Is there any hope for me?

[67mph]

right of the bat (you say that in America still right?), i feel for you on the depression front Akliner, it's a massive kick in the family bags, i went through the same thing due to the thinning in my hair, i got a prescrition for an anti-depressant and was on it for a couple of years then off for a few months then had to go back on again for another year or so, i have recently got off the most recent prescription and pretty much replaced it with Propecia, ok ok i know Propecia isn't a anti-depressant, i mean i've simply re:arranged my drug habbit, haa.

Ok, so the reply to your post, well from the photos i was thinking what's this guy on, he looks good the lucky beggar but of course this doesn't help, not sure it would have helped me a few years ago, perhaps now but not then.

All i wanted to say (finally) is stay strong Akliner, keep us informed and keep reading and writting the posts, as you may already know you are no where near the only chap to be going through this so take strength from the experiences on this site.

57mph

[akliner]

right of the bat (you say that in America still right?), i feel for you on the depression front Akliner, it's a massive kick in the family bags, i went through the same thing due to the thinning in my hair, i got a prescrition for an anti-depressant and was on it for a couple of years then off for a few months then had to go back on again for another year or so, i have recently got off the most recent prescription and pretty much replaced it with Propecia, ok ok i know Propecia isn't a anti-depressant, i mean i've simply re:arranged my drug habbit, haa.

Ok, so the reply to your post, well from the photos i was thinking what's this guy on, he looks good the lucky beggar but of course this doesn't help, not sure it would have helped me a few years ago, perhaps now but not then.

All i wanted to say (finally) is stay strong Akliner, keep us informed and keep reading and writting the posts, as you may already know you are no where near the only chap to be going through this so take strength from the experiences on this site.

57mph

57mph, thank you so much for your encouragement. After calming down a little (I get panic attacks about this every now and again), I do realize that I'm not a NW6. The diffuse thinning is really concerning to me, because it's harder to do transplants to thicken the whole top of my head...I realize that when it comes down to considering a HT, I will have to prioritize. I won't be able to have the hairline I want, plus increased density on the whole top of the head in all likelihood.

Depression runs in my family, and I'm working with a therapist and I have an appointment with a psychiatrist as well. I've been self-medicating on some of my mother's Welbutrin to hold me over (she volunteered them to me and my therapist doesn't take any objection with my using it for the time being).

I've always had self-loathing issues-- first about my weight (I dropped a total of 85 pounds between 2007 and 2010). Now this hair thing has me beating myself over something else entirely.

Sigh.

But thanks for all the encouragement everybody. Like I said, I will be doing monthly photo updates to better assess my treatments. I'd really like to hear from more representatives of HT doctors. I rarely cut my hair short, and if strip extraction was a possibility for me, I think I could easily live with the scar if it could potentially yield me a higher number of donor grafts in the future.

[StayStrongMen]

Hey alkiner, your story completely reminds me of myself. I first noticed my hairloss at 23, and I immediately went into panic mode; it felt like I was having a quarter0life crisis (if there is such a thing).

Hopefully my post will help cheer yo up and instill some confidence in you for the future.

First of all, great move be getting on the finasteride (propecia) and minoxidil (rogaine) immediately. The earlier you start, the better chance you have to maintain and possibly regrow hair. So many guys are scared of the side effects, or they quit the treatments if the side effects get to them.

Which leads me to my next point: Stick with the treatments for at least a year. Possibly longer. I have read a lot of stories of guys not seeing any results during the 1st year but saw improvement during the 2nd year. It can be frustrating to see your hair get worse on the treatments, but people will tell you that it has to get worse before it gets better.

Everybody is different. The rate that you lose hair and where you lose it is different for everyone. How fast the treatments work are different for everyone too.

I'm sorry my comp keeps acting up, I will post the rest of what I had to say later.

My main point was to say that no one pays attention to your hair the way that you do. I'm not suprised that your parents/friends said that your hair loss isn't very noticeable. When you interact with others, they aren't focusing in on your hair. Don't let your hairloss stop you from enjoying your life. To me, it is standard to have a lot less hair on your head when you are 30 compared to when you are 20. It is expected by society (including women) to gradually lose it.

[akliner]

Hey alkiner, your story completely reminds me of myself. I first noticed my hairloss at 23, and I immediately went into panic mode; it felt like I was having a quarter0life crisis (if there is such a thing).

Hopefully my post will help cheer yo up and instill some confidence in you for the future.

First of all, great move be getting on the finasteride (propecia) and minoxidil (rogaine) immediately. The earlier you start, the better chance you have to maintain and possibly regrow hair. So many guys are scared of the side effects, or they quit the treatments if the side effects get to them.

Which leads me to my next point: Stick with the treatments for at least a year. Possibly longer. I have read a lot of stories of guys not seeing any results during the 1st year but saw improvement during the 2nd year. It can be frustrating to see your hair get worse on the treatments, but people will tell you that it has to get worse before it gets better.

Everybody is different. The rate that you lose hair and where you lose it is different for everyone. How fast the treatments work are different for everyone too.

I'm sorry my comp keeps acting up, I will post the rest of what I had to say later.

My main point was to say that no one pays attention to your hair the way that you do. I'm not suprised that your parents/friends said that your hair loss isn't very noticeable. When you interact with others, they aren't focusing in on your hair. Don't let your hairloss stop you from enjoying your life. To me, it is standard to have a lot less hair on your head when you are 30 compared to when you are 20. It is expected by society (including women) to gradually lose it.

Thanks for this very thoughtful post. I've been feeling a little better about the whole thing ever since I've started to receive replies.

I think a big thing among hair loss sufferers (especially *relatively* young guys like me) is the feeling of isolation. I really don't have many friends experiencing hair loss. I don't have a lot of people I can talk about this with.

Thank you all.

[mattj]

You said you first noticed you were thinning in May of this year, which is the same month the photo (with the guys in the bar) was taken. When did you take the series of photos which show your loss? I'm trying to determine whether you've experienced a sudden burst of loss or whether this is how your hair has been since you first noticed anything was amiss.

The photos taken with a flash are surely the ones that were most alarming to you. Remember that direct lighting from above - especially from a strong light source such as a flash or sunlight - can be very unforgiving, and your hair is arrow-straight which allows maximum light to penetrate to your scalp. With your hair type at that length and with those lighting conditions, even men (or children) with no hairloss will show some scalp.
I'm not trying to tell you your hair isn't thinning - it is, no doubt; but I'm trying to honestly say that it might not be as bad as it seems during this initial stage of panic, a time that all hairloss sufferers can relate to.

I was going to mention that the medications you are taking can cause an initial shed of hair which grows back, but looking back over the thread it seems that you've read about that. This is important. If you have experienced an apparent acceleration of hairloss over the past couple of months then this could very well the cause of that.

Definitely keep us updated.

[akliner]

You said you first noticed you were thinning in May of this year, which is the same month the photo (with the guys in the bar) was taken. When did you take the series of photos which show your loss? I'm trying to determine whether you've experienced a sudden burst of loss or whether this is how your hair has been since you first noticed anything was amiss.

The photos taken with a flash are surely the ones that were most alarming to you. Remember that direct lighting from above - especially from a strong light source such as a flash or sunlight - can be very unforgiving, and your hair is arrow-straight which allows maximum light to penetrate to your scalp. With your hair type at that length and with those lighting conditions, even men (or children) with no hairloss will show some scalp.
I'm not trying to tell you your hair isn't thinning - it is, no doubt; but I'm trying to honestly say that it might not be as bad as it seems during this initial stage of panic, a time that all hairloss sufferers can relate to.

I was going to mention that the medications you are taking can cause an initial shed of hair which grows back, but looking back over the thread it seems that you've read about that. This is important. If you have experienced an apparent acceleration of hairloss over the past couple of months then this could very well the cause of that.

Definitely keep us updated.

mattj -- thank you for your post!

The photo at the bar was taken May 2010. The photo series demonstrating the hair loss was taken just Tuesday, July 27... 8 weeks into Rogaine 5%-- twice daily and 6 weeks in 1mg Propecia-- once daily.

From what I can tell, the Rogaine shedding typically subsides after 2 weeks. Are people experiencing longer sheds than that?

Ironically, my hair typically gets wavy when it's a little longer than it is now. I rarely buzz it down, although it may be something I should consider doing more often to help mask the thinness.

Anyway, I hope that information helps.

[mattj]

The waviness will, if anything, serve to cover the degree of your hairloss. From what you said it sounds like buzzing your hair has caused the loss to be more visible.

It isn't just the Rogaine that causes a shed. The Propecia can do that too. The combination of both might be responsible, and from the reports I've read over the years the sheds can occur months after commencing treatment. Some guys just can't tolerate this and quit the treatment while others sit it out and see improvement. There are some, it must be said, who report that this hair hasn't returned. Online hairloss medication testimonials do tend to be skewed towards the negative though.

[akliner]

The waviness will, if anything, serve to cover the degree of your hairloss. From what you said it sounds like buzzing your hair has caused the loss to be more visible.

It isn't just the Rogaine that causes a shed. The Propecia can do that too. The combination of both might be responsible, and from the reports I've read over the years the sheds can occur months after commencing treatment. Some guys just can't tolerate this and quit the treatment while others sit it out and see improvement. There are some, it must be said, who report that this hair hasn't returned. Online hairloss medication testimonials do tend to be skewed towards the negative though.

I like to think of myself as a relatively reasonable person who is patient and willing to sacrifice in order to achieve what I want in the long run.

Unless there is a consensus that I do something different, I plan to use these treatments for at least 2 years and document my head on a monthly basis.

I mean, it's all I CAN do, right?

[mattj]

Sounds sensible. And while I am sincere when I say that your hair really isn't bad at all, I do hope you see improvement. Keep us posted.

[akliner]

Sounds sensible. And while I am sincere when I say that your hair really isn't bad at all, I do hope you see improvement. Keep us posted.

Thanks! And if it doesn't get better, Dr. Rahal will be getting a call. HAHA.