Too young for this...

[Thin_is_not_in]

Is what I first thought, but it seems there are others around my age on here. I am 23 years old and have been noticeably balding for the past 2 years. It has crushed my confidence, many people think I look 10 years older than I really am. No one around me in my age is balding and it's something I'm very self conscious about. I use Toppik and that helps.... I don't know what to do, it's obviously getting worse. I want to stay away from the Hairclub for mens biomatrix "wig". I Don't want to deal with RX and side effects. So the only option is transplant.....

[DAVE52]

So the only option is transplant.....

Or buzz it

[Thin_is_not_in]

Or buzz it

yeah ive been getting my hair cut at a 3 but i dont want to go super buzzed.. doesn't work with my face... I am really considering the biomatrix... i hate this. i hate looking in the mirror i hate it!

[Confided]

Go to the Derm man. If i were you, look into Propecia and start using it if your Derm is ok with it. Definitely start Nizoral A-D and maybe look into using rogaine. Those are the big 3 used to combat MPB. Im 20, so i know how you feel man. Keep your head up, and try to be positive because there is still hope that you can maintain your current hair or even increase what you have.

[BoSox]

Try not to worry about it, with Replicel coming out with data in the next few months.. hair loss could possibly be a thing in the past.

Get on propecia asap. I've used Toppik, but it's too powdery, Dermatch is better.. or however you spell it.

[WashedOut]

Go to the Derm man. If i were you, look into Propecia and start using it if your Derm is ok with it. Definitely start Nizoral A-D and maybe look into using rogaine. Those are the big 3 used to combat MPB. Im 20, so i know how you feel man. Keep your head up, and try to be positive because there is still hope that you can maintain your current hair or even increase what you have.

Hey Condided I read your story a while back and I'm close to your age (21). How is the propecia going? Any sides/improvement so far?

To the OP. You still have enough hair to use a regimen before it's too late. I know propecia has side effects but for all we know your chances of getting sides is really low and it seems like hairloss is bothering you a lot. You also need Nizoral like Confided says and definitely try out rogaine because you could use the regrowth. If you decide to use any of these while you wait for results you could try Dermatch or Toppik to thicken up the hair and make it less visible. Transplants are supposed to be a last resort and any good HT doctor would tell you to use these things before putting you under. With any luck you could keep some of your hair and maybe grow some too until topicals like CB-03-01 come out that could reduce the need for propecia. You could also wait to see what Replicel/Histogen/etc can accomplish before going through with a regular HT.

[Confided]

I was on Propecia for about 3 months. I decided to quit treatment because i believe i felt a drop in libido. It might of been all in my head, but i wanted to be more safe than sorry. Libido has returned to normal since then (2 weeks ago). I'm currently only using Nizoral; let the hair loss commence. -___- lol

[Thin_is_not_in]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Purchased the rogaine foam but after all the talk of more initial shedding I was kind of put off.

The nizoral A-D... is dandruff typical of MPB? To make matters worse my dandruff started about 2 months ago, I've been using a salicylic acid shampoo from nutrogena that has been working, but I'll switch to nizoral.

This is all so stressful, i know it shouldn't matter as much as it does but it has bothered me so much. I can only comb my hair down, i can never use any products in it. Toppik covers up pretty well but as the majority of my loss is on my hairline- toppik isn't really the best solution.

My dad has suffered from hairloss as well, although not until his late 20's. He used rogaine for quite some time but doesn't want me to go down that path, as well as the propecia/finasteride route.

I know im too young for HT surgery--- I feel like im tricking my self into wanting the bio-matrix, i have a cousin who has it and admits its a pain but he loves it.

Replicel seems promising...

I just want to wake up and not be bald.- don't we all

[WashedOut]

Just out of curiosity when did you notice the thinning and how long has it been? It's always been crazy how some guys can go from NW2 to NW6 in a year while other guys it takes 20 years.

[Thin_is_not_in]

Just out of curiosity when did you notice the thinning and how long has it been? It's always been crazy how some guys can go from NW2 to NW6 in a year while other guys it takes 20 years.

Oh jeez..I've probably been thinning since...19. Noticeable from mid 20's & I'm now 23. I walked up to a health insurance rep at a drug store because i was possibly interested in signing up and he looks at me and says... lets see you must be in your mid 30's. Needles to say he will not be getting my business.

[WashedOut]

Oh jeez..I've probably been thinning since...19. Noticeable from mid 20's & I'm now 23. I walked up to a health insurance rep at a drug store because i was possibly interested in signing up and he looks at me and says... lets see you must be in your mid 30's. Needles to say he will not be getting my business.

Oh man that's some pretty aggressive hairloss. At this point you gotta at least try the rogaine because it sounds like you are losing it at a fast rate and even if you do have the shedding it sounds like you are not pleased with your current hair situation so what choice is there really. Those hairs will fall out eventually so at least with Rogaine you have a chance of them coming back. The Nizoral is not for dandruff but a lot of guys here use it and it seems to help maintain and even regrow some hair when used in combination with a treatment like rogaine or propecia. It's always easier to keep hair than make it come back but if all else fails hopefully a company like Replicel can come out with something soon.

[GreatSage]

what's the "bio-matrix" procedure?

[Bromin]

Try not to worry about it, with Replicel coming out with data in the next few months.. hair loss could possibly be a thing in the past.

Get on propecia asap. I've used Toppik, but it's too powdery, Dermatch is better.. or however you spell it.

That's interesting, they do indeed say they will be releasing data in March/April of 2012.

My only general concern is how much is this procedure going to be? I work in a biotech lab and the way they covered how the derm cells are produced, I would roughly estimate $1000 just to culture the cells/lab fees. Then include the doctors fees/checkups, I wouldnt be surprised to see a procedure estimate going up to $5000 without insurance covering it. Not to mention this procedure looks like it takes multiple sessions in order to get effects.

I know a lot of doctors not WILLING to do PRP hair therapy because of the intense amount of labor giving shots to all corners of the scalp. It generally isn't worth it to their practice to include the regimen.

This isn't even going into patients not having to take finasteride to lower their endogenous DHT levels, which is the main culprit causing the MPH. Unless derm cells are resistant to DHT from the sides of the heads, which I couldn't find any articles on.

I do admit this experiment does look legit especially going into first human clinical trials and a 3rd phase human trial with a wider base of people in china, so it does look promising. It's still around 5 years off from being available to the general public however, not to mention having to train doctors into administering it.

[Bromin]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Purchased the rogaine foam but after all the talk of more initial shedding I was kind of put off.

The nizoral A-D... is dandruff typical of MPB? To make matters worse my dandruff started about 2 months ago, I've been using a salicylic acid shampoo from nutrogena that has been working, but I'll switch to nizoral.

This is all so stressful, i know it shouldn't matter as much as it does but it has bothered me so much. I can only comb my hair down, i can never use any products in it. Toppik covers up pretty well but as the majority of my loss is on my hairline- toppik isn't really the best solution.

My dad has suffered from hairloss as well, although not until his late 20's. He used rogaine for quite some time but doesn't want me to go down that path, as well as the propecia/finasteride route.

I know im too young for HT surgery--- I feel like im tricking my self into wanting the bio-matrix, i have a cousin who has it and admits its a pain but he loves it.

Replicel seems promising...

I just want to wake up and not be bald.- don't we all

IMO you either make a commitment or not. Your hair looks at a decent stage to really try to make a difference or give up and let nature take its course.

The shedding is definitely the worst part, following up is the massive amount of dandruff you will be dealing with. I've never had dandruff in my life, so it has been a definite learning experience in dealing with it. The massive itching also sucks, I've scratched to the point of bleeding a couple times (try to avoid it... it scars the scalp) but sometimes it's just too much.

After all that, you will notice hair regrowth. But it's after going through all those painful steps that you see results. The dedication isn't for everyone. HT is the last option for a lot of people and they end up using toppik to cover up the parts without transplants anyway, so I don't see the point in HT for you.

[WashedOut]

That's interesting, they do indeed say they will be releasing data in March/April of 2012.

My only general concern is how much is this procedure going to be? I work in a biotech lab and the way they covered how the derm cells are produced, I would roughly estimate $1000 just to culture the cells/lab fees. Then include the doctors fees/checkups, I wouldnt be surprised to see a procedure estimate going up to $5000 without insurance covering it. Not to mention this procedure looks like it takes multiple sessions in order to get effects.

I know a lot of doctors not WILLING to do PRP hair therapy because of the intense amount of labor giving shots to all corners of the scalp. It generally isn't worth it to their practice to include the regimen.

This isn't even going into patients not having to take finasteride to lower their endogenous DHT levels, which is the main culprit causing the MPH. Unless derm cells are resistant to DHT from the sides of the heads, which I couldn't find any articles on.

I do admit this experiment does look legit especially going into first human clinical trials and a 3rd phase human trial with a wider base of people in china, so it does look promising. It's still around 5 years off from being available to the general public however, not to mention having to train doctors into administering it.

If they can really make hair grow back then they can take all the money they need from me. I only hope it's 5 years since a lot of people think it could take longer. Could be less time for Aderans since they are already into the 2nd phase of testing.