Young and need some advice..

[redy]

So I'm verging on 22 now and I've noticed that my hair was thinning and receding a bit for the last year-ish now. Especially in the front.. Under light my temples are extremely thin and basically see-through and I'm very self-conscious about it, and hate it. My hair has been thinner in those areas for a few years now, but I always just assumed that's what my hair looked like and I was too young to be losing it..

Then I had a pretty nasty shed for a few weeks in the spring this year and I started freaking out, but people just kept telling me I was too young to be balding..

I'm at this crossroads now where I can either try something and do something about this to save my hair, or I can just keep my hair really short until I'm shaving it all off eventually. I really like my hair though, or used to, and I would always get compliments on the style of it.

My dad is bald, my mom's dad has a full head of hair, my dad's brothers all have their hair. Not sure what to make of that now but I always thought I had a good chance of being worry-free when it came to hair loss.

What should/can I do? I'm really afraid of the side affects blah blah blah, I've read that rogaine with make my hairline fall out and form massive holes with bugs crawling out or something if I start using it there opposed to the crown.
I understand if I start a treatment I probably will shed, but I won't stop if I do start treatment.. I'm afraid that rogaine might not be what I need for the hairline. Also I do have a pretty heavy cowlick on the crown.

Anyway, here's some pics. Advice would be greatly appreciated..

[ge77inhigh]

What nw level is your dad?

I am sorry to hear that. Mpb isnt something us guys in our 20s should be worrying about. I know it is a hard thing to deal with, but dont let it become center of your life. Try with shorter hair to see how you look. Sometime really short hair suite people.

I think you should order nizoral shampoo and dermaroller for scalp to apply minox. You might exprience massive shed. Your options are limited unfortunately. Propecia might be able to help, but you are still young to jump on it. To many sides and horror stories with it. Then it is the realm of not fda approved treatments with Anti androgens such as spiro, ru58841 and cb0301. Some are claimed to be as or more effective as fin with less sides due to topical nature. I took ru and had sides on it. Temporarily in most case compared to fin where it took weeks to recover.

If you have any questions, please ask.

[redy]

he's probably like a 5.5 or 6

[gsr852]

If you want to keep your hair, I would suggest looking into beginning Minoxidil along with either Finasteride or Dutasteride. Give them a try, but just be sure to monitor yourself for any potential side effects. I would also suggest that if you do start some form of treatment, understand that an initial shed is possible and that a number of dermatologists state that in their experience, it can take up to twelve months before you are able to truly determine if a particular form of treatment should be considered as "working" or "not working" for you.

That being said:

When it comes to human physiology, there is always the chance a certain form of treatment can bring with it potential side effects, whether it be for treating hair loss, headaches, allergies, cancer... etc. In other words, no two people are ever guaranteed to react the same way to anything. You will drive yourself crazy the more you search for answers as there are no absolutes.

Again, this is why I am offering nothing more than an opinion and I would suggest using caution when reading or listening to the words of anyone who guarantees results, whether they be positive or negative. Wishing you the best!

[ge77inhigh]

i was 23 when i started propecia. it worked great for my hair in matter of 8 months, but the sides were too much for me handle. I am in the military so i do a lot of running. My joints were aching and i just felt like a old man with back pains. I stopped propecia all of those things went away. i am not fatigued all the time anymore. Yes, the only reason i didn't recommend propecia is because you are still developing physically such as your brain. Propecia blocks DHT, DHT is used in production of neurosteroids.

If you do decide to take propecia. Just start with .25 mg, and take it every other day. Propecia can effect serum DHT levels for 4 days typically. Also, like the other guy said monitor your sides. If you are having major sides initially then it is likely you will have major sides with the med down the road. Just really do your research because you are the one that have to live with the results or the sides.

[redy]

Well, I'm not sure what to believe with side effects.

Part of me feels like if someone is posting about a drug they usually have a problem with it right? otherwise they wouldn't be posting about it?

[drybone]

Hey dude.

Do not do a hair transplant. Wait until you are 30 to decide. Get on finasteride and minoxidil right away.

Consult a doc to prescribe it for you.

[BigThinker]

Especially in the front.. Under light my temples are extremely thin and basically see-through and I'm very self-conscious about it, and hate it.

Same here.

but people just kept telling me I was too young to be balding..

Don't listen to people, especially not loved ones who think protecting you from the truth is better (which it might be in the immediate future, but detrimental to your long-term hair).

My dad is bald, my mom's dad has a full head of hair, my dad's brothers all have their hair. Not sure what to make of that now but I always thought I had a good chance of being worry-free when it came to hair loss.

Same here. Don't even bother thinking about your family's hair loss. If there's any at all, there's a chance you got it, and frankly it's pretty obvious you did.

What should/can I do? I

Get on finasteride and a dandruff shampoo with keto or zinc pyrithione or something. Consider minox if you can handle applying it two times a day for the rest of your life. Then just hope for the best.

If you don't want to treat it, then learn to bald gracefully and shave it off when it gets too bad.

Good luck.

[gsr852]

Well, I'm not sure what to believe with side effects.

Part of me feels like if someone is posting about a drug they usually have a problem with it right? otherwise they wouldn't be posting about it?

Over the years I have seen people post about problems, success stories, side effects, etc. In short and as I mentioned in my earlier post, the more you search the web, the more you will see both good and bad stories which can leave you dizzy and questioning what direction you should travel.

Again, only my opinion... The reality is that Minoxidil and Finasteride have been approved for the treatment of hair loss and Dutasteride while not approved, clearly showed promise in all documented studies and trials. Does this mean you will not have any adverse reactions, no. Does this mean they will or will not work for you? You won't know unless you give it a shot.

There is a very popular and effective antibiotic that Doctors prescribe for viruses. Anyone who I personally knew that came down with a bug and were prescribed the drug cured them in no time. I found it didn't work for me at all and my doc switched me to a different drug and it did the trick. My point for sharing this story is that there are no guarantees good or bad.

I can tell you from my personal experience that other then a nasty shed and slight tenderness around the nipple area from Dutasteride, that I have never had any serious or lasting side effects from minoxidil, finasteride, or duttasteride over the last 23 years... But that's only one persons story.

Just read as much REAL clinical data you can find on what you are interested in using and talk to a dermatologist who deals with hair loss, so you can make the decision YOU feel is right for YOU.

[Notcoolanymore]

My hair was like yours 14 years ago, now it is a disaster. I have been treating my hairloss for only 2.5 months and so far my results are ok. First I started with minoxidil, then added keto shampoo, then derma roller, and lastly Finasteride (20 days ago). Minoxidil and Keto shampoo are pretty cheap and you can start those today. Maybe those alone will help? Like many have said though, there is a possibility of a shed if you use minoxidil so you might want to cut your hair short. This will make it easy to apply and possibly make the shed not too noticeable. I have buzzed my hair for years so I didn't really notice until I would take pictures of my head to record my progress. Damn, I got hit hard with the shed. So far I am doing well on finasteride. If you are thinking of taking it, do yourself a favor and don't spend too much time researching on the internet. Talk to your doctor and if you decide to take it, then just monitor your body. If you unfortunately get sides, stop taking it.