18 years old and losing my hair already ?

[lanceu]

Hey guys, I'm new here and I was hoping I could get some advice and opinions. I'm 18 years old, nearly 19 and I think I've always had a rather mature hairline; when I look back at toddler pics of me or even pics from 3 years ago, the hair at the front of my forehead is longer than the hair at the sides of my forehead. However as life has progressed I've been freaking out that sometimes I would shed 5 or 6 hairs in the shower. When I wake up there are hairs on my pillow. When I sift my hand through my hair sometimes a couple of hairs will come out. I'm constantly trying to cover up the short hairs on the side as I fear people will notice.

In the meantime I've started using alpecin, but I've heard it's actually a scam... so i'm not so sure what to do .

My grandfather on my mother's side had a full hair of head into his late life, but on my father's side he was bald. My father has curly hair and is receding currently but is not bald even at the age of 50 .
Am I losing my hair or does my hair just look like this ?

If I am losing my hair, is there any preventative action I can take ?

 

[Agustin Araujo]

Your hair looks fine. Though it looks like you're developing a mature hairline.

To take preventative action, here's the best suggestion: Go make an appointment to see a hair transplant surgeon and get checked for Male Pattern Baldness. If you do have the genetic condition, have them write you a prescription for a medication called Finasteride, and start taking it ASAP so your hair loss doesn't keep getting worse. Hair loss should come to a cessation by 3-4 months after being on Finasteride and you should maintain all your hair for the long-term.

That's basically the best option we have in our current time.

 

[lanceu]

OK thanks, aren't there a bunch of side affects attributed to finasteride though (sex drive etc)?

 

[Agustin Araujo]

OK thanks, aren't there a bunch of side affects attributed to finasteride though (sex drive etc)?

Finasteride can cause side effects, like any other medication, and yes sexual related ones are a possibility. Side effects occur in about 2% of cases in those who take Finasteride, and will subside if treatment is discontinued. I take Dutasteride, which is basically a stronger version of Finasteride, and I haven't had any side effects. The point is, it won't hurt to at least try the medication.

 

[lanceu]

ok this is if I do have male pattern baldness. Problem I guess is the price right?

 

[Agustin Araujo]

ok this is if I do have male pattern baldness. Problem I guess is the price right?

Yes, only if you have male pattern baldness is when you need to take Finasteride to keep your hair.

Finasteride is a reasonably inexpensive medication, thankfully. So, if you have male pattern baldness, get a prescription for generic Proscar, which are 5 milligram tablets of Finsteride; cut the tablets into fourths and take 1.25 milligrams daily for hair loss. If I remember correctly, it should be no more than like $10 a month for the medication.

 

[lanceu]

Ok sweet, all is not lost I guess

 

[Agustin Araujo]

Ok sweet, all is not lost I guess

Nope, nothing is lost.

Nowadays, anyone who is losing hair from genetics and is on a tight budget should easily be able to afford Finasteride. We're not living in the 1990's anymore where Finasteride was nearly like $100 for a one month supply. It's neat that the medication is so inexpensive nowadays, practically making it available for anyone to purchase without worrying too much about money.