Please help!

[Micky]

Hey guys,

I've just signed up but I have been reading the forum for a few months.
Here's my story.

I am a 28 year old guy from Ireland. All the males on my dads side of the family are almost completely bald. The males on my mums side have very little hairloss. I kinda always assumed I'd be ok since I believed the old wives tale that you take after your mothers side of the family...

About 2 years ago I became conscious of hairloss when my housemate started to lose his hair at the crown. The guy was a complete mess panicking about it and it really freaked me out too. I started freaking out incase it happened to me too. I was checking my hairline everyday looking for signs. I was almost convincing myself i was going bald but everyone else said my hair was fine and there was no sign of any hairloss at all.. well that was 2 years ago.. since then I have become more and more convinced my hair is thinning at the hairline.

about 6 months ago I noticed my younger brothers hair had also thinned at the front. This really freaked me out.

for the past 2 years altho I have been obsessively checking my hair for any signs of hairloss but it hasnt really bothered me that much because it has been a very insignificant amount of loss that noone apart from me has even noticed but 2 days ago that all changed..

I tried to shave my head at the sides,with just a number 2 guard on the clipper. This didnt take any off so i switched to the number 1, this took loads off!!! way too much and I couldnt blend it into the top of my head so I thought, screw this.. ill just do the 1 all over and see how i look with a shaved head. so I did the number 1 all over and after i was finished noticed i had missed a few hairs near my crown, so i grabbed the clipper and without looking trimmed the few stray hairs.... I had forgotten that i had taken the guard off the clipper and had just shaved a bald patch with no guard on the clipper right at my crown!!! I had no choice but to shave the rest of my head with no guard!!! my shaved head looked ridiculous!! I have quite a small head, slightly prominent ears and a thin face. I work out though so I have broad shoulders which makes my head look even more disproportianate! The worst thing however is that now thats been a few days since i shaved my head, the hair has grown back slightly and the thin areas are very noticeable, It looks like im going to be a Norwood scale 2. This had caused me great distress in the past few days. I havent left the house and even missed out on new years eve celebrations because of it. My confidence is shot!!! I am due back into work after the xmas break on Monday and I am dreading it!

I dont know what to do! I know I was kind of stressing before about losing my hair and even when i noticed very slight thinning I almost convinced myself that it wasnt happening but now that ive completely shaved my head and can see very clearly the thin and thick areas its confirmed to me that I am definitely losing it. I have been taking herbal treatments for about a year such as saw palmetto and ive been using hair retention shampoos "just in case" but I dont know if they have been doing very much if anything.

I dont know what to do now, I am due to go on a skiing holiday with my mates in 2 weeks and i feel so depressed right now about the whole hairloss thing I dont even wanna go now. None of them have seen my shaved head either so I know I would be in for a week of abuse about it!

I have heard bad things about propecia which scare me and ive also heard it doesnt work for hairline loss..

please help..!!!

[M Byrnes]

Hey Mickey,
Don't freak out - don't get depressed. It sounds like you are in the beginning phases of hair thinning. Luckily for you, this is happening to you in a time where there are good options! First of all, get on Propecia - I'm not sure what "scary' things you have heard, but I can tell you that I have been on it of 2+ years and have had no issues of any kind and it has stopped my hair loss - I can't say that it has helped grow a ton more, but my hair has not only stopped coming out but it has also stopped thinning - so get on that. Second, if you are thinning on the crown, you can try minoxidil - definitely mixed results on that - some have had success, some haven't. For me, minoxidil made my scalp unbearably dry and itchy. Lastly, if you have a little thinning somewhere, get yourself some Toppik - these are miniature hair fibers that you sprinkle onto your hair - it may sound a little cheeky...but it's not, it works like a charm to thicken the thin areas and is incredibly undetectable.

About the hair trimming incident - you just have to laugh that off and just tell everyone how you f**ked up cutting your own hair! (always best to laugh at yourself first!)

You'll be fine dude - it will be a good year!

Best,
M Byrnes

[combover]

Mickey,

I don't mean to sound condescending, but compared to some of the stories I've read here about guys going completely bald and starting in their teens, your story doesn't sound as bad. I started thinning in my mid twenties and still had good coverage, but a bad hair cut will make almost anyone look ridiculous. If you can afford a ski trip, you can probably afford to have someone cut your hair for you. Only someone with Hollywood good looks and the thickest head of hair can get away with doing anything with their hair and still look okay.

I would recommend that you accesorize with head gear as much as possible until your hair grows back and find the best hair style for your appearance and level of hair loss in the meantime. I assume your single, otherwise it wouldn't be as big a deal, but don't be afraid to use celebs as ideas for hair styles. If it's not too pretentious to make your body look its best by working out, then there's nothing wrong with caring about making your hair look it's best either, especially for single guys. My hairline is receding, I have sort of small head and I experimented with cutting my own hair, so I can sympathize with your situation.

[Micky]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies.

@ M Byrnes: Thanks for the advice. I am glad propecia is working well for you but the scary things I mean are regarding the potential propecia side effects listed on wikipedia such as "impotence (1.1% to 18.5%), abnormal ejaculation (7.2%), decreased ejaculatory volume (0.9% to 2.8%), abnormal sexual function (2.5%), gynecomastia (2.2%), erectile dysfunction (1.3%), ejaculation disorder (1.2%) and testicular pain." they scare the hell out of me! Although a friend of mine is a doctor and he is taking it but I am more of a cautious type than he is. I am going to make an appointment with my own doc to discuss it and see if he reccommends that I go on Propecia.

My crown is fine, there are no signs of thinning any further back than my hairline really so I dont think I need to go down the minoxidil route just yet.

Where would I get Toppik from? how well does it work in staying on your head? will it disappear if it rains or if I wear a hat and take it off?

Regarding the shaving accident, it may actually have been a blessing in disguise. Most of my friends and family said I looked ridiculous the first time they saw me with my head shaved but gradually I am getting more comments from people saying it suits me and I should just keep it shaved so we'll see. i'll probably grow it back out for another few months and try propecia. If that fails at least I know now what I look like with a shaved head and it wont be such a shock for me or anyone else.

@Combover: I know what my story doesnt sound as bad as some of the others. I too have read the posts from 18/19 year old guys who are thinning all over and are in utter despair and I feel for them. I had some of my best years in my early 20's with a full thick head of hair and enjoyed life very much. I can only imagine how awful it must be to start losing your hair that young, when you're supposed to be starting to really enjoy life. The problem I have in dealing with it, is that I never thought it would happen to me. I have had 2 years now to get used to the idea and I guess I'm really only beginning to accept it now but is still very tough. It's like watching your youth disappear before your eyes and being a useless spectator.

I can afford a haircut but the barbers were closed over the christmas break and I have successfully cut my hair before myself so I thought I'd just do it again but unfortunately this time it didnt work out as planned!

I am not single. I have a very attractive girlfriend that I met 4 years ago when I had a full head of hair and was very successful with the ladies but it's still tough to think that in a few years I could be completely bald. Going bald whilst in a relationship brings a whole host of its own problems. "what if she doesnt fancy me anymore, what if she goes off with someone else, what if I become so depressed about it that I drive her away." I have already become a little withdrawn because of it. I was always up for going out with my mates and having a laugh.I used to love going out and even just flirting with girls, even though I have a girlfriend. it gave me a confidence boost. Now its the opposite. When I go out with friends to a bar or club and if I dont get any chicks looking my way I get down, blaming it on my receeding hairline. I just dont feel like myself anymore. My friends have even commented lately that I always seem down. I was always the happy, joker type in my group of mates. now I rarely go out with my friends. I'd rather sit at home and watch DVD's with my girlfriend which is getting pretty boring for both of us!

anyway, sorry for the long post. I get carried away when I'm writing sometimes. Thanks again for the advice and I hope you have a good year!

one last question.... Can a hairline recede to a certain point and just stay there? some guys seem to have receding hairlines but it seems to stay the same all the time. no signs of it getting any worse. Can this happen naturally or is this a sign of propecia or the likes being used?