34 and feeling it

[Mane Man]

Hi everyone. First of all, I just wanted to say how much I admire everybody here for their courage to share their stories here. You encouraged me to do the same and I thank you for that. Yesterday I was going through some of my college photos and got pretty depressed seeing the young stud in the photos with all the hair. I had a lot of hair. Not quite Agassi with the wig on, but a lot. I took a look in the mirror, and felt much older than I really am.

The first question most of us probably ask is why me? I feel pretty lucky that I was not dealing with this at an earlier age. That might have been too much for me. I had really bad acne in high school that didn't clear up until after my freshman year of college. I had a few good years where I felt good about my looks. I didn't really notice a hair loss issue until I was about 26. All the other guys have hair in my family, so it may have been my job stress that sent the hair running. Either that, or maybe the late growth spurt I had where I really seemed to fill out and lost my boyish looks.

Anyway, I'm here because I want to see what I can do to save the hair I have. I am a little concerned taking propecia right now since my wife and I have already been struggling with having a child. I've heard about watery semen- what about sperm count and overall male fertility? I'm not interested in transplants- yet anyways. God gave me a round head so I've been keeping it short and I actually get some compliments on the spherical wonder that is my head. To be honest, I'd love to grow some hair. It looks like some of you have had some success with the propecia, rogaine and special shampoo combo. I might have to give that a try. Are you doing it through your own research, or do you have a dermatologist?

Thanks! I really look forward to hearing back from some of you.

[Mane Man]

Here's a few pics of me. I'm better off than some, but I am definitely not the mophead I used to be.

[StayStrongMen]

Hey there!

First off I have to say, worst comes to worse, you'd look money with a shaved head. Add me to the list of fans who adore Mane Man's headshape.

Definitely seek out not only a dermatologist, but a doctor who is very knowledgable about hair-loss. Some of the best people to seek out are hair restoration surgeons, that are willing to provide you with advice and not force you to have a transplant. They may help decide how effective hair loss drugs will be at this point in your life, and your semen questions. I am only 23 years old, so that hasn't become a factor in my hair loss fight lol.

If you really want to regrow hair, what do you have to lose (besides money)? You can research propecia on forums/websites and you well hear over and over again why it's the top choice if you aren't worried about side effects.

But you are worried, and rightfully so, so I'll say this: You read the horror stories about propecia's side effects, but unless you are one of the select few, I believe it is all mental. If one is thinking non-stop that they aren't going to be able to hold an erection....then you won't be able to hold an erection. I at first noticed a loss in libido, but after 4 months I started getting more of the "random" erections that we men get.

I think the key is consistency. Once you decide you are going to use a product, whether it's propecia, minoxidil, nizoral, all 3, or something else...you have to stick with it for the the long term. I struggled to cope with this fact, especially after 3 months when I didn't think anything was happening, but be patient.

Best of luck!

[Mane Man]

@ StayStrongMen

Thanks for the kind words. I'm just happy to be here. Not really. But it seems like a great group of people on here.

[clee984]

I don't want to sound gay or nothing, but I think you look great with your hair like that. You'd definitely look good with it shaved closer too, if you wanted to.

[Mane Man]

@ clee984

Thanks buddy. I'd give you a minimal contact one-armed guy hug if I could . I just started getting my hair cut short around Christmas. It was a bit shocking at first, but you get used to it pretty quick. It's nice not to have to fuss with styling your hair to try to make it look fuller. I used to hate the way I looked with hat head, and now I don't really get that.

[CIT_Girl]

I'll chime in with a female opinion and agree that you look great. That style really suits you and you're lucky that you have the features and head shape to take it even shorter if you so desire.

[Mane Man]

@CIT Girl

Thanks! I think I will give the shorter cut a try.

[Winston]

Yeah, you’re one of those guys who can pull off the shaved look. You can always give Propecia a try while you keep your hair short to see if you get any regrowth. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't mess with it too much, I have a feeling you’ll get along in life just fine with little hair.

[Mane Man]

Thank you Winston. I am thinking about giving the propecia a try. I have a big run coming up and don't want to start any medications beforehand. I'm still trying to decide if is something I want to use. I do like the success rates it has for keeping the hair you have.

[iceet]

Hey Mane Man, I am kind of in your same position. The shape of my head is decent enough to where I can buzz my hair down to a zero and get away with it. I tried finasteride for a short time but then decided not to medicate myself for the sake of my hair. It's not worth it to me due to the risk of permanent side effects and the fact that it is an uphill battle. IDK, maybe I've been spending too much time on propeciahelp.com.

If you are trying to conceive, I think you should definitely stop taking fin. Pregnant women must never handle fin due to the risk of certain side effects such as male babies with stunted sexual differentiation It's best to get a physician's opinion on this though.

[JOE-91]

Just to repeat what others have said, you have the right head shape and features to carry off the bald look. I'm 19 with a conventionally bad head shape and I have had the balls to bic it off, so i would go a little shorter. I would give finasteride a shot if you want to, try doing the normal dosage for a few months and see what happens.

[Mane Man]

I went shorter- 1.5 on the top to a 0.5 fade. It looks better. Still thinking propecia. I liked what I heard on Dr. Paul McAndrews website about it.

http://www.hairgrowthdoctor.com/videos/highspeed/video_highspeed.htm