My hair loss 22 years old

[Mbwalker93]

So I've just turned 22 and I'm starting to get really concerned about my hairline.

I've always had a slightly receded hairline ever since I can remember but I'm really not sure whether its gotten worse or not. I style it so you can barely notice the recession but when I pull the hair back its fairly shocking to see just how receded my hairline is.

I'm not sure how the Norwood stages work so could you guys possibly look at my photos and tell me what you think my hair loss stage is, and possibly any advice/guidance on what to do, if anything.

I'm unsure whether its even a maturing hairline or not, because I honestly haven't noticed it receding any time recently, but then again I may be wrong.

Please tell me what you think. Cheers!

[Notcoolanymore]

I would say you are a NW2, maybe NW3. Also your temple points look very thin. Only advice really to give is that you should consider treatments if you want to potentially grow some hair back or stop your loss.

[Mbwalker93]

Hey thanks for your reply. I've been thinking about finesteride? Would anyone recommend that?

I think my hairline has been very similar to what it is now for a long long time after looking at pictures, it's just my hair naturally covers my recession really well as I have kind of wavy hair.
Does this potentially mean it'll kind of stay this way for the foreseeable future? Or should I definitely consider treatment as a preventative measure? Thanks!

[Notcoolanymore]

I take finasteride and would recommend it if you want to do something to treat your hair loss. There are some that will recommend against taking it. I would say if you are considering taking the drug then talk to your doctor about it. If your hair line has been like that for a long time then I guess it is possible that it could be a mature hair line. If you are unsure you can take pics and compare every 6 months, or see a derm and have he or she check your hair for miniaturization. I wouldn't take any drugs unless you really had to.

[Mbwalker93]

I take finasteride and would recommend it if you want to do something to treat your hair loss. There are some that will recommend against taking it. I would say if you are considering taking the drug then talk to your doctor about it. If your hair line has been like that for a long time then I guess it is possible that it could be a mature hair line. If you are unsure you can take pics and compare every 6 months, or see a derm and have he or she check your hair for miniaturization. I wouldn't take any drugs unless you really had to.

Sorry I'm not quite an expert on the subject as of yet, so what exactly is miniaturisation? And how would the dermatologist know whether my hair will thin further? Thanks.

[Notcoolanymore]

As hair loss progresses the follicle produces thinner and thinner hairs, until it produces no hair at all(or very thin vellus hairs). That is miniaturization in nutshell. Usually in the MPB effected areas of your scalp you will see lots of thinner hairs than on the rest of your scalp.

[Mbwalker93]

As hair loss progresses the follicle produces thinner and thinner hairs, until it produces no hair at all(or very thin vellus hairs). That is miniaturization in nutshell. Usually in the MPB effected areas of your scalp you will see lots of thinner hairs than on the rest of your scalp.

So in essence finesteride causes the hair follicles to thicken again, essentially?

[Notcoolanymore]

It can do that or at the least keep follicles healthy longer.

[Mbwalker93]

It can do that or at the least keep follicles healthy longer.

I have to admit the anecdotal stories about finesteride causing male breast enlargement etc really puts me off going on it, otherwise I'd start using it straight away!

[Illusion]

Hop on finasteride straight away. It's the best advice you can get for doing something against MPB. All other things available right now are either experimental (thus last resort) or just additional stuff. Finasteride is your main weapon, so to speak.

By the way, I think you still have good hair. That's not to say you're not balding, just saying that it still looks good thus maintenance being enough imo, something that is very achievable with finasteride

[Mbwalker93]

Hop on finasteride straight away. It's the best advice you can get for doing something against MPB. All other things available right now are either experimental (thus last resort) or just additional stuff. Finasteride is your main weapon, so to speak.

By the way, I think you still have good hair. That's not to say you're not balding, just saying that it still looks good thus maintenance being enough imo, something that is very achievable with finasteride

Hey thanks for the advice. Well that's exactly what I think and all I really want to do is maintain my hair, I'm not even bothered about re-growing hair.

The only thing that's kind of putting me off is the potential side effects of finasteride. Have you personally seen any sides? Also I live in the UK so I'm unsure where to even get finasteride? If anyone can steer me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks again!

[Illusion]

Hey thanks for the advice. Well that's exactly what I think and all I really want to do is maintain my hair, I'm not even bothered about re-growing hair.

The only thing that's kind of putting me off is the potential side effects of finasteride. Have you personally seen any sides? Also I live in the UK so I'm unsure where to even get finasteride? If anyone can steer me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks again!

I've experienced sides myself but they were a) not severe at all, b) they went away completely after stopping finasteride for a few weeks and c) sides are pretty uncommon in general. One thing you should prepare yourself for is watery semen, but that's not really anything to worry about as almost anyone has this side effect with finasteride I believe. Maybe you'll experience a slightly reduced libido in the first few weeks or occasional ball ache, but those things are likely to reside after a few weeks.

I get why you're worried. I was worried too. A lot of people were worried. But a lot of those people who were worried but still pushed through with finasteride, aren't regretting a single thing about it.


Regarding where to get your finasteride in the UK, I wouldn't know as I don't live in the UK. But I guess you would have to get it through a description from your dermatologist (although I think you can order it online as well w/o description, just make sure you've got a legit website.

[Mbwalker93]

I've experienced sides myself but they were a) not severe at all, b) they went away completely after stopping finasteride for a few weeks and c) sides are pretty uncommon in general. One thing you should prepare yourself for is watery semen, but that's not really anything to worry about as almost anyone has this side effect with finasteride I believe. Maybe you'll experience a slightly reduced libido in the first few weeks or occasional ball ache, but those things are likely to reside after a few weeks.

I get why you're worried. I was worried too. A lot of people were worried. But a lot of those people who were worried but still pushed through with finasteride, aren't regretting a single thing about it.


Regarding where to get your finasteride in the UK, I wouldn't know as I don't live in the UK. But I guess you would have to get it through a description from your dermatologist (although I think you can order it online as well w/o description, just make sure you've got a legit website.

Thanks for all the useful advice mate! Would you mind telling me how old you were when you started on finasteride? Was your hair loss equivalent to mine would you say? Thanks!

[Illusion]

Thanks for all the useful advice mate! Would you mind telling me how old you were when you started on finasteride? Was your hair loss equivalent to mine would you say? Thanks!

Hehe... I was 17 when I first started finasteride, maybe that was the reason my body didn't react that well to finasteride. Well, actually, the ONLY side effect I got was gyno (that was also the reason that I stopped taking fin). My gyno went away completely after quitting.

I actually didn't want to tell you the truth about this as I figured it would only scare you more. Fact is, I am one of the few that got side effects of it and I STILL advise people to take finasteride when they want to do something against their hair loss. It's just very good against hair loss for most people.

My hair loss is probably a tad more aggressive than yours, although it's hard to compare it obv. I diffuse thinning over my whole scalp except the standard horse shoe pattern (NW7). It's not that bad yet though, I just catched it early. If you want to see some pictures, click on my name, go to my started threads and click on "Illusion's hair log". As you can see it's not bad yet, but the fact that it started this early is worrysome for me.

But the above is a bit off topic. Again, hop on finasteride and relax.

[Mbwalker93]

Hehe... I was 17 when I first started finasteride, maybe that was the reason my body didn't react that well to finasteride. Well, actually, the ONLY side effect I got was gyno (that was also the reason that I stopped taking fin). My gyno went away completely after quitting.

I actually didn't want to tell you the truth about this as I figured it would only scare you more. Fact is, I am one of the few that got side effects of it and I STILL advise people to take finasteride when they want to do something against their hair loss. It's just very good against hair loss for most people.

My hair loss is probably a tad more aggressive than yours, although it's hard to compare it obv. I diffuse thinning over my whole scalp except the standard horse shoe pattern (NW7). It's not that bad yet though, I just catched it early. If you want to see some pictures, click on my name, go to my started threads and click on "Illusion's hair log". As you can see it's not bad yet, but the fact that it started this early is worrysome for me.

But the above is a bit off topic. Again, hop on finasteride and relax.

Maybe its best to see a specialist first to check my hair for miniaturisation? I may not even be experiencing MPB, as I've had this hairline for a long time now, like 4+ years but obviously its hard to tell.