37 - Just Went To Dermatologist

[James1313]

I just turned 37 this month and noticed some slight thinning in my temple area. I went to the dermatologist last month and he did the pull test, and then he said I had the beginnings of Male Pattern Baldness. I asked how long, he said don't worry, it could take up to 15-20 years. The problem is, quite frankly, ever since he said that, I've been obsessing. He didn't do a follicle test or anything.

Here's the thing: I'm wondering if I should check my thyroid. If I pull/rub my eyebrows a couple of hairs come out, and the same thing happens if I rub my head real hard for like 30 seconds. I'm not in denial, I just want to make sure I've covered all my bases.

[Notcoolanymore]

I am 37 and would kill for hair like yours. Usually I would just recommend going on fin to keep what you have, but your hair looks pretty damn good for 37. Yeah you could have all those test done, but the couple of hairs you are losing seems pretty normal to me. If you are paranoid about losing your hair, jump on fin.

[James1313]

I am 37 and would kill for hair like yours. Usually I would just recommend going on fin to keep what you have, but your hair looks pretty damn good for 37. Yeah you could have all those test done, but the couple of hairs you are losing seems pretty normal to me. If you are paranoid about losing your hair, jump on fin.

Thanks. I plan on monitoring it for the next six months. Does hair loss occur in a rapid fashion or gradually? Or both?

[BigThinker]

I am 37 and would kill for hair like yours. Usually I would just recommend going on fin to keep what you have, but your hair looks pretty damn good for 37. Yeah you could have all those test done, but the couple of hairs you are losing seems pretty normal to me. If you are paranoid about losing your hair, jump on fin.

I'm 25 and I'd kill a small village for that hair.

[fred970]

I'm 24 and... Well you get it, you're lucky and your dermatologist is right, at that age, it will take a long time before anyone notices anything.

[Morbo]

I can't remember my hair ever being that thick since I was maybe 13 years old?
You have no thinning and almost no recession. If your dermatologist really has done tests and diagnosed you I suppose he is right. But I wouldn't bother with it. It's not gonna become a problem before you're like 60 with grey hair and full of wrinkles.

I know people on this forum are very hasty with advising people to take meds, but tbh I really wouldn't really risk the sides at this point if I were you. Take a picture, keep a eye on it, and evaluate your hairloss in a year or half from now. Make your decision then.

[Notcoolanymore]

The speed of hair loss varies from person to person. With me my temples were gone within 2 or 3 years, the rest was gradual over the next 15 years. Your plan of monitoring and comparing in 6 months is a good idea. No need to jump on meds of you really don't need to.

...and bigthinkers comment made me lol.

[James1313]

Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it.

This has made me somewhat obsessive: looking in the shower drain, checking my pillow, my work desk, seeing how many I can pull out if I pull hard on my hair, wondering if I'm losing hair or just obsessing. I found two hairs on my desk and went nuts today. This really isn't healthy behavior.

[BigThinker]

Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it.

This has made me somewhat obsessive: looking in the shower drain, checking my pillow, my work desk, seeing how many I can pull out if I pull hard on my hair, wondering if I'm losing hair or just obsessing. I found two hairs on my desk and went nuts today. This really isn't healthy behavior.

No, stop doing that. I did that shit for like a year and the anxiety permeated every facet of my life.

The options for treatment are limited; learn about them and decide if you feel comfortable. Furthermore, you're in a very, very good position for someone your age.

Ditch the obsession. It's not worth it. Promise.

[ryan555]

Very few men keep a perfectly straight hairline into old age. Next time you're out, look at men in their 50's and you'll see about 1 in 10 actually have a perfect hairline. Even those with a "full head of hair" often have some mild recession in their hairline. Look at George W Bush as an example. No one would say he is "balding" but that is not ther hairline he had when he was 20.

Having said that, if it bothers you to such a great extent, get on treatments. They work well. Lucky for you, it's unlikely that you will experience very aggressive MPB given that you are already 37 years old.

[James1313]

Very few men keep a perfectly straight hairline into old age. Next time you're out, look at men in their 50's and you'll see about 1 in 10 actually have a perfect hairline. Even those with a "full head of hair" often have some mild recession in their hairline. Look at George W Bush as an example. No one would say he is "balding" but that is not ther hairline he had when he was 20.

Having said that, if it bothers you to such a great extent, get on treatments. They work well. Lucky for you, it's unlikely that you will experience very aggressive MPB given that you are already 37 years old.

That's actually a good point. My grandfather (maternal) just turned 91 and he still has a full head of hair. He's receded somewhat, but still has a full head of hair. My paternal grandfather was bald (horse shoe) by the time he was 75.

I'm going to hold off on finasteride and just monitor it. My barber said I'm still fine, he's my canary in the coal mine. He also told me that we lose up to 100 hairs per day, depending on the stage of your hair cycle, at least that's what he told me.

[mpb47]

Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it.

This has made me somewhat obsessive: looking in the shower drain, checking my pillow, my work desk, seeing how many I can pull out if I pull hard on my hair, wondering if I'm losing hair or just obsessing. I found two hairs on my desk and went nuts today. This really isn't healthy behavior.

Instead you should take the middle of the road approach:

Take some pics every few months, then from time to time compare. That is how I convinced myself my crown had started thinning (at about your age btw). At first I wasn't sure but the pics eventually showed what was going on.
And yes when you older it might be very slow but it still creeps up on you and you won't even realize it without pics when it happens that slowly.

So if you see no change in say a year, then no worries. And if you do, consider what some of us are doing: take lose dose of propecia.
I take .25mg 2x a week and seeing results after 4 months.

If you loss is slow you may not need a normal dose anyway. Kinda hedging your bets so to speak!

[James1313]

Instead you should take the middle of the road approach:

Take some pics every few months, then from time to time compare. That is how I convinced myself my crown had started thinning (at about your age btw). At first I wasn't sure but the pics eventually showed what was going on.
And yes when you older it might be very slow but it still creeps up on you and you won't even realize it without pics when it happens that slowly.

So if you see no change in say a year, then no worries. And if you do, consider what some of us are doing: take lose dose of propecia.
I take .25mg 2x a week and seeing results after 4 months.

If you loss is slow you may not need a normal dose anyway. Kinda hedging your bets so to speak!

I think I'm going to use your approach.

[James1313]

By the way, what's the deal with side effects? According to most of what I read online, they seem disproportionately overblown. Also, is there much of a difference between the regular and generic versions of finasteride?

[Notcoolanymore]

Personally I use generic fin and I think it is working great. Others only use the name brand stuff. I honestly don't think there is a difference as long as you are getting the stuff from a reputable pharmacy.

There are some that will disagree with me, but I believe in the documented statistics. Sides will happen, but the percentage is low.