I can't imagine ever being happy again

[Frosty1992]

I have just read this and you have totally hit the nail on the head dude. I'm 23 and I absolutely hate my hair. I have tried to avoid myself in the mirror/reflections, anything to make sure I don't catch a glance at my awful hair. I despise it. I keep hoping with each new product I try, or new technique that my hair will look thicker and fuller. However this never happens. I tried Propecia for two months and I had a huge shed. It scared the life out of me so I stopped it and it has only just made my hair worse. I am at the end of my tether with the way I look and my hair. All I want to do, is look I the mirror and think 'you look good today' however that hasn't happened in a good three years.

I feel your pain man, I really do. Just know that this is a place where you can vent your anger and tell people how you really feel without being judged or discriminated against.

Let's just hope there's a miracle cure soon.

[VFrankenstein]

I'm trying to see myself as the things that I do and the things that I say and the opinions that I have instead of the face I see in the mirror. But its hard as hell and I haven't managed it yet. That's me in the mirror and I ****ing hate myself.

It's fine to feel beaten about you body but you really have to understand that we are not our body or not even our thoughts. If you come to understand that you are not your body a lot problems will be solved by itself. This is some Asian philosophy and belief which is always helpful for me.

If you feel like your confidence suffers from the way your hair looks like then you can still focus on some other aspects of the body. I do exercise and it helps me with my confidence. If you think about what physical aspects women really look at when they meet a men you will realize that they care about how your hands look like, how you smell and how you dress yourself. So it all comes down to the fact that you take care of your body (what you obviously do if you treat your hair loss) and that you can also handle a relationship well.

[boatbuff]

it sucks my cousin lost his hair at 19 he dressed up nice was the life of the party he worked it well i think in your mind your a social outcast but thats far from the truth i was in LA this summer i seen a guy at the beach jogging he had a very short almost bald buzz cut the guy was in top shape tanned he looked great and he looked the best around and was far from a outcast i wanted to buzz my hair that day and become a fitness nut but i worked hard to get my hair back on track and im fit from good jeans passed to me

[boatbuff]

i know your pain but life is not about a full head of hair i think you need to find your calling in life and go for it don't just sit cry about your hair and screw what people think take Rogaine twice a day and stop feeling sorry for your self i know a lot of guys with bald heads who have nice girls great jobs and money some guys look great bald and some look great with a buzz cut pick one stop dragging you self down with self pitty 80% of men will have thinning hair your far from alone in this so my advice to you is to get into cars build one find a hobby get out and enjoy being healthy and being alive take your mind off it it seems you have to much time on your hands your generation has failed you all still live with your moms and do nothing important but play video games and social media us as parents have failed to by not forcing you into getting a job and move out at 21

[allTheGoodNamesAreTaken]

If you have longish, moppish hair... dermmatch. It's the greatest. Doesn't give a damn about water, wind or anything.

[fiki]

I lost hair when I was 15th due to alopecia... Also had long hair, I was a metalhead... But life goes one... Try reading some stoic philosophy, if you can't controle the outcome, it's not logical to get emotional about it

[recedoroy]

Nevertheless he always gets girls because he is charming and sociable.

Ye loads of people say things like that and I get it. But for me I was always an introverted person. With my hair I was shy, but underneath that quietly confident and laid back. Without my hair that has turned into socially awkward and chronically insecure. I try and be more outgoing in social situations than I used to be but it just comes off as awkward. I'm an introvert trying to be in an extrovert. I was never the type to be the centre of attention and tell stories and start conversations with people at parties etc. But girls seemed drawn to me. It is a really bad way to be I know that but it was just the way it was for me. Without the initial physical attraction I really don't know how to get girls to like me. And I wasn't some ****y good looking guy, even when I liked how I looked I was really shy. I think that's why losing my hair has had such a huge effect on me. It's really all about confidence. I know there's loads of people who can handle it and are successful and do well with women, but they were probably built that way even before they lost their hair in terms of confidence. It grates me a little when people give that type of advice using them as examples. It's like oh ok I'll just go and re-wire my whole personality. But ye, I know that's the only option, to change the way you see yourself, and I'm trying. I'm trying to see myself as the things that I do and the things that I say and the opinions that I have instead of the face I see in the mirror. But its hard as hell and I haven't managed it yet. That's me in the mirror and I ****ing hate myself.

[VFrankenstein]

I relate to a lot that has been written in this thread. The status on my hair is not so bad as some guys here but it seems like my hair loss is getting worse every week. It is something that puts me down and something I will never be able to accept. I guess I am still in denial... I guess that is why we became members of this forum after all.

But I can also cheer you up. I have the feeling that I am not getting less layed than all the other guys I know. And hair loss is only one small factor in our overall chances that we have to attract others. My brother for instance is far not the most handsome guy. He does not have much hair loss but he is smaller than most girls and has a face that none would consider as handsome. Nevertheless he always gets girls because he is charming and sociable.

[Vox]

I shave my head everyday and I am getting f***ing sick of it. Always worrying about cutting myself.

I don't shave it but I trim it down to 2 mm once per week. Much more safe. And as I said above I am NW7. Of course this still leaves the glorious horseshoe pattern visible but I don't care anymore. I look at the positive side of the situation, which is minimal hair care and maintenance and high versatility in all weather conditions, although a cap is very often necessary for protection.

[Vox]

My wife is 21 and I'm 26. She doesn't give a shit about my hair loss.
...
At the end of the day I'm a 26 year old NW 2.5 with a 21 year old wife who's an objective 8-9.

I don't want to be rude or anything, but from my personal perspective (see my previous message), being NW2.5 at 26 and talking about the consequences of hair loss in your life seems more like a joke than anything else. All you have is simply a little more than a mature hairline, which is not unusual in this age.

However you don't mention the general situation of you hair. Except the receding hairline, do you have enough thickness or do you lose hair in a diffuse pattern? This can make a huge difference when you are still in the low NW stages. With a good thickness, NW2.5 is really minor in your age for all practical purposes.

[Vox]

Im in a similar spot! But im 19, right now none of my friends have started balding, not close. I dont know people near my age that are balding.

It is not common but it can happen. For me hair loss started at 15-16. There was no visible baldness though until some years later. It was an aggressive form of diffuse hair loss, leading quickly to terminal NW7 stage in my late 20's. Not funny I can assure you. In fact, I have no idea how it feels to have a head with full hair thickness as a young man, in the start of adulthood (17-19 years old). This is rare even in a forum like this.

[BaldingEagle]

My wife is 21 and I'm 26. She doesn't give a shit about my hair loss.

Too many people worry no girls will want them due to hairloss and becoming depressed.

Look at how many bald men are married.

You don't need hair or money to land a decent girl.

Many girls will turn down a bald man, but shallow whores don't make good wives.

The best thing you can do to attract a girl, or friends for that matter... Be an interesting person. Have things to say. Have skills, build character.

I started losing my hair at 20 and I've never had any issues with women. Sure some girls rejected me, and that happens to literally everyone.

At the end of the day I'm a 26 year old NW 2.5 with a 21 year old wife who's an objective 8-9. I make 40k a year which isn't impressive and I have an average build.

Hair loss sucks I get it, but it doesn't automatically remove you from attaining true happiness.

I sincerely hope you learn to love yourself and be happy.

Best of luck.

[Notcoolanymore]

Wish I could tell you it will get better(easier to deal with) with age, but there are no guarantees that it will. I am in my late 30's and still deal with the same up's and downs. I started losing my hair in my early 20's and haven't liked the way I looked since then. Some days I will look in the mirror and think: "I don't look that bad" and be able to go on about my day. Other days I will look in the mirror and think: "I look like shit" and just walk around upset/depressed for the rest of the day. It's sad that before hair loss I used to think I looked good, now "Not too bad" is pretty much as good as it gets.

[Dimoxynil]

This thread rings so true for me right now. I used to think that the bald-unattractive thing was completely blown out of proportion until this happened to me:

Me and my girlfriend were on holiday together in Sri Lanka staying in an amazing hotel by the beach. We befriended another nice couple, became familiar and ate together, played cards and drank.

Over a few drinks the subject of bullying in school came up. My gf was bullied at school over her looks (absolutely nothing wrong with her looks at all ) by the boys in her year who were all Rich without a care in the world. I know it upset her which is why I always emphasised how nice looking she was.

Years later she was at a party with the people she used to go to school with. She explained One of the guys who used to bully her had gone fully bald. she laughed out loud as she said it - the point being " look whose ugly now " at that point she looked at me in horror when she realised what she had said ( I'm NW3 )

I brought it up in the hotel room afterwards. It was so depressing for myself especially after all the time and energy I had spent helping her self esteem. And look whose got low self esteem now.

We broke up a few weeks ago. Lots of factors involved but my hair loss and the negativity it causes are party to blame

[MrBald]

You´re not alone man, I feel exactly like you. I am 30 years old and NW6, and it has totally crushed me as a person. I am constantly working on methods to try to handle the depression and anxiety that comes with hairloss, but damn its so hard. Its not easy to lose ones youth so early in life. I feel robbed of my youth.