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Hair loss and lack of confidence

J

Jackdoor

member
Been lurking on the sidelines for a while now, and decided to ask for some help from the community. Presently i am receding along the hair line and temples to the point i am paranoid when chatting to people because i can see their eyes focusing on my hair.
It makes me very uncomfortable to the point i would prefer staying home. I am on Finasteride, but i think my loss continues, no improvements. Apart from a hair transplant, what else can i do?
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi Jackdoor. I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing these issues because of your hair loss. From what you’ve said it doesn’t sound that your loss is too bad. Adding minoxidil could be beneficial to encourage growth. Adding some pictures with your face cropped/covered would help. Also, what is your age? People looking at your hair seems to be having a psychological effect on you. We often read too much into what we think other people are thinking and seeing when they are looking at us. Most people will not be looking at you negatively, it’s just you thinking they are. Staying home and sacrificing your social life could be impacting on your well-being. I think speaking to a close family member or your doctor will help you.
 
sl

sl

BHR Clinic Patient Advisor
Hi Jackdoor and welcome. It is sadly an uncomfortable experience having people talk to a hair line and I hope though you won't let it make you too socially uncomfortable.

If you can share detail on age, goals and some photos, of course cover your face etc or if you need help then Brian can assist to cover them for you and let's see. It is helpful to have from al profiles and so the donor and loss potential can be also seen and then go from there.

Concealer etc also may be a good camouflage for you and can do wonders these days for people.

Welcome anyway and thanks for posting and hope you can get some help/re-assurance.
 
J

Jackdoor

member
Hi Jackdoor. I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing these issues because of your hair loss. From what you’ve said it doesn’t sound that your loss is too bad. Adding minoxidil could be beneficial to encourage growth. Adding some pictures with your face cropped/covered would help. Also, what is your age? People looking at your hair seems to be having a psychological effect on you. We often read too much into what we think other people are thinking and seeing when they are looking at us. Most people will not be looking at you negatively, it’s just you thinking they are. Staying home and sacrificing your social life could be impacting on your well-being. I think speaking to a close family member or your doctor will help you.

Thank you Bigmac for replying. I think my hair loss is quite bad, i will add some pictures and consider the minoxidil.
 
J

Jackdoor

member
Hi Jackdoor and welcome. It is sadly an uncomfortable experience having people talk to a hair line and I hope though you won't let it make you too socially uncomfortable.

If you can share detail on age, goals and some photos, of course cover your face etc or if you need help then Brian can assist to cover them for you and let's see. It is helpful to have from al profiles and so the donor and loss potential can be also seen and then go from there.

Concealer etc also may be a good camouflage for you and can do wonders these days for people.

Welcome anyway and thanks for posting and hope you can get some help/re-assurance.

Thank you Sl for replying. I am 29 and my goal would be for a complete hair line. I do have hair transplant concerns with me thinking what if it does not work or i end up with a false looking hair line. I will add some pictures showing my hair from the front. My donor is the same as my teenage years. Where most of my hair has receded i do not think a concealer would help because there is no hair for it to grip hold of.
It is making me depressed every time i look at myself in the mirror.
 
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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Once we see your pictures we can offer our opinions on your loss.
 
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J

Jackdoor

member
This is the front and side view showing how much i have receded. What do you think?

9C411D7F-F649-4F30-BFD1-82DB8DBF4CFF.jpeg
 
C

Coopman

Valued member
Jackdoor

I will leave it for Bigmac and Sl to reply to you as they are much more knowledgeable than me on the subject of HT’s and meds.

I would clarify how long you have been taking Finasteride for?
In my experience I noticed improvements after 4months usage, but others take 12-18months.

Don’t underestimate concealers you have plenty of hair for it to attach to. Might be worth considering cutting your hair a little shorter on top ( say 75-90mm)and keep the back and sides neatly trimmed (say 6-15mm). The shorter on the back/sides the more it looks on top.


Good luck.
 
J

Jackdoor

member
Thank you Coopman for replying. I have been taking Finasteride for 11 months, is it possible I have to wait 6 more months before i might see an improvement? I have tried a multitude of hair styles with varying lengths, but i think it exposes the temples further with an obvious receding V shape. What concealer would you recommend to cover my temples?
 
C

Coopman

Valued member
Finasteride even if you dont see improvements can halt or slow down significantly your rate of loss. Seen many people document their stories noticing improvements between 12 and 18mths.

Toppik and Mane concealors are good. You will probably need to go one shade darker than what your hair colour is. It will make your existing hair look thicker.

There is a limit to what meds can do. I would add a couple more photos of your crown and side view. The side view will indicate how low your temples have dropped. This will also help indicate your future loss pattern and determine if you are a suitable HT patient.
 
Kevboy

Kevboy

Valued member
Meds will most likely keep what hair you have with surgery being the fix. First you have to deal with your mental state of mind because your hair loss is having an adverse effect on you. I buzz my hair off and go to the gym. The buzz look is very popular at the gym with plenty of guys that are completely bald. No one judges you for your hair.
 
C

Coopman

Valued member
Jackdoor

As per my previous post, you need a couple more photos.

There is a risk that your hair could drop around the back and sides into a Norwood 6 or 7 pattern. If that happens and you have a hair transplant there will be a gap between your transplanted hair on top of your head and the remaining hair in the Norwood 7 region.
Finasteride will halt or slow down the loss and it will also help maintain the hair you have in your Norwood 5,6 and 7 regions.

Because of your recession you will need quite a lot of grafts in your frontal third region (i estimate 2700-3200). You will also need grafts in your mid section and to your crown area in the future (possibly). If your sides drop then you will need even more. As you can see it is easy to get to 10000 grafts for a reasonable full coverage that will still be quite thin but with careful hair styling it can be adequate. Very few individuals have a donor supply of 10000 grafts. Let’s say the average person has 5500 grafts and perhaps 1000 body hair grafts that will only give a thin overall appearance.

Therefore before considering a hair transplant you need to assess the following:

1. Do you want to take Finasteride for the rest of your life and other hair loss meds.
2. What will my hair look like in 5 years time without meds and what is my future hair loss pattern. Will you be a NW 6 or 7 in 10 years.
3. How much donor supply do you have. (Arrange consultations with reputable clinics only).
4. What coverage will i be happy with. Trust me what you would like at 30 is a lot more than what you would like at 40.
5. Do i really want a hair transplant.
6. Is now the right time. (Personally I Dont think it is if you are worrying about people looking at your hairline. You need a year to research/assess results of Finasteride/Assess results of Rogaine/ascertain estimated donor supply/pick your top 3 favoured clinics based on proven results not price, false promises etc.

Once you know your potential donor supply you can then plan for the future. Do not rush into things. There are plenty of people out there going to crap clinics, having 3000 grafts implanted and getting absolutely no regrowth. Do not be one of them. It is like the Wild West out there! That’s why research will help you avoid crap clinics.
 
sl

sl

BHR Clinic Patient Advisor
I think some very good advice given and graft numbers as above. It can be deceptive how far back one would need to place and blend and keep in mind of that tuft can fall, so meds are important in synergy with any surgery. Donor photos can be harder to take but make sure to have a personal consultation and get real empirical data and not just a subjective you are a 4 our of 10 assessment that is meaningless.

As said above, research well.
 
J

Jackdoor

member
The past several days have been particularly miserable with some unforeseen circumstances, i thank you all for the help offered, and i will post a response in a couple of days.
 
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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
I hope you can resolve your personal issues soon, always here to listen and try to help if possible.
 
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