20 year old NW3 story!

[dda]

To OP,

My balding pattern is similar to yours, except my temple recession is not as high. I started balding at the crown around 18, and if it wasn't for people commenting on it, I wouldn't have noticed until I was about 22, when i started thinning out more all over the top and it became noticable when I looked at myself in the mirror straight on. Good luck with the meds. I am using rogaine and nizoral currently and will be hopping on fin soon.

[rdawg]

Originally Posted by dda

To OP,

My balding pattern is similar to yours, except my temple recession is not as high. I started balding at the crown around 18, and if it wasn't for people commenting on it, I wouldn't have noticed until I was about 22, when i started thinning out more all over the top and it became noticable when I looked at myself in the mirror straight on. Good luck with the meds. I am using rogaine and nizoral currently and will be hopping on fin soon.

Best of luck.

I wouldnt say I didnt notice, but I didnt really pay attention to it(which I regret as I wish I started on say propecia a few years ago). until I hit university and it started thinning on top. It's not really the recession I hate, its the thinning that comes with it, it makes it really hard to style your hair when it's longer and doesnt quite look right when it's shaved. Still I keep my hair relatively buzzed as anything longer than an inch just looks weird with my hairline.

Goodluck though the big 3 seem to be helping me so far and I hope they help you. It's a decent solution until something better comes out over the next few years.

[DannyBoyy7]

Originally Posted by rdawg

Best of luck.

I wouldnt say I didnt notice, but I didnt really pay attention to it(which I regret as I wish I started on say propecia a few years ago). until I hit university and it started thinning on top. It's not really the recession I hate, its the thinning that comes with it, it makes it really hard to style your hair when it's longer and doesnt quite look right when it's shaved. Still I keep my hair relatively buzzed as anything longer than an inch just looks weird with my hairline.

Goodluck though the big 3 seem to be helping me so far and I hope they help you. It's a decent solution until something better comes out over the next few years.

What i think is horrible about balding is how long it takes for it to all go like mine since 16 i have watched it slowly get weaker and weaker im 20 now the front is pretty much gone with a few hairs now im waiting for the crown to go.

[BigThinker]

Originally Posted by DannyBoyy7

What i think is horrible about balding is how long it takes for it to all go like mine since 16 i have watched it slowly get weaker and weaker im 20 now the front is pretty much gone with a few hairs now im waiting for the crown to go.

I feel the exact opposite. I think that gives you time to learn to cope and, maybe more importantly, intervene.

[DannyBoyy7]

Originally Posted by BigThinker

I feel the exact opposite. I think that gives you time to learn to cope and, maybe more importantly, intervene.

Same here dude i ment to begin with when it started i mean its still annoying now for different reasons now i just want it all gone get it over with but back then i didnt want it to get worse and watching go slowly back then was annoying...now im use to my hair balding weirdly enough i couldnt see it any other way i just ment that its horrible cause you dont know hold long its gonna take will it stop for a bit etc but yeah like you i have came to terms with it when it got to the point where it was noticeable to others i had no choice really i thought **** it everyone knows now cant be arsed to worry is what it is.

[rdawg]

Originally Posted by DannyBoyy7

Same here dude i ment to begin with when it started i mean its still annoying now for different reasons now i just want it all gone get it over with but back then i didnt want it to get worse and watching go slowly back then was annoying...now im use to my hair balding weirdly enough i couldnt see it any other way i just ment that its horrible cause you dont know hold long its gonna take will it stop for a bit etc but yeah like you i have came to terms with it when it got to the point where it was noticeable to others i had no choice really i thought **** it everyone knows now cant be arsed to worry is what it is.

yea man it's no use covering it up, you could use concealers but eventually you're gonna forget to use it or someone will see you without it. Hats only work for certain bars so when you gotta go to a fancy bar you're screwed haha(I used to hate going to those bars).

It's been close 4 years since i've had a full hairline, in fact I took my drivers licencse picture a few months before the recession began I believe and it's always a reminder of what I used to look like.

The slow process is not fun but I think it'd be worse if I was a pure NW7, at least now I can shave it or keep it short and have something there. I'm used to it now and I'd say it humbles me at this age too, but I'd like to at least halt the process as aesthetically, hairloss is just not a good look.

People dont care THAT much though, BUT I find it's much worse when you wear a hat and then say it falls off or something, I've had a couple freakout, it makes you look really insecure as opposed to when I go without a hat and most wont say anything.

[dda]

Originally Posted by rdawg

yea man it's no use covering it up, you could use concealers but eventually you're gonna forget to use it or someone will see you without it. Hats only work for certain bars so when you gotta go to a fancy bar you're screwed haha(I used to hate going to those bars).

It's been close 4 years since i've had a full hairline, in fact I took my drivers licencse picture a few months before the recession began I believe and it's always a reminder of what I used to look like.

The slow process is not fun but I think it'd be worse if I was a pure NW7, at least now I can shave it or keep it short and have something there. I'm used to it now and I'd say it humbles me at this age too, but I'd like to at least halt the process as aesthetically, hairloss is just not a good look.

People dont care THAT much though, BUT I find it's much worse when you wear a hat and then say it falls off or something, I've had a couple freakout, it makes you look really insecure as opposed to when I go without a hat and most wont say anything.

One time me and my buddy were at a ball game, and we started talking to these two girls we saw walking by us in the stadium. After a while for some reason the one chick, who was my height unfortunately lol, asked to see what I look like without my hat on. So I take it off and I know she could see my thinning. She didn't comment on it, but I could tell by her facial expression and then she just looked away and started talking about something else. pretty f*ckin deflating.

[rdawg]

Originally Posted by dda

One time me and my buddy were at a ball game, and we started talking to these two girls we saw walking by us in the stadium. After a while for some reason the one chick, who was my height unfortunately lol, asked to see what I look like without my hat on. So I take it off and I know she could see my thinning. She didn't comment on it, but I could tell by her facial expression and then she just looked away and started talking about something else. pretty f*ckin deflating.

haha i've had some similar situations, on my license is my picture from when I was 16 and had a full head of hair, one time a friend from work(I have to wear a hat at work) looked at it, took my hat off, his facial expression said it all, and he put the hat right back on haha.

Hats are like a curse, I've used them at some bars and sometimes a girl will want to wear it and some wont care when they take it off, but some will just laugh.

I'm tapering off hats, I used them at first but they became a crutch, it's alot easier just being happy with what I have and it shows more confidence going without a hat.

However if Fin improves my situation a decent amount(say improves the hairline slightly and thinning), I may consider using a concealer to do the rest.

[rdawg]

Alright so I got a quick update and maybe a question.

My hairline looks/feels maybe a touch better, but overall I'm shedding noticeably and my vertex/top of my head feels thinner(maybe looks thinner? But I cant tell a huge difference.).

I've noticed however many others experience a shed around the 3 month timeline, can anyone comment on this? how long did the shed last? and how long til it got better(if it got better?). I hear it's usually a good thing to shed this early.

I've heard of late sheds(like 5-6 months or later) being bad, but has anyone started early and never stopped?

[rdawg]

So just passed month four on the drug and this drug is definitely doing something.

Still no side effects BUT, I'm going through a fairly heavy shed, my hair on top feels thinner(and maybe looks slightly thinner too.) Everytime I comb my hair now a couple hairs drop out.

The positive is, my actual hairline may have improved slightly, more vellus hairs, a few thicker hairs definitely popped up(as I said in the OP, I have alot of vellus hairs in my hairline area), it's just the thinning on top that has gotten worse.

So overall, i'm a little worse on top but slightly better in the hairline. Hopefully this shed ends soon and I actually get some hair back!

anyone else experience a heavy shed and then gain back some thickness?