18 years old. Need advice

[Heisann]

Hello ☺

I’ve been a huge fan of this website for a while now, and just made the decision that I should make a post and find out what you guys think I should do. I think its amazing that people are genuinely interested to help, and that its easy to cope with this problem together!

PS: I have to excuse my English. Its like my third language. Never use it.

Anyhow. I am 18 years old (soon 19). And I have always had very long and thick hair. I’ve never thought about the issue with getting bald, because of my hair type. My father is almost bald, but he has a completely different hair type then me, so I never worried. But for almost a year a ago I saw I photo of my big brother (he is like 22). He has always had pretty thick hair and long hair – but not as thick as mine. In this Photo I saw for about a year ago he had lost a LOT of hair!! I mean he was going bald. No question. It must be said though that the fact that he was going bold was more noticeable because he had cut of a lot of his hair, so now you could better see his.. ehm.. Forehead?

So when I see this picture I get a little scared, and I go to the mirror. I then brush my hair (which is pretty long), away to see if I have a receding hairline. And guess what? It looks like I do… I’ve seen a couple of pictures of peoples hairlines on the forum and mine was pretty similar to this, just hidden by my hair falling over. So of course I start to worry a lot (I worry VERY easy). But I keep in mind that perhaps its always been like this? I’ve had long hair as long as I can remember, and cant find pictures which shows otherwise. But I start to worry a lot, and check the mirriors all the time – knowing that when I cut my hair it will look like I have a reeceeding hairline.

About a month of this “worrying”, something suddenly starts happening. My hair falls of! I know its like normal to loose 150 hairs everyday, but I am loosing probably around 300… This did NOT happend before about a month after I noticed my brother picture and my hairline. I have never noticed loosing a hair before.. But now when I am fixing my hair etc, I notice about 20 hairs attached to my hand. This had never happend before this startet!
So I go see a doctor who we go to in my country for issues like this (directly translated it would be called a skin-doctor). She then says that hair falling off has nothing to do with getting bald… If you’re getting bald you wont notice this through your hair falling off.. It will just stop growing out. So she meant this would just stop.. But this cant be right guys? I mean…. It’s a connection between getting bald and your hair falling off? :S Right? Anyhow, she looks at my hairline and says its possible that its always been like this, or its happening now. I therefore say I want to get fin, and she gives it to me.. So I do have a Fin and I am wondering to start using it…

But after a while after I noticed my hairline (for about a year ago) I took measures of ehm.. my templtes – I think its called?. And they have grown like 1cm (I think, hard to measure) in about a year. I am 90 % sure they have grown atleast.

I am worried that when I am going to cut my hair shorter people will think it looks pretty dumb… Because it sort of does.. My hairline in front is okay, but when I push my hair back on the sides, You can see the huge “gaps” in the hairline. And I notice now after I have taken a shower that it really looks bad.. Might always been like this, but if not I need to stop it NOW! So I at some point may cut my hair and look presentable and not


So what the hell should I do? Thanks for ALL answers. And in writing moment, I am letting my hand run through my hair, and well.. There is a lot of hair coming out! Probably loosing about 350 hair today.

[badhairloss]

You should post pictures so we can tell if you're balding or not. Maybe you're loosing hair due to stress. Where are you from? Scandinavia?

I rembember when I was 18. I only lost hair on my temples, but I ignored it because I though I never would loose my hair because my father has a full head of hair. I inhered his hair type, thick and dark, but I also inhered hair loss from my mothers side of family. First when over 50-60% off my hair was gone I took action. Can not report regrowth from Finasteride (1.25mg daily since summer 2010), but it has stabilized it. If I had not ignored my hair loss when I was 18 I would most likely be NW2 today, but now I am a diffuse NW5-6.

If you belive you're balding, it might be the case. I would recommend Finasteride, but you should post pictures anyway so people can tell.

[Heisann]

You should post pictures so we can tell if you're balding or not. Maybe you're loosing hair due to stress. Where are you from? Scandinavia?

I rembember when I was 18. I only lost hair on my temples, but I ignored it because I though I never would loose my hair because my father has a full head of hair. I inhered his hair type, thick and dark, but I also inhered hair loss from my mothers side of family. First when over 50-60% off my hair was gone I took action. Can not report regrowth from Finasteride (1.25mg daily since summer 2010), but it has stabilized it. If I had not ignored my hair loss when I was 18 I would most likely be NW2 today, but now I am a diffuse NW5-6.

If you belive you're balding, it might be the case. I would recommend Finasteride, but you should post pictures anyway so people can tell.

Thanks for answering man And, yeah I am from scandinavia! How did you tell? And I will try and post some pictures.. But the question is if its maybe always been like that? Anyhow, I will take som photes and try and "publish" them here

And btw, like i asked in my first post, there is a connection between going bald and your hair falling off? (haha, sounds dumb, but I think you know what I mean )

[badhairloss]

Hey again

I guess you dermatologist are correct about that fact, but you will notice hair loss, but maybe not before you've lost 50% of you hair. Some people can get stressed about hair loss and develop telogen effluvium, shedding lot of hairs. Those hair will grow back again, but if you are balding they become thinner. You can look for miniaturized hair in your hair line. Some kids can be born with "Huge gaps" on one side, but you would have noticed it in photos of your childhood even with long hair. Teenager's hair is often thicker than most children's hair (so pictures from teenage might not help you decide if you was born with huge gaps). I belive testosterone is good for your hair. It's first when the testosterone converts to dihydrotestosterone your hair follicles will be miniaturized.

I'm from Norway so I just made a guess from your nickname.

[Heisann]

I could not edit the starting post for some reason....

Bad picture.. It doesnt really show it.. Something to do with the light. May update it later with another picture

[Heisann]

I guess you dermatologist are correct about that fact, but you will notice hair loss, but maybe not before you've lost 50% of you hair. Some people can get stressed about hair loss and develop telogen effluvium, shedding lot of hairs. Those hair will grow back again, but if you are balding they become thinner. You can look for miniaturized hair in your hair line. Some kids can be born with "Huge gaps" on one side, but you would have noticed it in photos of your childhood even with long hair. Teenager's hair is often thicker than most children's hair (so pictures from teenage might not help you decide if you was born with huge gaps). I belive testosterone is good for your hair. It's first when the testosterone converts to dihydrotestosterone your hair follicles will be miniaturized.

I'm from Norway so I just made a guess from your nickname.

Yes! I do have miniaturized hair in my hairline.

[Heisann]

Well.. Since you may only edit posts 15 minute after they are made I'll have to make a new one to show the other side. Any admins who sees this, you may please put both of my photes in the starting post

[badhairloss]

Hard to say from those pictures. You hair is still awesome, maybe NW1,5 on Norwood scale.
You should compare yourself with pictures of your brother when he was at your age. Balding can progress fast or slow, but since you brother is balding at such a young age I think you also are balding, but you are in the early stage and it is not visible to me. If you take actions - start finasteride, you will most likely halt you hair loss completely (look at Spencer who still got a lot of hair). There is no guarantee you will regrow hair (but you have not lost so much either). Maybe miniaturized hair will turn terminal hair again. There is always a chance you quit finasteride because you think it isn't doing anything for you. In that case you might begin to bald again, so stick with it. Don't spend you money on snakeoils out there. Just begin with finasteride and Fungoral (20mg/ml) shampoo twice a week (This is the Nizoral everyone is talking about, just another brand name in Norway). You got enough hair to live a completely normal life, so don't worry to much about it.

Questions: Where is you brother on the Norwood scale today, and what kind of hair loss (diffuse pattern, pattern)? Where is your father on the Norwood scale today? What about hair loss on your mothers side of family? Are you thinning on crown/vertex (might not be so visible)? Have you tried a short hair cut?

If you decide to take actions now, talk to a doctor and get prescription on Finasteride 5mg and cut the pill in 4 pcs. That should be 1.25mg every day and save you a lot of money. I paid less than 300 NOK (ca. $25) for one year supply. If you experience side effects, try lower dose. You might experience side effects at the beginning due to hormonal imbalance, but it should stabilize itself after few weeks.

[Heisann]

Thank you so much for the help! You're just what I need

I am totally new to this scale, but I checked it up now, and from the looks of it my brother is a very strong 2! And my father is about a 4. But like I mentioned my fathers hair has always been completely different from mine. I’ve seen pictures of him when he was like 15 and he had a huge forhead. My father has 2 brothers – the oldest has lost ALL his hair, nothing left. While the younger one has lost nothing, everything is intact. This younger brother which kept all his hair has not the same hairtype as mine - his is completely "helt rett, uten fall" - like you would say in norwegian

On my mothers side its hard to say, since she has no brothers. But I’ve talked to her about it and she says some loose it, and some keep it. Not really a clear pattern she says.

Like you say I should use my brother as a guide.. But a little hard since I never see him.. haven’t seen him in like 2 years. But pictures tell me what I need to know…. And my mother went to visit him and she said that his hairloss was very noticeable. I’ve talked with him about it on the phone, and he acknowledges that it is happening but don’t care. When I look at pictures at him when he was at my age it is hard to say, since he had longer hair (its now sorter), but I clearly see a HUGE difference from the ages 19-22 (22 - his current state).. Its amazing how quickly it went on his part..

And I’ve got a pack of finasteride right next to me atm ☺ I am considering, but afraid of the side effects….

When it comes to weather or not I am thinning on my crown; it is impossible to answer.. Way to much hair to see.. But when I take my hands through my hair up at the crown hairs fell out – so maybe? Haha.. And no, I have never tried a really sort haircut, but I did just cut my hair and I noticed more how my “gaps” where showing. Tried talking to friends about this, but they laugh it off and say we are to young to trouble ourself with such concerns when its so many years until it comes an issue, and of course I am nervous to tell them straight forward that its happening to me.. Especially when no one could expect it since I have so much hair.

Again, your great Thanks for all the help you’re giving me.

[badhairloss]

Well, when I was 18-19 my hair was much similar to yours, both texture, hair length, color and progression of hair loss. Nobody could tell because I got long hair like you, but I knew someone at my age then who everyone believed would go bald at age 20-21. They still got their hair with high temples, but I've lost a lot more. My temples is not that huge, but general thinning all over the scalp. I'm not 100% sure if you are balding, but i belive so. If you take actions you might see your friends begin balding in their 20s or 30s, while you might be able to keep most of what you have today.

Many of those side effects from Finisteride was also reported from placebo group. What about starting lower dose. If you have 1mg finasteride tablets, split them in 4 pcs and start a daily dose of 0,25 mg. What side effects are you afraid of? There was not really much talk about side effects before one man i Sweden reported sexual side effects even after he quit the pill. I think he's mind is ****ed or something, or maybe hair loss itself is the reason why he has those side effects.

But this is your decision. You brother does not really care about hair loss, what about you? Can you live without hair? Can you learn to enjoy life without hair? If yes, you should stay away from Fin and go on with your life. It's just hair. But for some of us, it is more than hair, and I guess that is why we're here.

I think you need more opinions before taking a decision. Wait some weeks. You will not loose all your hair in a month or two. But don't wait until it's to late. I was 24 when i got in Fin, and that was to late. I will never get a full head of hair I guess.

[Heisann]

I have 5mg tablets.. But kinda hard to split them up isnt it? Especially if I have to split them up into like 10 pieces.. And how should I store them after I have cut them up?

And my hair is very important to me, I feel like it’s the “source” of my confidence – I know that might sound dumb. So of course I really want to take Finasteride, but I am afraid of the consequences I may endure. Espacially when I extremely easily get effected by the “placebo” effect… If someone tells me I just ate something which will make me feel bad – I feel bad.. So I am afraid I will just think to much of the symptoms and therefore develop them..

But I think I am going to start with Fin soon Would be great to be able to keep my hair until I am like 40.. After that its not that of a big deal.. Haha, since by that time I’ll hopefully be married and snatched up an amazing girl

But you said that you had hair much like me! It would be great if you explanied how things developed for you during the next years (from you were 18 until you were starting Fin), so I get a guide to what I may expect

[drybone]

Hi. I believe 90% of us fall into this category.

Our parents give us their genes. Dad and mom . They have to get the DNA from somewhere. They get it from our grandparents (their parents).

So you have some combination of your grandparents DNA. Check out both of your grandfathers. Try to find photos of them at your age.

[badhairloss]

Well, I noticed receeding hairline first when I was 18-19 I guess. I did not really care much about it, because I did not expect to loose my hair. Then my hair was stable many years I though, but slowly thinning (when I look back at pictures). Suddenly it was visible early 2010 and that stressed me out. So I lost maybe 1000 hairs a day for a weeks (TE due to stress). I did my research on Internet and read a lot of posts on forums. Then talked to my doctor who did not know about treatments. I told him I wanted prescription on finasteride, and it was okay for him. He told me there really was no side effects, many patients of him was using the drug for enlarged prostate and none have reported side effects. I knew from forum there could be side effects, but did not care because i felt hair was more important to me than having sex. I have not noticed any side effects. I believe you hair loss will most likely be the same as your brother. So look at photos of him, and family photos of grandparents.

[badhairloss]

Cut and store pills:

I don't know which country you are from, but go to apotek1.no and search for "tablettdeler". I first split the pill in 2, and then in 4. I'm sure you will find something similar in you country. Keep away from girls/kids.

[Heisann]

Thanks Then I'll buy an "deler" tomorrow! But can you really cut the tab up into like 10 pieces? And where should i store the once i cut up when waitning to use them?