Im new here.. i think im going into depression...

[d0072]

Well hey im new to the boards here...
Im 20 years old. Been losing my hair sinc i was 18. It is not to the point where my self esteem is just down to an all time low. Sometimes i dont feel like going out for anything because of my hair. I love swimming, but i cant help the fact that my hair is really noticable when it is wet. I really hate this. I Wish there was a way other than transplant to get this resolved. Ive tried to cope with this problem but the only thing i have come down to is that, i just wanna keep what i have if i cant regrow what ive lost. But even then, i get really depressed. I feel differnt from everyone else my age... I hate it. I mean, if i were going bald and losing my hair around my late 20s early 30s, i wouldnt care, i would just accept it. But i mean, 20 years old and bald.... it really just kills the drive to do anything. I dont want to shave my head because my head shape is really flat from the back and i dont like bald heads anyway. Rogaine, monoxidil, is just temporary and transplant surgery is expensive. Im a broke college student. Im currntly trying the saw palmetto and other vitamins along with olive and emu oil to try and regrow my hair. But yesterday i took a good look and it seems that my hair is just falling off faster. I dont know what to do. Why live if im going to live unhappy? ..... any help please...

[baldingpittfan]

Well dude, it's tough and it sucks. Let me tell ya, I used to say the same thing you just did. All, well most, of the men in my family are bald. People used to razz me about it all the time and I would say by the time I'm 30 I won't care. Well, I'm 33 and it sucks just as bad. I would start on Propecia if you can somehow find a way to afford it. Yes, I remember how broke I was in college too but where there's a will there's a way. I waited because I was afraid of the side effects and I'll tell ya, once I stared Propecia I didn't experience any of the known side effects. That doesn't mean you won't, I'm just trying to help you to not be afraid of the side effects. Why don't you see if you're a candidate for PRP therapy? Propecia and PRP therapy is expensive for a college student, but perhaps your parents will help you out. Like Spencer Kobren says this is a club that no one wants to be a member of and I'm sorry you just joined (I'm sorry I'm in this club too), but the best advice is to just try to find a way to deal with it. Good luck man.

[d0072]

lol yeah the club quote is pretty funny but true.
I want to do the PRP therapy actually. I think i can scrape up 600 dollars and go to FL To do the procedure with dr. Greco but i have yet to recieve a response as to when i can do that. I really think that the PRP Therapy procedure can help me maintain my hair, which is what i have pretty much came down to since i cant regrow it..
I dont know if anyone has seen this article on the Today Show but there is a break through with stem cells that has passed the phase of rat testing and human trial are to begin in the near future. Its cells that are (i dont remember if injected or transplanted into the scalp) put on to the scalp and the cells regenerate the follicles of hair that are there at birth. The only problem they encountered was that the hair on the rats was white and not the natural hair color. they belive that if this is a problem in human trials, the easiest solution is to dye the hair.
I wouldnt mind dying my hair every other week if it gave me my hair back!

[baldingpittfan]

Yeah man, I heard of that too. I'm hoping, no, I'm praying that becomes a reality sooner than later. Everytime I pass by a mirror I stop and look at my big fore, no, now it's a fivehead.

[Cyberdyne]

Hey D,

I know the feeling mate, I try to avoid swimming too. Another thing I try to avoid is bright lights. I find standing under bright lights really shows my hair thinner, even under bright sunshine. Dont worry man, your hair looks pretty good, u still have your hairline. You should try generic propecia (Finpecia). I took it for 2 yrs it seemed to help a lot, but i stopped 6 months ago as moved countries and couldnt get it shipped here (hence hair thinning coming back). Finpecia is real cheap, u can get a years supply for around 150 bucks $US. Keep your chin up matey. Let me know if u want more info.

[i need hair]

I totally empathize with you. I started showing signs of hair loss when I was 20. I'm now 36. The top to the back of my head has gotten super thin. It hasn't gotten any easier emotionally. I avoid bright direct lights. I'm always wearing a ball cap. My brother and my sister in law would used to ask me why my hair is thinning like it was my fault. My little nieces would make fun of me. What kills me most is that my older brothers, one in his 40s and the other his 50s, both still have a full head of hair. Of all my siblings, I'm the youngest and the only child with severe hair loss. Now that SUCKS. It's has definitely hit hard on my confidence. I don't socialize as much anymore unless I'm around my close friends or family members. I look older with thinning hair. I've recently shaved my hair pretty short and I don't like the way it looks. Personally, suffering from hair loss is similar to women loosing their breasts from cancer. I can't think of a better analogy. I'm always stressing over it. When will they find a cure for hair loss? It's so frustrating and stressful.

[Havok]

i stopped flirting with girls ever since my hair loss started. i agree it kills your confidence.

get on finasteride ASAP. it's dirt cheap at Target.

[luis]

Finally someone else like me. I'm 20 too, pretty much the same hair amount as you, and it's killing me!!
I can only see one solution: shave it all off.. Not that I like it, I can't see how bald guys are attractive, I wonder how some girls are actually attracted to bald men..
I used to be hot, had insanely hot girlfriends but now I miss my surfer's hairstyle, it just gave me a different look, a better look.
And you know what's worse? I know that I will never get the girls that I used to get. I have to lower my standards, but I just can't. Now what, I'll be getting fat chicks the rest of my life?
I've never been depressed in my life before this, used to be Mr. popular, and now it's all fading away, just like my hair...

How did no one come up with a cure already?! We landed on the moon, found nuclear power, transplanted organs, created supercomputers but cannot prevent hair fall? Somethings are just beyond my brain capacity..

[asianvolume13]

Finally someone else like me. I'm 20 too, pretty much the same hair amount as you, and it's killing me!!
I can only see one solution: shave it all off.. Not that I like it, I can't see how bald guys are attractive, I wonder how some girls are actually attracted to bald men..
I used to be hot, had insanely hot girlfriends but now I miss my surfer's hairstyle, it just gave me a different look, a better look.
And you know what's worse? I know that I will never get the girls that I used to get. I have to lower my standards, but I just can't. Now what, I'll be getting fat chicks the rest of my life?
I've never been depressed in my life before this, used to be Mr. popular, and now it's all fading away, just like my hair...

How did no one come up with a cure already?! We landed on the moon, found nuclear power, transplanted organs, created supercomputers but cannot prevent hair fall? Somethings are just beyond my brain capacity..

i still think theyre (whoever made the cure already) keeping it from us and producing a temporary version of the cure so they can keep selling it to us. Its just my theory tho but think about it its an endless cycle of cash! I hope one day one developer would just share it without thinking much about business stuff. but hey thats how the world runs i know it sucks whew!

[Havok]

lol i doubt it. there are just too many opportunistic researchers out there to keep a cure a secret. first one to find it will make millions if not billions via patents and licensing. hair restoration products are still niche compared to all other beauty products. hair loss is still not a priority compared to a lot of other things. there are too many men out there who don't give two shits about hair loss unlike most of us here. there's money to be made but not like say acne med or botox etc.