21 and bald - don't know what to do

[Vijay]

Hi,

I started losing hair at the ridiculous age of 14/15 due to MPB. At first I was devastated of course, I went to every type of doctor you could think of. The vast majority were unsympathetic and useless (my GP said "all the kids want to be bald these days - its the in thing!").

I started using rogaine and my hairloss slowed down considerably, until last year it didn't look too bad (although obviously thin and everybody knew it). It was always at the back of my mind but I didn't let it affect me too much at school and uni (except the occasional hurtful comments).

However over the last few months I have lost and am still losing a extraordinary amount of hair (especially from the crown) and now have a full obvious horseshoe (think of Prince William's hair but now even thinner than his at the front), with no hairline at all.

I can no longer use concealers like Toppik as its too obvious and now its really affecting me, I can't go outside the house. Everything else in my life is going fantastic - I graduated with one of the highest marks in my Uni Degree and have secured a great high paying corporate job lined starting in a few months - but it now seems so irrelevant, without hair how can you ever look good at 21, get a girl etc..

I need to do something about this horseshoe - I think these are my options:

1). Shave it off. Problem - this will look really really bad on me. I am a short guy (5ft6). I am not naturally thin (until last year I've always been fat but have lost 4 stones by eating healthy and going to the gym everyday without fail - could the increased hairloss be linked to this rapid weightloss??). Despite being slim now - I don't have a sharp angular face and the right head shape. Besides I don't want to be 21 and completely bald anyway.

2). Hair Transplants - I have lined up consultations but from my own research I think I have a very weak donor area (even the hair on the sides and back of my hair is thin). I can't see how so little hair can cover so much scalp.

3). A Micro-pigmentation tattoo. I have thought seriously about this but to me the hairline looks too fake. Plus its not a professional look for my future career.

4). A hairpiece. My dad lost his hair young. It started later than me (about 18) - but progressed much faster. He was at the same stage as me by 22. He has worn a hairpiece since then. It makes him look so much better but warns me everyday that it is horrible, you become a prisoner to your fake hair.

5). Do nothing with the hair and start with propecia. I never took propecia as I was so scared about the side affects (a top doctor said he would never recommend it to anyone under 25, which seriously put me off). Maybe this will be a huge regret in my life, I could have a lot more hair now. I don't know.

What would you guys do? I am getting more and more depressed, and all my immediate family is worried I will throw away everything I have worked hard to earn so far because of hair - but I can't keep this granddad style horseshoe a day longer.

[Still-Researching]

Hi there,
Thanks for sharing your story. There are many here on the forum like you.
If you are heading towards a NW6 and with your family history, I would avoid your options 2 and never even consider nr 3.

I work for a Fortune 500 company and is high up in on a career path, and I can tell you that a clipper 2-3 look (not shaved bald) but very short is very normal everywhere in the company. Maybe more normal among 30+ but never the less I also see our young trainees and interns rocking that look from times to time.

Sorry to break it to you, but unless the hairpiece can work for you (I have absolute no experience with it) above is the only true solution - you can delay hairloss if you are lucky maybe keep what you have with propecia - I am taking it, never had serious side effects (only watery seemen).

About the girls - if you continue your fitness and get a tan etc - get some confidence in your head - they will line up as much to a shaved fit confident guy as a NW1 guy - I have seen plenty of examples already from young 20'ies.

Seems you have everything going for your except a good hairline... appreciate that and girls and career will work it self out - trust me.

Good luck.

[35YrsAfter]

It breaks my heart to hear how hair loss negatively effects young people. I'm over 60 and it affected me as well. These days, things seem so different related to men with hair loss. There are actually women who prefer men with hair loss and even bald. I knew a guy who in his 40's was like a Norwood 7. He was short and overweight. He must have had a 1" strip of hair left around the sides and back of his head. He didn't seem to care at all. He had a normal looking girlfriend and a successful business. His brother went the hairpiece route. even with his hairpiece, the brother seemed reclusive and didn't have a girlfriend.

I currently know a guy who is a Norwood 6. He is about 5'6" and has a trim muscular build. He shaves his head. One day I mentioned to him that I know a great doctor who could give him hair in the front that would make it look like he shaves his head for style rather than because he's bald. His reply was, "God made me this way and I'm not interested in changing that". The other thing, I posted in another thread is, this guy is literally hounded by women who want to spend time with him. He told me at one time he had around 12 women texting him and wanting to spend time with him. He is divorced and his ex-wife is exceptionally attractive. She used to win swimsuit contests and has a pretty face among other things.

I'm going to share with you some secrets of attraction between the sexes. I hope this doesn't get banned so I'll try to be less graphic:
Sexual attraction for a great many men and women is about contrast. Women have large breasts, men who are fit do not. Women have a clitoris which is a kind of small version of a penis. A penis is of course larger than a clitoris. Women's bodies are soft, men's are generally hairy and hopefully muscular. Women's faces are pretty, men's usually are not. If a woman has thick long flowing hair, that contrasts with the man having hair loss or being bald. These contrasts are subliminal, but are the reason why women are attracted to bald men in many cases. Women really do associate hair loss and these other contrasts with sexual attractiveness.

I believe it is these contrasting differences that subliminally make a woman feel more attractive. Most women crave being noticed and feeling attractive to men.