I'm back. Please read.

[jonnykino]

Alright, so I guess a lot of you are sick of seeing the online name 'jonnykino'. I know I am. I bet a lot of you are also sick of seeing pictures of 'jonnykino's' hair. Either way... I'm back. I have a reason though.

So I've got OCD. I think I established this from my very first post. My main fear is of losing my hair. There's other stuff that get's in the way of my life, but at the moment, the hair thing is the main one. Since my last post, I've now started going to see a therapist about my hair. My hair obsession has really exploded though, recently, and at my last visit, I asked her whether I should see a trichologist. I figured that that would be my best bet in kicking my worries. However, she said no. She said if I wanna beat this OCD, start off slow.

So here's the kicker. My therapist knows I go on various hair loss forums, and has advised me to not go to a trichologist, but to post (yet) more pictures of my hair online. Get a varied response of what people thought of my hair, whether my worries are irrational, or whether there's some justification in my obsession. I'll eventually have to show her these results.... I'm presuming that, if I get a "your hair is fine, stop worrying", it will justify her on me being irrational.

So yeah. I know I've posted a lot of pics in the past, but I was wondering if you'd mind if I post more, fresh pictures? If not, then I totally understand. That's why I haven't posted them in my first post of a new thread like usual, in case you're all sick of me!

So yeah, I thank you in anticipation. I get I must be annoying, but I do thank you for the support I've had in regards to my OCD... even if this isn't an OCD forum.

[Tracy C]

Originally Posted by jonnykino

My main fear is of losing my hair. There's other stuff that get's in the way of my life, but at the moment, the hair thing is the main one.

Worrying about losing your hair can make your hair fall out. So stop that.

Rather than worrying about whether or not you are going to lose your hair, be proactive about it. Get some Nizoral A-D shampoo and use it in place of your regular shampoo once or twice per week - but not more often than that. I suspect once per week is more than enough for you. If you can afford to get a laser comb, get one and use it as directed - or every other day. Also, use a good quality moisturizing conditioner almost daily.

Take exceptionally good cae of your body and take exceptionally good care of your hair. When you wash your hair, don't scrub your scalp vigorously. Gently massage your scalp with the pads of your fingers. When you dry your hair, don't rub it vigorously with a towel. Pat your hair dry with the towel. Be extra careful with your hair while it is wet. Your hair is most vulnerable to pulling out when it is wet. So be very gentile with your hair when it is wet.

[gh05]

Originally Posted by Tracy C

Worrying about losing your hair can make your hair fall out. So stop that.

Rather than worrying about whether or not you are going to lose your hair, be proactive about it. Get some Nizoral A-D shampoo and use it in place of your regular shampoo once or twice per week - but not more often than that. I suspect once per week is more than enough for you. If you can afford to get a laser comb, get one and use it as directed - or every other day. Also, use a good quality moisturizing conditioner almost daily.

Take exceptionally good cae of your body and take exceptionally good care of your hair. When you wash your hair, don't scrub your scalp vigorously. Gently massage your scalp with the pads of your fingers. When you dry your hair, don't rub it vigorously with a towel. Pat your hair dry with the towel. Be extra careful with your hair while it is wet. Your hair is most vulnerable to pulling out when it is wet. So be very gentile with your hair when it is wet.

Just curious...what difference does it make if someone rubs the hair with a towel or pats it? Surely miniaturised hair is going to fall out anyway - you can't get MPB from rubbing with a towel and you cant fix it by being gentle either...?

[Tracy C]

Originally Posted by gh05

Just curious...what difference does it make if someone rubs the hair with a towel or pats it?

Human hair is very fragile and easy to pull out when it is wet. If you rub vigorously with a towel to dry your hair, you pull hair out. If you pat your hair dry, you don't.

If you scrub your wet hair vigorously while washing it, you pull hair out. If you gently massage your hair to wash it, you are much less likely to pull any out.

What I am talking about here has nothing to do with miniaturization, aside from the possibility of inducing traction alopecia if you continue to mistreat your hair over a long period of time.

[ravegrover]

"human hair is very fragile" - i'm living proof of that!!

[gh05]

Originally Posted by Tracy C

Human hair is very fragile and easy to pull out when it is wet. If you rub vigorously with a towel to dry your hair, you pull hair out. If you pat your hair dry, you don't.

If you scrub your wet hair vigorously while washing it, you pull hair out. If you gently massage your hair to wash it, you are much less likely to pull any out.

What I am talking about here has nothing to do with miniaturization, aside from the possibility of inducing traction alopecia if you continue to mistreat your hair over a long period of time.

fair enough - I've always towel dried my hair fairly roughly but i don't really care about it because i know healthy hair wont be too badly damaged and will grow back just fine anyway - if it's miniaturising then it's gonna break anyway i figure. I keep it shaved short now anyway because i HATE that look in the morning having rubbed against my pillow all night. Wanna be able to wake up next to a partner not looking like a complete mess.

[jonnykino]

Hey, hope you had a good Christmas. Was a busy period hence me only replying now.

So yeah, this is what concerns me.



Is that really parting? If it is then I won't be concerned... my parents said I've always had it, but I've not noticed it before.

This is my hair wet.



It's just some guy on another forum told me to get on the big three asap, and I don't want to be doing anything if there's not a legitimate reason for me to.

I mean, I'm gonna start using nizoral just to help with my scalp dermatitis, but other than that I don't want to have to be paying for/taking something I genuinely don't need.

http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums/...onnykino/hair/

That's an album if you wanted to look. I'm wearing a pink hair band in some shots. Don't judge.

[Tracy C]

Originally Posted by jonnykino

It's just some guy on another forum told me to get on the big three asap, and I don't want to be doing anything if there's not a legitimate reason for me to.

You do not need to be using Rogaine or generic Minoxidil. You will probably benefit from Nizoral and the laser comb. If you have a family history of hair loss, you will also probably benefit from using Propecia or generic Finasteride - but it is obvious from your photos that you do not need to be using Minoxidil.

This is the best forum to be on if you want accurate information. Sure there are those who try to perpetuate inaccurate information here as well, but this forum is moderated much better. So that nonsense is kept down to the minimum as much as possible. There is a reason this forum is called "The Bald Truth".

[jonnykino]

Thanks for the quick response.

My dad didn't start losing his hair till he was in his mid 40's. and even then it only receded. The crown is fine, and he's 60. My grandfather thinned a bit, but he still had hair when he passed away aged 79. And from pictures I've seen of him, he still had a full head of hair in his 40's. My other grandfather died in his 40's, but I think his hair loss was a similar pattern to my dad's.

As I said, I don't particularly want to be paying out for stuff unless I REALLY needed to, like if I was definitely losing my hair. I'm still in university and don't have a job, so am scrounging around for money as it is, lol. But I don't want to lose my hair at the same time. Especially not this young.

... and because I'm getting mixed responses of "that's just a natural hair parting, you're fine", to "I'd keep an eye on it"... to the worst one "it looks like you're thinning, start taking medications", I'm totally confused on my hair situation, and don't know which one to believe. I don't notice this parting, or whatever it is, unless am using a camera and taking a picture with flash on, or standing under a harsh light. If these conditions make any difference.

[Tracy C]

Originally Posted by jonnykino

I'm totally confused on my hair situation, and don't know which one to believe.

The only comfort I can give you on that matter is that I am giving you my honest opinion based on what I can see in your photos. I am not a doctor but I feel I have a reasonably good understanding of hair loss for males as well as females.