new thread
Hey guys!
I've visited this board a few times, and it's awesome. I've been growing my hair for about three and a half years now. It's dark brown and a little wavy, and about three or four inches away from the middle of my back. Great!!
Unfortunately, i've got a problem i've been noticing for about a year now. See, my father's bald, and my uncle, and my late grandfather. This really didn't matter much to me at the beginning until i noticed my hair's thinning at the front. Sometimes i comb it forward in front of a mirror and are shocked to see the light reflecting on my scalp. Some of my friends tell me i'm destined to go bald, others tell me it's temporary.
So i finally went to a dermatologist and after examining it told me that it's going, and there's not much i can do about it.
I feel terrible about this happening to me. But whatever happens, i'm not cutting it. If there's anyone in this board who can help me out i'd really appreciate it. Sorry for making this post so long, i just felt it was time for me to post :)
Thanks,
Xyruz
Two Words: Propecia, Rogaine. Ask that dermatologist all about it and if he/she still says there's nothing to be done, go see another different one.
You didn't say how old you are and that information would help.
I'm 20 years old, turning 21 in July :)
Isn't it pretty rare to experience MPB at such a young age?
(No expert but I thought it was more common in the late 20's onwards.)
I have three friends who started losing hair at around 19-20.
They're related to eachother, so it's not three separate cases, but still. It's all part of their genes, I suppose.
Actually, I think early 20's is when most classic MPB takes hold. I read somewhere that whatever you have by your 30th birthday is what you're likely to keep.
Of course, last month I had a friend comment that he thought I was thinning on top (I'm now 45) but I think part of that is just because my hair is longer, it looks thinner on top, and besides he's jealous. :)
My best friend was balding by age 19, and now at 24 is very thin on top - probably only full hair from about the crown back.
wolfeyes
I also have 3 friends who are brothers.
All were balding at 15!!!
All have very little hair now, but it suits them fine.
wolfeyes
Well if my geneolgy is anything to go by I've got about another 20 years of hair before I start balding around my crown.
Hopefully by which time medical science will have advanced enough, that drugs like Propecia and Rogaine work without side affects and work for everyone ;-) Or hell we can even hold out hope of a pernament cure for baldness. :-)
Meanwhile, thinning hair sucks, particuarly if you want long hair, I guess, beyond optimism for the above, I can offer little or nothing to this thread.
I think I've got a lucky family as far as hair is concerned. None of my gradparents went or are bald, even my grandfather who was 91 only receeded very slightly on his forehead, but his crown and top remained thick full of hair.
My other grandfather even managed to keep his natural hair colour until his late sixties!
My father is 66 and is showing no sign of balding or even receding hairline at all, so I might be lucky and keep my hair.
But I hope treatments will be out in the not too distent future for people with MPB. It's such a sad thing for a person to lose their hair, no one deserves that, after all, hair is natural and protects your head from sun, so why should it be taken away from you?
As you might guess from my handle, I no longer have as much hair on the top of my head as I used to. Like you, I am determined to resist the Fashion Police who would like to dictate shaving everything else off. I have not cut my hair for almost 10 years, and although it has not grown as long as I want it to, I am pleased with having hair long enough to wear in a ponytail and for people to notice. It's the ponytail people comment on, not the hair that's missing.
You should find Propecia or Rogaine helpful at your stage. It is better at preserving the hair that is there than bringing it back after it has gone. There are reports of side effects, so it is worth asking others (plenty of advice almost certainly available from this board, for instance) before deciding, and it is also not cheap, but you might well decide it is a good investment.
Good luck!
I don't know if this will work, but try to reduce the amount of testosterone in your body to keep your hair longer.
If I remember correctly when you go bald, testosterone is converted into a more potent form of dehydtestosterone (sp?) and processes stemming from that makes the hair thin and eventually fall out. Absalom has had great success by eliminating a lot of testosterone, just look at his hair length!
Surferdude,
I know you mean well, but please be careful about the advice that you give. Testosterone is an important male hormone involved in several homeostatic mechanisms.
Once a guy reaches middle life and above (at least 55 or higher), it's a reasonable thing to do. Using such agents as finesteride (Proscar, etc) will decrease testosterone levels. However, it will also contribute to erectile dysfunction, decreased sexual desire and in some cases, mild feminization.
A young man who wants to get married and have a family would not tolerate the side effects.
In any case, that's a short answer to a long question.
ToddB
What I was basically saying is I was not expecting Xyruz to make medication to make him become feminine, I did not mean that at all! All I meant was that if he could try to eliminate a lot of needless aggression in his life, it may contribute in the long run to him loosing his hair later rather than earlier.
I accept I should have made it more clear about my advice, thanks for reminding me.
First, get a new dermatologist. There is a lot you can do and your dermatologist should certainly know that. Rogaine is a topical medication that has been shown to be effective. Then there are the pills Propecia and Avodart. Propecia has been marketed specifically for the prevention of MPB. I have found it to be quite effective and I have experienced no side effects whatsoever. In general, the incidence of side effects is actually very low. And besides, if you do experience any of them, they go away as soon as you stop taking the medication. Avodart should be even more effective than Propecia. Unfortunately, at this time it is only marketed for the treatment of BPH or Benign Prostrate Hyperplasia. However, Glaxo is currently in the process of getting approval to market the drug for MPB.
The key to all of these is that they are much more effective at preventing hair loss than they are at restoring lost hair. So, time is of the essence.
I have linked the Propecia web site below.
