new thread
hello i have posted on this board in the past and have came back to visit. Basicly my hair is about 9-12 inches now since starting to grow it in 2004 (maybe late 2003). I hade a mistake of a haircut about a year ago of about six inches but now a year later i'm back to being a longhair again. And that's my long hair story.
Anyway, ive just started to notice that my hairline and temple hair maybe starting to thin and recede. Closely inspecting the hairs at the hairline seems to show thinner hair shafts there than anywhere else on my head! I have thick hair so i don't think its that obvious yet to anyone but myself at presently. Though when i started to grow my hair i got a few comments about a "thinning crown" that looked to me like a severe cowlick but now at this point i'm starting to wonder maybe there was something to their obseveration... probably not but what i find odd is that this whole balding thing never was a conern of mine until i started to grow my hair long two years ago.
Anyway, overall i am very pleased with my hair at this point. Its long thick and full looking and only close inspection seems to suggest thinning possibly. The point to this whole story is that basicly I'm very concerned about losing my hair into the future. This is a common condition amoung men and its hard to say how it may progress in my own own case and whether or not its truley starting now (i'm only 25 so i would think balding shouldn't even be an issue so early.) Should i start to perhaps take steps to halt it before it worsens or simply leave it alone and see? Should i consult a doctor or dermatologist for expert opinion? Should i just except it and move on? Or should i take action on myself and start taking a drug of some kind to counteract it (finasteride, minodoxil)? I'm at a point where i am very uncertain as to what to do. The fact is a part of me doesn't really want to mess with mother nature but another part of me doesn't want to go bald either, ESECIALLY in my 20s! Please give me your opinions and comments MLH and any of your experiences with a similar hair issue.
not meaning to scare you but, baldness in your 20s is very possible, i know plenty of people.
your best bet is to see the right people and know instead of "fearing" if you are going bald or not.
Hi Neuket,
maybe this is beginning MPB, but that doesn't need to scare you. MPB gets worse if you smoke, or don't eat properly, or don't get enough sleep. So, here are already a few things you can do for your hair. You can also take vitamins (no need to overdose; regimes have been suggested in other posts - or ask me).
If you still have that problem, you should see a dermatologist and ask his/her advice.
On the other hand, even if some hair loss is unavoidable, grow it out anyway - I have seen people with a very high hair line and long hair that looked really cool, and, yes, even if the dreaded "horse shoe" should strike, growing out what you have can still look great (and often does).
Yes, I have seen some very young guys who were struck by MPB, and they still grow their "horse shoe" long, and it looks absolutely cool! Wish I had pictures to post them...
Wishing you good luck and happy growth, brother,
Hans-Uwe
hey thanks for the post. didn't know smoking can cause baldness in addition to diet and sleep. yeah thanks for the advice. Unfortunately i smoke, and my diets not the best and i get about 4 - 6 hours of sleep a night.
Hi neuket,
I'd read the book "Allen Carr's easy way to stop smoking" by, obviously, Allen Carr. This guy used to smoke 100 cigarettes a day and stopped cold turkey. If he hadn't, he would have died a lot earlier. He used to offer highly successful nonsmoking classes, too.
Wishing you a smoke-free new year!
Hans-Uwe
P.S. Often, there are just trivial things we need to change in our lives - perhaps one at a time - to achieve goals. Feel free to post and to discuss these issues whenever you feel like it. Smokefree environments, eating well, and sleeping well are definitely NOT off-topic on a long-hair board.
Where I work no one is supposed to smoke but people do anyways... I hate second hand smoke.
What is actually Horse shoe lol very strange indeed ???
I'm using "horse shoe" in the sense of a thin hair crown growing on the sides and in the back (hence, "U"-shaped or "horseshoe-shaped"), with the rest of the scalp hair having fallen victim to MPB - the ultimate horror to any long-hair fan...
Thanks for Explaining that one to me Its much Appreciated ! Its justed Id never heard of it Before Now
Axel
I thought horseshoe means how when people are having MPB their hairline looks like a horse shoe shaped widow peak.
Just put those worries behind you. Lots of guys still grow their hair long when they start getting a receding hair line and/or thinning hair.
I had thoughts of giving up and cutting my hair about 18 months into letting my hair grow. Only at that length did I really notice that it was fine, thin and possibly receding. The receding was either a figment of my imagination or has stopped. To combat the thin hair, I can make it look thicker by using a volumizing shampoo and/or letting it air dry.
Go for it.
I would say the best thing to do is to see a doctor, preferably a dermatologist, who can assess your hair and determine if you have MPB. You can also figure out if MPB runs in your family. What kind of hair does your Dad, grandfather, brothers have. Don't forget relatives on your Mom's side as well. My doctor recently determined that I have signs of early MPB myself (I'm 53), and I just started taking Propecia in the last week. I do NOT intend to stop growing it, however! Don't forget that there are guys on this board with MPB who have still been able to grow their hair to awesome lengths, PatS for one (check out his avatar in the directory of users), who has a gorgeous braid to his waist! Hope this helps.
David
Hi David,
you're spot-on with this remark, possibly without knowing it. MPB seems to happen when androgens, i.e. male hormones, attach themselves to the hair root cells of the scalp. These cells have a receptor for male hormones. In MPB, that receptor has a much higher avidity for androgens than in non-MPB men.
The gene of this "MPB receptor" receptor is on the x chromosome. This means that men, which only have one x chromosome, get the bad "androgen receptor" gene from their mothers. So, indeed, it is appropriate to look to the maternal gragdfather and perhaps to uncles on the male side.
Of course, there are probably other genes as well as environmental factors (smoking) involved as well.
Just thought I mention this here.
All the best,
Hans-Uwe
All guys are affected by MPB to some extent, but only a few go completely bald on top, and even they can grow long hair at the sides and back of their head. Most guys only get a bit of receding at the temples, and maybe a little thinning at the crown as they get older.
If anything, long hair shows it up less, rather than more, which is why I find it hard to understand guys who chop their hair off at the first signs. I knew one guy with waist length hair who always tied it in a ponytail to cover his bald spot. OTOH, another friend trimmed shoulder length hair back to a short length when he went bald and IMHO looked much worse.
Generally speaking, it gets worse with age, and future bald guys usually have severely receding temples by the time they are 30, which is a good rule of thumb. If you are in your early 20s it may still be too soon to know, which is admittedly not an encouraging thing to hear.
The only other thing you can do is look at your genes, in the person of your relatives, especially your mother's male relatives. Even then, it is only a question of probabilities. OTOH, if none of them are bald you are fairly safe, or if all of them are then you are in trouble!
I'm honestly not sure if environmental factors make much difference, but giving up smoking is always a good idea.
Hello, Neuket.
Glad you are again a longhair. About the possible thinning hair issue, I can only really echo the advice already given: Grow anyway. I would like to point out, too, though, that if it is really only noticeable to you a this point, then you probably have at least a couple years of growing and enjoying long hair before having to be concerned on a aesthetic level. For preventative reasons, though, it would't hurt to get it checked out by the professionals. If something can be done, why not do it? (That is, of course, unless it means turning your liver into Foie Gras through harsh pharmaceuticals.)
Post some pics soon.
Shawn (Mr.Crow)