I'm fairly certain it's too late.

[Rizaan]

I started a new thread in Hair loss treatments.

[David M]

Zan, I feel for you, brother. I can only share with you what I am convinced will work for most men and which has been confirmed through a randomized blind study. It is a rather simple process of once weekly derma-roller microneedling using a 1.5 millimeter dermaroller followed by application of twice daily 5% Minoxidil. I am currently using this methodology and seeing results that are satisfying. Please read the study for yourself at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[David M]

Update by David M.: Zan and everyone else, I want to update the above website address. Try ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746236.

[clee984]

In a time where my life is supposed to be beginning, it feels as though it's already impaired.

Were I to lose my hair, which, evidently I am, I would simultaneously lose what little self esteem I have.

Though the discovery of my receding hairline was an ephemeral moment, the penalty will be for life. The gravity of this discovery has been ringing throughout my mind for a week now, and I can't take it much longer.

Some may laugh at how badly I'm taking this news but I really couldn't less.

This was very painful to read, because it's true - I was the same, and I think most guys on this forum would recognise these feelings. Compared to starvation, disease, war etc, male pattern baldness is small potatoes. But it ruins lives. I went from a depressed young man to suicidal, and I remember in the 90s reading an interview with a trichologist who said that 2 of his early patients, devastated by their MPB, had committed suicide.

I hope that the OP has found a way to deal with things and get on with his life.

[vonbaker]

^
Society be damned. This is why I encourage people to have a healthy and supportive circle of friends around them. Life is too valuable to lose over hair. Now I will share a story about a coworker experiencing MPB and completely shaved his head, took on physical fitness classes, goes on hikes every weekend, and living life better than before!

[Evolution]

I hear you 100%...but get this: I started balding at the age of 16, I am now 19 going on 20. I've already described the vast, incomprehensible emotional pain that engulfed me countless times, but to give you a brief understand I pondered suicide on numerous occasions when it began. Keep in mind I went to countless dermatologists in this horrible process.

When I tried to talk about the problem, people either tried to comfort me in an extremely superficial way, or tried to relate. If you're anything like me, you are in way too much agony to give a rats @$$ about anyone else's problems, or maybe even some other of your own problems.

So beyond what was posted above, i'm not going to give you the sympathy you don't care to have, nor am I going to echo your likely fear to just "get over it"

I'm going to tell you what I did and leave it at that. It would be helpful if you described your hair a bit more accurately ( norwood scale, when exactly it started, etc ) but here we go:

from 16 to 17 I began taking 1mg of finasteride and 5% minoxidil. I went through a "shedding" phase (just wait until you read about this, you'll have a panic attack) that lasted around 4 months at least. Around the 10th month mark of applying the drugs I noticed that the hair was starting to improve, starting to thicken. Never to the pre balding state, but to a state that looked exactly the same to the untrained eye, and the hair stopped falling out, and this was enough to give me a VERY brief period of peace of mind.

Because I had money to blow and felt like it had only slowed the inevitable, I had paid a pretty penny for a PRP procedure. ( It's not a surgery, i've had check ups that were more intense) it was around this time I had amped up my minoxidil prescription to 10% with 0.2 Finasteride PLUS the 1mg finsateride tablet I was taking. A year after of stagnation using these drugs I had finally hit a boom that seemed to peak for around 1 year itself, and for that year the hair became a non-issue and a simple manner of maintenance. Now, the effects seem to be wearing off and I believe I am thinning again. So, I have found a dermatologist who is open to the idea of prescribing Dutasteride, which is a stronger version of finasteride, the most effective in my treatment and in the opinion of many. I might also bump up my prescription to 12%. We'll see what happens.

Take care blondy.

[Louish]

The big 3 is partly B.S. Humans have a love for bundles of 3 of all kind. The biggest lie is keto, the study behind is laughable, it only proves the minox and keto mostly do nothing and fina works. Ke to is good to keep in check fungus and you should use it once a week for it. That's it. It' actually clear that using keto more than that is even harmful for your hair as the stuff is kinda strong. A lot of surgeons won't let you use it for 3 months after surgery because of that. Minox works for very few people and a lot of people get quite worse from it. Application is quite the hassle as well. Only thing working is fina, at a price. Doctors tell you if you have no side effects or can live with it you are fine but the truth is suppressing your DHT is upmost damaging for your body even if you don't see it. I understand that people use it as this is not understood by most doctors even less the patients. Few people know biochemistry that well. There are your choices of preventive measures. Cheers!

[Louish]

Sorry for the horrific grammar I was sleepy and didn't proofread lol

[David M]

I hear you 100%...but get this: I started balding at the age of 16, I am now 19 going on 20. I've already described the vast, incomprehensible emotional pain that engulfed me countless times, but to give you a brief understand I pondered suicide on numerous occasions when it began. Keep in mind I went to countless dermatologists in this horrible process.

When I tried to talk about the problem, people either tried to comfort me in an extremely superficial way, or tried to relate. If you're anything like me, you are in way too much agony to give a rats @$$ about anyone else's problems, or maybe even some other of your own problems.

So beyond what was posted above, i'm not going to give you the sympathy you don't care to have, nor am I going to echo your likely fear to just "get over it"

I'm going to tell you what I did and leave it at that. It would be helpful if you described your hair a bit more accurately ( norwood scale, when exactly it started, etc ) but here we go:

from 16 to 17 I began taking 1mg of finasteride and 5% minoxidil. I went through a "shedding" phase (just wait until you read about this, you'll have a panic attack) that lasted around 4 months at least. Around the 10th month mark of applying the drugs I noticed that the hair was starting to improve, starting to thicken. Never to the pre balding state, but to a state that looked exactly the same to the untrained eye, and the hair stopped falling out, and this was enough to give me a VERY brief period of peace of mind.

Because I had money to blow and felt like it had only slowed the inevitable, I had paid a pretty penny for a PRP procedure. ( It's not a surgery, i've had check ups that were more intense) it was around this time I had amped up my minoxidil prescription to 10% with 0.2 Finasteride PLUS the 1mg finsateride tablet I was taking. A year after of stagnation using these drugs I had finally hit a boom that seemed to peak for around 1 year itself, and for that year the hair became a non-issue and a simple manner of maintenance. Now, the effects seem to be wearing off and I believe I am thinning again. So, I have found a dermatologist who is open to the idea of prescribing Dutasteride, which is a stronger version of finasteride, the most effective in my treatment and in the opinion of many. I might also bump up my prescription to 12%. We'll see what happens.

Take care blondy.

Evolution, please see my comment (David M) to Fatherbalding17. Just thought I would share with you. Have a great day.

[Ahab]

It's not small potatoes. If hair loss is a mere cosmetic problem, then someone who's had most of their face burned off, but who still has functioning ears, nose, mouth, and eyes also has a mere cosmetic problem.