I am 99% sure I am going bald and no one will help me.

[theEvergreen]

I posted this thread a few weeks ago panicking about thinning hair. Most people responded positively telling me not to worry. I took it in stride but still tried not to panic.

So, I went to both doctors. General Practitioner and Dermatologist. The BOTH said I have nothing to worry about. My GP told me that I am thinning a little in the front but it's "not balding." He gave me a topical cream called Clotrimazole and Betamethasone Dipropionate Cream to apply to my scalp in the affected areas. I've been doing that the past few days and all it does is make my hair look greasy there. I don't feel anything at all there. I also tried to get him to prescribe me ANYTHING for anxiety. All he did was tell me "take a Benadryl before bed." Didn't prescribe me anything but cream. Told me I didn't need propecia.

The dermatologist told me "well I see some temporal recession but since you're 30 years old, that's expected and you shouldn't worry really about losing it until you're 50+." He mentioned nothing about the thinning and told me to just try to relax. ALSO told me he wouldn't give me a script for propecia

I'm attaching a few pictures here as an update in different light/positions to get another opinion. I am getting BEYOND depressed about this because I really do think this is the beginning of the end. I don't have a good bald head and no one is giving me what I need to get on with my life. I don't think balding is the end, but I am single right now and even WITH hair I've had trouble with social anxiety and such. I barely leave my house now and I forced my friends to go home when I was in New York a weekend ago because I saw right through my hairline in the bathroom. I would take it in stride if this was slow, but I had a FULL HEAD OF HAIR 6-7 months ago and it's dying QUICK. I am thinking about buzzing it down and starting Rogaine just to see if it helps.

Some of these pictures were taken today.

[rootbeer5]

I was in the same position as you 2-3 years ago. Told my doctor/derm they said "its nothing your fine". Fast forward 2-3 years bam MPB in effect. Don't get your hopes down just yet.

First picture looks like a callick/cowlick/hair whorl so don't worry about it. Second and third pic your temples look to still be intact and is sharp. Front hairline seems thick (from the picture). Third and fourth looks fine, but I assume it was thinner then 6-7 months ago as you stated. You say you deal with social anxiety and stress it could possibly be Chronic Telogen Efflovium.

I honestly don't want to say get on fin/minox because your hair looks great and I'm not sure what it could possibly due to someone who doesn't have MPB, but I mean if I was in the same position as you and if I started it back then my hair may have been completely fine (still early in my treatment to see if it works). You can always buy propecia online without a script.

[theEvergreen]

I was in the same position as you 2-3 years ago. Told my doctor/derm they said "its nothing your fine". Fast forward 2-3 years bam MPB in effect. Don't get your hopes down just yet.

First picture looks like a callick/cowlick/hair whorl so don't worry about it. Second and third pic your temples look to still be intact and is sharp. Front hairline seems thick (from the picture). Third and fourth looks fine, but I assume it was thinner then 6-7 months ago as you stated. You say you deal with social anxiety and stress it could possibly be Chronic Telogen Efflovium.

I honestly don't want to say get on fin/minox because your hair looks great and I'm not sure what it could possibly due to someone who doesn't have MPB, but I mean if I was in the same position as you and if I started it back then my hair may have been completely fine (still early in my treatment to see if it works). You can always buy propecia online without a script.

Thanks for responding and thank you even more for trying to quell my worries. I continually wonder if it's TE, because some of the pictures I see are tell-tale. It's just I saw 2 doctors and they did almost nothing for me. I just got that topical steroid that really doesn't do anything for me. The tiny broken hairs in the front are thin, but they ARE growing longer without breaking. I don't think the cream is doing anything, but it's been less than a week, haha.

Although I do not think you are a candidate for hair restoration you should consider supportive measures. My thought is consider finding a local hair clinic for an up close in person exam and plan. Tell them its a hair loss visit so they can know its not about restoration yet. It does not hurt to stay ahead of it.

It means a lot that a professional actually responded as well. So you wouldn't put me on anything like propecia or rogaine? Or do you mean you wouldn't recommend I get a transplant? I don't think I would even if I were truly going bald, as it's probably outside of my budget and I would just accept it as part of my life at that point. The closest clinic to me is actually this one here: http://www.hairbytosi.com/ . Do they look like one that can help me at all? I mean consultation is free, but most of their services look like artificial hair and wigs and stuff. Would they be able to tell me much about what's happening to me, or at least be more observant and in depth as opposed to my general physician or dermatologist?

[Plan C]

Imo if you think you're going bald, you almost certainly are. Obviously you should also consider whether males in your family tend to suffer hair loss around your age.

I'd start using Regenepure or Revita shampoo and minoxidil immediately.

[Illusion]

Lol chill out man, your hair looks fine. You do have slightly receded temples but that could easily be a matured hair line. Also, your hair line at the middle of your forehead seems slightly thinner under light, but again it's not something to worry about right away. Regarding Telogen Effluvium, you most likely don't have it. You usually get it because of things like surgery or traumatic events (and I believe it are mainly events that are traumatic in a physical way). I don't think you'll get TE because of a lot of stress (mental stress) and/or (social) anxiety.

Even though your hair looks fine to me, Plan C is right: If you suspect you're balding, then you probably are. Go visit a hair clinic and make sure that you regularly (once every 2 months should be enough, once every month if you're really paranoid) make pictures to compare them with eachother. That way you can act fast when shit hits the fan

[efedrez]

I honestly believe your hair looks more than fine

Are you seeing an exceptional amount of hair on your pillow and shower everyday? could it be possible that over thinking about it might be getting you too paranoid and even triggering additional hair loss?

However as plan C is saying if you want to take action there will be no harm if you do, I would say that most likely someone with a very light MPB starting at 30 yo, should be fine with minox (rogaine) which is fairly harmless in terms of sides and it will give u some sense of control over the situation

[fitnessisgood4u]

Wow no way! from the photos your hair looks ok to me . Dont waste your money or time on thinking you are going bald.

[theEvergreen]

I appreciate all your guys' input a lot.

@Plan C: Honestly I agree with you. I'm tempted to try monox once I get my hair cut this week. I can't go to the gym anymore because of how thin my hair is now. I can't hide how thin my hairline looks at all. I can't even part my hair on the side now it's so thin.

@Illusion: Did you check out my previous thread? My hair has thinned considerably since those pictures were taken. I can't tell if it's slowing down or not. I know it looks fine to most, but my hair was absolutely nothing like this 4-6 months ago. I was fairly secure with my hairline and now I can almost count the hairs in the front and the hairfall that I experience look like all kinked and damaged hairs. Like my hair is losing its body and "dying." I agree with the stress thing, as I didn't suffer a significant trauma, but I know I had a few panic attacks and those definitely aren't fun. I'm starting to think I have Chronic TE. I fear I won't be able to get my hair back to anywhere near it was 6 months ago.

@efedrez: I've been told by many people they don't see what's happening to me, but it's more than obvious to me. My hair can absolutely not be under light otherwise you see directly through to the scalp. I'll probably pick up some Rogaine when I get this haircut depending on how it looks.

@fitnessisgood4u: I appreciate it, but this is absolutely destroying my confidence. I can't tell if I'm just having some weird dysmorphia thing or what, but my hair looks terrible in comparison to only a few months ago. It's killing me inside, haha.

[test1]

See a doctor if you are that worried.

Also look back at your genetics, from both mom and dads side. That should help clear things up.

[sdsurfin]

Ok dude, first of all, as someone who has dealt with anxiety and hairloss, let me break it down for you:

a) your hair is fine, and very full for a 30 year old. Hardly anyone has the same hair at 30 as they did earlier, and it's common for hormonal changes to kick in around your age and slightly change your hair. Almost everyone I know at 30 has lost their temples, and you still have them. Even guys my age who have totally bald temples aren't gonna lose their hair. You can see it in their dads, lots of guys lose that hair and then stay the same their whole life. Look at pierce brosnan or gary oldman or josh brolin or benedict cumber batch or a million other guys who have high hairlines. There's no way you go very bald before you're quite a bit older. That slight thinning in the front doesn't mean anything about the rest of your head necessarily. I have many friends who are slightly thinner at the front at your age and have stayed that way. aging happens.

b) what is your family history? If your dad and maternal grandpa didn't go bald then you have nothing to worry about. Sometimes people randomly get a screwy gene, but with your head of hair you should be fine if your people didn't go bald early. If you do have baldness in your family then maybe you will go bald someday, but it won't be for a while and hopefully by then there will be better treatment options. That's where I'm at. Most guys in my family went pretty bald in their forties, and I have thick hair but am definitely thinning out at 32.

c) I don't recommend going on minox or propecia. you don't need propecia (and its poison anyway)and minox can make you really itchy and actually speed up minimal hair loss before it helps. My own hair is similar to yours, except thinner in the back and my temples are pretty thin. I tried minox and my head has not stopped itching ever since. That was about a year ago. Try it if you want, but unless you go to a hair doctor and they tell you you have active hair loss, then theres no point. They can do a pull test and see the hair microscopically to see if its thinning. This is also tricky though, because many men thin extremely slowly, and your doctor can tell you you're blading, but you might actually have pretty much the same hair until you're like 50.

d) Zoloft has helped me in the past with anxiety. Go to a good therapist. Your hair really is amazingly full for a 30 year old, and its not a big deal if your hair thins out a bit as you get older. It happens to like 90 percent of men, just part of life. You're not gonna go noticeably bald anytime soon, unless you have a gene in your family where you lose hair quick and all of a sudden, which is pretty rare.

[sdsurfin]

I just looked at your pics again. Seriously man, your hair is thick as ****. If you do have any thinning in the front (which I don't see at all), its probably just your hairline maturing a bit , everyones moves up a cm or two. You have no thinning in the back that I can see, and you clearly have some anxiety messing with your head. anxiety can make you believe things that aren't there, Ive been in the same place. Almost all mens hair changes as they get older, like the rest of our faces and bodies, just don't stress about it. No one is going to notice a tiny change in your hairline, don't listen to the crazies on here, lots of people with BDD. If you're worried go see a hair specialist, but I can almost guarantee this is not something you should be stressed about. If I were you I'd think about the guys on here who are actually losing their hair at a premature rate, or are already pretty bald or totally bald, and think about chilling out.

[sdsurfin]

oh and also everyone can see through their hair in bright light, or light that is angled right. You just don't notice it until you get paranoid about it. I have friends with no hair loss or history of hair loss in their families, and their hair is thinner and more see through than mine is. You just have very straight and not-coarse hair, thats why your whorl in the back looks like its bare when its not. its just the way you're lighting it. If you had active balding your dermatologist would have told you.

[efedrez]

I appreciate all your guys' input a lot.

@Plan C: Honestly I agree with you. I'm tempted to try monox once I get my hair cut this week. I can't go to the gym anymore because of how thin my hair is now. I can't hide how thin my hairline looks at all. I can't even part my hair on the side now it's so thin.

@Illusion: Did you check out my previous thread? My hair has thinned considerably since those pictures were taken. I can't tell if it's slowing down or not. I know it looks fine to most, but my hair was absolutely nothing like this 4-6 months ago. I was fairly secure with my hairline and now I can almost count the hairs in the front and the hairfall that I experience look like all kinked and damaged hairs. Like my hair is losing its body and "dying." I agree with the stress thing, as I didn't suffer a significant trauma, but I know I had a few panic attacks and those definitely aren't fun. I'm starting to think I have Chronic TE. I fear I won't be able to get my hair back to anywhere near it was 6 months ago.

@efedrez: I've been told by many people they don't see what's happening to me, but it's more than obvious to me. My hair can absolutely not be under light otherwise you see directly through to the scalp. I'll probably pick up some Rogaine when I get this haircut depending on how it looks.

@fitnessisgood4u: I appreciate it, but this is absolutely destroying my confidence. I can't tell if I'm just having some weird dysmorphia thing or what, but my hair looks terrible in comparison to only a few months ago. It's killing me inside, haha.

Buddy, the felling of loosing hair is for sure a hard one to digest and even though I honestly believe you have nothing to worry about, the anxiety is there and you need to do something soon.

I would try to keep an open mind in terms of how to deal with the stress and depression generated by hair loss so 2 things are very important at this point if you ask me:

1) Understand objectively if you are experiencing hair loss, you mentioned that your hair looks worst now in comparison to the pictures, can you upload new pictures so we can help you putting things into perspective?
2) See a therapist and not only a dermatologist as well...when I started loosing my hair (at 17 yo) my fist visit was to a dermatologist and I can't explain how bad that made me fell, my second one was to a therapist and it help me a lot for sure. There is no shame into looking at any possible option that can help you deal with depression

[Illusion]

@Illusion: Did you check out my previous thread? My hair has thinned considerably since those pictures were taken. I can't tell if it's slowing down or not. I know it looks fine to most, but my hair was absolutely nothing like this 4-6 months ago. I was fairly secure with my hairline and now I can almost count the hairs in the front and the hairfall that I experience look like all kinked and damaged hairs. Like my hair is losing its body and "dying." I agree with the stress thing, as I didn't suffer a significant trauma, but I know I had a few panic attacks and those definitely aren't fun. I'm starting to think I have Chronic TE. I fear I won't be able to get my hair back to anywhere near it was 6 months ago.

Looking at the old pictures in your previous thread, I can honestly say that I don't see a lot of (if any) differences between the two. However, if you say so I'm going to take your word on it. But do remember that, like has been said, your hair will get a bit thinner as you age. And, like also has been said before in this thread, you have really thick hair for a 30 y/o

[Illusion]

2) See a therapist and not only a dermatologist as well...when I started loosing my hair (at 17 yo) my fist visit was to a dermatologist and I can't explain how bad that made me fell, my second one was to a therapist and it help me a lot for sure. There is no shame into looking at any possible option that can help you deal with depression

Mind telling me how your experience with a therapist was? I'm at the same age you were when you visited that therapist for the first time (17 y/o) and I'm going to start CBT in a few weeks as I'm pretty depressed about hair loss (and some other reasons but HL plays a pretty big role in my depression)...