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  1. #1
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    Default 18, Rapid Balding, Acne, Developing Socia Phobia, Really Need Advice.

    Hey guys
    Well my story is a pretty sad one in 2010 really (for me it seems like it anyway). At the age of 16 I was in school, having fun, had a good set of hair and was pretty attractive. I was often compared to Jesse McCartney, not the greatest compliment, but things weren’t too bad!

    Anyway this year I turned 18, was in my second year of university and things were okay. However in February I started to develop extremely bad acne, to this day it is still bad and I have scarring. I became completely obsessed with my acne, people never looked at me the same way, and people I hadn’t seen in ages looked at me in strange ways, often suggesting that I should wash your face ect. I started to not go outside / hang out with people and pretty much had social phoeba. I tried everything from lazer ect, so far it hasn’t done anything. I don’t let people know what I’m going through; I don’t really have close friends to talk or trust with the things that I am dealing with and my family is an emotional mess. Added to this I’m gay (I’m not out yet, and yes I know people will judge me for it). But I can’t help it, I don’t want to be gay, and it depresses me 12 x more, knowing I’ll probably be lonely the rest of my days. People will always judge my looks; pretty much every gay is superficial of appearance, a lot more than girls anyway. Probably half of you will leave after reading that, but that is one of major problems.

    To balding, my family pretty much has all gone bald, however for them it happened at around 23 -25. I knew my hair was thinning, however I thought it was minor and I could focus on treating my acne and worry about my hair when it became an issue. However in the past two months by head has thinned out considerably. It is completely noticeable. I have a bald patch at the back and it pretty much looks like my brothers hair who is 27. My hair is horrible, and because of my acne, shaving it all off isn't really at option. Added to this I am surrounded by people who look at me and pity me. I was at a work function for vodafone yesterday and I was the only one losing hair with around 250 attractive people aged 18 - 25, all I could pretty much see is eyes looking at me.

    I don’t know what to do, I have acne, I’m balding and I’m literally afraid when people look at me. I can’t function at work properly anymore, I feel depressed being with my friends; who are pretty much perfect, hair, skin everything; I don't have one unattractive friend and it isn't helping. My academic record; which has usually been excellent, is falling because I can’t concentrate when I have all these things going on.

    I really need advice, I don’t know how to feel or how to handle this. I thought time might heal things, but it hasn’t. I feel life is after me in every way and I can’t see any light and the end of the tunnel.

  2. #2
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    Welcome to the forum Jeremy. You are going through a lot at a young age, but you found the right place to learn about hair loss and to get good advice. Did you ever consider drastically changing your diet to help with the acne? Sometimes it’s the food we eat everyday that cause us the most problems.

    You should also see a doctor who specializes in hair loss who can potentially put you on medical treatment. You can find a list of doctors at www.iahrs.org.

  3. #3
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    It sounds as though you need some kind of dht blocker or reducer. Obviously, propecia does this. Saw palmetto is supposed to as well, although to a lesser extent.
    I would get some retin a from your dr or buy some online. Your acne may well get worse in the few weeks after starting retin a but should get better soon afterwards.
    I would also purchase some jojoba oil to moisturise with. I know oil and acne sounds like a bad mix......but it isnt. Jojoba oil helps balance oil production in your skin.

  4. #4
    Senior Member KeepTheHair's Avatar
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    You need to speak to a good dermatologist.



    ALL the crap people have ever told me that is supposed to help my acne never ever worked. NOTHING. Only accutane helped my acne. You definitely have to get on propecia also otherwise things will just get worse.


    Accutane kinda ruins the mind though... but you can change your dosage and still get good results. I am off it now and I didn't use it at all as much as I should have.

    I was pretty much in your same boat. It sucks. My hair is a little better now and my skin is perfectly clear. Without those pills I would have looked much worse today.


    Definitely though, speak to a good doctor. I say a good doctor because a lot of them aren't that educated about modern treatments. For me there wasn't any other way.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by KeepTheHair View Post
    You need to speak to a good dermatologist.



    ALL the crap people have ever told me that is supposed to help my acne never ever worked. NOTHING. Only accutane helped my acne. You definitely have to get on propecia also otherwise things will just get worse.


    Accutane kinda ruins the mind though... but you can change your dosage and still get good results. I am off it now and I didn't use it at all as much as I should have.

    I was pretty much in your same boat. It sucks. My hair is a little better now and my skin is perfectly clear. Without those pills I would have looked much worse today.


    Definitely though, speak to a good doctor. I say a good doctor because a lot of them aren't that educated about modern treatments. For me there wasn't any other way.
    Thanks guys.

    Yeah I went to see a dermatologist and he said all my acne is non inflamed (cause I have been using BP, AHA, and yes even joba oil to that person all suggested that :P). Pretty much I have tried anything, but marks just never ever fade. He said I have rosacea which is another old person's disease (sucks) which doesn’t respond to well to Accutane. My diet is pretty bad, and I have tried changing it, but I just lose a lot of weight. I have an extremely fast metabolism and as I'm living at home, eating different stuff isn't that practical. The derm actually suggested Intense Pulsed Light - which I tried once (but hasn't had desired results) and it is bloody expensive.

    I have been on propecia for a week now, I'm just worried cause I think I have left it too late (my balding is already clearly visible). The doc said there is a very good chance I won't lose anymore hair, but a very small chance I will gain it. I have lost a lot of hair, which somehow I never realised, till my mum bluntly told me that I had to do something about it. Then the camera came out, and I completely freaked. HT seems the only way, and my brother is a doctor and seems to think it is a good idea. However I have read rather anti comments about HT here, and I'm guessing it’s more of a last resort than anything.

  6. #6
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    Hi Jeremy,

    I feel the pain of your hairloss. I began to bald at 17 and it was a complete nightmare. It is incomprehensible to anyone who has never gone through it. You may want to speak to a dermatologist about the drugs that are available. I'm almost 34 and it still bothers me because it has altered my appearance so much.

    If all else fails, at your age a hairpiece is an option. You can buy them online and have them cut in at a hair studio. I know that might sound drastic, but it helped me when I was in my early 20's.

    There is nothing wrong with being ashamed or broken-hearted about losing your hair so young;it's very abnormal. I went from looking like I was in a boy-band, to looking very old very quickly. It sucks and has had a major impact on my life. I hope you will look into your options with a doctor. Finasteride was not around when I began thinning, and the hairpieces were horrible back then.

    I wish you well, man.

  7. #7
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    Accutane is a powerful drug (and hairloss is a possible side effect) but it has to be the most effective treatment available. I have heard of people having good results with low doses of Accutane for acne and Rosacea. (I've had bot, albeit mild).

    I find that my skin is massively improved by cutting out sugar. Every time I've cut out sugar completely my skin becomes pretty much perfect. Even, blemish-free, smooth, strong and no longer sensitive. Then I start eating sugar again and things soon deteriorate, only to improve once I cut out the sugar again. I've repeated this so many times that I am certain there's a link in my case.
    I am a patient and representative of Dr Rahal

    My FUE With Dr Rahal - Awesome Hairline Result

    I can be contacted for advice: matt@rahalhairline.com

  8. #8
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    For the hair, stay on Propecia. If you don't notice side effects after a few months, add ketoconazole shampoo (2% is best, but 1% works also), which you should use no more often than every 2-3 days. After another few months, if that goes smoothly, start using minoxidil. I would suggest starting on a low % solution and increasing it every few months - again, as long as you don't notice side effects.
    There is also an option of taking higher doses of Propecia, if the current dose doesn't give you sufficient results, but only after you've taken the 1 mg dose for several months and haven't had any problems.
    Avodart/dutasteride is a last-ditch remedy that is not FDA-approved for safe hair loss treatment, but some people have had good results on it when Propecia wouldn't do the trick. I will say, though, that doctors are mostly reluctant to prescribe this for balding, and your age might make it even harder. If you ever wanted to take this step, you should do lots of research first.

    I'm not as well-versed in severe acne - I had moderate acne as a teen but benzoyl peroxide was pretty effective in treating it.
    I will say this much - I often had periods where reddish/purplish splotches on my face would come after breakouts, and would last for as long as 6-8 weeks (or longer) it seemed. So certain acne-related blemishes may seem permanent, when really they just take a loong time to heal (and you may not notice when they do, because they are being constantly replaced by new ones during break-outs).
    One little tip on benzoyl peroxide: I found that raising the % solution did not help. 2.5% worked just as well as 5 or 10%, and irritated my skin noticeably less. What DID help was applying the treatment in larger quantities - I started slathering a lot of the stuff on my face with each application (after washing, of course), followed by an oil-free moisturizer. My skin got a bit dryer, but otherwise improved quite a bit.

  9. #9
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    Pretty much agreed with what every one said, 1.Every one goes through the nite-mare of loosing hair, same here with me 16-17 i started loosing hair just after finishing high school (UK), but all i can say is Dr feriduni is one of the best in europe really helped me out at the age of 25, thats was nearly 8-9 years of misery but i am coloured so shaving my head was a good style too, but get HT, its only down to your pockets ($) and your courage. 2. With the skin stuff, yeah get a specialist to test your blood to see whats up dieting or changing you battern in life might help..eat well, excrise properly etc. 3. with the gay stuff i really dont know why you mentioned it in this website, i am ultra neo-conservative, so i really have no sympathy with you for that part, but since you mentioned it, mybe try halting those activities just a little to see if its what causing the problem, specially with the skin parts..no disrespect.

  10. #10
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    Hi

    I have mild rosacea and flare ups are usually due to stress. Unfortunatly it is not a condition which can be cured but it is managable. I am two month post a HT and the stress associated with the whole hair thing resulted in a severe flare up. Meds I take which are really effective is Rozex Gel (the application is realy easy) and Vibra Tabs (a pill you take daily whilst the redness persists).

    All the best mate. Cheers

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