Opinions and help needed and welcomed.

[nycjohn8567]

Hello all. I'm very new to this forum but I remember seeing a friend use it so I'm giving it a try. I'm a 22 year old male. For some reason I feel as if I'm losing my hair or going bald. The reason for this is due to the fact that when i brush my hair I notice it is very thin on the left side of my head along hair line (Pictured). My girlfriend insists I'm going crazy and says it is probably just baby hair which I've never heard it. It is in some pictures of me when I was younger but I am curious as to what you guys thought and what my problem may be if any. Pictures attached.

[BigThinker]

Looks thin when wet and from the front regardless of whether or not it's wet.

Bad news: Looks like Male Pattern Baldness to me.

Good news: You've noticed it early and have plenty of time to start treatment and potentially save what you have.

The key is to be proactive. Your word choice leads me to believe you're already suspecting the worst and not likely to brush it aside (no pun intended).

Just don't let hair loss consume you. Address it ASAP and move on with life.

[25 going on 65]

Yeah you are going bald. Use meds. If you are not satisfied after 12-18 months but your hair is stable, you can consider a transplant.
Good luck

[nycjohn8567]

Looks thin when wet and from the front regardless of whether or not it's wet.

Bad news: Looks like Male Pattern Baldness to me.

Good news: You've noticed it early and have plenty of time to start treatment and potentially save what you have.

The key is to be proactive. Your word choice leads me to believe you're already suspecting the worst and not likely to brush it aside (no pun intended).

Just don't let hair loss consume you. Address it ASAP and move on with life.

What kind of meds, etc could I use in an attempt to save hair? I was planning to go visit my doctor but wasn't sure if I should see my personal doctor for this or a dermatologist. Any advice for that?

[25 going on 65]

What kind of meds, etc could I use in an attempt to save hair? I was planning to go visit my doctor but wasn't sure if I should see my personal doctor for this or a dermatologist. Any advice for that?

What I did was make an appt w/ my GP, who ordered some tests but also referred me to a derm. The derm ordered 1 or 2 more tests, but it turned out I just had andro alopecia like 90+ % of guys who lose their hair. However it is still good to rule out other factors that might contribute

Meds that work for hair loss: dutasteride & finasteride (you MUST take one of these if you do not want to go bald; dutasteride is stronger so I recommend it over finasteride), ketconazole shampoo (use the 2% prescription stuff), minoxidil (aka rogaine).
There are other experimental things that some guys get results on. Like RU, Spironolactone. But no matter what you must take finasteride or dutasteride if you want a chance of success

[Notcoolanymore]

These guys gave you some good advice. I will just add that your girlfriend is super cool by not trying to worry you about this crap, but unfortunately denial will kill you when it comes to hair loss. The worst thing to do in this fight is waste time. Take it from somebody who wasted years.

I don't know about baby hair. From what you describe though, I have baby hair all over the top of my head.

[Thinning87]

Keep in mind many dermatologists don't know anything about hair loss (because there isn't much money in it for them) and some might even try to sort of scam you or waste your time with visits, recommending vitamins, etc.

Finasteride and romaine are your two weapons, along with Nizoral shampoo. There is nothing else out there that will do you any good so make sure you don't get sold $100 a bottle Ovation hair and other scams like that.

Stick to a good diet with lots of veggies and water and even go for stuff like coconut water and other coconut related ingredients, but the diet doesn't really affect hair much, it's just believed it might help a good regimen by improving the hair's quality.

Also, keep in mind you are very new this like many of us in this forum, and with a little bit of luck at least one of the companies working on new treatments might come through with something to save us relatively soon.

[nycjohn8567]

Back again folks. I've finally had some free time and set up an appointment for next week to see my personal doctor. I've heard about finasteride as a good drug for battling MPB but is there anything else that may be more effective? A more general question is there a big difference between brand name finesteride such as propecia or prozcar or generic finasteride?

[35YrsAfter]

Back again folks. I've finally had some free time and set up an appointment for next week to see my personal doctor. I've heard about finasteride as a good drug for battling MPB but is there anything else that may be more effective? A more general question is there a big difference between brand name finesteride such as propecia or prozcar or generic finasteride?

If you get on Propecia or Avodart, it's a good idea to first have a HairCheck. We offer HairCheck at N/C. We keep your HairCheck numbers on file so if there's any question whether meds are having a positive effect down the road, you do another HairCheck and compare the numbers. For some men a subtle improvement takes time and may be difficult to evaluate just by examining your own hair. Also, even if you don't notice improvement in two or three years, it may just be that the meds are only preventing additional hair loss.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
forhair.com
Cole Hair Transplant
1070 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[recedingone]

Rogaine twice per day. You can get the 5% CVS brand foam for cheap. Costs like $10 per month.

nizoral shampoo every other day. You can buy at target.


propecia/Finasteride- talk to your doc. Generic is very cheap. Many complain of side effects.

[nycjohn8567]

Well after some blood work and determining it is not a thyroid or hormone issue my doctor has prescribed me 1 mg of finasteride once a day for the next 4 months. I have read that finasteride typically takes a year to yield any results so would it be good decision to take it for these 4 months and hope that my doctor continues to add to my refills?
Has anyone ever suffered extreme side effects from the meds? I'm worried about becoming sterile even though it is a very small percentage of users.

[Notcoolanymore]

Well after some blood work and determining it is not a thyroid or hormone issue my doctor has prescribed me 1 mg of finasteride once a day for the next 4 months. I have read that finasteride typically takes a year to yield any results so would it be good decision to take it for these 4 months and hope that my doctor continues to add to my refills?
Has anyone ever suffered extreme side effects from the meds? I'm worried about becoming sterile even though it is a very small percentage of users.

If you have accepted that you may suffer from sides, then start taking fin. If all is good, I am sure you can just call your doc and have him write you another prescription. I have been on fin for close to 7 months now. I had the ball ache for about the first couple of months. Now I don't have any sides at all, with the exception of hair growth. I would say the ball ache is the most common side. As long as it is mild, I would say just deal with it, they should go away. As far as becoming sterile, not going to happen.