how being in denial costs us bigtime:(

[elnino]

just wondering to all us fellow baldies and baldings out there, i think from my own experience with hairloss made me realise i left it too late to act. how many of us actually left it untill norwood2.5-3 before we acted with meds? i kept saying to myself jesus im losing me hair but it will stop now or, ah sure il see how it is in a few months...

before you know it, those hairs are adding up. i just think big kudos to anyone who is brave enough to battle it early, thats half the battle won. maybe its just in our genes as men to deny any negativity about ourselves that we cant face up to it. anyway as a fellow norwood 2.5 sufferer. i was ignorant, in denial, dismissive and now im paying for it.

[Widowmaker]

I'm 35 and a NW 3 or 3.5ish. I didn't get on fin until 33 and rogaine about a year later. I began to recede around 20 or 21 and quickly progressed to my "widows peak", "frolock", "Eddie Munster hairline" or whatever you call it. No diffuse thinning though. Any recession I had until getting on meds was so gradual that I barely noticed much of a change. I always knew I was receding and only decided to take action when I thought my age and likelihood of additional and substantial loss could become an issue rather quickly. Sometimes I feel I waited too long, but other times I'm not too bothered by it because most of my peers are dealing with hairloss as well. I've read that there are some positives from waiting to get on fin. Some feel it no longer "works" after a period of time (perhaps that's just genetics catching up though). I feel that maintaining what I have for 10 years (fingers crossed) from now would put me well beyond what my peers (who are doing nothing) will likely retain and sorta take me out of the "balding" category.

I guess my point is that your recession may not continue at a rapid pace and by maintaining what you have now (even if you feel you've lost a fair amount) could eventually put you above the "curve" at a certain point in your life.

[Kevin85]

I'm about to turn 28, I started working on it 4 months ago. Around 25 it started to thin a little, but at 26 is was slowed down so wasn't worried about it. Then all of a sudden at late 26 early 27 it started to speed up, I could tell because my scalp had a very mild itch. Right away I ordered a 6 month supply of Rogaine, a bottle of Nizoral, but didn't do enough research and got 1% instead of 2%, and a bottle of !0,000 mcg Biotin.

Kept on the first 2 strictly... slacked on the Biotin, didn't know if it was really helping. My hair grew really fast on it, but it didn't seem to be adding hair. I didn't just want my hair to grow fast, I wanted hair to come back. Was afraid the biotin would wear out the good hair before the Rogaine started to work.

At first I did like 7-8 full days straight with Nizoral, every day.... then went down to twice a week like I was suppose to.

[Ktownmatti]

Yep, same boat. I have been thinning a touch and receding for 10 years. Now I'm a NW 2-3 and just stared on meds last month. Sooo wish I had started earlier.

[britissh]

I too denied it for a long time for 6-7 years approxim. and started medications several month ago.but my situation is a bit interesting.I lost lots of hair between 16-20 and then I dont remember losing a single hair for 4 years since then even without medications.I have also little facial hair and nearly no body hair.if dht makes beard-body hair thicker and I dont have beard-hair.what does this mean? did I lost my hair because of something else?My hair on top is miniaturized but doesnt fall out.I'm living with this questions for years.jesus I dont even remember my hairline because I lost it when I was child.I couldnt even appreciate hair

[elnino]

yeah it really sets in how we faltered looking at our old hairlines. i know this is weird but you just think that baldness is like some disease that you think you will never have. hair definitely is a privilege!!

[dav38100]

I think it's more or less the same story for everyone.
I'm 28 now and I have been losing my hair since my early 20's but the progression was really slow and it was only affecting my temple a little bit so it didn't really bothers me at the time.

The denial period ended one year ago after my usual hair cut, when I saw my hairline in the mirror I was in panic (I think we all been thought that day).
Since them I'm on propecia.

This denial period coast me a lot of hair and today I really regret not having done anything earlier.

[ChrisM]

I was a NW0 in 1988 as a kid once 1991 rolled around bam a burning sensation hit my scalp and a dime size portion of my hair on the crown started to go that should have been the first sigm for me I went to a dermatologist nothing conclusive no MPB or androgenetic alopecia as he looked in his lens. So I tried Scalpicin and TGel to cool the burn down it did but more hair started to fall out the dime became a quarter sized hole now. I then invested in the first over the counter Minoxidil at 60 bucks a popl a small can with a eye dropper with barely 2 percent. Nothing happened it did not retain anything after three months. The quarter now became the size of a baby's hand. by 1995 and 1996. By this time I wore a lot of baseball caps probably a NW3 - 4 by then which seemed to only make the baldness more pronounced and by then I was shaving my head to hide the pattern. By that time I was using Dr. Lee's Copper Peptide shampoo, Nioxin, Tricomin, jojoba oil, biotin, Foillcure the ( anti-sebum shampoo) Provillius and Procerin ostensibly.. all with zero results nada.
I was only able to slow it down I think keeping the peach fuzz and follicles alive on my crown and vertex by what I had done with miniaturized hairs to allow for the treatments I am using today. For the next ten years nothing no losses or gains to speak off though Minoxidil was used off and on in the early to mid 2000's. I restarted Minoxiduil in full earnest in 2011 and into 2012 with propecia starting in July of this year.. and this is where I have seen the most gains ever it has literally resurrected hair that I hadn't seen in years previous combined with Rogaine 5 % and Nizoral which although drying my hair out signficantly I have swtiched to Regenepure intermittently and now for the first time in years I am not shaving my head down.. I am letting the chips fall where they may with confidence.

I think I fought baldness tooth and nail though the technologies to show more progress came later than the onset of the disease. Propecia already came in the mid to late 90's you could only get a doctor's script for it at the time. Generics came later than that if I remember right.

[UK_]

I'm 35 and a NW 3 or 3.5ish. I didn't get on fin until 33 and rogaine about a year later. I began to recede around 20 or 21 and quickly progressed to my "widows peak", "frolock", "Eddie Munster hairline" or whatever you call it. No diffuse thinning though. Any recession I had until getting on meds was so gradual that I barely noticed much of a change. I always knew I was receding and only decided to take action when I thought my age and likelihood of additional and substantial loss could become an issue rather quickly. Sometimes I feel I waited too long, but other times I'm not too bothered by it because most of my peers are dealing with hairloss as well. I've read that there are some positives from waiting to get on fin. Some feel it no longer "works" after a period of time (perhaps that's just genetics catching up though). I feel that maintaining what I have for 10 years (fingers crossed) from now would put me well beyond what my peers (who are doing nothing) will likely retain and sorta take me out of the "balding" category.

I guess my point is that your recession may not continue at a rapid pace and by maintaining what you have now (even if you feel you've lost a fair amount) could eventually put you above the "curve" at a certain point in your life.

Excellent point.

[drybone]

I have a different take on this guys.

I started losing my hair at 20 and it was devastating to me. However, I did nothing because it was falling out very slowly.

I did not go on rogaine or minoxidil because the theory is that you have to keep taking it or it will all fall out. In fact, you will STILL lose hair. You cannot stop your hair loss. Just slow it down.

I think the decision is very individualistic and so I tried to figure out what genetic pattern I would follow and by time I was 35 realized it was my mothers father. I inherited his hair .

I do not recommend medications unless you are under thirty and are in danger of going NW 6 or 7 before age 30.

For guys who lose their hair more slowly and wont ever get to NW 5 or worse before age 70, permanent hair transplants are the answer.

[Spex]

Denial – “This can’t be happening, not to me.”

Denial is usually only a temporary defence, but this first stage of discovery is a huge, huge shock, there’s no doubt about it. It’s the stage where you start checking your hairline every time you go to the bathroom just to see if it’s really thinning a bit. You might be checking the floor when you shower and thinking that there is an increasing number of strands to clear up. You might be asking discreet questions of friends and family members, while trying not to give away your reason for asking. Sooner or later you will realise the inevitable.

Anger – “Why me? It’s not fair!”; “How can this happen to me?” “Who is to blame?”

When you get to this stage you know that denial cannot continue, but now there is the maelstrom of emotion coming at you in waves and you are a pain to be around. All the implications of losing your hair hit you like a ten ton truck. You may resent people who aren’t losing their hair. You probably start trying to cover up the loss and grasp at any straw that might help stem the flow.

This and the next two stages are the most dangerous for making any kind of decision regarding treatment or restoration but sadly this is the time when most men will embark on the journey from which there is no return once started. If you are here, please, please, please, allow yourself to get through to the final stage before you make any decisions. Decisions made in panicky haste will end in regret and you very well might make matters worse.

Bargaining –”I’ll do anything to get my hair back.”; “I will give my life savings if…”

This third stage involves the hope that you can somehow postpone or delay the inevitable. In desperation you are very likely to make bad decisions, waste money, and be vulnerable to the predators in the hair loss industry who will promise you deliverance from your woe and then just add to it.

Depression – “I’m so fed up, why bother with anything?”; “What’s the point?”

This is effectively a grieving stage. You are grieving all the things that you think you have lost. The certainty of your hair loss hits you. You may isolate yourself and remove yourself from your social circle. Hats become your new fashion accessory of choice. The best thing you can do is to give yourself some time and just sit with the emotions, a box of tissues and a punch bag. Confide in a friend who can be there to support you. Let the emotions flow through and out. Cry when you need to, punch the bag when you need to, rant at your friend. Just don’t bottle things up. If you can take control of this stage and help it along on your terms, then it will soon pass.

Acceptance – “It’s going to be okay.”; “I can’t fight it, I may as well prepare for it.”

In this last stage, you accept your male pattern baldness. You may choose to live with it or try to do something about it. Many men will choose to accept their hair loss as part of life. After all it is a normal genetic trait and there are plenty of those traits that we can’t control (height, bone structure, handsomeness). We can either accept the genetic cards we are dealt or try to change the hand. Either way, the emotional storm has calmed by this stage and you are in a much better place to make the decisions that are right for you.

Whatever stage you are at, just try to research on through various means with curiosity and calm. The old adage ‘Act in haste, repent at leisure’ is so, so true when it comes to dealing with your hair loss!

[dex89]

Denial

Anger – “Why me? It’s not fair!”; “How can this happen to me?” “Who is to blame?”



Bargaining –”I’ll do anything to get my hair back.”; “I will give my life savings if…”

HAHA nice Spex, I'm between anger and bargaining. Started using treatments at NW1.

[Scientalk56]

2 years ago i discovered i was balding. My doctor told me that directly in my face and offered me Propecia. i thought that he worked for them lol, because it wasn't that obvious that i was balding.. i didn't believe him at first..

then i researched propecia and didn't want to take the risk.
after that i researched minoxidil, i didn't want to put twice a day.. didn't want to live my life thinking about when to take propecia, and put minoxidil..

but when i discovered rogaine foam, a year ago, i started applying it once day.

i don't have any regrets, yeah i hate baldness, but i'm not interested to spend my whole day dealing with my baldness thing.

i'm norwoord 2-3, and i'm just trying to keep my hair for the next future treatment. if histogen fails, i will buzz it and continue living my life happily.

[elnino]

2 years ago i discovered i was balding. My doctor told me that directly in my face and offered me Propecia. i thought that he worked for them lol, because it wasn't that obvious that i was balding.. i didn't believe him at first..

then i researched propecia and didn't want to take the risk.
after that i researched minoxidil, i didn't want to put twice a day.. didn't want to live my life thinking about when to take propecia, and put minoxidil..

but when i discovered rogaine foam, a year ago, i started applying it once day.

i don't have any regrets, yeah i hate baldness, but i'm not interested to spend my whole day dealing with my baldness thing.

i'm norwoord 2-3, and i'm just trying to keep my hair for the next future treatment. if histogen fails, i will buzz it and continue living my life happily.

the thing whats ironic is the those who are bald and get on with without even bitching and just take it in their stride are those who probably feel better about themselves as opposed to someone fighting for it. maybe its as spex above says just acceptance and that. i do feel sorry for those who are bald and hate it and seeing how it affects them. its affected me anyway, and my confidence. past xmas's ive been looking forward to a playstation and a game now this xmas i need to buy more minox and fin!! thats when it really sinks in how much i hate this struggle! im a norwood 2.5 so im hanging on in there, but kudos to ya for the post, also to do those who are fighting the good fight.

[drybone]

I think the acceptance thing is that we are going bald. Thus no medication is gong to restore our full head of hair. Paying all this money per month for temporary results was not my choice. It was denying the inevitable.

So once i figured out how bald i was going to get and how fast, I hit the acceptance stage and it came down to a simple choice.

Get thinner and thinner and eventually go bald, or permanently fix my hair.