effect of hairloss

[lynknstyl]

Hello all,

First time here...Started losing hair at 21, but it was not noticable until about 24. I'm 26 now.

So how has hair loss affected my life? I'll make this short since I'm at work.

I've gone from a nice, charming lad to one that is depressed, burnt out and socially withdrawn. I have a Masters degree in chem. engineering...working on my Ph.D at the moment. I maintain good eating habits, and take care of my body, etc. by working out 5 times a week. I have a part time job researching in an area that is exciting to me.

So everything should be fine right?

I wish this were the case. I have gone from thick, curly hair to plain drab, dead, thin looking stands. 4-5 years ago people would ask me if I wore a wig!!...funny how it never bothered me then b/c I did not know the effect of hair loss on one's mental state. Now I feel totally frustrated by my hairloss. I have diffuse thinning with a Norwood 2 hairline. Looks downright ugly when I get out of the shower...I let it dry, and then spend 1 1/2 hours trying to style with Toppik. In the beginning Toppik worked great. I could still use gel which I loved. Now I still use Toppik(can't wear gel anymore), but it gives my thin hair a sawdust look under bright lights, and people immediate recognize something is funky about it.

Anyways, I use Rogaine (5%). Never considered Propecia b/c of the side effects. What's the point of fighting hairloss if you lose your sexual desire/ability?

What makes it worse is that I've seen the effect hairloss has on a guy's mental state. I had a close friend in college when I was an undergraduate student who had lost a lot of hair. I saw firsthand the effect it had on him, during what was supposedly the high point of one's life. I noticed other guys snickering while we were in the gym, or just plain staring at his forehead while he tried to hold a conversation. Most of all I recall the way women reacted to him...with just plain indifference. One hottie sitting in the stands next to us even asked him if he was 30 during a college football game...he was 23 at the time. It's comments like that that make me question whether women are just as superficial as us guys. I mean obviously you know the guy is losing his hair, and is not happy about it...why rub it in? I wanted to ask her how she would feel if she were going through the same experience, but taking this type of approach usually does not solve anything.

Anyways, my friend who once had a very bright future is all but a memory of his former self. He has held some very good jobs (but sadly has lost 5 jobs in the past 3 years due to his loss of confidence). He is now getting married to some chick...but I can tell he is not attracted to her. How can you spend the rest of your life with someone you are not attracted to? At least there should be some attraction in the beginning, right?

So I now feel his pain(and the pain of other hairloss sufferers), as I am reaching this point. I myself cannot hold on to jobs (I suck at interviews now as well), I drag myself to school/research lab in an attempt to do something constructive with my life. You cannot talk to someone else about this issue as well, because they just do not understand. I mean, how can they...unless you are personally going through this hell, you cannot possibly know anything about it. I feel that people generally don't intend to be mean about it (i.e. tv commercials - Snickers one especially, quick glances to hairline and back, ___you name it), but it drags you down man. I mean you could be having a great day, and then WHAM, someone does something minor, and it hits you hard.

Got to get back to work...damm...already wasted an hour. To make things short I am considering 1)hair systems and 2) hair transplant. In that order, b/c I know I will lose all of my hair (dad and his whole side - 5 brothers and dad were completely bald by 30) and as stated above I do not like the idea of taking Propecia for life/going back for additional transplants as hairloss proceeds and costs.

I had a consultation with Bosely last Saturday...I'm going to a Farrell consultation here in Vancouver this coming Saturday...although I do admit hair systems scare me somewhat. I mean what a drag to know that shiny, thick hair is not yours...yup I do plan on wearing gel again everyday, if I do decide on this option. I do hope that everything works out though.

Will post again in the future.

Please feel free to express your thoughts.

 

[Aplunk1]

I will comment on this thread tonight or tomorrow.

But please,

don't go to Bosley.

They have a very awful reputation.

Please do some more research!

Just please don't go to Bosley.

Okay?

Many will agree with me.

Again, I'll write later,

Goodluck man

 

[Aplunk1]

My older brother, who is only 24, is about a Norwood 3/4, with the island that has departed the mainland.

He shaved it down to a 3mm, but his baldness is extremely evident.

Once a happy, confident, and ambitious young man, he has since lost all and thrown his arms in despair.

He tells me it's his hair.



I love my brothers. I love them so much, and cannot bear to see them in pain any longer.

I've seen my older brother gone from an academically high position in college, to virtually a shellness man. He is nothing. He has no self-esteem, and is currently considering marrying a girl whom he really doesn't like, too.

Nobody in my family is willing to talk about hairloss except my brothers, who are losing considerable amounts of hair. My mother and father both refuse to comment on the hairloss genes that run in their familys. It's as if they wish to overlook the thought and never bring it to consciousness.

I've considered transplants, upping my Avodart dosage, everything.

I've considered everything to help me become happier.

I've lost all hope.

I am still shedding mad hairs from the hairline. Merely applying Rogaine to the hairline, I get a good 20 hairs. It's so incredibly thin-- like parched and dead grass growing atop a desert floor.

I'm going bald, and my life is going down the drain.

I am becoming my older brother-- a shell of a man, completely devoid of self-esteem and ambition...

once great, now broken.

 

[Goingat20]

Aplunk, my bro is also going bald, and the worst thing is, i am balding in the EXACT pattern he is. I remember going to a 'hair clinic' when my hair had started failing and the sales man there told me one thing i will never forget ' soon you will have the same hair as your brother' and he was right. My bros been using propecia for nearly 5 years, at best its slowed his hair loss (as it has gotten worse). So i started dutasteride and things continue to get worse and worse. Me and you caught it early, but with all thse treatments why arent things getting better, i just dont understand!

 

[IBM]

.

 

[Aplunk1]

Aplunk, my bro is also going bald, and the worst thing is, i am balding in the EXACT pattern he is. I remember going to a 'hair clinic' when my hair had started failing and the sales man there told me one thing i will never forget ' soon you will have the same hair as your brother' and he was right. My bros been using propecia for nearly 5 years, at best its slowed his hair loss (as it has gotten worse). So i started dutasteride and things continue to get worse and worse. Me and you caught it early, but with all thse treatments why arent things getting better, i just dont understand!

You and I are in the exact same position:

21, with older brothers extensively balding...

My brother isn't using treatments, but I've told him to... he doesn't listen.

Dutasteride seems, at best, to slow hairloss to a snail's pace.

Wish these treatments would work better.

My temples and hairline will probably be nonexistent within 1 year.

I see a Norwood 3 pattern forming...

I'm thinking about calling Armani and getting a final solution...

 

[IBM]

.

 

[lynknstyl]

Question for Aplunk1,

Why is Bosley not a good option?

I have done my research and they seem like a reputable company. I have discussed with others who have recently consulted them and they seem to have come away with a positive image as well.

Should I research smaller hair transplant companies? Private physicians?

Thanks.

 

[Hawaii male]

I heard bosley was pretty good.

 

[Aplunk1]

Bosley might have *SOME* good patients,

but it's wise to do MORE research.

http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums - Go to the hair transplant forum there. It is the largest transplant forum on the internet, I believe.

The top surgeons in the world are probably: Alvi Armani, Hasson & Wong, Feller, Cole, Rahal, etc.


Here is a website for you to chew on: http://www.bosleymedicalviolations.com

They are not even allowed to practice in most of the United States.

The key to finding a good surgeon is finding consistency in results... Hasson & Wong is probably the most world-reknowned practice for producing consistent and natural results.

 

[lynknstyl]

Thanks man...back to the drawing board...

I've heard hair systems will damage any remaining hair it covers as well. Is this the case even if the area is shaved?With minimal, lace systems?

 

[Aplunk1]

I really don't know much about hair systems, but I've heard that yes, they CAN cause some damage, whether they be glued on, laced into existing hair, etc.

Some members on the other forums recommended http://www.coolpiece.com , which offers some amazingly good pieces.

For a personal recommendation, I suggest you stay away from systems.

The maintenance, cost, worry & anxiety associated with hair systems outweights its possible benefits, in my opinion.

For some people, however, it is the solution.

Weigh your pro's and con's for systems and transplants.

Ultimately, the healthiest endeavor for us all is to simply accept it.

 

[hairhaircomeagain]

One thing I will like to tell you guys is this....

Yes hairloss takes a lot out of all of us. ME, YOU, HIM everyone.

All day I think about is hair, that people are looking at my hairline, girls are making finasteride of me...I think the same.

I started losing hair when I was 19. BUT even though it stressed me a lot, one thing I never lost track of is my career. Most of you are young and in school. If you stop concentrating on studies you will go bald + your future is screwed up. My opinion...study hard...make a career....Earn money...and in a few years there will be great solutions for hairloss but they will be expensive, but you dont have to worry, you will have all the money....

Maybe I am writing sh*t...maybe valuable...just think