23 yr old needing advice.

[david88]

Hello there, i have just turned 23 years old. 5 months ago i went through a stressfull time in my life and my hair started falling out quite fast. i started massaging it and cut it short, 1 month ago it stopped falling out however it is a fair bit thinner now especially at the crown.
heres a bit of background that may help;
my mothers father and his father had full heads of hair, her brother has a full head of hair. my dads dad had a full head of hair but him and one brother started balding around 25 and now he is completely bald (horseshoe shape).

I decided to go for a free consultation to see whether it was stress related or male pattern balding. and if so what options i had. the clinic manager used the magnifying camera and showed me that i have many hairs that have started to get thinner and smaller and stated that this is a sign of balding. he suggested (as he would) that i begin a 6 month process of supplements, drugs and infared and that after this 6 months i will have thicker hair and only need to use a special shampoo to prevent loss. i can provide further information of the specific drugs in the following days if necessary.

now what i am wondering is since it has stopped falling out now, is there a chance that this is as far as im going to bald for a while? if not is it detrimental if i leave it a while and see before i begin any processes (i plan on researching thoroughly before i begin anything).

if it helps the clinic was 'Hair Health Australia'.

any input would be greatly appreciated as i have few people i can seek advice from that are not interested in making money from me.

Thanks heaps. regards Dave

[Havok]

generally speaking, if you start thinning in your early 20s then it's a sign of more hair loss to follow. your hair loss will likely progress further unless you take oral medicine finasteride or apply topical treatment minoxidil. everything else, again generally speaking, has shown little to no success in treating hair loss.

[mothernature]

what exactly were those treatments that you would have to take for 6 months and whats infrared treatment? Sounds VERY fishy to me.

[mattj]

I don't believe anyone has shown light-based treatments to work. On top of that, there is no treatment that requires use for only 6 months, regardless of what shampoos you chase it up with.

The only real treatments are Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar) and Minoxidil (Rogaine) and both of these need to be used indefinitely or else the benefits cease to be.

[UK_]

Do your research before you take Propecia aswel.

[david88]

This is the email they sent me...

The program will entail:

1x 60min treatment every second week or 1x 30min treatment per week for 3 months and then a further,
1x 30min treatment per month for 3 months
Total treatment is over 6 months with results being seen after the first 6 weeks.

Products included are:

DHT Blocker which is taken daily in a capsule form.
These capsules contain a patented ****tail of highly potent natural DHT inhibitors and nutrients which is a safe non drug formulation with no side effects.
This capsule contains Saw Palmetto, Caffeine, Pine Bark, Plant Sterois, Green Tea, Curcumin, Resveratrol, Horsetail,
Vitamin B6 (P5P form), Taurine, Cysteine, MSM, Vitamin B7 (Biotin), Zinc, Copper and Magnesium.

High growth Practitioner Strength solution which is used daily.
This solution is a high growth compounded Practitioner Strength formula containing Minoxidil.

New Growth Root Defence Shampoo and Conditioner System which is used in your normal shampooing/conditioning routine.

Clinical Scalp Roller
The Scalp Roller helps absorb practitioner strength solution, healing and stimulates new hair growth to maximise new growth in all areas, particularly the front hairline.

Combination Ray Therapies
The Ray Treatments are a combination of a grade 3A laser and Infrared technology.

YOUR PROGRAM WILL HAVE OUR FULL SATISFACTORY GUARANTEE

[Havok]

everything else, again generally speaking, has shown little to no success in treating hair loss.

don't waste your money. they are preying on gullible hair loss sufferers.

[david88]

so is the minoxinil in that the only thing that you think will have any effect?

[UK_]

so is the minoxinil in that the only thing that you think will have any effect?

Basically, anything that contains Saw Palmetto is snake oil.

Use that rule of thumb for everything because Saw Palmetto, in the years that it has been around has only ever produced anecdotal evidence of efficacy.

[mattj]

I think the Saw Palmetto might have very minor DHT-blocking effects, but is unlikely to actually make a real difference, and will be less effective the more aggressive your hairloss is.

As nice as it might sound to make use of natural, non-drug treatments, you really have to bite the bullet and use the more potent (and yes, potentially side-effect inducing) pharmaceutical DHT blockers for the best chance of holding onto your hair.

The Minoxidil is the most worthwhile treatment they are offering by far, but it would require a commitment that is essentially permanent to continue seeing results. Typically, if the drugs are making a difference then you must continue taking them or else MPB will continue progressing.

On top of that, as the course of treatment lasts only 6 months, you'll only be beginning to see effects (if any are seen at all) at around the point that the 6 months have passed. Perhaps it is planned that way.