Just Noticing Hair Loss

[Username1234]

I'm 23 years old. I've noticed my hairline receding a bit for a while, just in the temples. I remember actually about a year ago getting a haircut and feeling exactly where there used to be hair. Anyways, this didn't really bother me at the time because my hair was very thick and I've always had a high hairline in the temples, so I figured it was just receding a bit as I got older. I also didn't notice any thinning or loss anywhere else, so I didn't think much of it.

Recently, though, I've noticed that my hairline in about the first 1/4" has thinned significantly, leaving my hairline looking less defined. My hairline has receded a bit in the temples as well, and I can see around the temples that it's thinner and looks like it's going to continue.

I've also noticed in the crown area a spot where my hair is very thin. Friends/family that I've talked about it to say that I've always had it, though, so I can't really tell if it's actually started there or not. My hair on the top of my head has also started feeling thinner, although I'm not sure if it actually is or if I'm just being paranoid haha.

I've also noticed that my hair has been falling out faster. I've always had problems with hair falling out and with flaking and dry scalp, as long as I can remember, but it's definitely picked up at a noticeable rate. Sometimes I can reach up and grab 4 or 5 hairs out, and I've noticed my pillow has a bunch of hair on it.

Again, I can't tell if I'm actually going bald or if this is just normal thinning, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Everyone I've talked to that went on Finasteride has always said that they wished they would have gotten on it earlier.

I'm interested in finding a dermatologist in the area to look at my hair and maybe get a prescription for Proscar. I do have a few questions about this, though, as I've never seen a dermatologist before, especially for this.

1. Can I go to any dermatologist, or should I go to one that specializes in hair loss?

2. Can I go to a dermatologist specializing in hair transplant? I'm not interested in surgery, just the prescription, so I wasn't sure if that was appropriate to do.

3. If I have to go to a specialist, how can I find one in my area? I'm in Milwaukee, WI, and would obviously prefer it to be around there, but I could also drive down to Chicago or elsewhere in the area if necessary. Is there somewhere online where I can look this up? I haven't had much luck just searching Google.

[CIT_Girl]

Any dermatologist should be well-versed enough to recognize MPB though you can certainly ask, when booking, if they have much experience working with men with hair loss. Hair transplant surgeons can also prescribe hair loss medications and it may be worth visiting one if there are any nearby (check out http://www.iahrs.org/hair-transplant/- though there do not appear to be any in Wisconsin). Although HT surgeons will generally be more knowledgeable about hair loss than other physicians, make sure you do not find yourself being talked into an unneeded and/or premature procedure. It might be worth meeting with a hair transplant doctor if you want to come up with a long-term plan for combating future hair loss and possibly restoring your hairline in the future- otherwise, I think you would be fine seeing a dermatologist.

One of the best ways to find a dermatologist is to get a recommendation from your general practitioner- he or she will generally be familiar with dermatologists in the area and other patients' opinions of them. You can also try a site like www.findadermatologist.com where you can simply get a listing of practicioners by city/state.

[Username1234]

I think I'm going to set up an appointment with my GP rather than go to a dermatologist, simply because it's more convenient, I can get the prescription through him, and I don't see any benefit to going to a dermatologist instead. I'm just trying to figure out the whole insurance side of things so I don't get a huge bill (just came off my parents' insurance so I'm new to all of this!).

I've also heard that Walmart has a generic version of Propecia that's selling for $10 right now, for about a 4 month supply (if you split the 5mg pills into quarters), so I'll probably just get a generic Finasteride prescription and bring it to Walmart and get that.

I guess I'm just trying to get the whole insurance side set before I go, but this is really stressing me out because I want to get on it ASAP so I can stop losing hair. Right now it's not even really noticeable, and that's how I'd like to keep it!

Also, what of the horror stories associated with Finasteride? What is the validity of these claims? I heard that there were only 1-2% of users that experienced side effects (erectile dysfunction), and that once the drug is stopped the side effects go away. However, there are people saying that the side effects didn't go away after discontinuation of use. What is the incident rate for this happening, and is there anything I should really be worried about?

[Username1234]

Also, what happens if you take Propecia for a while then go off it, in terms of hair loss? Does it all fall out really fast or does it resume at the same pace it previously was? What if you aren't actually going bald and you take it, then go off it? Can it cause you to go bald?

I guess I'm not really sure if I'm going bald or if my hairline is just receding or what. I don't want to go on this and have it affect me negatively, either with side effects or with causing me to lose hair.

Maybe I should post some pics first and get your opinions...

[Username1234]

Took these tonight, how I normally wear it:
http://i53.tinypic.com/2isv0cn.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/2q24to6.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/264hv8z.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/2rpfnfb.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/2zywunn.jpg

Some photos of the crown. I've parted my hair in some of these:
http://i56.tinypic.com/358bdqa.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/9iqv68.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/xmv28j.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/34zadjn.jpg

Photo back from around Halloween:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5736960_n.jpg

This is where it gets bad. Here's my hair wet, from tonight:
http://i54.tinypic.com/2gucl1d.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/1zn76za.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/e7cug2.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/2efsy9h.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/2hx9eli.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/1zyatma.jpg

I mean nobody can notice it I don't think because of the length of my hair. I'm worried that I'm going to cut it and it'll be completely noticeable. I actually didn't realize it looked this bad until I took photos this morning.

Everybody's hair does that when it's wet, right? Right?!

Ah, well. I'm planning on going on Propecia ASAP to deal with this because I don't look good either with a shaved head or a hat, and women say my hair is my best quality.

How bad do you really think it is? Does it look like I'm going bald? Is it even noticeable? Can this be salvaged? I'm seriously stressing out over this like crazy! I'm only 23; it's a cruel joke that someone as young as me or younger should have to go through this.

EDIT: Here's some more photos, for comparison.

From August of last year: http://i55.tinypic.com/xp0nrc.jpg
From February: http://i55.tinypic.com/kciat3.jpg
From April: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...8_967722_n.jpg
April: http://i52.tinypic.com/1j8exe.jpg
From May: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6681175_n.jpg
May: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5029425_n.jpg
May: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3956431_n.jpg

Keep in mind I didn't start suspecting hairloss until around August or September. I know that throughout these photos I experienced some receding in the hairlines but that was it; I had my original thickness and everything. Unfortunately I don't have a good photo of that to provide.

This is seriously eating away at me like crazy. I need to get to my doc like next week to get some Propecia.

[dgman21]

I understand the feeling it sucks. Looks like you got some thinning and loss of density in front/top. But it doesn't look bad. Just comb it/style it right and get on propecia.