MPB at 18? Tell me bluntly, am I going to be bald by the time I reach mid-20s?

[sdsurfin]

The only answer to this question is - take finasteride, and you will be fine, baldness is a choice. Just ignore the "fin is poison" crowd.

I've been to three dermatologists who have said that they do not prescribe finasteride because they know it is dangerous. there is no discussion to be had. Yes, a lot people can use it without FEELING anything, but bottom line it is halting the production of an enzyme that has many positive actions. HT docs push this drug because their livelihoods depend on it, and desperate balding young guys take it and ignore the way it makes their bodies feel and change. Best case scenario is you don't feel side effects, and then when you get off the drug a few years down the line you will either be messed up from it or finally understand how different and vigorous your cody could have been if you didn't take it. If you're going to try an AA, at least try RU, as it is non steroidal and has much less potential for lasting side effects.

18 though is way too young to **** with your hormones. If you wan to take that risk wait tip you at least know that you're really losing your hair. I did not really develop into a mans full physicality until my mid twenties, your body has much growing and changing to do still. Take my advice and go to a hair doctor and see if you are even losing hair anywhere except the temples, which most guys lose. I can name hundreds of men who lost their temples in their young age and stopped there. If you indeed have miniaturization/shedding/etc then use minox first and see how long that tides you over. chances are you won't even begin thinning in most areas until you are 3 or four years further down the road, and by then there will likely be better drugs. don't listen to the older guys on here who have been around forever. they do not understand that hair loss science has essentially just started in the past few years, and that future breakthroughs do not correlate to past frustrations. Medicine in general was in a stagnating state for a long time, but that is no longer the case. They just cured alopecia areata and more recently psoriasis, and mpb is a bit more complex, but the individual pathways downstream fro the androgen receptor are just started to be targeted.

most of all enjoy your youth, you have hair now and look normal, and you will never get these years back. im pretty sure my own hair is improving, or at least maintaining on adenogen twice a day, and then zyrtec mixed with water and applied topically at night, and have zero side effects besides some persistent itching which i think started from using minoxidil a year ago or so. I think combinations of new treatments will definitely make finasteride unnecessary in the next couple of years. The PGD2 science is not horseshit as some members would have you believe, and will help you not lose more hair. between SM, bimatoprost, follicept, and CB, we are looking at something probably working out to promote growth. and if you are 18 you are quite lucky, a preventative cure is probably within grasp while you're still VERY young. so don't fret too much. let your dermatologist counsel you and take very great care with drugs that have serious risks.

[lukey]

I thought I would chime in seeing as I was in a similar situation. I started receeding when I was 17/18 and I'm now 26 and a NW 3, my crown is still very good but my hairline is terrible. I've only been on fin for about 18 months as I waited 2 years before starting it because I was scared of sides. I really regret that decision as I'm sure my hairline would be a lot better now if I had started it straight away. I do get sides from fin, I only take 0.3mgs a day as that's the most I can go before it gets too bad. I don't have any problems with libido at this dosage I get erections when I want them I just don't get morning erections anymore. I understand what people are saying about possible sides but the chances of you getting permanent sides if you started fin and realised it wasn't good for you are very slim. My advice would be to start out on very small doses and then work your way up and if you are getting bad sides then either lower the dosage or stop completely.

[KO1]

18 is not too young to be *****ing with your hormones. You're right that finasteride may cause sexual sides, guess what, so does balding!

[Swooping]

People are bitter because they can't use the treatments, because they are unlucky to get side effects. That's why they will write it off. They can't be objective about it. Yes, there is a chance that you will get side effects that's true, but that's the reality right now. Just know that you can stop your balding process, it is your decision to make if you want to do that.

'A ship is always safe at the shore - but that is NOT what it is built for.'

So you basically have a decision to make, if you don't go on treatments that's fine your choice. However do know that if you suffer from androgenetic alopecia it will progress and retrieving your hair is virtually impossible. Every second counts. If you do go on treatments you have extremely good odds of stopping your hairloss and retaining your hair. If you are lucky you might even get some regrowth with it. I think this study is a good review about finasteride perhaps it will help you in making an informed decision;

Media reports, Internet sites and misinformation by alternative medicine practitioners recently contributed to a negative image associated with finasteride, leading to apprehension and concern among patients taking the medication. Frequently, even dermatologists seem to be hesitant to prescribe the drug for long periods, mistakenly fearing the occurrence of long-term side effects. Finasteride, either alone or in combination with topical minoxidil, is an excellent option for men with androgenetic alopecia, reducing hair loss, and/or restoring hair growth in 9 of 10 patients. The drug can be taken at any time of the day, with or without food. There are no reports of significant drug interactions or allergies. Because it is metabolized in the liver, the drug should be used with caution in patients with liver diseases, but there is no need to indicate liver function tests frequently yet.

Full one; http://www.synergypublishers.com/jms...e/view/701/347. You have an excellent overview there about the drug. Good luck! Btw would be nice if you can upload a picture, sometimes people do imagine they suffer from balding problems .

[Zao]

Great paper! It’s nice to see some real science on here for a change. Taking Propecia was one of the best life decisions I ever made. You have two choices right now, either treat your hair loss with what we know has a chance to work or come to terms with losing your hair, and there is nothing wrong with just letting nature take its course. I was not to ready to lose my hair at a young age so I chose to take the medication. I’m so glad that at the time this mass hysteria did not exist when I did my research because it would have made my decision to help myself more difficult.

Here’s my story that I posted several years ago.

https://www.baldtruthtalk.com/showthread.php?435-I-wanted-to-share-my-hair-loss-story-and-thank-you&p=1392&highlight=#post1392

[sdsurfin]

This is not "real science" it's the opinion of someone who happens to not have had any side effects yet. The real science is that 5ar and dht both play important roles in the body, and are crucial to brain and sexual function. Try it if you want, if harming your body is worth a head of hair that's your call. It certainly will help you keep your hair for a while. Whether you get side effects or not you are damaging your body's ability to maintain your sexual and brain function in ways that might not feel obvious. I know guys who were in propecia ten years "without sides" and then when they quit they were like holy shot I feel like a new man. Let your doctor decide whether you are too young to take this drug, chances are if you go to any doctor who is not profiting from hair transplants, they will tell you that it's not very safe. I think the chances of permanent sides are slim, but also not unrealistic. I only took propecia for a month and sometimes I still have testicle pains that I never had before using it. And I'm 32 and have been off it for a year. Just trying to give u a balanced opinion, because I in no way claim that it's gonna ruin your life or that it's like playing Russian roulette. It's just not healthy.

[mikes23]

Swooping do you use fin with RU or do you only use Ru?

[burtandernie]

You need an AA though of some kind for any hope right now until better stuff shows up in a few years. Fin is easily still the most proven way to do that, although I agree its never been smart to alter hormones like that long term for a cosmetic problem.

[sdsurfin]

Also Nigguh are you serious with that username? Unless you're a black dude (even then its pretty questionable) you might want to think on other things besides hair for a bit.....
and if you are a black dude then you prob have no worries, everyone knows black dudes look dope bald. tupac......

[Swooping]

Swooping do you use fin with RU or do you only use Ru?

Hey mikes23, only RU at the moment. Will have adipose derived stem cells coming in soon too (AAPE).

[BiqqieSmalls]

And minoxidil is a "temporary" drug. It works for about 2-3 years, then you will lose quicker than if you didn't use it.

Not sure how accurate this accusation is. I've seen success stories that have spanned 10 years. It's not that Minoxidil will make you lose quicker than if you didn't use it. It may just be your MPB kicking into overdrive. To say that Minoxidil loses efficacy after 2-3 years is absolute blasphemy.

[wolfman]

Yes, you will probably progress rapidly through your twenties unless you go on a 5AR inhibitor.

Take this dead seriously, but don't let it frighten you: If you start loosing your hair in your teens you have a sensitive genetic predisposition to DHT that will, left untreated make you bald by the age of 30.

I started with a receding hairline at the ripe age of 16 and went on minoxidil. I neglected my hair by not going on a 5AR inhibitor until I was almost 22. By then my hair had rapidly transformed from a NW2 to a NW3 and I wound up with no hairline except for a widows peak. Looking at my picture on a college ID and seeing that widows peak sent me running to the dermatologist and I was on Propecia the next week.

I recently switched to Avodart and added lots of topical anti-androgens and adjuncts with the hopes of regrowth, but the important thing to note is that I'm now 23 and haven't gotten ANY worse. Especially on my crown, there's not a single sign of miniaturization. So I'm basically no longer balding.

Don't wait around, get on a 5AR inhibitor immediately. That's the minimum you should do.

I recommend that you also add a topical androgen receptor blocker too.

Since MPB is a complex process, and all we have are semi-effective treatments with different mechanisms of attack, you are best off using a multi-therapy approach rather than mono therapy. For example, a 5AR inhibitor + topical androgen receptor blocker + anti-inflammatory + growth stimulant + ...

Start off with the "Big 3" as a base: propecia, nizoral 2%, and minoxidil and then add/modify your treatment as you learn more about MPB treatments and your specific condition.

[mikes23]

@ swooping did you ever use fin, and if you did how was the switch over to RU? Is Ru giving you good results, whether it be thickening or maintaining.

[brocktherock]

Swooping do you use fin with RU or do you only use Ru?

I use RU with finasteride and I've had zero side effects. Im seeing lots of new terminal hair in my hairline so I know their working. I think the risk of real sexual sides is very low if at all.

[brocktherock]

If you can slow down thinning and prevent fibrosis then you may be able to really benefit from replicel if its great as they say. We have great treatments coming no matter what so try to be proactive with what we have now. I with I started finasteride when I was 19, its a big regret for me now at 26. Im getting a HT with Rahal in October which I expect to solve my problem for another 5 years or so but if I started fin early then I could have possibly saved myself 16 grand.