22, Balding fast, confused with options. Help??

[m91]

Hi, I'm new to this forum so sorry for anything I don't understand and the long post. I have been looking into hair-loss treatments for about a month so I am pretty new to it.

I am 22 years old and balding fast. I'd say in the past few months it has gotten aggressive and patches have started forming with very little hair. I have been diffuse thinning just above my hairline and in patches all the way back. I didn't notice the hair loss till a month ago. I always had a little bit of thinning but never this much. I went on holiday in the summer and after I was back in July it suddenly got worse and worse. So much so that I can't even go out the house. If I buzz my hair down to a grade 1 then it looks alright, otherwise after a week of growth it looks horrible.The only way I can go out of the house is by wearing a hat, or using Toppik to conceal it.

Since I had no idea of what to do about it, I went to the GP for a blood test (still waiting on results) and the Belgravia Centre in London for a free consultation. They took pictures of my head and it looked even worse. They said that its genetic hair loss but my dad had great hair, my mum does too. One of my brothers has great hair, but the other one has started balding but only at 34. My uncles all have decent hair and have only started balding around their 40s/50s. They then gave me a quote for a treatment option of Propecia pills + 5% minixidil liquid twice a day. This quote was £1250 for the year!



Since the consult I have been researching online. Getting minoxidil and propecia from other sources seems to be so much cheaper, but it is a prescription drug. Since I am a student it is hard for me to afford £1250 a year.

So finally to the questions I had.

1. Is it worth it going with Belgravia Centre? £1250 for a years worth of Propecia pills and 5% Minoxidil + 5% Minixidil (twice a day), check ups every three months, scalp treatments during these check ups, and shampoos.

2. There is a easy way for me to get Propecia here in the UK (Boots pharmacy), but minoxidil not so much. If I was to use Regaine/Rogaine foam, would that be the same as using Minoxidil as it does contain the stuff

3. Any other suggestions on what to do or try?

To be entirely truthful, this has been getting me down so much. Appetite has reduced, not really interested in anything really. I know its just hair but I can't help it getting me down.

Any help would be amazing. Thanks for reading

p.s. I will try and post pictures as soon as I can

 

[Quantum Cat]

They then gave me a quote for a treatment option of Propecia pills + 5% minixidil liquid twice a day. This quote was £1250 for the year!

:dropmouth:

utter utter criminal. Total con. You can get nearly a year's supply of generic Finasteride 5mg for £5 from your Doctor (see my signature).

As for minoxidil I'm sure you could find that cheaper somewhere else. And the check-ups and scalp treatments will just be a pointless waste of time since they won't do anything for male pattern baldness

The Boots scheme is also a rip-off I think

 

[Benjamin36]

So finally to the questions I had.

1. Is it worth it going with Belgravia Centre? £1250 for a years worth of Propecia pills and 5% Minoxidil + 5% Minixidil (twice a day), check ups every three months, scalp treatments during these check ups, and shampoos.
No, it's not. You can get the same stuff yourself, they're overcharging big-time, and taking advantage of your lack of knowledge about hair loss.
2. There is a easy way for me to get Propecia here in the UK (Boots pharmacy), but minoxidil not so much. If I was to use Regaine/Rogaine foam, would that be the same as using Minoxidil as it does contain the stuff
Yes, Rogaine/Regaine is the same thing. Minoxidil is the name of the drug, while Regaine/Rogaine is just a brand name.

3. Any other suggestions on what to do or try?
Try Nizoral shampoo too. So if you use minoxidil (rogaine), propecia, and nizoral, you'll be using the most effective (so far) treatment for hair loss. Also, to help make it cheaper you can buy 5mg pills of Finasteride (propecia) and split them (into fourths/fifths, or whatever) instead of using the 1mg(commonly prescribed) pill, which can cost you triple the amount.

 

[m91]

:dropmouth:

utter utter criminal. Total con. You can get nearly a year's supply of generic Finasteride 5mg for £5 from your Doctor (see my signature).

As for minoxidil I'm sure you could find that cheaper somewhere else. And the check-ups and scalp treatments will just be a pointless waste of time since they won't do anything for male pattern baldness

The Boots scheme is also a rip-off I think

Thank you for the very quick reply.

Is Propecia just the branded version of Finasteride? I read your post in your signature. Is it safe chopping up the tablet into 5ths and taking it and does it have the same effects? I couldn't get an appointment with my GP for another 2 weeks so I will try asking him when I go.

Can I take Regaine foam instead of minoxidil liquid? Will it have the same effects?

Thanks again

(Also the quote of £1260 was including a 'student discount'. Normally would be £1460)

- - - Updated - - -

So finally to the questions I had.

1. Is it worth it going with Belgravia Centre? £1250 for a years worth of Propecia pills and 5% Minoxidil + 5% Minixidil (twice a day), check ups every three months, scalp treatments during these check ups, and shampoos.
No, it's not. You can get the same stuff yourself, they're overcharging big-time, and taking advantage of your lack of knowledge about hair loss.
2. There is a easy way for me to get Propecia here in the UK (Boots pharmacy), but minoxidil not so much. If I was to use Regaine/Rogaine foam, would that be the same as using Minoxidil as it does contain the stuff
Yes, Rogaine/Regaine is the same thing. Minoxidil is the name of the drug, while Regaine/Rogaine is just a brand name.

3. Any other suggestions on what to do or try?
Try Nizoral shampoo too. So if you use minoxidil (rogaine), propecia, and nizoral, you'll be using the most effective (so far) treatment for hair loss. Also, to help make it cheaper you can buy 5mg pills of Finasteride (propecia) and split them (into fourths/fifths, or whatever) instead of using the 1mg(commonly prescribed) pill, which can cost you triple the amount.

Thank for the detailed response So I guess buying 5mg pills is the cheapest option. Do I need to buy a tablet cutter or something? And is there a difference between Regaine foam and liquid?

 

[Rawtashk]

I wrote an entire long post directed to people JUST like you. You should read it

http://www.gourmetstylewellness.com/interac...-hair-and-what-you-should-do-READ-THIS-FIRST!

 

[aj218]

Man, we're in the same boat. I'd say my hair loss is nearly identical to yours, and I'm also 20. I had the same dilemma about where to get propecia and minoxidil from. I decided to just use the boots hair retention program for the next few months (works out at £30 a month which is still quite a bit but so much cheaper than what that belgravia would offer) before i decide to order some proscar because I don't have much trust for online sites, and getting a prescription would be hard considering my age.

Also, i wanted to ask how much hair have you been losing everyday?

 

[medilook]

For the young guys that are concerned about hairloss, I'm going to quote joe rogan. "Just shave it b**ch."

 

[aj218]

For the young guys that are concerned about hairloss, I'm going to quote joe rogan. "Just shave it b**ch."

Bro, i know you be trolling, but seriously no one wants to lose their hair, no one ever asks for it. If someone showed you that there was a way to keep your hair, would you not try it. Also, the world is superficial, more so in todays age, being young and bald sucks. Yeah i could just work out and become massive, something I'm in the process of doing, but I'd like to at least still look young, no one looks younger when they decide to shave a balding.

We're young and we want to stay that way.

 

[medilook]

Of course I know where your coming from. I'm still relatively young 28 and I recently shaved my head and would rather have hair, but sometimes you just have to face reality and accept that. You can try the proven methods like propecia and rogaine if you'd like, but do you really want to put a chemical in your body for the rest of your life? No one really knows what the long term effects of using this drug and common side effect is lowered libido. If your okay with possibly having a low libido and possible Ed, o ahead and take it.

If you have the money for a transplant go ahead with that but keep in mind you most likely going to need more then one and you'll have a big strip scar in the back of yo head. So if u decide in the future that u would rather shave it, you would have that big smiley face in the back of your head.

If propecia didn give me side effects, I would still be taking it but my body was handling the drug very well and I was having sexual sides. Who knows It might work for you without the sides.

Ultimately were all gonna lose to male pattern baldness sooner or later so why not just accept now? Unless you have the funds to go thru multiple transplants and willing to possibly risk sides off of drugs.

- - - Updated - - -

Some ppl are born with cancer or some defect. There's not much you can do about it. That's life and you just have to accept it and be as positivie as you can. With hairloss, yes your vanity will take a hit, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. A girl is still going to give u opportunities.

 

[m91]

Man, we're in the same boat. I'd say my hair loss is nearly identical to yours, and I'm also 20. I had the same dilemma about where to get propecia and minoxidil from. I decided to just use the boots hair retention program for the next few months (works out at £30 a month which is still quite a bit but so much cheaper than what that belgravia would offer) before i decide to order some proscar because I don't have much trust for online sites, and getting a prescription would be hard considering my age.

Also, i wanted to ask how much hair have you been losing everyday?

Used to be quite a few strands in the shower. Now it seems to have slowed down a bit. Recently cut my hair down to a grade 1. Helped take my mind off my hair for a few days, but after around 4 days, the difference starts becoming noticeable again :'(

I'm thinking of going to Boots to get a months prescription of Propecia, and picking up Regaine.