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Going bald at 20 - Advice needed!

M

Marty323

valued member
Newbie here, I'm only 20 and looking for some answers why my hair is falling out. I have a diffuse thinning pattern, probably nw3 comparing myself to the chart. I'm the youngest of 3 brothers who are aged 22 and 27, my parents are 50 and my grandparents are in their 80's. I'm the only one who has hair loss, all the rest a decent hair, at the rate I'm going I'll have less hair than my grandfathers. The thought of all my hair falling out is freaking me out, I'm becoming distant from my friends, I split with my girlfriend, I don't want to socialise any more. My family tell me not to worry, it's easy for them with no issues, they don't know what I'm going through. The low self esteem, anxiety, depression and feeling inadequate. I hide these feelings from them because I don't want them to worry, although they do comment about not socialising much.

I'm fit, healthy, eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly at home and have no medical issues.
I honestly can't see myself leading a normal life as a bald guy. I've read about family genes causing hair loss, but my family have no history of hair loss. It seems so unfair.

Apart from Androgenic Alopecia - Male Pattern Balldness; Is there anything else that could be causing my hair loss?

Treatments; I'm not sure if I want to take Finasteride. Post Finasteride Syndrome sounds harsh and sometimes irreversible if you are subject to sides. Topical Minoxidil based solutions seem to be the best option, but how effective are they own their own? I really need to stop the rest of my hair falling out and maybe, grow some back.

Are there any guys in the same situation as myself who can offer some advice on how they successfully treated their hair loss?

I really need your help guys.
 
Y

Young Dude

valued member
Hey man! I feel your pain and the anguish you're going through. My hair was falling out when I was 18, the ridicule I received from people was relentless, always teasing and making jokes. It forced me to try Finasteride, even though I'd read about the side effects it can cause. I did suffer from brain fog for a month or so, this gradually faded over time and now I don't feel anything from the drug. After 5 months my hair began to increase in volume, at around month 8 I could see I was growing my hair back. Around the 18 month mark my hair was probably 70 to 80% back to its original state. It has worked wonders on me and gave my life back. It may not work for everyone but if you don't try, you will never know.As to why none of your family members are bald. The male pattern baldness gene can skip generations, this seems the most probable cause in your circumstance. Talk to your parents to let them know how you feel, they will want to help. And schedule a visit to your family doctor with your parents to discuss Finasteride.
Keep your hopes up, good luck man.
 
Pete from Farjo

Pete from Farjo

Valued member
Really feel for you Marty. Unfortunately yours is an all too common story. Hair loss is so cruel in how it affects us mentally, preventing us from doing the things we used to enjoy, and often making us withdraw socially.

Unfortunately your only real chance of maintaining your hair is through medication (Finasteride and minoxidil as you mention). Yes finasteride can have side effects but it's worth remembering that only a small percentage of people seem to suffer them. You could try it for six months to see how you get on and then reassess.

I'd suggest you have a consultation with a reputable hair clinic first though who can closely examine your hair for signs of miniaturisation, and could possibly also give you an idea of how extensive your loss may become.

Try not to get too down, there's definitely hope for you. Keep us posted and any other questions just ask.
 
M

Marty323

valued member
Young Dude wrote:
Hey man! I feel your pain and the anguish you're going through. My hair was falling out when I was 18, the ridicule I received from people was relentless, always teasing and making jokes. It forced me to try Finasteride, even though I'd read about the side effects it can cause. I did suffer from brain fog for a month or so, this gradually faded over time and now I don't feel anything from the drug. After 5 months my hair began to increase in volume, at around month 8 I could see I was growing my hair back. Around the 18 month mark my hair was probably 70 to 80% back to its original state. It has worked wonders on me and gave my life back. It may not work for everyone but if you don't try, you will never know.As to why none of your family members are bald. The male pattern baldness gene can skip generations, this seems the most probable cause in your circumstance. Talk to your parents to let them know how you feel, they will want to help. And schedule a visit to your family doctor with your parents to discuss Finasteride.
Keep your hopes up, good luck man.

Thanks for that Young Dude. Success stories such as yours give me hope. It would appear I may be the unlucky one who received the gene after it skipped the family for generations. I still have concerns with Finasteride, so I'll probably try out Rogaine foam before a visit to the doctors.
 
M

Marty323

valued member
Pete from Farjo wrote:
Really feel for you Marty. Unfortunately yours is an all too common story. Hair loss is so cruel in how it affects us mentally, preventing us from doing the things we used to enjoy, and often making us withdraw socially.

Unfortunately your only real chance of maintaining your hair is through medication (Finasteride and minoxidil as you mention). Yes finasteride can have side effects but it's worth remembering that only a small percentage of people seem to suffer them. You could try it for six months to see how you get on and then reassess.

I'd suggest you have a consultation with a reputable hair clinic first though who can closely examine your hair for signs of miniaturisation, and could possibly also give you an idea of how extensive your loss may become.

Try not to get too down, there's definitely hope for you. Keep us posted and any other questions just ask.

Thanks for that Pete. Indeed, the negative affects on my personal life are something I need to deal with. I'm going to try Rogaine foam first, it seems a safer bet right now. I'll give it 6 months as recommended, if anything changes before then I may try for a consultation with a hair loss clinic.Appreciate the advice.

 
C

Coopman

Valued member
Marty

Im a 15year Finasteride veteran. Like you I was a NW3 at 20. Im 38 now and a diffuse NW4 with a hairline.

Regretably Finasteride is your long term hope unless you have a slowly progressive variant of baldness. It can have sides but also think of the positives.

By the way most girls do not assume a guy has a hairloss problem until they are beyond NW3.
 
M

Marty323

valued member
Coopman wrote:
Marty

Im a 15year Finasteride veteran. Like you I was a NW3 at 20. Im 38 now and a diffuse NW4 with a hairline.

Regretably Finasteride is your long term hope unless you have a slowly progressive variant of baldness. It can have sides but also think of the positives.

By the way most girls do not assume a guy has a hairloss problem until they are beyond NW3.

Thanks for that Coopman. Still nervous about Finasteride, I'm thinking Rogaine first and see what happens. If I'm lucky enough to respond well, I may never need Finasteride.
I read that forum member SL uses Saw Palmetto rather than Finasteride, I'm thinking this could be an option to try first.
Did you suffer any sides from Finastride use?

 
C

Coopman

Valued member
I did not suffer any sides.

In reference to Saw Palmetto in my opinion i do not consider it a stand alone treatment that would demonstrate efficacy.

Hopefully you may not need Finasteride. However the vast majority of people using Rogaine do not maintain their hair after 3 years if using it as a stand alone treatment.

If you purchase Rogaine Foam it drys in 10-15mins. If you use the liquid it takes over an hour and makes your hair look greasy. Expect to see visible results after 4 months.
 
M

Marty323

valued member
Are you sure Rogaine will lose its efficiency after 3 years? If so, it's just a short term fix. Everything points to using Finasteride, it's a mighty leap of faith. Permanent sides scare the hell out of me. There's no way of knowing how one will react unless it's tried.
 
C

Coopman

Valued member
Rogaine can regrow hair just as Finasteride can. However if you do plenty of research you will note that Finasteride is the best option to maintain or slow down your hairloss.

The sides sound scary but they only happen to the minority.

If you look on other forums eg hairlosstalk you will find hundreds of men who have shared their experiences with Rogaine and Fin and have photos to back their stories up too. Its worth taking a look.

My personal research and this is only my opinion is that I have seen lots of people getting great results from Rogaine for 12-24months and then it starts going downhill. In respect to Finasteride the good results last longer.

It also depends how aggressive your hairloss is. Some people go from NW1-NW6 in 3 years, some it takes 10 years and others 30 years. My opinion is that the more aggressive your hairloss is the least likely Rogaine and Finasteride will be effective for you.

I started balding at 13, at 23 I was a NW3 diffuse. I then started Fin and im 38 now and roughly a NW4. My natural hairloss pattern is slowly progressive and this could be why I respond to Fin. When did you first notice you were balding?

The above is my opinion only, it does not mean im right.
 
M

Marty323

valued member
I'll do some searching. I've viewed many good results on this site that illustrate good growth. I've also read on Propecia help people who suffer permanent sides and there are lots. I appreciate your feedback, it helps to balance everything out.
 
K

Kylezx

member
Marty! I'm in the same boat as you, hair loss is my main issue. Have you thought about having temporary Scalp Micropigmentation?
I'm considering it, if I can find out how long it lasts.
 
M

Marty323

valued member
I checked into scalp tattooing but decided it's not the route I want. The Beauty Medical technique appears to be the best temporary version right now.
 
K

Kylezx

member
I emailed Beauty Medical asking how long on average it lasts, waiting on their response.
 
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