19 years old...

[Crash McLarson]

Well as you've probably already gathered I'm 19 years old and my hair is going. Male pattern baldness is genetic in my family and hit early. I've got a pretty noticeable bald spot and my hairline's getting worse and worse; I've started wearing a hat more often on windy days so it doesn't become to embarrassingly noticeable. I take propecia but it isn't really doing anything. I wanna look into a hair transplant, but are there any significant risks to getting one at such a young age?

[Crash McLarson]

Well as you've probably already gathered I'm 19 years old and my hair is going. Male pattern baldness is genetic in my family and hit early. I've got a pretty noticeable bald spot and my hairline's getting worse and worse; I've started wearing a hat more often on windy days so it doesn't become to embarrassingly noticeable. I take propecia but it isn't really doing anything. I wanna look into a hair transplant, but are there any significant risks to getting one at such a young age?

[lost my swagger]

yes. there are many risks with this procedure...the younger you are and the more native hair you have left to lose the risks climb.... there is not enough donor hair for you to get full coverage at a decent density should you turn NW6 or NW7....

 

hair transplants are not perfect. and unless you likely overuse your donor you will not be able to create anything close to your natural(pre MPB) density.... as your hair loss progresses you WILL require more work...

 

the sad FACT for someone like yourself is that, HT or not you will always be fighting your hairloss... im sorry if i sound negativ but what im saying is 100% true. HTs are a one way road and once you make the decision to have one your committed. good or bad result...... and as future hairloss sets in you will only be able to replace so much.....

 

my advice is to research like crazy, dont be woooed by the glossy cherrypiced results you will find in the drs section... most the time meds have stabalized and native hair is HUGE in the success of those results....

 

i had my 1st HT at 21. i did so very uninformed.... my future is compromised as a result... i have scarring that wont EVER go away(as of todays current options), and im relying on meds to hold the rest of my thinning top.. even after my HTs i still use concealer and creative styling just to make my hair look passable... this is my experience some have it the same or worse and some have it better.....

 

but every single one of us is either NOT OUT OF THE WOODS AND WILL HAVE MANY TOUGH DECISIONS AHEAD, or SPENT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OVER MANY MANY YEARS JUST TO KEEP UP THEIR APPEARANCE.....

 

stick around, ask questions, pist pics and LEARN what you are truly in for should you elect to have a HT at your age and your situation. be aware that you may come accross posters trying to sell you.... not everyone posts just to help... stick around long enough and your see the difference, hopefully..... this is just the tip of the iceburg, i promise. all the best......

 

 

questions...

 

how long have you been on the meds?? they should be given ATLEAST 6 months.. and even if your not growing hair back the meds very well could be stalling or slowing your loss... you should not expect much more..

 

have you tried to shave down?

 

have you tried minox? i know it a lifetime thing but anyone who is really serious about holding on to their hair should look hard into it as its one of only a SMALL FEW things out that has been proven to work.

[lost my swagger]

.....

[SERIOUS]

I take propecia but it isn't really doing anything.

 

It might do a lot more than you think...

 

Just never stop it, since aggressive MPB runs in your family.

 

You might realize after a while that finasteride was able to at least keep the hair you have, which is A LOT.

 

Don't judge finasteride by how much you will regrow hair... maintenance is already a big thing... considering that for the first time in history, we have a medication that actually works.

 

Good luck

 

p.s. you might want to add generic minoxidil to you regimen if you're able to be consistent with it. It is really cheap and you can find it everywhere i.e. amazon etc. Finasteride "and" minoxidil are proven to give better results as a combo, than one or the other alone.

[imissthebarber]

Agree with what the others have said. Give the meds time, try shaving, wait, wait a bit longer. I know this sounds hard but to a lot of guys who have gone this way, shaving probably seems like a great option that is no longer available to them. Also stick around on the forums. Even if you don't like the advice you get at first the guys here have been there and got the T-shirt.

[anwayne]

Originally posted by Crash McLarson:

Well as you've probably already gathered I'm 19 years old and my hair is going. Male pattern baldness is genetic in my family and hit early. I've got a pretty noticeable bald spot and my hairline's getting worse and worse; I've started wearing a hat more often on windy days so it doesn't become to embarrassingly noticeable. I take propecia but it isn't really doing anything. I wanna look into a hair transplant, but are there any significant risks to getting one at such a young age?

 

I know how you feel. I started losing my hair around the same age. I'm lucky though that it did not fall out to fast.

 

Good luck to you and I hope you find your solution soon.

[kaounis]

LMS, gave you some of the best advice I have ever read on these forums...Good for you LMS...I personally wouldn't advise anyone under the age of 32, at least,before getting a HT...

If I were 19, I would buzz down my hair, get on fin, maybe nizoral 1 or twice a week, and then wait 5 to 6 years before I would even COSIDER a HT...Enjoy your time when you are young...life passes fast...with or without hair...

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

[OxyHair]

I figure I'd add in my two cents, considering I'm in largely the same boat as the OP.

 

First, I'm a recently-turned-20 college student who has been (looking retrospectively) experiencing hair loss for about 2-3 years. At first I thought I had ruined my hair with overusing hair products, then the scalp started to peek and I realized I was wrong.

 

Second, I've been on finasteride for more than a year, first generic online-pharmacy stuff and then the actual "American-made" (as Dr. Dorin said) GlaxoSK propecia for the last 5-6 months. I completely realize that just because nothing extra is growing that it doesn't mean it's not working, etc. Unfortunately, despite the fin and the rogaine, which I've also been on religiously for the last 5-6 months, the bald spot is getting bigger and the top thinner.

 

Third, I visited Dr. Dorin about 6 months ago and he said that there was definitely loss and I was most likely an early 5v pattern but with a slight chance of a 6, with somewhat average/slightly sparse hair density, medium texture, with a fair to good donor availability on side and back.

 

So the crux of the matter is: should I get a HT?

 

See, the reason why advice like that given by kaounis isn't the most helpful is that I feel that I'd be ok with my current level of hairloss/possible progression if I was in my 40's or later. Hell, even mid thirties. The problem is that now, in the supposed best time of my life, at a place where you're supposed to party and have fun, I find myself unwilling to even leave my room for food. Like, I know that a HT at such a young age could leave you in worse shape in the long run, but it's almost like I feel like greater priority should be given to the 5-10 years of supposed relative irresponsibility when balding is COMPLETE social leprosy as opposed to 30 and beyond where it starts to become exponentially more acceptable.

 

I used to be so outgoing and amiable, and now I can barely leave my dormroom. I don't know how long I can take dreading going to sleep every night knowing that when I wake up the top will be a little thinner and that the crown will be a little more bare. That I'll avoid the people and places that are important to me. That there's no hope.

[dakota3]

Oxyhair, your post is typical of a young nieve man. I feel bad for you bud, but just beacause you get doesnt necessarily mean it's easier to come to grips with hair loss. If you get a HT now, in 10 years if you becaome a NW7 you will look rediculous with an Island of hair on top and I gaurantee you will be far more self concious about that. You have 2 things going for you right now. 1, shaving the head is the in thing, and 2, you are very young and hopefully there are some great advancements coming in the world of hairloss. But you dont want to have to hold on to hope.

[latinlotus]

I agree with LMS, even though he can be conservative sometimes.

 

You are probably not a good candidate for HT due to your age and family history.

 

Go work out, get more muscles, shave your hair...

[thanatopsis_awry]

I don't see why the potential of having an incomplete restoration -- which is really what we are talking about -- decades down the road is somehow more shameful or "ridiculous" than a virtual teenager allowing baldness to suffocate him. There needs to be a commitment on the part of the patient regarding finances and a realistic, self-evaluation of how much better off he will truly be, but it's *hardly* some absurd notion that should be so casually dismissed.

 

To the OP....I agree w/ what LMS and LatinL, etc. hve said....that you should get a hobby, ideally a physical one, and after a couple weeks buzz your head...just one time...give it a go...while you do this, I'd also look into concealers (I recco Nanogen) and do some consults w/ really elite clinics to get their feedback, which will only be helpful. Be realistic, but pro-active. No matter what, you're going to be dealing with this -- force yourself to improve your life wherever you can....it's often intuitive yet counter-emotional to better yourself when God decides to shit on you...but it's the absolute best thing you can do, and doing so will set a great precedent for future problems you invariably will deal with!

[OxyHair]

I appreciate the comments. I realize I was being a bit melodramatic.

 

I tried buzzing, but it looked terrible. I use concealers, as they may be the only thing allowing me to go anywhere. And I know that being in shape and such will make anything better, I just find myself not even wanting to go to the gym because I don't want to be seen by anyone. I'll get use to it, hopefully. Eh, I guess I hope time really can fix anything.

[BigBill1234]

I will tell you that I had my hir transpant at 23, 9 months ago. I am happy with it right now because it no longer looks like I am going bald, especially when I gel it, but I do have anxiety about how I look in the future. I am living with that fact that I am going to have to have another surgery in the future, and maybe even one after that. I have noticed the hair behind my tansplant beginning to thin out, but I am going to wait it out until I truly do need another one. I went back and forth on getting one because of my age, but I couldn't take it anymore. I worked with the doctor to plan if I go completely bald that my hairline will look natural because it has recessions built in. I will tell you if you get a HT you will feel the same way I do. I lose some sleep sometimes but I know it can be fixed in the future.