24 year old, early NW, just started [Pics]

[BigThinker]

Intro
I put up a fairly lengthy post asking if I'm a good fin candidate, but wanted to do a formal intro as I plan to spend a fair amount of time on this site. I notice that some early NW/younger people catch grief as "show-offs" or hypochondriacs. Let me start by saying I am not the former but absolutely the latter (I used to think my legs were different lengths and that I had hernias at age ~10-12.) My story is genuine, and I hope your responses will be as well.

Genetics:
Father is totally bald, and started balding severely around age 21-22. His brother(my uncle) is pretty bald, not quite as bad, not sure on when he started. Both had thin, blonde hair all their lives.

My maternal uncles all have thick, thick black hair. My maternal grandfather is Hispanic and has insanely thick, black hair.

I has moderate thickness, black hair. As a kid, and up until probably 5 months ago had hair that girlfriends would constantly run their hands through and complement. For my entire life, I had to have my hair thinned out after monthly trims.

I fear this is no longer the case. My hairline has receded abruptly and rapidly with absolute certainty, but has recently and suddenly halted. Now, it just feels like the top is slowly thinning.

My recent past:
I worked my ass off this summer with two jobs: one labor intensive, 50-70 hrs a week, outside, many "clopens" (close, then open the next morning). Really f**cked my sleep schedule and appetite was inconsistent. The other was an internship that had mental demands and kept me constantly thinking, obsessing over my work quality. In summation, I was really stressed.

This all started in May, by the end of June, it felt like there was way more hair on my hands when I showered than before. I began to obsess and get a little neurotic about it. I've had many episodes of hypochondria in my life, to the point I can identify this as one of them.

Current regime:
All natural. I massage my scalp before night before bed. I apply, and massage a Castor/Coconut oil/Vitamin E complex into my scalp bi-weekly. I try to meat twice a day, one red meat at least. I try to eat tons of whole grains and green vegetables. I try to snack on mixed nuts and hard boiled eggs. Finally, I take a multi-vitamin, a biotin supplement, and a fish oil supplement. As a stress reliever and for recreation, I smoke a little of the good good - probably my life saver.

I can't tell if it's been effective. I still wake up to 2-3 hairs on my bed, 10-12 hairs on my hands in the shower, hairs will fall on my desk at school or work. One thing I can say, is my hair is extremely shiny, and almost greasy - a characteristic it hasn't had since shortly after puberty. It certainly gives the illusion of depth and healthy hair, but who knows. One more thing, about 1 out of every 25 hairs is "miniaturized", translucent, thin and golden brown.. otherwise they are usually very dark and have a white bulb on one end.

Future Steps
Dermatologist appointment scheduled for ~one month. I set one up for Early August but went on vacation instead and skipped - I regret that very much. STRONGLY considering ordering FIN on-line and taking extremely small doses to give me ease of mind until the appointment. Too scared to get initial shed from minox and the price is a HUGE turn-off.

I'm seeking real input. Please see my pictures. I'm very close to taking the plunge on FIN, and am aware of sides. What would you honestly do in my position? I can take the cynicism some will offer, but would appreciate constructive comments.

Thanks for letting me be part of this board, I plan to update my story and remain active in the community.

[BaldinLikeBaldwin]

you'll find out it's very difficult to give specific advice when MPB is very individual

based on your pics (mostly 1st one) and what you write I think it's pretty certain your MPB will progress at a modest to fast rate

finasteride is the only FDA approved medicine that works well at slowing down hair loss and sometimes gives regrowth, sounds like you've already made your choice

[BigThinker]

you'll find out it's very difficult to give specific advice when MPB is very individual

based on your pics (mostly 1st one) and what you write I think it's pretty certain your MPB will progress at a modest to fast rate

finasteride is the only FDA approved medicine that works well at slowing down hair loss and sometimes gives regrowth, sounds like you've already made your choice

I appreciate your response. And yeah, that was sort of my worst fear. I think I'm going to place my order for finasteride from inhouseparmacy.com and a pill cutter from amazon.com and go ahead and start a .5mg/day regime. I'll keep my physical activity and nutrition up to par and see what happens. Hopefully the initial shed doesn't shake me too bad.

[BigThinker]

UPDATE:

Well, I got in to see an MD same day (today). He was with me quite literally 5 minutes. He looked at the top and front of my head versus the back. He didn't make any comments on miniaturization, but did say the top and front were much dryer and the hair density was thinner.

As a result, he prescribed me 2% keto shampoo which I will begin using tonight. Further, he sent me to the lab to get blood work done, I should hear the results tomorrow.

Is it weird I hope it's some sort of hormonal issue instead of MPB? Feels pretty facetious, but that strikes me as the lesser of two evils - how vain I am.

INPUT WANTED:
So he prescribed me to use it twice a week, and that's what I'll do. The instructions on the bottle say to apply to wet scalp and let sit for 5 minutes, so here's the game plan:

Wet scalp/hair under faucet.
Part hair in a straight line and apply direction to scalp. (starting on one side)
Re-part hair in a straight line 1/2 inch over (towards opposite side)
Re-peat until top of head is covered.
Massage scalp.
Go read a book for ~10-15 min while it soaks in.
Hop in the shower and hit it with a bit of fresh water and get a lather going. Maybe let it soak another 5 while I'm in there.
Wash it out - not sure if I'll condition after.

Suggestions on the keto shampoo application process?

[BaldinLikeBaldwin]

dont overthink it, just apply that chit. I would advise you however to not let it sit too long first time, your hair might assume the texture of steel wool

and nah b, you have VINTAGE mpb sadly. dont think you can "hope" for anything in terms of lab results...maybe if one has very high DHT levels it would make more sense to get on Fin but that's no certainty either..

[BigThinker]

dont overthink it, just apply that chit. I would advise you however to not let it sit too long first time, your hair might assume the texture of steel wool

and nah b, you have VINTAGE mpb sadly. dont think you can "hope" for anything in terms of lab results...maybe if one has very high DHT levels it would make more sense to get on Fin but that's no certainty either..

Vintage? Sounds really good or really bad. Yeah, the keto by intself will be temporary. Next step will prob be fin.

[win200]

Just a word on the Nizoral--from what I've read, the 2% should only be used once a week. I'm not a doctor, but you might want to read up on that. Also, if you saw a dermatologist, they're frequently not as knowledgeable about hair loss as transplant surgeons, who deal exclusively with hair. If you want a second opinion on the Nizoral use, just call an IAHRS surgeon and tell the receptionist that you want to ask a quick question. All the surgeons I've interacted with are incredibly nice and eager to help.

Definitely consider minoxidil. I know there's the shed issue, and that's daunting, but there's that potential with Propecia (although not as common). But shedding is a part of treating hair loss that's pretty unavoidable. It's a long-term process, and you have to just wait it out. Minoxidil is a really effective supplement to Propecia, and if you're as serious as you seem to be about preserving your hair, I'd give it serious consideration.

Also: 2-3 hairs on your pillow and 10-12 in the shower, in my opinion, isn't heavy shedding at all. Others might have different opinions, but that's not what I would call a major shed.

[BigThinker]

Just a word on the Nizoral--from what I've read, the 2% should only be used once a week. I'm not a doctor, but you might want to read up on that. Also, if you saw a dermatologist, they're frequently not as knowledgeable about hair loss as transplant surgeons, who deal exclusively with hair. If you want a second opinion on the Nizoral use, just call an IAHRS surgeon and tell the receptionist that you want to ask a quick question. All the surgeons I've interacted with are incredibly nice and eager to help.

Definitely consider minoxidil. I know there's the shed issue, and that's daunting, but there's that potential with Propecia (although not as common). But shedding is a part of treating hair loss that's pretty unavoidable. It's a long-term process, and you have to just wait it out. Minoxidil is a really effective supplement to Propecia, and if you're as serious as you seem to be about preserving your hair, I'd give it serious consideration.

Also: 2-3 hairs on your pillow and 10-12 in the shower, in my opinion, isn't heavy shedding at all. Others might have different opinions, but that's not what I would call a major shed.

Yeah, I'm weary about whether or not this derm is going to be helpful whatsoever. I believe she's an Indian lady, so she might not be able to relate. Whereas the GP I met with yesterday was an older white male who saw me for 5 minutes and gave me 2% keto. The bottle says twice a week, so I'll probably use it every 4th day - I'm not the type to think using more and more is going to magically work better and better (I follow instructions.)

Appreciate the feedback. If this derm doesn't prescribe me fin or give me a really fkn good reason why she doesn't, I'll be immediate setting up another appointment with someone else.

[BaldinLikeBaldwin]

Yeah, I'm weary about whether or not this derm is going to be helpful whatsoever. I believe she's an Indian lady, so she might not be able to relate. Whereas the GP I met with yesterday was an older white male who saw me for 5 minutes and gave me 2% keto. The bottle says twice a week, so I'll probably use it every 4th day - I'm not the type to think using more and more is going to magically work better and better (I follow instructions.)

Appreciate the feedback. If this derm doesn't prescribe me fin or give me a really fkn good reason why she doesn't, I'll be immediate setting up another appointment with someone else.

you should ask about the best ayurvedic products for hair loss

she might be sitting on a gold mine

[BigThinker]

@Badlinlikebaldwin

Haha, right? I'll be totally transparent about my superficial concerns. It's all you can do if you want.

In other news. I used the 2% keto for the first time ever last night, as directed, and I didn't see a single hair on my shirt, on my desk, on my laptop, or anywhere else where I typically see them. I had like 2 hairs on my hand when I showered a bit ago too.. I know it's just one day, but it put me in a pretty good mood and gives me hope.

Still didn't hear about the bloodwork from yesterday, though they said they would let me know today. I'll have to inquire early next week, if I don't hear. I'm hoping for the best, but I'm not sure what the best is.. some fungal disease that gets destroyed, and I return to 100%? Haha, not that naive, but also not pessimistic.