Where on your scalp did you start noticing baldness?

[KeepTheHair]

Yeah....that is what is starting to happen at the back for me now.

The temples loss ruined a good deal of my looks. Now the back is going just to kick me down further. Not only that I think it has started to slightly thin all over on top in a way.


My hair feels awesome since using a new shampoo though, really awesome. My scalp doesn't feel as itchy and there is much less inflammation...or at least I assume so.



Lately though I feel less productive since something is causing me to feel really tired/nauseous.

damned either way

[Fixed by 35]

You're probably just exhausted. You've been through a lot of stress lately, compounded by the fact that like many of us none of your friends or family understands/cares.

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the drugs if I were you.

[KeepTheHair]

Well you correct about that to a certain extent. But I am almost certain it is the the minoxidil. I will continue using it though.

Only once a day until i am side effect free.

[hindsight2020]

I have an unchallenging job I hate, because my baldness stops me getting promoted (see Emmid Institute study to back up the claim) and I've become socially awkward because people treat me differently than they used too. My ambitions to work in politics have been thwarted, because it's an image obsessed profession, and my interest in acting came to a dead end as the only roles I could see myself getting as a tall balding person was an extra for a villain! Will absolutely nothing going for me whatsoever, I do wonder what on earth keeps me going, yet I've somehow been spared the depression and just spend my entire life in a state of irritability and being pissed off with everyone and everything.

Fixed by 35 - you need to take a serious look in the mirror and stop blaming other people for who YOU are today. 'Baldness stopped you from being promoted' is one of the most naive things I've ever read in my life. Take responsibility for what you let your baldness do to you and stop looking for the easy way out with some makeshift study. Don't feed us lines about how politics is an image obbessed profession when most high ranking politicians are, in fact, bald. Also, stop talking about this "Bald people are discriminated against and I have a statistics to back that up..." BULLSH*T!

If you read past all the bullsh*t written in that article (Emmid Instutue Study) and actually do your research instead of only reading what your hoping to read, you would see it was FUNDED by Bosely Medical, who does hairtransplants. OF COURSE they are going to tell you your discriminated against and there is no hope for you but to come in and get a hairtransplant immediately. They don't even talk about the sample size, methodology, ect. IT ISN'T A LEGITIMATE STUDY! IT WAS SPONSORED BY A HUGE HAIRTRANSPLANT COMPANY!!!! Open your mind and consider other options... maybe all those who were studied gave up on life like you seem to be doing... why the hell would you get promoted, you sound like you mope around all day talking about how your discriminated against. You blame everyone else but yourself for who and where you are today. All you want to do is be the victim, you make yourself the victim and no one else. Your statistics about being discrimated against are null and void... it isn't real man. Get it out of your head.

Stop posting as if your opinions are so 'matter of fact' ... I haven't even been here for a week and I can already tell you drag people down with you. I am not trying to be an a**hole, or pick you out... but every post I see from you includes this study you always talk about (which now that I have researched it, thoroughly, is complete bullsh*t) and how your life sucks and everyone who is balding is in the same boat as you. I am really, really sorry you feel that way and I hope nothing but the best for you... but do YOU want the best for you or have you already given up?

Millions of people all over the world deal with life threatening issues daily, kids die before the even see thier 10th birthday from serious illnesses they were born with... they don't get to experience falling in love, driving a car, drinking thier first beer, overcoming a challenging situation and coming out stronger as a result. MILLIONS of people suffer from diabetes... they are FORCED to take medication mutliple times daily, they are limited to what they can eat, they sometimes get so ill they lose a limb, and sometimes thier lives. Car accidents happen every second worldwide... often times resulting in paralyzation or loss of life. Thos people don't get to chose how thier life goes from that point on. You lose your ability to walk and you'll never feel what its like to run through sprinklers again, or jog down the block. You lose your hearing and you'll never wake up to birds chirping, you'll never hear when the microwave is done cooking your easy-mac, you'll never hear voices of those you love ever again. You lose your sight and you can never see the sunset, watch Kelly Slater catch the perfect wave, or see how beautiful your children grow up to be. You are dealing with hairloss. A naturally occuring, male dominated trait that has no effect whatsoever on your lifespan or ability to do and get whatever you want with your life.

[[mcr]]

hindsight2020, allow me to disagree with you.

While Fixed_by_35 isn't exactly a ray of sunshine, I completely understand how he feel. Moreover, he is entitled to feeling angry and depressed because he is facing a condition with far-reaching psychological effects.

While he seem to go overboard in his opinions, I cannot condemn them. Who am I to tell him how angry he should be, or to get over it? In fact I encourage him to let it all out, vent and rage, and I am glad he has found that outlet here. Otherwise he seems like he is two steps from killing himself. I do agree however that taking it out on other people is unacceptable.

It is a fact that baldness does make one look older and less attractive, and in today's image-obssessed society, you really feel ostracized because of hair loss. Pop culture does contribute to perpetuating the idea that bald people are 'not winners'.

To see how important looks have become, look at the top of the ladder. Male models make up to $20k+ a day just for looking good. Open any men's magazine like GQ. You likely won't see any balding models in the ads.

It is true that there are people out there facing life-threatening conditions, but I am not sure the comparison is valid here. Those conditions actually inspire sympathy in people and make them want to gather around you and help you, whereas with hairloss you feel there is a silent conspiracy to exclude you. You feel ostracized and rejected by others. It's a very bad feeling. One of the worst actually. While this is GREATLY exaggerated in bald people's mind, it is not completely imaginary. There is an element of truth to it.

It takes a great deal of fortitude to break free of 'hair tyranny.' I glad you were able to do it, and hope we can all do the same one day.

[KeepTheHair]

I agree with mcr.


It is a fact that less hair makes you less attractive. And people who are less attractive ARE DEFINITELY discriminated against.


Sure it is not the end of the world. But to us sometimes it does feel that way. And this forum is our outlet.

I myself have posted some pathetic stuff on here. Stuff I am not proud of. But this is my place to vent...for those days I just get extremely frustrated. Of course we do not always feel this way... but on these forums. Thats how we role lol

It is not impossible to be successful without hair. But it is a known fact that it is HARDER. Generalizing with one or 2 examples is not indicative of reality.

When I was in primary school and highschool... I remember very well how people with bad looks wear seen as. The discrimination is unbelievable. People with inferior looks are for the most part seen as, inferor. Thats just life.

Thats how everyone sees it... at least 99% of people. Even us. If a very large unattractive girl had the same personality as a girl with good looks... don't even tell me you would have a tough choice as to who to talk to.

A complete idiot nobody loser could get a hot girl if he has good looks. It is much tougher for the other guy. Sure the money helps. But you know what I am really talking about.

The ugly guy won't find someone who "loves" him as easily. It's just fact.


Anyway...yes it's not the end of the world. But on this forums it is. Because these forums are where we go on the days the world is crumbling down on us.

[hindsight2020]

I'm going to reply to both the previous posters (mcr & Keepthehair).

You may be right, and I may have not chosen my words correctly. I don't mean to come down on him for his anger. Thats not my point at all. But not all people come to this forum to vent, some come for support. And when I read through every post from the recent months and it has some 'bald people are ugly statement' in it, it pisses me off.

Both of you just said it again in your replies. Who are you to say ANYONE is ugly?

mcr - You talk about how bladness makes you look older and less attractive. Not true. Yes at a very young age like a lot of us start balding its uncomfortable and sometimes socially unacceptable... this quickly goes away (quickly in relative terms to the rest of your life). You talk about pop-culture and male models in GQ magazine. Not to be rude, but I am willing to bet WITH HAIR none of us looked like the models in GQ magazine to begin with. And if your going to compare yourself to male models in GQ magazine, or to some popular teenish icon like Justin Beiber your seeing on MTV, then you have a lot of growing up to do. If your over 25, your not in that age group anymore. Stop trying to compare yourself with people in the media, look at who you work with, who you interact with on a daily basis, who the important people are in your life... now count how many of them are models. Did you even get to 1? Take a look at people like John Travolta, who covered up his baldness for a majority of his life. Read comments on how beautiful people think he is now that he shaved it clean and stopped trying to cover it up. Look at Bruce Willis, again, balding all his life, and has always accepted it, has ALWAYS been a very attractive man to many many women. Many professional athletes; black, white, hispanic... shave thier heads and people LOVE them. Your NEVER going to be attractive to everyone, that is a FACT. You need to stop comparing yourself to someone you can't compete with. I can't dunk a basketball like Michael Jordan, I can't hit a baseball like Albert Pujols, I can't throw a football like Matt Hasslebeck. So if your ugly 'cause you don't look like a male model from GQ, then I suck cause I can't do those things too... and those people are bald... How can they do that WITHOUT hair?!? If you were a model in ANY magazine, and have lost your job since going bald, I appologize and am wrong... but I am willing to bet that wasn't the case.

You mention peoples insired sympathy for people with conditions like those I mentioned. I am sure people do have sympathy for those who are bald. But not jsut because they are bald, because they are bald and they let it ruin thier lives. They don't get it and aren't as sympathetic because they don't see what the big deal is. I get it, I've been there. Looking back at how I used to think and act... it makes NO SENSE.

KeepTheHair - again with the speaking so 'matter of fact' with the bald people are ugly and discriminated against.' - Says who? Find me one court case that was won over balding discrimination. Other forms of discrimination, forms that are REAL, have documented discrimination and aren't just opinions, find some for yourself. I know your young and its awkward. I get that. But just because your bald doesnt mean your ugly. Chances are, wether you want to admit it or not, if your ugly because your bald.. you were not THAT attractive WITH hair.

One thing I did like that you posted KeepTheHair, is that you admitted to posting some pretty pathetic-sounding stuff here, I get that, I get the anger. But you then turn aorund and say its not the end of the world, and you use the forums as a way to vent. Venting is good for you, but the thing is, you have to understand that when you say things like 'bald people are ugly, its a fact and read this article' - that brings people who come here for support down. It affects everyone - balding people, people wtih HT's, people who shave as a result. They know thier situation isn't ideal, but when they come to these forums for support and read stuff like 'you have no chance in life because you will be discriminated against and your ugly' - its a real bummer and isn't even remotely true and thier is nothing to support or back up those statements but with peoples opinions. I feel like when people say that kind of stuff that NO ONE can back up with facts, because its the way you feel and just your opinion (probabaly because your angry), they are just taking the easy way out blaming other people for the way they feel, when other people don't give a sh*t about thier hairloss.

I am not even going to comment on 'the ugly guy wont find someone who loves him. It's just a fact' statement. I mean, come on really? Where is that fact posted in a reputable journal? How many independant studies went into discovering that fact? Where those studies proven to be non-bias? You just sound ridiculous.

[level]

He guys, I'm trying to make a post but when I click submit, it says I have too many characters. Is that the norm, or is there a way to create a longer post?

[KeepTheHair]

I have not experienced that yet. You could always try to post your message in 2 or more separate posts.

[level]

I have not experienced that yet. You could always try to post your message in 2 or more separate posts.

Thanks for the info. I'll give it another shot.