Going bald! :(

[tz2001]

Help! I love my hair and I recently noticed it was feeling very thin on top. For the first time today I took a photo of it to see how it looked...

It's horrible! It's worse than I expected. Nobody has mentioned it to me! How have they not noticed? :'(

I realise the flash from the camera will make it look worse but still! It's far worse than I imagined.

Here's some pictures...








I'm 25. I have dyed hair and I straighten it at least every other day (I know that can't help, but still...) and I put products in it too...

I do notice a lot of hair coming out in the shower. I also find lots of hair on my pillow. Quite a few come out when I straighten it too. My dad went bald in his late twenties. All my uncles are bald on both sides of the family. Both my grandads were bald. I think there's no hope

From the front/side it's fine so I never noticed the problem until I took pictures from the top!



What should I do? What are the first steps? Is there anything I can do to keep my hair?!

[DepressedByHairLoss]

Dude, I totally empathize with you. First off, I can tell that you're a metalhead by your Iced Earth t-shirt and so am I. In the rock n roll community, it's great to have a full head of long hair, so that's a main reason that my hair loss is depressing me so much. I actually straighten my hair too; I have long hair and my hair would look like a complete mess if I didn't straighten it. The good thing about your situation is that you seemed to catch your hair loss early so I would recommend getting on Propecia to try and stop the hair loss, but watch out for side effects. I'm taking Propecia because I'm scared to death of losing my hair, yet I'm experiencing side effects. But you don't seem to have hair loss in the front (on the hairline) and that makes all the difference in the world. So what metal bands are you into?

[ulanude]

don't get yourself on propecia. side-effects and long-term simply not worth it. i recomemnd a minoxidil topical (e.g. rogaine foam or kirkland signature) + a good supplement. also get yourself 2% ketoconazole based shampoo. good luck.

[Tracy C]

What should I do? What are the first steps? Is there anything I can do to keep my hair?!

The very first thing you need to do is see a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss. I would recommend making sure the doctor you choose is an IAHRS member. Here is a list for you:

http://www.iahrs.org/hair-transplant/

You are young and you are catching this early, so your chances of saving your hair and possibly growing some of it back are pretty good. I think you would do fine on the "Big 3" along with low level laser therapy. The "Big 3" is Propecia (or generic Finasteride), Rogaine (or generic Minoxidil) and Nizoral.


There are only two medications proven to treat hereditary hair loss (androgenetic alopecia). Those two medications are Propecia (1mg Finasteride) and Rogaine (Minoxidil). Everything else on the market is just an over priced bottle of empty promises.

It is not my place to recommend for or against Propecia (or generic Finasteride). I can recommend talking to the doctor about it though. Make sure you know the factual information about it and that you understand everything about this medication before deciding if it is right for you. Popecia is rather expensive, so many men get a script for generic Finasteride in 5mg pills, and then cut the pills into four pieces to make their daily dose. This saves a lot of money over the cost of Propecia.

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatment/medications/propecia-finasteride/

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatment/medications/propecia-finasteride/tips-on-propecia/

I do recommend using Rogaine foam and/or generic Minoxidil. I use Rogaine foam in the morning because it is stealthy and then use generic liquid Minoxidil in the evening to save money. Rogaine foam is a bit pricey, but it is worth it for the steathyness. Generic Minoxidil is reasonably priced. I buy the Walmart "Equate" version of women's Minoxidil. The men's version is only a few dollars more than the women's version.

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatment/medications/rogaine-minoxidil/

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatment/medications/rogaine-minoxidil/tips-on-minoxidil/

Nizoral is a medicated shampoo that is often recommended as an adjunct treatment to your hair loss treatment regimen. You would use Nizoral in place of your regular shampoo once or twice per week. It is a mild anti-androgen that may block DHT at the scalp. If you get the non prescription "Nizoral A-D" version, you can use that one up to twice per week - but not more often than that. If you get the prescription version, you should only use that once per week unless a doctor has specifically told you to use it more often than that. Nizoral A-D is pretty reasonably price, though expensive as shampoo's go. I get mine at either Walmart or CVS. Here is link for the American Hair Loss Association that has information about Nizoral. Scroll down to "Nizoral/Ketoconazole".

http://www.americanhairloss.org/women_hair_loss/treatment.asp

Low level laser therapy does not work for everyone, but it might work for you. Looking at your head, I think it would improve your hair. I've been using my laser comb for years now and I am happy with how well it has improved my hair. I purchased mine directly from Hairmax so I could take advantage of their 20 week money back guarantee if it didn't improve my hair. That was over four years ago. Since it did improve my hair I have continued using it to this day.

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatment/laser-therapy/hairmax-laser-comb/

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatment/laser-therapy/hairmax-laser-comb/fda-clearance-for-hair-loss-in-women/

You could also benefit from cosmetic camouflage products such as Toppik, X-Fusion, Nanogen, Surethick or other similar products. I just started using Toppik myslef to hide my part and I am pretty happy with it.

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatment/cosmetic-camouflage-products/toppik/

I use a blow dryer, curling iron and flattening iron myself. However I always use them on the lowest setting and I make sure to use a leave-in treatment to protect my hair from damage styling tools might cause. You need to be very kind and gentle with your hair. Never mistreat your hair. If you care about your hair, act like it and treat it right.