but rather the thinning of hair. I wouldn't be worried about the height, instead focus on stabilizing first with meds.

 

...for the moment makes my hair look good enough for me.

 

This is really the main point. If it looks good enough for you, I'm quite sure everyone would tell you not to have a HT. While some are quite happy with their results and others are not (myself being one who is not), all will tell you it never looks completely natural.

[Rawkerboi]

Start Finasteride now, don't wait. Give it a year time and keep monitoring your results.

[gillenator]

If hair loss meds can help us avoid or delay surgery, then they are worth their weight in gold!

 

And if you are ok with your current status, just stay on the meds and see how you respond to them...