What should I do?

[couldbebetter]

Sorry if you've heard this all before.

I'm 23 and I'm terrified. I think I started losing my hair when I was maybe 18 or 19 but only noticed around 20 or 21. I only started doing something about it at the end of last year, but I don't know if it's too late.

I'm around a Norwood 2, but my hair is very thin to the point where I wear hats pretty much all the time. My hair is fairly long, but I can sometimes see scalp through it. It looks awful when I part it and lift it up. I cut my hair a while back but it looked horrible.

Not long after getting my hair cut (7 months ago, or thereabouts) I started using Nizoral 2% because the GP said I have some scalp condition. He said that it'd at least stop the hair loss, and to an extent it has. It's greatly reduced the amount of hair I'm losing and it's improved the quality of my hair to some extent. To put it into perspective at the end of last year I was sure that I'd be shaving my head within a few months, and I was constantly finding hairs on my bed and inside of my hat. My hair loss slowed considerably within a few weeks of using Nizoral, so I was feeling good about it but now it's getting to the point where I know it's not enough - even though I think some of the new, shorter hairs look much darker and thicker than they did before; but I don't know about that. It also make my scalp itch way less, it isn't sore any more and the skin is now white/light pink rather than the more angry colour it was before.

I've done research on Google and I know about a lot of the main treatments. I don't want to take a pill so I guess I'm stuck with Minoxodil, but I'm scared it'll just screw me up somehow. I want to know if I'm a good candidate and what I should expect from minoxodil.

I don't have any pictures, I'm afraid, but my hair is thin all over the top. This here is a reasonable example of it when wet, though my hair looks a bit thicker it's also longer:

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Capriman/media/Before.jpg.html

My hairline has receded a bit but it'd look fine with thicker hair as it looks sort of mature. It's not any thinner on the crown area than it is anywhere else, which I'm hoping is a good sign. Also I can still see where my original hairline was, even after 3 or 4 years. It looks as though there are loads of really small hairs there, almost as dense as regular hair would be. They don't appear to be particularly pale - most of them are dark - they're just short and thin.

I'm scared of the minoxodil shed. I've heard stories of people losing massive amounts of hair permanently, or only growing back little crappy hairs, or it only working for a year and stuff like that. How bad is the shed? How long does it last? I've heard it can go on for months on end.

Is minoxodil good for diffuse hair loss? Am I more likely to respond well to it because I responded well to nizoral? I know I have to use it forever or else have it all fall out again, but how long will it last with constant use, since I've heard it becomes less effective over time? I just want a decent-ish head of hair until I'm 30. I know a couple of guys my age who have even less hair than I do and I'm trying to accept what's happening to me, but it's hard.

I'm sorry if it's a bit long. I hope you can give me some insight.

 

[Agustin Araujo]

You clearly have Male Pattern Baldness, unfortunately. Taking Finasteride is the best current option in our time to treat the genetic condition, so I strongly recommend to start that medication ASAP. You can make an appointment to see a hair transplant surgeon and have them write you a prescription for Finasteride, you should have no trouble doing so, they're the one's who know about hair loss and are the type of doctors who actually care. It won't hurt to try.

Minoxidil usually works great for those who suffer from diffused thinning. I myself use Minoxidil and suffer from diffused thinning, and the medication has helped me tremendously. A Minoxidil shed should last two months maximum, then hair regrowth should start coming in. If you're still shedding after four months of Minoxidil usage, discontinue using it.

 

[couldbebetter]

Should I maybe start with Minoxodil and see how it goes? I don't like taking pills, but I might be able to work up to it if minoxodil is effective. What's the difference between finasteride and propecia, or are they just brand names?

Also, how bad is the minoxodil shed? Like will I go practically bald or something? If minoxodil turns out not to be effective will the hair I shed grow back?

I'm pretty sure the Nizoral is helping. As I mentioned before I'm losing less hair now than I was 7 months ago. That might just be because I have less hair now, I guess, but I don't think that's the case. I've heard nizoral is a DHT inhibitor or something - at least a mild one. I use it a couple of times a week. I used to use it almost every day but I think it was damaging my hair, so I cut back. Bottle says not to use it that much anyway. I also use Alpecin shampoo but I don't know if that really helps at all, it just makes my hair look and feel nicer.

I don't know how badly I want to keep my hair. I don't know if I'm willing to put so much time and money into it. I see all these people with their regimens and such, but there's something about taking 5 pills a day to keep my hair that makes me uncomfortable. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I'm trying to accept that I'm going bald so that if nothing works I'll at least be able to accept myself, but I'm dealing with a lot of depression and anxiety - even before I started losing my hair. Antidepressants helped a little bit but not enough. Besides, as I said, I don't like taking pills.

So do you think it's worth seeing how far minoxodil takes me and then maybe trying something else later, when I'm ready?

 

[Dench57]

If you're uncomfortable taking Propecia (just the brand name for Finasteride) then see how you go on Minoxidil - if it helps, great, if not then think about Propecia. If your hairloss is worrying you that much you need to do something about it and those two treatments are the best we have. Minoxidil is much less risky in terms of potentially powerful side effects, but it is also more of a hassle and is generally less effective, especially long term, compared to Propecia.

 

[couldbebetter]

It wouldn't worry me so much if I wasn't so young. If I was 30 I wouldn't care because it's just something that happens at that age. I think that's when my dad started going bald. Just feels like my youth is being stripped away - it feels horrible, especially when all of my friends have full heads of hair.

I know one guy who's got about as much hair as my dad, and he's about my age, give or take a year. He doesn't seem to care, though. I'm sure it bothers him to some extent, but I want to be able to accept it the same way he does. Just before I started using nizoral I confided in a friend who told me to just shave it off so I can feel better in my own skin. If it comes to it that's exactly what I'll do, I'm just worried I'll look like a cancer patient or a neo-Nazi.

I think I'll try minoxodil and go from there. I've been holding off because I'm terrified of the shed, but I guess if I don't start now then it's never going to stop. I regret not knowing about nizoral years ago when I first noticed I was losing my hair. If I was using it back then maybe I'd have more hair now. I guess there's no point in what ifs, though.

Is there any chance that it's not just male pattern baldness? I know male pattern baldness is involved because of the receded hairline, but is it possible that there's something else that's making it worse? I've been tired all day every day for years on end, but every blood test comes back without any answers. I'm going to the doctor's today to see if there are any more tests he can do, but I'm not all that hopeful that I'm ever going to feel normal. I want to believe that if I'm cured then my hair loss will subside, but I know that's what everyone wants to believe. I saw on another forum or maybe another thread about alternative causes, and there was one that I'd not heard of before. I clicked on it and I matched up with a lot of the symptoms, including some of the weird specific ones. When I see the doctor today I'm going to ask about that condition and see if he can do a test for it (it doesn't come up in normal blood tests apparently). Maybe if that's what's wrong with me then my hair loss will be reduced or something, or at the very least maybe I'll feel better.

I've heard that minoxodil can grow beards too? Mine's a little sparse on the cheeks so I might maybe use it on my face and on my head and hope it grows somewhere. If I end up shaving my head I at least want a decent beard.

Also, again, how bad is the minoxodil shed? Say I'm losing 50-odd hairs a day (I've not counted them so that's a vague estimate, but I wear a hat all day so I can see roughly what I'm losing for the most part) what could I expect to lose when shedding? Would it mostly be the tiny hairs or would I lose the longer thicker ones too?

 

[Dench57]

I'm also 25 and my hairloss is very aggressive now so I understand what a horrible feeling it is, feeling like your youth is being taken from you. Good news is you don't need to panic just yet, you're only at the start of this and it's good you're being proactive. The overwhelming likelihood is you will be able to at least maintain what you have for many years using minoxidil and/or Propecia.

I think something like 95% of hairloss in men is caused by male pattern baldness, if you think you have it, chances are you do. If you've been tired every day for years then that doesn't sound normal. Are you sure you don't have mild depression? There are simple things like vitamins/supplements that can really boost your energy throughout the day. But definitely get that checked out with your doctor.

I've never used Minoxidil so I don't know about the beard thing. I wouldn't really recommend it though - it can be quite harsh on the skin and can cause irritation and breakouts etc. As for the shedding - it differs for each person. You can be pretty sure you will notice an increased shedding within a few weeks of starting, whether thats double, three or four times what you usually shed will depend on how you respond. It is generally considered a good thing though as weaker hairs are being pushed out prematurely for stronger, thicker hairs. You have to be mentally ready for the shed though and to see it through.

 

[Ts99]

Same position as me, I'm 24 and have just seen a surgeon for FUE, it's easy to say take finasteride but it can cause loads of problems. I live in the UK and in the last 10 weeks they have mentioned a topical finasteride does anyone know about this?

 

[couldbebetter]

I'm also 25 and my hairloss is very aggressive now so I understand what a horrible feeling it is, feeling like your youth is being taken from you. Good news is you don't need to panic just yet, you're only at the start of this and it's good you're being proactive. The overwhelming likelihood is you will be able to at least maintain what you have for many years using minoxidil and/or Propecia.

I think something like 95% of hairloss in men is caused by male pattern baldness, if you think you have it, chances are you do. If you've been tired every day for years then that doesn't sound normal. Are you sure you don't have mild depression?

Yeah doctors seem to think I'm depressed. I'm not a happy person. Sometimes when I'm drunk I say things I shouldn't, and people ask me about it, but I always just shake it off like I didn't mean it.

I took antidepressants for a while but they didn't really improve my mood and I didn't feel any better in terms of my fatigue so I don't know.

If I end up using it on my face I hear moisturiser is good to use, but I guess if it irritates my face then my scalp probably won't fare very well. I'm going to use the foam because I hear that's less irritating and doesn't make your hair as greasy. It's more expensive but I'd rather start with that and then consider maybe using a cheaper variety if it works.

Before I start minoxodil I'll probably start on antidepressants again. If I'm going to shed a lot then that's going to destroy me for the duration of the shed, so antidepressants should keep me going. Not sure, though.

Also I know I have male pattern baldness, it just feels as though there might be something else pushing it along. I've got a patch on my head that's slightly thinner, and I hear that patchy hair can be indicative of something else especially when the rest of my scalp is losing hair at the same rate and my hairline recession is pretty much the same on both sides. That and long-term fatigue is often associated with hair loss to some extent. I daresay that even if that is the case I won't be able to do much about it besides maybe reduce the amount of hair I'm losing at best.

Same position as me, I'm 24 and have just seen a surgeon for FUE, it's easy to say take finasteride but it can cause loads of problems. I live in the UK and in the last 10 weeks they have mentioned a topical finasteride does anyone know about this?

Yeah I hear propecia can cause side effects, but they're very rare, and its even rarer for them to be permanent. That doesn't mean I'd want to take it, though, especially if it proves effective but then I'm impotent or something. If I can get away with it I'd rather not have to abandon my hair for the sake of my dick. What also worries me is that it can apparently cause infertility. I don't want to take it for years with no problems only to find I can't have kids.

I think I'd use topical finasteride if it was made available.

In the UK do you have to get a prescription for finasteride? I think I can get minoxodil from Amazon.

 

[hellouser]

What should I do?

Find a woman and marry her before youre a complete reject. Society, especially women, don't respect bald men.

 

[blondi]

I am 24 and have been receding for quite some time now. I just started minoxidil and a keto shampoo about 3 weeks ago. I have noticed a bit of a shed with more hair coming out than usual. They are just smaller hairs usually and not terminal. Definitely not enough shedding to make a difference in the thickness of my overall head. I was ready to accept it but now that I see there are some things we can do to fight it I have jumped on board with the "Big 3" I'm going to a doctor tomorrow to start finasteride. I am also on antidepressants coincidentally.

 

[shookwun]

Man up and take finasteride. Either that or wallow in pity.


Choice is yours