23 M, Norwood 5-6

[Baldie93]

Hi all, as the title says I'm a 23yr old male and currently my hair is between a Norwood 5 and 6. It started when I was around 17-18, I used to have very thick hair and I always hated that it was so thick. Fast forward to now and I can tell you I wish I hadn't hated it. The top of my head is incredibly thin (almost completely bare) and my hairline is starting to receed very quickly so am now headed towards Norwood 7.

I've been with my current girlfriend for 6 years now so she has been around since the start, she has always been supportive and says she doesn't care but I know she must do at least a little bit. Everytime I'm out by myself, with her or even at work I can't help but feel eyes looking at me or others saying things and it's the worst feeling in the world. My dad is a Norwood 2 although I think this may just be his natural hairline as there's no history of MPB it in my family and my brother is now 18 and not experiencing anything like me at all. I have tried a multitude of treatments to halt it, slow it or even just grow a small bit back, all which have failed time and time again leading me to become more and more depressed and it has had a huge impact on my self esteem.

The final solution I am trying is Saw Palmetto, I've currently been using for 1.5 months but still my hairline continues to receed. I plan to stay on this for at least a year just to see but I really don't have any hope left that this will make any improvement when everything else has failed.

Is there anyone else who is a Norwood 5 or higher at my age, and how did you cope with it? So far I've been getting my hair cut shorter over the past few months and am just about ready to get it all done at a 1 but still don't think this is short enough and I really don't think I would suit it. Would appreciate any advice or similar stories anyone may have on how to deal with this because right now I don't know anyone experiencing hair loss this bad at my age I see so many people making posts on forums like this that they are Norwood 2 and whilst I am not starting a competition they are very lucky to not be heading toward a 7 at my age and I'd take Norwood 2 over this anyday

[eighteen]

What treatments have you done? And that girls a keeper.

[Baldie93]

I have tried Regaine for around 2yrs with no new growth at all. Propecia I tried for 1 month but experienced sexual side effects so stopped right away. I've also tried using a range of oils, pumpkin and coconut, but after a few months every other night I finally stopped because it was not slowing and again there was no new growth, infact applying the oil was actually causing me to lose hair faster because it was so fragile to falling out. Last but not least I've tried lots of supplements such as Biotin, B6/B12, C, D, E, Iron, Zinc etc. I still continue to take these now but neither these or anything just mentioned have even remotely slowed the loss. It's slowing now but that's only because there's so little left.

[eighteen]

Hair transplant maybe? You can also look into swisstemples stuff he claims he can grow hair on a bald scalp, idk how legit his methods are personally but they seem pretty science backed. He's also not trying to sell anything to you, which is a first.

[Baldie93]

I've thought about it although at the moment it's a bit out of my price range. I've also read in some places if you're a Norwood 7 then you aren't able to get it, or it won't be effective? Thanks for mentioning that method, looks like it worked pretty well for him and would be worth maybe giving a go. It looks quite an extensive routine though and took him a long time just to regrow a small area. I remember when I was using Regaine and using the various oils I would sometimes question whether it's worth dedicating so much time to it knowing that I would have to continue forever or for as long as I want to keep the results.

[bmoreno515]

You have any pictures bro? And are you able to grow a beard out ? Why don't you try working out and getting fit? Having a nice toned body is a plus for any girl bald or not and makes up for it, but don't let this put you down so much bro there's always a way around this, bulk up add some tattoos(meaningful ones) and people will pay more attention to all that.

[WHTC Clinic]

You need to understand that the time to do maximal medical therapy is now. There are many non-surgical remedies that can help to combat your hair loss.

[Baldie93]

Here's a picture of what it's currently like. Don't be fooled by how thick the front area may look and what's still left on the top because it really isn't at all and is still falling out rapido daily. Compared to when I was younger, my hair was very and I mean very thick. Yes I am able to grow a full beard I can proudly say since the age of 14. I used to shave it all completely off but just recently have been trimming only to 1.5mm as I think some stubble makes me look a little older. I am trying to get myself back into some shape, I used to be a few years ago but got a little lazy since then and my biggest problem with tatoos is that I have quite a bit of body hair, although most of this has also been lost over the past few years.

[bmoreno515]

Yea I see what you mean, I know its rough bro but like I said there are other ways to go about this and getting into shape is something to look into doing, I bet your girl would love to hold onto some nice toned out arms and forget all about the hair even though it seems she doesn't care about it now and that's awesome that she loves you for you and not appearances. As for the beard man that's a plus that you can grow a full beard, look at Jason statham or w.e. that guy looks great bald and the trimmed beard he has a nice frame Its doable. Don't think this is the end man cause its not, you still have a long life ahead this shouldn't stop you from doing the things you want to or being yourself and don't let hair loss win this battle.

[Falcon]

1) My advice is to start propecia 2x week 0.5 mg and stick to this dose, and live with minor sexual side but not with a limp dick.

2) If this is not a option for you then cut the hair with a razer blade and move on.
You did your best, now be a soldier and accept it. Next project should be bodybuilding and some kind of facial hair.

3) If this is also not an option, then seek help from a psychologist.

[maxout777]

Saw Palmetto worked fantastic for me as far as hair goes - completely reversed my hair loss for the most part. Never saw any shedding on my desk at work or in my shower, and took the scalp itch away. Only problem is it gave me all the side effects that propecia is known to do after about a month and a half of using it. Three weeks off and I'm still slowly returning to normal, so be alert in case you experience similar to what you had on propecia (not trying to scare you, I personally always just like to have a heads up). I used the liquid gel caps - the powder doesn't seem to work very well for some people, so you may give it a try. It may do absolutely nothing for you, but for some of us, the herb works magic (for our hair). I'm still looking for another alternative myself, I loved what SP did for my hair, just couldn't handle the sides.

[Baldie93]

Thanks bmoreno515. Will definitely be continuing to build up a little bit, or at least tone out more.

Falcon, I've read many stories that those who have experienced even minor side effects they never went away. Whilst it's not guarenteed I personally experienced quite severe side effects and am just grateful that they never stuck around. For me the risk of that is very much not worth getting some hair back and losing all dignity in that department which is why I stopped.

Thanks Maxout, can I ask what dose you were taking daily and how long it took for you to see any effects? I've been taking it for around 1.5 months now from Holland and Barret, 450mg power capsules, 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. Seems higher than a lot of the other brands I have seen so would be interesting to hear what dose you used.

[maxout777]

I took a small dose, only 160mg. However it was the liquid extract softgels that I used. Most people that take the powder capsules don't seem to have any results/effects. I started noticing effects about a month in, probably noticed other Fin-like sides before but didnt think much of it. Like I said, it worked great for me and I would've stayed on it if the side effects wouldn't have hit me. Again, I'm optimistic that I'll recover from my sides, but it is concerning that it's been three weeks and I'm still a bit off. Just keep an eye on it and I think you'll be fine.

[Baldie93]

Wow, & here I am on 1,800mg as recommended by H&B! I had planned to give it a few months and then if I see anything to reduce the dose because I've seen nothing this high available elsewhere. I'll keep in mind the softgels, useful to know thank you. Hope you recover from the side effects

[koko207]

Hey man I am going through the exact same thing. I quit about 20 days ago and I do not feel 100%. Did you ever fully recovered? and if you did, how long did it take you to fully recover? I really appreciate your response men!