Just turned 21... Think it's happening

[LilB]

No one believes me, I've taken photos and honestly I don't see how it's not obvious it has started. Everyone says my hairline is good, that my crown is fine and that I pretty much haven't started balding. You guys can be the judge.

It all started a year ago (april/may 2011), I noticed after a haircut that my hairline had risen slightly. My hair wasn't falling out, or particularly thin. Then my longtime girlfriend and I split up, and that was brutal. It wasn't very amicable, and it was very taxing on me. She just started college at a huge state school, and she was joined into a sorority which I would argue has a national reputation for being one of the "hottest" but more notably, also the sluttiest greek organization. I transferred schools last semester, and moved to one of the larger US-cities. I just couldn't shake her from my thoughts and move on that whole semester. Gradually, my hair lost noticeable density, and I began - and still am - shedding a lot. The shedding is mostly long hairs, not the small ones (possibly miniaturized ? ) I've heard people should worry about, although I've seen those come out on some rare occasions. Nonetheless, if i lightly shake my hair usually 1-4 hairs drop in front of me. I've heard losing up to 100/150 hairs a day is normal, but i feel like i'm dropping around 10-30 hairs an hour, which over the course of a day is way more than 150. Then this semester, after my whole ex issue resolved more or less, I've been stressing like no other over the fact that I may not be able to stay in the city I've moved to next year, which has been eating at me like no other because this is where I always dreamed and aspired to go to school. That's just a chronological timeline, there's not to mention that my finances are in disarray and my Father's gradually getting more ill and is not likely to live too much longer. It's like there's constantly something eating at me, this terrible gnawing impending doom...


While it seems like everyone brings up "yeah, it could be stress," I actually believe I may be suffering from both telogen effluvium as well as mpb. I think this because, my hair is shedding from all over, sides and back as well as the top and crown.


Genetically, not that it'll probably make a difference in your opinions, my dad and his dad both went bald, but in different patterns. My Mother's side is ridiculously hair-healthy. My grandfather is 90 and still has relatively thick hair for his age. All of her brothers are fine, with the exception of one which only has mild recession and he's at least 55>.

So i'm thinking about starting Minoxidil, I just don't know if I can risk taking finasteride with the side effects and hormonal shifts. The optimistic part of me thinks that hopefully the Minoxidil will slow down my hair loss until my later 20's and hopefully by then there will be other/better treatments or discoveries. Is this a safe measure? I know finasteride is the most effective, but I've read on here that some people were able to manage their MPB with Rogaine alone until their late 20's to early 30's, which is when I feel like it'll be less stigmatizing anyway to be totally frank.

Also, I know that you lose the hair you maintain after stopping both treatments, but does that mean that the hair loss resumes at the pace before you began treatment or does that mean that you lose all the hair you spared in a short time?

the pictures of my hair were mostly after a shower, I can gladly show more dry photos.

the first one should be my hair unwashed before I hopped in the shower to give you an idea.

the next ones are obviously post-shower

[LilB]

some more photos, also a picture of 2 of my uncles and mother's father, because i figured maybe there was a slim chance my hair was just going through stress and it may just be going in that direction... probably not though... i'll post pics of my dad and his dad if anyone's interested, also my great grandfather on my mother's side also had great hair if that helps..

[whyohwhy]

Hey mate, im almost 21 and stressing about hair loss too because its in my genetics and other male family members started loosing their hair around now and its all gone by 26. Anyway...I would say go to an doctor (general practitioner) and they can have a look at your head/hair follicles, you can even do some tests. It doesn't look like you are having any signs of baldness yet but i know the feeling when you see hairs fall out.

You should try not to continually run your hands through your head to see how many hairs fall out as that is very stressful and you dont need that. Just go to the doctors, evaluate the situation and take it from there, dont stress untill you have to.

Also try some St. Johns wart, its a herbal clinically proven supplement that reduces, stress, anxiety, can improve the quality of sleep and general well being.

Also get on a good multivitamin...vitamin B gets used up dramatically in stressful situations and can leave you feeling flat.

Cheers
J.

[LilB]

I definitely run my hands through my hair often, albeit gentle, so that's cool you know what im talking about.

also, i never sleep regularly. like, i've only slept every other night all week since my studies have occupied me

[whyohwhy]

Yeah, just give it a rest...I was running my hands through my hair and a considerable amount probably about 100 hairs fell out....I just felt like I was obsessing too much which I was..so i have stopped and im feeling more relaxed...im going to see the doctor about it sometime next week to evaluate the chances of me going bald (which I already think is extremely high)

Get some rest, do something you like that makes you feel good...unless your studying medicine you should be able to. Also dont wash your hair every time you get into the shower unless its oily as... its good to let the natural oils build up they strengthen your hair.

[ryan555]

You have no hair loss that is evident. Perhaps your hairline has just matured, which is a common occurence around your age. To be sure, go see a doctor who can evaluate your scalp with a microscope and see if you have miniaturization. If you do, then jump on finasteride and minoxidil. Your hair loss is clearly not "aggressive" so those treatments would likely work well for you.

[Tracy C]

Hi LilB,

Your hair line is normal for an adult caucasion male. There may be some thinning in your vertex though the poor quality of the photos can be misleading. If this bothers you, you need to book an appointment with a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss. If it is happening, you are catching it very early and that improves your chances of keeping what you have as well as possibly recovering some of what you may have lost.

[LilB]

Here are some higher resolution photos

temple 1

and

temple 2




What's the best option for an individual without health insurance? not sure where/what type of doctor/place would be best


also, if i part my hair, I swear I see a lot of those "miniaturized hairs" or at least I think they are

[hairforme]

It looks like you just have a mature hairline (normal), and not male pattern baldness. I wouldn't worry about it for now.

[mrblol]

out of curiosity, are you feeling itchy or experiencing any tingling feelings anywhere on your scalp lately ?

[LilB]

a little bit yeah, parts of my scalp have a burning sensation at times and other times just feel really sore. my hair could best be described as really dry, and it gets "greasy" really easily. my friends make jokes about how i never take showers or wash my hair, even though i do every day... it's a recent phenomena. I don't like it, I'm sure that my terrible diet and sleeping have had some effect.


The general consensus is that It's not consistent with MPB on here, but isn't this how it starts? The hair gets thinner, and shedding gets insane? Would it hurt to start on Minoxidil before setting up an appointment with a derm/specialist?

i feel like I've read a lot of stories that resemble myself, " i used to have really healthy and thick hair"

[Tracy C]

Here are some higher resolution photos.

Hello again LilB,

Better shots of your temples isn't going to tell you anything -because it is completely normal for males to loose temple hair as change from boys to men. The important shots are of your vertex and mid-anterior. Those are the areas that will tell you if you are balding or not.

[LilB]

if I take some pictures of my hair parted at the top, will that be more helpful? I know that only meeting with a professional can truly diagnose what's going on, but that could take months for me honestly, so i'm considering minoxidil unless there are any risks with that.


and by parting my hair, expose my scalp and thinness on top

[Tracy C]

if I take some pictures of my hair parted at the top, will that be more helpful?

Yes, especially if you can show your hair both wet and dry. The areas of concern are you vertex and mid-anterior. With your hair parted down the middle, you can expose those areas so you can get a better look.

If you do decide to use Minoxidil, focus your application on your vertex and mid-anterior. These are the areas that the medicine can do the most good. You can dry the medicine off your fingers in your temples if you want to. Just don't expect much improvement in the temples. Males, especially cacausion males, generally do not keep their temple hair. This is a normal male trait.

Also if you start Minoxidil, don't start off with the full twice a day dose. Taper up to the full dose over time. Start with the foam and use it once a day every other day about two hours before your betime. After three or four weeks of that, use it once a day every day. After three or four weeks of that, alternate between once a day and twice a day. After three or four weeks of that, use it twice a day every day. Once you are up to the twice a day dose, you can save a little money by using generic liquid Minoxidil for your evening dose.

[ZZZ]

I have to disagree with Tracy C. Your main problem is not your mid scalp or your vertex, but your temples. They seem to be minituarizing just like my balding begun years ago. My temples looked JUST like yours do in the picture you submitted earlier : http://bayimg.com/FaoHdaADd . They started to lose their color and then slowly dissappeared