21 and going bald

[Fixed by 35]

I do make some attempt at humour, I must admit. One of lifes last remaining pleasures. It's hard to convey on a message board though, and most people don't get it. I'm very glad you did!

That's the great thing about the internet. It is blind.

[KeepTheHair]

I have always found Fixed's posts to be quite entertaining

Some of them very informative as well.

[Fixed by 35]

As for lengthy regimes, I'd have to say I've moved beyond them now. Three things work to an extent, so use them. Don't get caught up in any other treatments, because they're unproven, untested and you don't know if they really work. Remember the placebo effect can be a strong one too.

A lot of these products do the same thing. For example, dutasteride, finasteride, beta sitosterol and saw palmetto do very similar things, results largely being dependent upon strength. There's very little point using more than one at a time and finasteride is probably the best one to use. Dutasteride seems to have fizzled out as a solution because it's hard to prove any need to block both types of DHT. I'll keep using dutas until I run out then I'll switch to a proper Propecia prescription.

Likewise, with Minoxidil, Fluridil and a plethora of other topicals. Most are growth stimulants. So is garlic (if you want some natural wnt proteins, give it a try). They all work to an extent but I can't be bothered with topicals anymore because they never really worked very well because they can't permeate the scalp well enough.

Finally, shampoos. Nizoral or something along those lines is where it's at and I'll be using it soon. I guess you might say it's a topical, but it's not such a pain to apply! I'll see if it works; even if it doesn't, it's still nicer than the commercial rubbish.

The other reason I've moved on from extensive regimes is because I want to know what's actually working. I would say you need to just use the big three for now, most of the other stuff is pale imitation. There's no point wasting money on a cupboard full of stuff that does the same job either.

And finally, I have quite a lot of confidence in one or two companies which keep things in perspective. Nothing on the market today works very well, if at all. That's why a lot of research is going on right now. I only take drugs for preservation because I have no faith in currently available products stimulating regrowth.

I can hold out for a few more years for something that will really work, even if I do have to have patchy hair. I refuse to shave my head, because then I will lose my identity and fade into the background with all the other balding blokes with bald heads who have zero identity in their desperation to conform. If you want to keep hold of your identity, you should never conform except on your own terms. If the world thinks shaved heads are better, then bully for them. I bet most of the world wouldn't grab for a razor if they were the ones losing their hair!

[KeepTheHair]

I agree with you that most growth stimulants are useless and a waste of time. But the reason I brought up fluridil is the clinical research shows it can actually do something worth our time and money. I think it is a good product, just too expensive for me right now.

Stuff like coffee garlic or whatever won't have the effect fluridil has, no ways. It actually acts against DHT etc etc etc. I think it is DEFINITELY worth a try. But I will only use it once all else fails. Enough people on enough forums have given it good reviews for me to think it is worth it. Just I don't have the money right now I already spent a crap load on a minoxidil supply. My finasteride supply is cheap. I hope it gets here.

Thanks for your reply though, I agree with you. But I do think spironolactone and fluridil is definitely something worth at least reading about.

But yeah 15% minoxidil should yield good results in most patients in my opinion, are you going to try it?

Full speed ahead. I hope we can all comment here in a year from now and have fixed our hair problems. Although that is extremely optimistic...

One day hopefully we will be able to look back at this thread and laugh. But for now I will just try to be more aggressive than my hair loss.

[ODB]

This is an excellent debate hitting both sides of the spectrum.

Fixed: Yes being bald can be a hinderance to those who judge you solely based on appearance. I can't believe you worked in a company which sh!t canned men based on their baldness. Hahaha, you gotta admit thats kind of funny.

When people comment to me about my hair I always come back with something like, "You should become a Male Beauty pagent judge you poof."

Keep the Hair: I guess I wasn't specific enough about my vitamin regimine which has been helping me keep what I have.

I take Biotin supplements and Saw Palmetto with my daily multivitamin now and have noticed a number of things occuring.

I took saw palmetto for about 6 months religiously and stopped for a couple of weeks to see what would happen.

During those two weeks of saw palmetto hiatus, I shed a whole bunch of hairs that had white stuff covering the bulbs of hair (I guess the white stuff was DHT). Since then I continued Saw Palmetto and have noticed a sharp decrease in the white stuff from hairs that fall out. I also use an organic soap (Dr. Bronners Hemp Based) and have found that to help my overall skin/scalp health. My Dermotologist prescibed me Nizoral shampoo and I use that once a week, which has also helped.

Fixed has an extreme view on hairloss and I don't discredit all of his opinons although he speaks on generalities based on his observations. I want to prove my worth on this planet absent of my looks, but will not discredit my shared view with Fixed that Western culture is Image Obsessed.

Balding can be extremely turmultuous for anyone affected. I am not immune to feeling sorry for myself but I find that this sorrow disappears whenever I see someone in a wheelchair or in positions worse off than I.

Life is a balance of opposites though and I find that anyone who is on the fringe with their opinions (political, business, finance, finding love, etc.) are always balancing eachother out and landing somewhere in the middle. I see those who understand this balance hold two differing view simultaneously and objectivly assess them, come to better conclusions than those who cling to extremes.

These forums are an amazing place to 1)Vent 2)Learn and 3)Share.

[JOE-91]

Lol real popcorn thread! =)))))

Although, there are some issues in play that aren't laughing matters. I do sympathize with Fixed and Keep. Hair loss sucks.

As far as I've read, Fixed only expressed his own views and feelings on his predicament. He is certainly entitled to his opinions, no matter how extreme they are. What he feels is reality for him, and no less valid than what anyone else feels. Although his chosen treatments might be a bit extreme for most, he is certainly entitled to treat his affliction in the manner he chooses to. As far as his advice being extreme, I would like to believe that we all are intelligent enough to choose for ourselves, what is right.

Moreover, I really don't think there's a need to call neither Keep nor Fixed, sad or a losers just because their opinions don't coincide with yours. Before labeling someone a loser, perhaps a paragraph with correct grammar and syntax, without run on sentences, lack of punctuation and capitalization, and knowing the difference between your and you're, there, their and they're is in order.

Having said that, Fixed's sweeping statements on the downside of being a bald man, are not entirely true, although in many cases they are. Plenty of bald men, even outside sports, have reached positions of prominence and power. Yul Brynner, Telly Savalas, Ben Kingsley were/is bald, and yet achieved great success as actors. Bruce Willis, old and bald as he is, is considered a sex symbol, and has proven to have more staying power as an A lister, than most actors with hair. Last time I checked, Steve Jobs is pretty bald, and despite that, one of the most influential CEOs of our time. MJ is bald and CEO of the Bobcats. Phill Jackson (I bleed purple and gold) has more rings (11, God willing 12 by the end of the playoffs) than any other lion maned coach or player in the NBA. Jesse Ventura is bald and also a former pro wrestler and governor of Minnesota. James Carville, a perennial political commentator and advisor to presidents, is extermely bald yet prominent. Ike, although our last one, is one of five bald U.S presidents. Who is more powerful than the commander in chief?

As for me, I'm just starting to thin out, (if curious check out my pics on the thread "40 and developing a bald spot") but I'm willing to go to great lengths in order to keep my hair. For anyone that's willing to sack up and shave it, more power to you. It's just not what I choose.

Cheers,............

I think it's fair to say that I have been 'told' there, apologies for the poor grammar and punctuation. I could actually see the humorous side in there posts, but being only 19 and going bald very quickly myself his 'views' just began to irritate me. I don't take them seriously but some of the stuff in this thread could leave other young balding male visitors absolutely devastated, everyone's entitled to there opinions though so I apologise for the attack, and as it's been said both fixed and keepthehair are clearly intelligent blokes so I am probably being ignorant.

For the record, I am having a hard time dealing with hair loss myself, I tried generic finasteride and suffered sexual side effects throughout the whole of the 5 months that I used it for, I believe that I am only just getting back to normal a month after quitting. So my weapons for staving off the loss for as long as possible are just Rogaine foam and Nizoral shampoo. I shave my head to the bone occasionally but usually do a 0.5. While I can understand a dislike for a totally shaven head, making a big deal of a grade 1-4 is very vein indeed, many guys look better with a shaven head than with long hair.

Out of interest fixed, when did hair loss really hit home with you? I ask because you have managed to get an undergraduate degree and gain good employment. Were you fighting extensive hair loss when you were at university? I have some offers from excellent universities next year and I must admit, hair loss is leaving me doubtful about what should be one of the best 'phases' of my life.

This was me last year:



Now:

[Fixed by 35]

I began losing hair at 20, and dropped out of university and finished via distance learning as a result. I never went to the graduation to avoid having a photo taken.

My career has steadily declined as my hair loss has worsened.

[JOE-91]

I began losing hair at 20, and dropped out of university and finished via distance learning as a result. I never went to the graduation to avoid having a photo taken.

My career has steadily declined as my hair loss has worsened.

I can understand how it hit you this hard, my mums boyfriend had a bad time of it when he was younger. NOT the route I want to take.
Fixed by 35, you seem very honest, give me the brutal truth about my shaven head, above ^^

[Delphi]

I can’t see your whole face, but from the picture you look very good with a shaved head! It really suits you.

[Fixed by 35]

Brutal truth? You look no better or worse without hair; you're very lucky as you clearly have the head for it. That said, in business, the head with hair would get you a lot further than the head without, at least in my opinion.

I think one of the problems for me and a lot of guys out there is that we don't have your skin tone, which makes a big difference. It works on a scale. When a black guy shaves his head, it's barely noticeable (unless he had an enormous afro of course). When men of Asian descent shave their heads, it looks good. Even when a white guy with a reasonably dark skin tone shaves their head, it's still okay. But when you live in the UK, have a pinky coloured head and you're pale skinned, it looks absolutely terrible! Honestly, only the Scandinavians have more to fear than us!

[KeepTheHair]

I personally think the without hair probably fits you "ok".

But sorry to say you definitely look a LOT better with the hair. I am just being honest.

[Fixed by 35]

Maybe. A good way to deal with hair loss is apparently to leave town. It's better dealing with people who didn't know what you looked like with hair, as they have no comparatives with you in the past. They're also extremely unlikely to make light of your baldness, because they aren't sure how you'd react.

Talking of reactions, it's always good to have a person's most embarrassing trait in your arsenal. If they mock you, you give them hell. If someone's fat and making fun of your baldness, ask them if they have to walk through doors sideways. If they are short, ask them if they were a munchkin in the Wizard of Oz. If they didn't go to a very good school or did a useless degree, ask them what stopped them from getting proper qualifications. Believe me, it works wonders for confidence and gets a lot of people off your back.

[KeepTheHair]

Yeah...I have thought about that...


There was one day where I thought of doing the opposite... I dunno...

Like someone says, wow you hair sucks and you just say, "Yeah I know man. Your hair looks pretty good still. Lucky you man."


I've never tried it... because I simply have a sensitive ego and if someone mocks me id mock them right back because like anyone else I also don't like it when people think they are better than me.

But I wonder if being positive like that isn't the better route though. The negative stuff just goes on and on forever.

[Fixed by 35]

Believe me, if you try to be positive, you end up opening yourself up to ridicule. Do you really want to crack bald jokes at your own expense for the rest of your life?

You'll also develop an inferiority complex over time as you keep allowing people with hair to put you down in a 'friendly' way. You will basically be allowing these people free reign to feel superior to you.

The best way to deal with people is on a level. Don't become the butt of all the jokes because it's 'positive.' If they want to joke about your baldness, then they're effectively giving you permission to highlight their frailties. If they're not, then there's something wrong with their sense of humour. Remember, either it's all okay, or none of it is okay. Nobody should believe they are above ridicule, regardless of what is wrong with them (you might remember I called a disabled person a 'retarded dwarf' in return for him calling me 'baldy.' Remember, it's either all okay, or none of it is).

What would you rather do. Sit in a room with your friends being called chrome dome, slap head, baldy etc etc, or for the conversation to be a two way street? How would you have behaved before baldness?

Seriously, don't let yourself become the comic relief and don't spare anyone.

Here's an example of how extreme you can let it go. If you are being mocked by a man who has a full head of hair but also a special needs child, you can look him in the eye and say 'at least my dad's crappy genes only made me bald, your third class spunk nearly kills your child every day.' Believe me, they deserve it.

[KeepTheHair]

I agree.

To me baldness is one of the worst things that could happen to me. One of the WORST.

That is why when someone jokes about it he better be ready for it. EVERYONE has something you can mock them about.

I think I missed the dwarf joke but it is pretty funny lol....... I am gonna try to find it now.

Thanks for the advice. But it is all hugely complex and hair loss is pissing me off lately more than ever.