Newcomer, possibly dealing with MPB?

[whereswaldo]

Hello there everyone! I am a 21 year old male, and about a month ago I noticed that I am shedding a lot of hairs a day. I am probably losing 200+ a day, and even as I type this I just had to wipe a hair out of my face that fell and was dangling on my eye. I used to have my hair short, but about 7 months ago my girlfriend at the time asked me if I was going bald, and I said no, to which she replied "well it looks like you have a receding hairline." Also when I was in 8th grade one of my friends told me I had a (very slight) receding hairline already and that I was going to be bald. I didn't even know what that meant at the time. So now it looks like both of them were right, although I'm not certain. When I was 19 my hairline was pretty much flawless besides the slight recession I had on my left side since I was younger. Now it has become very noticeable. All of my friends have short hair and none of them have recession, and if they do it just looks like a mature hairline. Mine seems to be a bit worse. My mother told me that she met my dad when he was 23 and he was already noticeably going bald by that point. However my paternal grandfather is only just now starting to thin out at age 70, and my maternal grandfather is only thinning at age 64. My mother says I don't look like I'm thinning, but the fact that I'm shedding so much hair and my hairline is receding makes me think otherwise. I think she can't tell because I have my hair a bit longer.

I was thinking about going to a dermatologist, but I figured I'd post a few pictures on the forum before I do. I know I still have a lot of hair, and I've seen some people bash on others for having a lot of hair and asking this question lol, but if I am going bald I would like to catch it before it gets worse. I am a musician and an introvert, so I would really like to keep a full head of hair for as long as possible. I wouldn't mind it if I started going bald after age 30, but my dad was already a 3V or 4 by then. With that being said, do you guys think this is just a mature hairline or is it MPB? Thanks!

[dex89]

Hello there everyone! I am a 21 year old male, and about a month ago I noticed that I am shedding a lot of hairs a day. I am probably losing 200+ a day, and even as I type this I just had to wipe a hair out of my face that fell and was dangling on my eye. I used to have my hair short, but about 7 months ago my girlfriend at the time asked me if I was going bald, and I said no, to which she replied "well it looks like you have a receding hairline." Also when I was in 8th grade one of my friends told me I had a (very slight) receding hairline already and that I was going to be bald. I didn't even know what that meant at the time. So now it looks like both of them were right, although I'm not certain. When I was 19 my hairline was pretty much flawless besides the slight recession I had on my left side since I was younger. Now it has become very noticeable. All of my friends have short hair and none of them have recession, and if they do it just looks like a mature hairline. Mine seems to be a bit worse. My mother told me that she met my dad when he was 23 and he was already noticeably going bald by that point. However my paternal grandfather is only just now starting to thin out at age 70, and my maternal grandfather is only thinning at age 64. My mother says I don't look like I'm thinning, but the fact that I'm shedding so much hair and my hairline is receding makes me think otherwise. I think she can't tell because I have my hair a bit longer.

I was thinking about going to a dermatologist, but I figured I'd post a few pictures on the forum before I do. I know I still have a lot of hair, and I've seen some people bash on others for having a lot of hair and asking this question lol, but if I am going bald I would like to catch it before it gets worse. I am a musician and an introvert, so I would really like to keep a full head of hair for as long as possible. I wouldn't mind it if I started going bald after age 30, but my dad was already a 3V or 4 by then. With that being said, do you guys think this is just a mature hairline or is it MPB? Thanks!

It's MPB if your loosing over 200+ hairs a day, your making the right step by going to a dermatologist.

[BigThinker]

Looks like you're in the early stages. Definitely wise to see a dermatologist. If treatment is going to work for you, you've caught it early enough to likely enjoy a mane for most of your adult life, in my opinion. And yes, there are a lot salty, bald dudes on this forum will rag on you or talk condescending because you're young and you've identified your MPB early in onset. Take it as a compliment; haters gonna hate.

[typicallyconcerned]

Looks like you're in the early stages. Definitely wise to see a dermatologist. If treatment is going to work for you, you've caught it early enough to likely enjoy a mane for most of your adult life, in my opinion. And yes, there are a lot salty, bald dudes on this forum will rag on you or talk condescending because you're young and you've identified your MPB early in onset. Take it as a compliment; haters gonna hate.

Haha haters gon hate. Love it

[whereswaldo]

Looks like you guys were right! I went to the dermatologist today, and she told me my hairline looks like the typical beginning of MPB. She prescribed me to some sort of hair stimulant shampoo and finasteride. I am kind of worried about taking the fin. Anyone want to give me some encouragement? What can I expect month by month with usage? For example, shedding, regrowth, when will I notice it is working etc.

[dex89]

Looks like you guys were right! I went to the dermatologist today, and she told me my hairline looks like the typical beginning of MPB. She prescribed me to some sort of hair stimulant shampoo and finasteride. I am kind of worried about taking the fin. Anyone want to give me some encouragement? What can I expect month by month with usage? For example, shedding, regrowth, when will I notice it is working etc.

What's the name of the shampoo she prescribed you?

Did she prescribed you propecia or proscar?

Fin is the most potent hair loss medication out there right now that is approved by the FDA. If you really care about your hair, then take the medication. I started with propecia 1mg a day, the only side effect I notice was low libido but after 4 months it went away. Just make sure you stick threw it. The sheds only lasted up to 1 month and it alter with the help of minoxidil/rogaine.

[whereswaldo]

I'm not sure what shampoo she prescribed me. The pharmacist said she was going to have to call in to order it, so I wasn't able to pick it up today. The derm prescribed 5 mg of finasteride to be split into 4ths. That would be proscar if I'm not mistaken. How long did it take you to notice improvements in your hair? Do you think it will have any effect on my growth, seeing as I am only 21 and my body has yet to reach full maturity?

[dex89]

I'm not sure what shampoo she prescribed me. The pharmacist said she was going to have to call in to order it, so I wasn't able to pick it up today. The derm prescribed 5 mg of finasteride to be split into 4ths. That would be proscar if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah it's Proscar which is alot cheaper then propecia, check out the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UUjPNTr9eM

like i said before, if you love your hair then take the plunge.

[typicallyconcerned]

From fear of you being led astray you should make sure you are 100% sure about the side effects and make sure you make the decision, not others. Fin is a huge success story from the majority but it isn't as glamorous for others.

[whereswaldo]

Hey typicallyconcerned, I saw that your balls have been hurting. Lol. Sorry to hear that. Mine hurt a little bit too. I just took the first pill about 5 hours ago and they started hurting after about 2 hours. They hurt a lot for like 5-10 minutes, but now they only hurt a little bit. Did the pain increase as you continued? I'm going to take it for a few more days and see how I feel. I only took .5 today btw, and I plan on sticking with that dose for now

[dex89]

Hey typicallyconcerned, I saw that your balls have been hurting. Lol. Sorry to hear that. Mine hurt a little bit too. I just took the first pill about 5 hours ago and they started hurting after about 2 hours. They hurt a lot for like 5-10 minutes, but now they only hurt a little bit. Did the pain increase as you continued? I'm going to take it for a few more days and see how I feel. I only took .5 today btw, and I plan on sticking with that dose for now

I also had testicle pain during the first couple of months but it only occur about 5 times a month. Just stick threw it, the pain will go away like it did to mine.

[typicallyconcerned]

Hey man umm mine actually hurt for several days after actually stopping the med (I took 2 doses then stopped b/c of ball ache). I'm probably restarting soon... umm from what I hear this is fairly common. However if you want peace of mind the best thing to do is bring all of your questions to a doctor. The people on this forum are great and they share their experience but it comes down to needing professional opinion. Best of luck!

[whereswaldo]

My balls don't hurt at all today. I will keep y'all updated if any side effects occur and when I start to notice results.

[whereswaldo]

It's been a little over a month now, and I said I would keep you guys updated with my progress. I am still shedding a lot of hair, and the shedding has definitely increased since starting finasteride. However, I have read that this is not unusual. For the first couple of weeks I was unable to achieve a full erection, relative to before starting finasteride. That side effect has thankfully subsided completely, as well as the testicular pain. I do have a decreased libido, but I can still achieve a full erection no problem when I'm close to my woman of interest, and my libido does seem to be creeping back to normal. I have noticed that I have breakouts on my face more often now, but I think that has more to do with the winter weather over-drying my skin. With that being said, I will continue to check in every month or so, or whenever I notice shedding cycles etc.

So, I have a few of questions because I seem to be finding a lot of mixed answers on the net: Will the hair I'm shedding now grow back? How long will it take to notice regrowth? How long will this shedding last? Answering with general statistics or your own personal experience with these issues would be awesome! Thanks!

[whereswaldo]

Sorry for the double post, but I was also wondering what I would be classified as under the NW scale.