someone give me some support/advice

[greatjob!]

Do you think being on minoxidil and nizoral would do about the same for me as being on finsteride? And could finasteride potentially restore some of the hair I've lost?

I'm just scared of the sides of finasteride.

No neither of those are going to do what fin will. You have what looks like a lot of miniaturization which is good if you get on fin because it could reverse a lot of that. I understand being scared, it's something you're going to have to really think about. I just don't think very many people are candidates for a hair transplant if they're not willing to get on fin long term. There really is no replacement for your natural hair, if you get a transplant now and lose the rest of your hair, which seems likely, you will be completely screwed.

[Baldnessfalls]

No neither of those are going to do what fin will. You have what looks like a lot of miniaturization which is good if you get on fin because it could reverse a lot of that. I understand being scared, it's something you're going to have to really think about. I just don't think very many people are candidates for a hair transplant if they're not willing to get on fin long term. There really is no replacement for your natural hair, if you get a transplant now and lose the rest of your hair, which seems likely, you will be completely screwed.

I seem to remember my doctor saying he would not use the HT to replant an agressive hairline but instead reinforce what I already have and give me a slightly better hairline then I have but nothing aggressive. I could live with that I think because with my head shape I think it would give the "appearance" of a full head. I think he also hinted towards medications too.

[DAVE52]

If I wanted a buzzed hair style I would do it. But I don't want that hairstyle. I want my long hair back like I had when I was a sophomore in high school. I'm 6'2" and weight 145 lbs soaking wet, I have huge ears too. I would look goofy as hell with a shaved head. The thing is, with hair, I'm male model material, but without hair I look like total shit..

That will never happen , even with a HT
No doctor can do that for you .

[Baldnessfalls]

Hmm. Why do you say that? You guys are saying my loss is that bad? Golly, its not like I'm totally bald on top. Just a receding hair line. You guys are saying I'm a NW5? No way! That would mean I'm almost totally bald on top! I'm not totally bald. There's no way I'm any worse than a NW3. If hair transplantation is like you guys are saying, then its useless and a waste.

I remember my doctor saying that he would reinforce my current hairline as well as give me more of a "mature" hairline as he called it. I DO remember him hinting towards medication as well to which I believe I told him I was not interested in taking medication long term. But my visit with him was last year so I can't remember it all, and it might be worth while to schedule another consultation and discuss with him exactly what you guys are telling me. But taking into consideration what y'all are saying, I might be warming up to the idea of fin.

I'm currently using over the counter Nizoral and Rogaine. That regimen won't maintain my current hair? Why should I have to use finasteride? I'm not being a smartass I would just like to know.

[Dan26]

Rogaine does nothing to stop the balding process. It basically buys you a bit of time, thats all.

Fin can slow down or stop the balding process. Like it has been stated above you are heading for advanced loss. You need to stabilize that loss first before you even think about an HT.

You never know, you could be a non responder on fin and rogaine or get side effects and end up losing more hair in the coming years. There is a lot of uncertainty involved. But your best chance is fin/dut and rogaine to stabalize, give it a year or two.

[recedingone]

You are an advanced NW3. So am I, but Im almost 40 and trust me, you will still care about being bald when you are 40. I didn't even lose any noticeable amount of hair until I was over 30 and finally decided to try fin, nizoral and rogaine now. You will be bald in a few years at the rate you are going. i would see how you tolerate .5 mg fin a day and put off the transplant until you see how that works.

You know I obviously prefer having hair which is why Im on here and doing the Big 3, but I've buzzed or shaved my head a lot since I was a teenager and it always looks good. And even recently, Ive never felt my Friends with full heads of hair even had much of an advantage over me. If you are male model material then you certainly would look good with a buzzed or shaved head. You will look younger as well. If I were you, I would be more concerned about being 145 lbs at your height than losing hair. Shave head, put on 50lbs muscle and then steal your buddies girlfriends lol.

[brianb619]

I Have also struggled with hair loss at a young age, and have tried almost every trick in the book. If anyone can also give me some advice on how to get through this let me know. Some days are harder than most. Today surprisingly is not so bad but when I read these posts of people like me who are also struggling it makes me want you all to know that this is an issue we are all dealing with and I do appreciate everyone positive thoughts and the ability to talk about hair loss.

[akai]

What you or others perceive your norwood to be is largely irrelevant. I honestly think you'd be better shaving it off.

-You will not take finasteride to stabilize your hair loss.

-People with HT knowledge have said you'll need more grafts than you assume. You don't seem to take their advice seriously.

-Finasteride should be taken for at least a year if you're considering a hair transplant. Once again, you said you will not do this.

"don't think I'd consier a HT after I'm 30+. Having no hair wouldn't matter to me by that point. No offense to those 30+ considering a HT. All the people around me would already know me for having no hair and suddenly having hair would be obvious of a HT and what's the point?"

-Unfortunately for the majority of people your hair loss concerns don't just magically go away at a predetermined age. I'm not 30 yet, but I can understand how someone in their early 20s could think that way. Not sure what answer you're looking for though. If you plan on living in the same town for a long time and don't want people to notice you had a hair transplant and you don't want to take finasteride your choices are basically to shave it off.

[DannyBoyy7]

Weird how i got over my hairloss it was so sudden...when i was 18 one min i was worrying always fixing my hair in what ever reflection i could find etc...then next thing i know i saw my reflection and thought on the lines of "omg what am i doing i look stupid i need to cut my hair"...got it cut the next day and havent looked back since hair has gotten shorter and shorter since (obviously)...im now 22 couldnt be happier...my advice i would just shave it but then again i didnt care for hair when i had it...end off the day you got to do what YOU feels right...good look guys.