Newbie with hair loss and low testosterone needs advice

[samj]

Hi everyone!

I am male,30 years old and worried about my hair. My hair line has been receeding since age 24. I think it was stable until last year but now I fear it's progressing again. First it was only a bit recession on the sides. But now I worry that my hairline is also receeding on the front.
When I pull my hair back with my hand for example then I can see a huge amount of hair on the front line which is much shorter than the rest of the hair and it also appears thinner. Are these signs of hair loss? I definitely did not cut the hair on the front shorter than the rest of the hair so this cannot be the explanation.

Question: Is it possible that before you actually start losing hair completely the hair gets weaker? Are those shorter,thinner hairs which I see on the front hairs which are weaker and which could at one point simply fall out so that all of a sudden you're shedding tons of hair with no prior warning? Is this possible? :shock:

And here come's another problem:
I am 30 years old and I need to go on TRT. My T levels are very low around 300ng/dl, they have been this low ever since.
I already tried T gel and it didn't work but it raised my DHT really high and I think I also experienced hair loss under it, so I went off it. I only took T gel for 3 months last year. I have been off it for 9 months now.
Now my Doctor wants me to go to T injections 250mg every 2-3 weeks and if that works he wants me to go to Nebido 1000mg every 10 weeks.
What scares me is that T injections will cause huge peaks in testosterone. I read that T goes up to 40nmol after an injection of 250mg which is MUCH higher than my "natural" T levels which are usually around 10-12nmol.

A few years ago when I first noticed hair loss on the sides I already tried Minoxidil for a few months and it did absolutely nothing. Is Minoxidil useless when it comes to a receeding hairline?

Question: What kind of treatments would you recommend me?

I only know these things:
-Minoxidil (I read that it can make the skin in the face look darker under the eyes and also have negative effects on the collagen in the skin, do you know anything about this?)
-Propecia (I'd be scared of taking it cause I read that it can mess up the hormones and have permanent side effects)
-Alfatradiol (not sure if you guys know this, it's supposedly a topical antiandrogen)

ps: I have been using 2% Ketokonazole shampoo for years against seborrheic eczema, but not daily I only use it whenever the seb eczema gets bad to keep it at bay. Do you have to use it daily in order for it to work? And would it be enough to apply the foam only to the areas which you want to target? This way you could save money and use less shampoo.

I really don't know what to do. Low T is unhealthy and I also feel bad but losing hair would also totally depress me. And I already have depression and even small things can depress me.

What do you say about my pictures? How serious does it look? I feel like the hairline has already thinned out pretty bad. It's not only receeding but also thinning.

 

[shahrukh]

mate theres nothing wrong with your hairline, looks perfect to me!

 

[talmoode]

My hair looked like yours 2 years ago..

 

[sixsix5]

there is nothing wrong with your hair

and low testosterone levels means you get more hair

if you really realy really wanna go to the extreme i suggest you get a sex change or get castrated

 

[Still_Ill]

Wow, you've been receding since age 24? Your hair loss appears to be progressing very slowly, so that's a huge positive. In some of your pictures I do see some shorter, thinner hairs at the hairline, especially at the temple points (sides), which would suggest your hairline is moving further back. The shot of the front, however, looks to me like a normal, natural adult male hairline. Overall your hair still looks very good, but the concerns you have about hairs up front being shorter and weaker than those throughout the rest of your scalp suggest that without treatment further recession MIGHT be possible.

What you are describing in your first question sounds like miniaturization, a term describing the process of male pattern balding. Miniaturized hairs have a shorter growth phase than average healthy hair, and every time they are shed they come back shorter, thinner, and weaker, which would explain why your hairs up front are shorter than the ones behind them. Your hairs up front could be further along in the miniaturization process. Hairs -- even miniaturized ones -- do not typically fall out all at once and then never come back. That's not the way male pattern baldness works. The miniaturization process is very gradual, as the affected hairs become thinner and weaker over time until they are too thin to be visible.

Hair loss medication can reverse the effects of miniaturization, but as with any treatments for cosmetic issues, the decision to take medication is a personal one. Propecia (finasteride) will usually halt hair loss and may thicken or even grow back some lost hair. Some have serious issues with propecia-induced side effects, but in my experience with this medication I have yet to encounter any problems aside from occasional increased shedding. If you don't want to touch finasteride, I'd give minoxidil another shot. Try taking this medication regularly for a year rather than for a few months. Minoxidil is not indicated for use at the hairline, but many find success growing back at least some hair at the front as long as they stick with it. You will likely experience a significant shed with minoxidil as early as a few weeks in and lasting typically until the three month mark. If you keep applying regularly the shed hair should grow back a little thicker by 6-8 months, although everyone responds differently. The keto shampoo is good too, but you shouldn't use it more than 3 times a week. If used more often than that, it could cause serious irritation to your scalp. I would also stick with proven treatments for now.

As for your depression, I'm there too. You have to want to be happy to get yourself out of it; medication and exercise can make this cognitive shift much easier. Being happier makes it much easier to reduce the stress we unnecessarily place on ourselves over things we can't always control, such as hair loss. And perhaps ironically, stressing about hair loss can potentially increase androgens in your body, causing further hair loss.

 

[DoctorHouse]

Good advice Still. I have been reading your posts. You are a great asset to this community. Have you posted in hair loss forums before under a different screen name? You remind me of Socks. He always gave great sound advice like you do.

Samj, my hairline looked very similar to yours but in the past 3 years my hair line moved up ever so slightly and some of those baby hairs are gone. It just proves these treatments don't work great at the hairline. My hairline did what yours did at first. It really did not recede, it just thinned out. I am a diffuse thinner and its happening super slow. Your hair looks fine in texture( not coarse) so as it thins it will look more diffuse.

 

[Still_Ill]

DoctorHouse, thank you for your kind compliment! I actually haven't posted in hair loss forums under any other usernames, but I have lurked quite a bit. Your advice and positivity on this forum have helped me get through my own rough patches, even though I rarely post here. I'm 23 and while I'd obviously prefer not to have to deal with hair loss at this age, to also let it ruin my twenties would be far worse. As I've stated before I also feel optimistic about what the near future holds for us treatment-wise.

I begin grad school next week, so during each semester I will not have enough time to post here frequently. I will definitely return, however, to pay back for the sound advice this community and others have given me.

Samj, whatever you choose to do about your hair, I wish you the best of luck. If you haven't already, don't be afraid to seek professional help for your depression as well -- dealing with the supposed stigma of accepting psychiatric treatment is much easier than dealing with the difficulties depression can present to you every day.

 

[DoctorHouse]

DoctorHouse, thank you for your kind compliment! I actually haven't posted in hair loss forums under any other usernames, but I have lurked quite a bit. Your advice and positivity on this forum has helped me get through my own rough patches, even though I rarely post here. I'm 23 and while I'd obviously prefer not to have to deal with hair loss at this age, to also let it ruin my twenties would be far worse. As I've stated before I also feel optimistic about what the near future holds for us treatment-wise.

I begin grad school next week, so during each semester I will not have enough time to post here frequently. I will definitely return, however, to pay back for the sound advice this community and others have given me.

Samj, whatever you choose to do about your hair, I wish you the best of luck. If you haven't already, don't be afraid to seek professional help for your depression as well -- dealing with the supposed stigma of accepting psychiatric treatment is much easier than dealing with the difficulties depression can present to you every day.

Still, thank you for your kind complement as well. Your appreciation really made my day. I am glad my posts actually do make a difference for someone. Good luck in grad school.