I'm Rob. 31. Receding hairline and balding crown

[LittleRob]

Hey. As my intro states I'm Rob and I am 31 and I have a receding hairline and I am balding on the crown. I will upload some pics at a later date.

I have reached a stage where I need support... I have always hated my hairline. But I dealt with it. But recently I have noticed how BAD my crown area is. I was always told by people, I remember back to when I was about 15/16 and being told it was thin and friends joke I was "going bald" but I never noticed it myself so didn't care.

But recently, thanks to me doing my own hair and using a mirror in a mirror to see where I was clipping, I noticed how bad it is. I shaved my head completely a few weeks ago and my work colleague told me I need to grow my hair as I look bald on the back. He also said I look like his grandad... (he's a lovely guy though he said it in jest). But

Yes, I have seen how bad it is now some of the hair has grown back. It's horrible. I feel worse about it than the hairline.

I am 5'3 tall. People usually look down on me. I have always been told I look younger facially. Add the height and I do appear to be younger sometimes. I am finding it difficult, knowing what people see from behind me (and looking down).

I can't hide it. People always tower above me most of the time and standing behind me at my height would be just as bad.

I am trying to deal with it, keeping my overall hair short etc and it hasn't affected me too bad so far (out of sight, out of mind I guess) but it doesn't fill my heart with joy and fireworks.

So, that's me in a nutshell. How's it going guys?

[LittleRob]

120 views and no replies. Feeling the love... =\

[clandestine]

Don't be discouraged by the few number of replies, members who frequent this forum don't typically hang out in the introductory areas for long.

It's nice to meet you LittleRob; I hope you find what you're looking for around here.

I can empathize with you on many fronts. Good on trying the shaved head thing, by the way. That takes courage.

Genetics has *****ed me as well. I'm 21 years old, have a vertex bald spot like yourself, significant recession in my temples. In fact, I'm probably where you at concerning loss, if not a little worse, and ten years your younger. Hair loss medication has given me gynecomastia, and my head shape doesn't suit being bald. Still; I shave my head. Every day. The pain hair loss sufferers often have to endure is staggering.

Consider taking medication if that's up your alley.

All the best.

[drybone]

Hey Rob.

Snap some photo's up so we can see what we are dealing with. What 'norwood' category are you ?

Here is the scale

http://www.belgraviacentre.com/blog/...d-are-you-153/

Let us know more of your story. Does your family have a history of it? What have you tried?

Minoxidil works great for the crown. 85% of men report regrowth.

[mattj]

It doesn't sound like your hair loss is that bad if it took you cutting your own hair and positioning two mirrors to see the worst of it.

If you're 31 and have been losing hair since your mid-teens, then you're fortunate you aren't bald enough to notice it in your shadow, let alone the mirror.

I Just wanted to add a couple of 'it could be worse' comments. I know they do little to ease the anguish of a person's own personal struggle with hair loss, but there they are.

There are, of course, the treatments to consider. Namely Finasteride and Minoxidil. You might find it worthwhile to look into the concealer products that are out there. They can do wonders. There's a good chance they could make your crown loss appear virtually non-existent.

[Shan]

take Fin bro

[PatientlyWaiting]

He also said I look like his grandad

You are not alone man. When I first started receding, it was not even that bad and a friend of mine nicknamed me Hogan [as in Hulk Hogan].

I'm sure we've all gone through our fair share of "Balding" nicknames.

I agree with Mattj about hair concealers. I use Toppik to cover my crown and it looks like I have a full head of hair because as long you have hair on your head, it works really good. Use fin and minoxidil to keep your hair alive for Toppik can work better, until something better comes out. It's what i'm doing. I'm really bald, probably NW3-4 diffused, yet Toppik makes me look like a NW2 on my worst days.

[LittleRob]

It doesn't sound like your hair loss is that bad if it took you cutting your own hair and positioning two mirrors to see the worst of it.

If you're 31 and have been losing hair since your mid-teens, then you're fortunate you aren't bald enough to notice it in your shadow, let alone the mirror.

I Just wanted to add a couple of 'it could be worse' comments. I know they do little to ease the anguish of a person's own personal struggle with hair loss, but there they are.

There are, of course, the treatments to consider. Namely Finasteride and Minoxidil. You might find it worthwhile to look into the concealer products that are out there. They can do wonders. There's a good chance they could make your crown loss appear virtually non-existent.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand where you are coming from guy, but comments like "it could be worse" really don't help. This is a support website I thought, for support and information.

One might say *everyone* on this site could have it worse. This website is about going bald and losing hair and the affects it has on someone. There are people born with life threatening diseases, that lose limbs, or have far more horrible things happen to them.

In comparison, hair loss is a breeze.

But, we are all human, regardless of our personal circumstances, and what you imply might be mild, affects me. On a personal level. It may not affect you if you were in the same position, but it affects me. I have noticed threads on this site in which people say "it isn't that bad, it could be worse" - some even berating someone for ... not being bald enough!

I think it is opinions like that that really don't help to be fair. I am new here but I am here for the same reason as everyone else.

[LittleRob]

Photos

Not sure if this this how to add photos but here goes. Will try and take some better ones another time.

[itsmyhairs]

Why aren't you using minox?

6 months would reduce that patch down to being almost unnoticeable.

[clandestine]

Shave your head; your a good looking dude!

[drybone]

Not sure if this this how to add photos but here goes. Will try and take some better ones another time.

Thanks for the photos.

Go to the doctor, get a prescription for finasteride and go to the store and get minoxidil.

Use both these medications for one year. See how much improvement you have. Then decide if surgery is an option to further enhance the results.

There is also 3 products that act as 'concealers' that you may want to try .

-Dermmatch

-Toppik

-Caboki

These work wonders to give you more density. They are cheap and non evasive.

Hope this helps

[clandestine]

Finasteride has the potential for sexual side effects, research them first.