Hair loss has become a big issue

[hateBalding]

Hi I am very new to the site and thought this would be a good place to check out since I am now strongly concidering putting every once of my money into a hair transplant. When I was young I had super thick curly locks of hair that the girls loved. It was so thick that I got sick of styling it when I was younger and started getting crew cuts. At age 23 I noticed, with the help of jabs from friends, that I was starting to get a receeding hairline at the temples. I freaked out and started using Rogaine and Propecia. I used that for about 6 years. My hairloss continued and Im not sure all that money I spend on that stuff did much...maybe helped slow it down. I quit using it all for a few years and for the last few years just use Rogaine. I am now 33...about to be 34 in a month. The last couple years of my life have been incredibly stressfull, a failed long term relationship, multiple high pressure jobs, and moving back and forth across the country a couple times. I have lost alot of hair in this time. I started buzzing my head regularly about 4 years ago when it first got noticibly thinner. Now I look so much older I dont look like myself in pictures. I am at a Norwood 3V and thin all over top. I am considering giving propecia a last ditch effort although I dont expect much. My dad has thin hair on top but still has it...probably norwood 4. My mom has such thick hair she doesnt know what to do with it all. my brother has nice thick hair too. I recently sent pictures to Dr Umar. He responded quickly saying it will be 3000 grafts at $8 each....thats $24000...for hair . I was very dissapoointed he charges $50 for just a consultation visit because I have so many questions! I have been looking for months at videos of transplants. Seeing horrific pictures of screw ups! I dont like a shaved head but I dont want to make the situation worse either! I am very concerned that I will still need to take propecia after a transplant or that I will just continue to loose hair and will need to keep going back and still not look good. Ive been really hitting the panic button the last few months since I am now a badly balding single man. I just feel much older than I am as well. Im extremely active. I still skateboard, surf, and snowboard every day. I feel like a kid yet I look like an old man. I can post pics if that helps
thanks

[clandestine]

Holy **** man, 24,000$ for a hair transplant. That's heavy!

Perhaps you might consider waiting out whatever treatments may present themselves in the coming years. Check out the 'Cutting Edge /Future Treatments' forum for more information.

If you do however choose to go the HT route, I would suggest doing the appropriate research. You can never do too much research, and especially so with such a major life decision.

Remember my friend, you are not your hair. Girls are much more put off by the insecurity you're creating as a result of your hair loss than the hair loss itself. This is especially true at your age.

Though I empathize with you regarding not loving the shaved head look. I'm trying it out now, and I've got a rather small head. These are somewhat depressing times for me, and I'm only 19!

But you can always come here for support.
I wish you the best of luck!

Regards,
clandestine

[hateBalding]

figured posting pics maybe helpful. these are what I sent in to Dr Umar. I didnt embed the images because they are very large.

http://www.dermhairclinic.com/dropbox/top.JPG

http://www.dermhairclinic.com/dropbox/crown.JPG

http://www.dermhairclinic.com/dropbox/right.JPG

http://www.dermhairclinic.com/dropbox/left.JPG

[Tracy C]

Hi Hatebalding,

You actually don't look that bad to me. I would suggest working with a doctor who is approved by the American Hair Loss Association and is an IAHRS member. Dr. Umar is neither. There is probably a very good reason for that.

If Propecia was slowing down your hair loss and you were not experiencing side effects, you should consider staying on the medication. You can reduce your cost by requesting a prescription for generic 5mg Finasteride and splitting the pills into four pieces to make your daily dose. This saves a significant amount of money over the cost of Propecia.

If you can honestly say that you had no benefit what so ever from using Rogaine or generic Minoxidil, there is no point in trying that any more. Though the medicine works for most people, it does not work for everyone. Nothing does. If however you actually did benefit from using the medicine to at least some degree, including but not limited to slowing down your hair loss, you should consider using it again. At least until a better treatment becomes available to the public. Doing so could buy you some time to wait for that better treatment to become available.

I understand from another post you wrote in another thread that you do not believe low level laser therapy does anything at all. So I am not going to waste my time trying to convince you. I will only say that I have been using the laser comb myself for over four years and it has improved my hair. I would not bother to continue using it if it did nothing at all. Do whatever you want with that.

You need to do whatever you can to lower your stress. Stress can make hair loss worse. Stressing out over your hair loss can make your hair fall out.

Take care of yourself,

Tracy

[Paul Straub, MD]

You are not in such bad shape. I am Dr. Paul Straub and I have been doing hair restoration since before you were born. You can certainly be helped and your self confidence restored. Over the years I have done it for thousands of men. I do not agree that you need 3,000 grafts. First, nobody NEEDS hair--it is how much you WANT. Your appearance can be dramatically improved with somewhere between 1,000 grafts and 2,000 grafts.

[hateBalding]

Thanks for the responses. I actually had my dr call me in a prescription for finasteride last night and added it to my rogain use. I also started taking vitamins for hair and started using an organic shampoo that is said to stimulate hair growth. Ill give details on these when I get home. Tracy your post in another thread has given me hope again for ht alternatives. So I am trying those for now...im scared as hell of the possible scaring from a bad ht. Then I couldn't even shave my head and look good! About the laser comb im not against it. Im just looking for some evidence that it will do something. Everything I've read in the past said they don't so if u have pics or something u can show id be interested. Id rub dog poo on my head every night if it brought my hair back.

[hateBalding]

SSRI and hairloss

This is something else I have been trying to figure out for years. I started on high doses of SSRI medications a couple years before I started having hairless. I am strongly questioning the link between this medication and hairless. If I knew for certain I could switch but I need something to go on. All my dr seem to think its all coincidental but I noticed a pattern. Id rather be balding than crazy so I don't have many options but just wondering others thoughts

[Tracy C]

Id rub dog poo on my head every night if it brought my hair back.

Hi hatebalding,

I can tell you with absolute certainty that doing that will not do a thing to treat your hair loss - and it will surely chase the girls away.

The vitamins and special shampoo you bought are not going to do anything for your hair loss either. Actually, I am surprised you would buy into the idea that those would do something but you won't accept the studies that lead to the FDA clearance for the laser comb. That's actually kinda comical.

My sister and I are on multi-therapy treatment, so pictures of our heads would not do any good to convince you. I am not very interested in convincing you anyway. Much of what you read on the internet is a "Can't see the forest for the trees" kind of thing.

Take care,

Tracy

[hateBalding]

Tracy there has been multiple scientific tests to varify that scalp stimulation does indeed aid in hair growth. There is no need to be so bitter towards each other on here. We are all in the same boat looking for answers and help

[Tracy C]

Hi hatebalding,

I'm not bitter. I am sorry that you think I am. Sometimes our true emotions don't translate in a web forum.

Take care,

Tracy

[Losing_It]

Hi Tracy,

sometimes you can be abit too hard on these guys. give them a break. A gentle nudge in the correct would suffice.

[Tracy C]

sometimes you can be abit too hard on these guys.

I realize our tone does not come across in a web forum. I am not trying to be harsh. I am trying to be as truthful as possible. The truth can be viewed as harsh but it is what it is. It is more important to get the truth out there (and keep it out there) than it is to avoid sounding harsh.