Am I starting to go bald or crazy?

[Sadmoon]

Hi all,

So I am going to keep my story as short as possible.

On January 2016 I started using minoxidil on my beard area to grow a beard(stupid, I know), a lot of people online told me to use it for at least 6 months to show results, but I guess my body loved the minoxidil and I had a full dense beard at month 3(I had not a single hair before it).

So after 3 months of intense minoxidil 5% use(twice a day 1ml) I quit using it. I also want to add that I used a bit on my forehead temple areas(quite often)because I thought a completely straight hairline will look better...

So my hair grew up to the point that I had an afro(I have very sheep like hair), in june of 2016 I had an full afro, but I started to notice a lot of hair falling out.

Now there was so much hair falling out that I got depressed, stressed out and since I get many panick attacks, and can't sleep at night.

I am a naturally insecure person so it hit me like a truck that I might go bald so I eventually got a buzzcut so that the hair wouldn't bother me anymore.

But now that it has grown a bit longer again I still lose hairs(about 50 per day).

So I would like to know from you guys with experience if I have the classic MPB or if it's the overusage of minoxidil + extreme stress/anxiety/depression and lack of sleep.

To help you make an assesment, here is some info about me.

- Athletic body + gym used to be 5 times a week before all this started(now 2-3 times and no cardio)

- diet is extremely healthy(more than enough fruit, omega's, avocados etc etc)

- Sleep is extremly bad since 2 years now( stay up late and wake up late with only few true sleep hours)

- Depressed, 24/7 anxious, bipolar state

- Baldness is not a thing in my families(both mother and father side), only thing is that my mother after her menopauze lost a loy of hair due to hormones etc.

- And I've just turned 22

- my whole family has natural thin hair

- The minoxidil I've used did enter some open acne wounds.


Here are some pictures I took in direct bright light and in normal lighting conditions.

The images in direct full light:











The images in normal lighting:

[k9gatton]

You probably caught it in time. In fact, it doesn't really look like you lost a lot of hair.

Maybe you want to start Finasteride? That will definitely improve your chances.

But I don't think it's as bad as you think it is.

[Sadmoon]

Thank you for your reply.

I will ask my doctor tomorrow to write me a prescription just to be sure.

I have an appointment with the derm in 2 months(takes very long here). And if it turns out that the hair loss occured due to other reasons, can I stop finasteride whitouth any problems?

[k9gatton]

Thank you for your reply.

I will ask my doctor tomorrow to write me a prescription just to be sure.

I have an appointment with the derm in 2 months(takes very long here). And if it turns out that the hair loss occured due to other reasons, can I stop finasteride whitouth any problems?

You should be able to. Of course, if you have a lower libido, you should probably stop.


Personally I believe five percent of men do get PFS (Post Fin Syndrome). But that means you
only have a one in twenty chance.

[Bernard Yong]

Doesn't look that severe, but it would be a good time to try out Finastride.



_________________________________
Cosmetology Ayurveda HerbalPlus Hair Loss Treatment, a natural, herb based solution which is based on the ancient medicine system of Ayurveda. Find out more at www.cosmetology.com.my.

[Sadmoon]

Small update,

I am going to pick-up my finasteride next week. But the hair loss seems to have stopped?

I've noticed my hairloss had a linear decrease over the past couple of months, and today I didn't lose a single hair. Also want to add that I've never had a day where I'd shed more then a 100.

So do does this fit MPB symptoms?

[pkipling]

I'd like to point out that we shed on average about 100 hairs a day, so don't let this alone give you reason to worry. The Finasteride will help slow down any potential MPB that may be in store for you, so best of luck with that. I've had great success with it. Your hair also seems rather dense and course, so that's a plus for you should you ever need to pursue a hair restoration procedure years down the line.

As a former sufferer of anxiety disorders/panic attacks, I highly recommend you seeking out some sort of therapy as well. I did this for a couple of years and it was one of the best things I've ever done for my emotional, psychological, and overall health and happiness. A good therapist can help give you the tools necessary to be able to better manage your stress and your mood, and can really help turn your life around.

I hope things turn around for you and start looking up. Let me know if you ever have any questions.
__________________
I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

[Sadmoon]

Thank you for your advice and compassion pkipling. I'm happy to hear that you have had success with it, I hope that I expierence the same.

Yes I did plan an appointment with a therapist and am seeing one in 2 weeks, as my night seem more and more like a war instead of a resting period...

Oh and if I start Finasteride and it turns out that the hairloss originated from another source(since baldness doesn't run in the family), will Finasteride make it worse or something?

[k9gatton]

Minoxidil WILL help your beard grow faster.

Women LOVE facial hair in the US. That was a SMART move on your part, Sadmoon.

The gene for baldness is NOT in the X or Y chromosone.

[Bernard Yong]

Thank you for your advice and compassion pkipling. I'm happy to hear that you have had success with it, I hope that I expierence the same.

Yes I did plan an appointment with a therapist and am seeing one in 2 weeks, as my night seem more and more like a war instead of a resting period...

Oh and if I start Finasteride and it turns out that the hairloss originated from another source(since baldness doesn't run in the family), will Finasteride make it worse or something?

From my experience, Finastride won't make it worst. At most, it will be ineffective if the cause of hair loss is from another source. Hope this helps.

__________________________________________________ ____________________
Cosmetology Ayurveda HerbalPlus Hair Loss Treatment, a natural, herb based solution which is based on the ancient medicine system of Ayurveda. Find out more at www.cosmetology.com.my.

[pkipling]

From my experience, Finastride won't make it worst. At most, it will be ineffective if the cause of hair loss is from another source. Hope this helps.

__________________________________________________ ____________________
Cosmetology Ayurveda HerbalPlus Hair Loss Treatment, a natural, herb based solution which is based on the ancient medicine system of Ayurveda. Find out more at www.cosmetology.com.my.

I agree. Some people experience a small shed with Finasteride, but I don't think that's the norm. Personally, I'm more interested in your psychological/emotional well being and hope that that's going well for you. The point of life isn't that we completely avoid bad or inconvenient things that happen to us - but that we have the tools necessary to handle those things with a sense of confidence and self respect when they do occur. Once you get these things under control, should it turn out that you are indeed losing your hair, you'll be better equipped to make smart, rational decisions about how to proceed.

And seriously - how's therapy going? I hope very well. and that you're seeing some positive change in your daily life (not to mention your sleeping!)
__________________
I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

[Sadmoon]

Hi all,

So I've been wanting to make an update for a while now, but I kept my hair short on purpose as my therapist insisted(avoid the mental issues). But now that I feel a bit more comfortable in my own skin I decided to let it grow. And I personally think that my hair has improved, but I would love some of your opinions on it too. So I made the pictures in the exact same setting, only this time my hair is still much shorter. My hair is still shedding, but not nearly as much( max 50 a day +/- 5 on a good day). My mental health is better as I've did as pkipling suggested and went to a therapist.

All of these pictures are made in Direct lighting with a much better camera than the previous ones:











I found this picture too, it's me before any hair problems started(19/20YO) as you can see I've always had that widows peak hairline.




I also want to include these, which is when my hair is really short(and combed forward). In this state I never notice any thinning.. What do you guys think ?

[Sadmoon]

Anyone an opinion on this?

[pkipling]

Amazing update bud. Not only does your hair look great, but your overall tone and attitude seem much more upbeat.

A couple thoughts - Stop counting your hair shed! We shed around 100 hairs a day anyway, so you're totally fine. Not only that, but we naturally go through phases of increased shedding anyway, so if you're making counting the shed a part of your daily routine, eventually you'll notice an increase and have an unwarranted freak out. If you want to monitor your hair, take pictures once every month or so at the most - but based on those pictures alone, it doesn't seem like you have much to worry about right now.

Stay vigilant with the anxiety. Speaking from personal experience, it's a muscle you have to work every day, so try not to get complacent and think you don't have to put in the work anymore. You seem to be well equipped with the tools you need to move forward in a healthy mental state, so keep it up.

And lastly - it's very impressive you're doing the personal work to be able to handle all of this better. Most people would rather stay complacent and stuck in a rut than make the necessary changes to improve their circumstances, so you should be very proud of that.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.