Stress or MPB

[defoe1984]

Hello,

I have been freaking out these last few months and need everyones advice and their experiences. About 5 months ago I split up with my gf and was a long stressful drawn out couple of months, then I noticed about 2-3 months ago I shedding so much hair in the shower, like 100 hairs a wash....is this normal for MPB, I have also developed an itch, my temples have receded slightly more and thinned out slightly over the crown, but my hair is very very thick, so would be hard to tell anywhere else. Is this normal for the beginning of MPB, or stress related? Did anyone else notice a lot of hairs in the shower when wshing????

[BaldingEagle]

Definitely the start if MPB if its receding and crown thinning.

Get on finasteride asap or regret it later.

[defoe1984]

Thats fair enough if it is the start, but does the shedding decrease of maintain the same? Does this massive shedding start for most people entering the early signs of MPB?

[Artista]

Hello Defoe1984

You MUST keep in mind that STRESS can and WILL add to your hairloss!
That is a medical FACT!
Do not ALLOW anything in your life to stress you out!
Take CHARGE of your life bro!!

How old are you now?? Please respond honestly.

[defoe1984]

I'm 32 and I have noticed that I am shedding hairs that fall easily from other body areas as well.

[BaldingEagle]

95% of hairloss is androgenentic, that's a fact.

You very very likely have MPB starting, extremely common at 32.

You also mention the famous MPB itch.

You really have two options at this point, finasteride or lose more and more hair.

I avoided finasteride for 4 years due to online horror stories. I used rogaine and still lost hair albeit more slowly.

I finally started finasteride after realizing it really is that or go bald. I believe the side effects are real, I have mild ones; watery semen, slightly lower libido, occasional fatigue. Drastically reducing an extremely potent androgen is obviously going to have effects. I do believe permanent effects are possible but extremely rare, far better odds to die on the way to work, but I do feel for the unlucky ones and I pray for treatment for them.

At the end of the day you have to make a benefit vs risk assessment of treatment and or treating your hair loss.

If your hair is important enough to you that it causes depression and lower quality of life like it does to me, I'd say treat it. If it's a minor annoyance just move on with your life like the millions of other who do.

Also, stress related hairloss doesn't follow patterns like MPB, temple recession and crown thinning plus itching is MPB 99% of the time.

Cheers mate

[BaldingEagle]

Thats fair enough if it is the start, but does the shedding decrease of maintain the same? Does this massive shedding start for most people entering the early signs of MPB?

There is no way to predict how much or how fast you will lose unfortunately.

For me personally I lost the most hair in my first big shed. Went from NW0 to NW1 at 21. Slowly made it to NW2 within 3 years, then 2.5. Propecia and rogaine brought me closer to NW2 and is still improving my hair to this day.

I sucked it up and got on propecia at NW2.5. My brother is a NW6 and used no treatments. He's 1 year younger. I can easily live with NW2-3 but I refuse to go to NW4-7.

Buy Nizoral shampoo if you can, mild hair thickener and will help kill that itching.

[defoe1984]

So did you start off with large shedding then when you first noticed it at 21 then? I just find it very strange to shed so much hair when the majority of people say they don't notice the shedding just the recession and thinning of hair? Is this common to shed so much hair? It is literally everywhere now, and from all over my body...its like my body has gone crazy these last months

[Artista]

Hey Defoe1984, BaldingEagle is giving you very good advice!

Ive been on Finasteride since Aug.2013,
my hair improvements began that first year and its ongoing.
I take 1mg. per day,everyday. Now what you would need to do is to consult with your doctor about your hairloss.
Thats what I did, I talked with my doctor, after Spencer and so many others had suggested that I try it out. I have a couple of friends of mine that Ive known for so many years, that have been using Finasteride for quite a while with good results.
(I never knew that they were on it of course until I actually spoke privately about Fin')

I also didn't know that my doctor, of almost 20 years, has been prescribing it to MANY of his male patients for a few years now.
Most all of them have experienced hair improvements without BAD sides. Some improvements minor, some major.
Same with me now, my improvements are somewhere in the middle.

I would suggest to you that you start taking the over-the-counter multi-vitamin, Biotin
Biotin has been proven to add to/improve ones hair.

Back to what I suggested to you,,do not become STRESSED OUT over anything in life bro!

[BaldingEagle]

So did you start off with large shedding then when you first noticed it at 21 then? I just find it very strange to shed so much hair when the majority of people say they don't notice the shedding just the recession and thinning of hair? Is this common to shed so much hair? It is literally everywhere now, and from all over my body...its like my body has gone crazy these last months

My first shed was huge, hair in shower, all over comb, and I could easily pull hairs out of my crown and temples.

First shed was far worse than anything. Started huge, slowed dramatically after about 6 months then slowed to almost a crawl on rogaine except my left temple rogaine couldn't handle. Added Propecia once I noticed rogaine can't handle it alone.

You can't go off my loss though. Example; my brothers first shed at 19 brought him from NW0 to NW5.

Considering my father is NW4 and brother is NW6, I'm incredibly happy finasteride is holding me around NW2, that's a huge win in my book.

We're all different and MPB is frustrating and random as all hell.

[Artista]

Hey there BaldingEagle
It's really good that you offer advice and that you would share your experience with others!
That's a really good thing you are doing!
Cheers bro!

[defoe1984]

Cheers mate, I don't even know what I'm going to do about it to be honest...It has all come on quite dramatically and I am thinking about the long term dedication or just get to a point and rock the buzz cut. I'll have a think, it's ridiculous to lose this amount of hair so fast though...I thought it was a gradual thing...My hair is pretty thick, so guess i'm used to people saying "oh, you'll never go bald!"...then suddenly i'm shedding a bloody cat everytime i have a shower

[BaldingEagle]

Hey there BaldingEagle
It's really good that you offer advice and that you would share your experience with others!
That's a really good thing you are doing!
Cheers bro!

Thanks man, I really like your attitude.

[BaldingEagle]

Cheers mate, I don't even know what I'm going to do about it to be honest...It has all come on quite dramatically and I am thinking about the long term dedication or just get to a point and rock the buzz cut. I'll have a think, it's ridiculous to lose this amount of hair so fast though...I thought it was a gradual thing...My hair is pretty thick, so guess i'm used to people saying "oh, you'll never go bald!"...then suddenly i'm shedding a bloody cat everytime i have a shower

First things first see a dermatologist and discuss your options.

If you're cool with buzzing it as you age then that's ideal. If I started losing at 32 I might too. I was 21 so yeah I freaked out.

Hair starting to thin is perfectly normal at 32.

Good luck mate.

[mozes]

I feel with him man, lot of doubt to start these meds because of the long terms.