what would you do in my position?

im a 29 year old male (30 in feb) heres a gif of my hair in october 2010 and today although its hard to detect a difference believe me i have noticed my hair is thinning at the hairline and looks alot different you can notice the very front on the hairline is going into a v shape.

I guess the new picture doesnt show how bad my hairline is especially when its wet but heres the pic..(sorry about lighting diff newest is me in the green top)


http://i.picasion.com/pic48/05b0736b...ba973deb01.gifonline gif creator

I am past the denial stage,Its affecting me so much knowing that in a few months i will not be able to hide the fact im balding, it makes it worse my ears stick out and I have a big nose believe me I will look awful and it depresses me to ****! im not expecting re-growth just to hold on to what i have on my hairline especially should I take propecia or minox? I suffer anxiety and have some health issues such as a genetic high cholesterol problem so i find popping pills and strange symptoms cause me to have panic attacks.If you were in my shoes (thank god ur not lol) what would you do? I am really open to ideas so please post thanks.

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Originally Posted by fabio27

If you were in my shoes what would you do?

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I would attack the problem with everything proven to work. That means Propecia (or generic Finasteride), Rogaine (or generic Minoxidil) and low level laser therapy (the laser comb). I would also use Nizoral shampoo once or twice per week. That is what I would do if I were in your shoes.

Don't waste your time or money on anything that is not FDA approved or cleared. Stick with the proven treatments. It takes a long time to treat hair loss. You will need to be on Propecia (or generic Finasteride) for at least 12 months before you will know if it is able to arrest your hair loss. You will need to be using Rogaine (or generic Minoxidil) for at least four to six months before you will know if any hair is able to grow back. You will need to use the laser comb for at least four months before you will know if it can improve the hair you have.

Hi Tracey thanks for the reply.I have always thought about propecia/fin my main proble is my hairline its receding pretty fast and i would like at best to stop it in its tracks and maintain what i have but the drugs from what i have read cannot do this? they are more for scalp and crown area loss am i right?

Im not saying I wont experience loss there at some point but my hairline is what i really want to fix is the only way a HT? sorry also if i want propecia do I have to go to my doctor or can i get it elsewhere?

thanks

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Originally Posted by fabio27

my main proble is my hairline its receding pretty fast and i would like at best to stop it in its tracks and maintain what i have but the drugs from what i have read cannot do this?

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Propecia (Finasteride) blocks the hormone that is causing the hair loss. It does not care where that hair loss is. It just blocks the hormone, thus arresting or slowing down the loss. Rogaine (Minoxidil) stimulates hair follicles that can grow hair to grow hair. It does not care where those hair follicles are. The laser comb causes hairs to increase in caliber. It does not care where those hairs are. Do you see where I am going with this?

Propecia (Finasteride) may slow down or arrest the resession from going any further. Rogaine (Minoxidil) may make some of your hair grow back. The laser comb may make the hair you have increase in caliber so it looks fuller. None of these treatments will make hair grow back from areas that have already been lost and are void of hair. The only thing that will fix those areas is a hair transplant.

What are your goals? If your goal is to simply keep as much hair as you can for as long as you can, Propecia (Finasteride) can help you do that. If your goal is to keep what you have for as long as you can and maybe grow some back, the "Big 3" along with low level laser therapy may help you do that. If your goal is to restore a complete head of hair, you will need hair transplant surgery as well as all the above to do that. What are your goals?

I guess my goal is keep what i have and make the peach fuzz at the front thicker / fuller (also prevent loss from the crown) I have alot of fears from the sides of propecia and the chance of making my hair loss worse or accelerate with sheds which i have read has happened to some ppl although im aware it can be a sign the meds are working.Can I get propecia without a prescription in the UK?

also how bad do u think my hair loss is? it looks thick brushed back but brushed forwards my fringe looks thin.Once again thanks Tracey for replying im very grateful for your input :)

For 30? Not bad at all. It doesn't seem too aggressive so you should be able to keep what you have for a long time. Minox may help you regrow a bit at the temples. If you could thicken up the fuzz you'd be a NW2.

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Originally Posted by fabio27

I guess my goal is keep what i have and make the peach fuzz at the front thicker / fuller (also prevent loss from the crown)

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Propecia (Finasteride) may help you keep what you have including the crown and mid-anterior. If you actually do have peach fuzz at the front, Rogaine (Minoxidil) may give you more peach fuzz and low level laser therapy may increase the caliber of those hairs which can make your hair line look fuller.

As far as I know, you need to a prescription to get Propecia or generic Finasteride in the U.K..

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Originally Posted by fabio27

I have alot of fears from the sides of propecia and the chance of making my hair loss worse or accelerate with sheds which i have read has happened to some ppl although im aware it can be a sign the meds are working.

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Not "can be", shedding is a sign that treatment is working. Shedding is associated with every treatment for hair loss that actually works. There is no way to avoid shedding if you want to try to resolve your hair loss. The hairs in the damaged follicles shed out of the way as those damaged follicles are being repaired. How much you will shed depends on how many damaged hair follicles you have - and how much damage they have suffered. The more damaged hair follicles you have, the more you will shed. The less damaged hair follicles you have, the less you will shed. If you ride out the shed, your hair should grow back thicker than it was before. As you continue treatment, the hair will get thicker over time as follicles go through their cycles. This is not a quick process. It takes months and years. Again, there is no way to avoid shedding if you want to treat your hair loss.

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Originally Posted by fabio27

also how bad do u think my hair loss is?

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It doesn't look so bad to me. It should be treatable. Even if all you accomplish is to keep what you have, I think you will look fine. If you actually do still have peach fuzz in the front, I think you may also restore your hair line to some extent.