am i going bald? age 21

[amigoingbald]

@

 

[talmoode]

I am no expert but your hair is definitely thinning. Not sure whether its due to male pattern baldness or not. you should go see a doctor! Cheers.

 

[amigoingbald]

- - - Updated - - -

How could I tell if it's from male pattern baldness or not?

 

[rerun]

- - - Updated - - -

How could I tell if it's from male pattern baldness or not?

Well, it's taking place in a typical area for male pattern baldness, so that could be a sign that it is male pattern baldness.

I doubt it's from stress or lack of vitamins, as they would have to be fairly severe (like a crash diet or rapid weight lost or traumatic stress) and also you probably would have experienced shedding all over and not just on your crown.

 

[amigoingbald]

By traumatic stress do u mean pulling of the hair or just serious stress, about six month the ago I had a full head of hair but something personal happened and I've been seriously stressed ever since, this happened about six months ago I also got prescribed to ativan in June and did take it for a while but stopped, could that be a possible reason why? And also if it is male pattern baldness is there anything I can do to get my hair back or get it to start growing again? Or am I to late?

 

[badgenetics1]

It's most likely male pattern baldness based on the pattern. Consult with a doctor if you want to be sure.

If you jump on minoxidil you will likely experience some regrowth. The crown grows back much easier than the front/temples, so even though you're balding in an area that harder to hide at least you have a higher chance of regrowth. I also recommend getting on finasteride to protect your hair from further loss.

 

[amigoingbald]

Does male pattern baldness mean I will lose all hair except for the back and sides? I think that's what I read it as, and is minoxidil like rogaone where I will have to keep using it forever to keep it growing, also what is fonasteride, thanks

 

[badgenetics1]

How far your hair loss progresses depends on a variety of factors - you won't necessarily lose all your hair. You could stop losing now, it could keep going for some time but eventually stop, or you could lose everything other than the back and sides. There's no exact way to predict, although if you looks at older males on both your mom and dad's side of the family that will give you a clue.

You are correct, minoxidil is Rogaine and you would have to keep using it forever to keep whatever gains it gives you. Finasteride is a drug that inhibits DHT (the culprit behind male pattern baldness). The brand name for the drug is Propecia. Like Rogaine, you would need to continue taking it for the rest of your life.

 

[amigoingbald]

That's super unfortunate, I don't know if I'm willing to take something for the rest of my life to stop my hair loss, I guess there's no other solutions that aren't life long?

 

[badgenetics1]

A hair transplant is the only permanent solution to hair loss right now. However, there could be solutions developed in the future (the joke is that there's always a cure 5 years away).

It can't hurt to try out minoxidil and finasteride for a while, as well as Nizoral shampoo 2-3x a week. If taking the treatments is too much of a burden, you can always stop. If they aren't a burden, you can stay on them and keep your hair. Honestly, taking 1 pill a day (Propecia) and applying foam in the morning and evening (Rogaine) has been pretty easy for me.

 

[amigoingbald]

Has it worked for u? I had rogaone spray I used it for no more than a month th and stopped its just to much for me I don't have time to spray my head twice every single say without missing one or two times so I eventually stopped, a pill would be a lot easier I think.. I've never heard of that shampoo, I'm also worried if I use something like rogaone or propeca and then stop that it will make my hair loss even worse is that possible

 

[badgenetics1]

First, using Rogaine or Propecia and then stopping won't make you any worse - you'll just return to baseline or where you would have been had you never taken them. I've never heard of a Rogaine spray, I've only used the liquid and foam. I wouldn't worry about missing an application because I usually miss at least one or two per week.

I've had significant regrowth from minoxidil and finasteride. Click on the link in my signature - it has pictures and shows my progress. I went from having a pretty bad bald spot to recovering a lot of hair on my crown. I no longer have a bald patch and am just thin now, and that's only 4 months on treatment. I'm hoping to regain even more hair over the next several months. If you start now when your hair is in a much better spot than mine was, you will likely have a better response.

 

[anonymous]

Let it grow a little bit. If you have male pattern baldness you will see it.

 

[amigoingbald]

Bad g that is crazy dude u basically grew all your hair back I can't notice any spots from the last pic I saw, did u just use the pill for those results or dud u use pill and rogaine, idk what it is but I really don't wanna use rogaine, and how will I k ow if I have male pattern baldness if I let it grow it will look Terrible if I grow it out

 

[badgenetics1]

If it will look terrible when grown out, then it's more likely you have male pattern baldness.

Finasteride usually takes a little longer to show results, so I attribute my gains to minoxidil. My results aren't typical though, I was just really lucky. I've also been doing something experimental called dermarolling (look for the obnoxiously long thread in the New Research section for more info), and I believe that has played a major role in my regrowth.

The only way you will know whether or not you have male pattern baldness is to see a doctor. Given that you haven't been losing hair for very long, it's possible you can get some decent results from finasteride alone. You could try that out for a year, and if you're happy with where it gets you then you won't have to worry about using Rogaine.

 

[amigoingbald]

If it's male pattern baldness will that make a difference to my results with rogaine or propeca? And I haven't grown it out I was just guessing it will look bad, and will it take a full year yo see results with the pill or is it possible Le to see some within 4 months like u,

- - - Updated - - -

Also bad g sorry for all the qs but I was reading your story and saw Norwood numerous times what does Norwood stand for ? Also I was checking out the shedding forum and saw that lots of people found that the front of there hairline started thinning worse after taking finasteride for months, did u experience a time of bad shedding if so how long did it last ?

 

[badgenetics1]

You will only see results from Rogaine or Propecia if you have male pattern baldness - they won't do anything for you if you're losing your hair for another reason. I think 4 months is too quick to see results from Propecia most of the time, but you could seem results from Rogaine that quickly.

No worries about all the questions, I'm happy to help. Norwood stands for Norwood; it is a scale to identify the extent of one's hair loss. Do a google search and you should find images of the Norwood scale which ranges from 1 - 7 (7 being the worst). I didn't experience any shedding, at least none that I noticed. Shedding isn't a bad thing, though. In fact, it could mean that your treatments are working and that more hair will grow back.

 

[amigoingbald]

In the impact of hairless forum ice seen a few people who claim they got on propecia too early and jumped to conclusions and it ruined there life I'm worried about that happening now since I don't know the cause , do you think it's to risky to try ? Also where can I get all of those shampoos it seems like a lot of shampo to be using for my head , does rogaine also cause shedding ? And what type of rogaine would u recommend , I know u guys aren't doctors but if u could give me what u think the best prescription of hair loss products to use for my situation that would be great

 

[amigoingbald]

Use the cheapest to assess. Kirkland is cheap and does the job. The other shampoo's aren't a lot you only use one at a time so they will last you years. Ebay etc for them. Will need to condition your hair - argan oil conditioner is great - apple cidar vinegar instead of or as well as is good also. Wash it out though cos it stinks. USE COLD OR TEPID WATER WHEN YOU WASH. Between all of that you will be controlling fungus and fighting inflammation and stimulating growth. If you start shedding ITS A GOOD THING. Stick with it for 6 months minimum for hair cycles to be run through. It's a good start. It may be all you need. Finasteride should be used only by those who are totally despairing about hair loss IMHO cos it's a risk. A big one.

So you're saying all I need is Kirkland shampoo and Argon oil for conditioner? I'm a little confused cause I haven't seen anything on thee products just propecia and rogaine. Would I use rogaine alone with that shampoo or just Kirkland and argon oil conditioner ?

 

[amigoingbald]

So Kirkland minoxidil is different than rogaine minoxidil ? Is Kirkland the brand or something ?

- - - Updated - - -

And do u mean I could be fighting for years with using the Kirkland minoxidil