Advice Please For My 21 Year Old Nephew

[MarylinC]

Hi everyone.

Can I get some advice on how I can help my 21 year old nephew. He has noticed he has started losing quite a bit of hair which he is really upset about.

I would really like to help him but I’m really not sure how best to start. Some products have worrying side effects and are expensive while various others make bogus claims but don’t really help.

So far I’ve looked at finasteride, minoxidil, derma rolling, laser combs and a thing called viviscan. There’s no way he would consider a wig and I think hair transplants would be out of his price range at the moment as he’s only a student.

Could anyone please give me some advice on what best to do for him?

Thanks for reading.

 

[hopeforhappiness]

First off has he noticed a pattern in his hair loss ? Like a concentration at the hair line and temples or the crown ? If so this is likely male pattern baldness. He needs a blood panel to see If he is getting sufficient vitamins and minerals. Though these appointments can take time and in this scenario more time = more hair loss. You would be shocked at the amount of hair someone can lose in a short period of time.

Time is of the essence. That can’t be stressed enough ! He should start rogaine right now as minoxidil is the most effective growth stimulant and the side effects are minimal to none. Another proven, cheap and harmless addition would be a 1-2% ketoconazole shampoo used every other day. Popular brands for this are Nizoral and Regenpure Dr. These are the two most accessible treatments with clinically proven results.

As for finasteride he will want to do ample research before starting. FDA states that there is only a 2% risk of side effects for all users. Some would argue, some would agree. A male dermatologist would likely talk him into it, while a female may be more cautious and an endocrinologist would probably advise against it. However if he is losing a substantial amount of hair at 21, his case is likely aggressive and there is chance it could progress to an almost fully bald head just within a few years. Finasteride is your most powerful weapon against male pattern hair loss but it is not a cure. It’s not certain any lost hair will come back so again the sooner he starts the better. I would advise you both do your research and let him make a decision. If the side effects become unbearable he can just taper off the drug but beyond finasteride treatments only become more experimental and more of a risk. He needs to know that if he cares about his hair, it’s time to start treatment and stick with it other wise it will only get worse.

Viviscal, vitamins, laser comb and the like are very low tier options and have little to no clinical results to back them.

 

[AllerganSaveUs]

For a 21 year old who is already experiencing hair thinning, I would recommend Finasteride and Minoxidil. Finasteride targets the main cause of hair loss which is a sensitivity to DHT. Minoxidil just stimulates hair, growth but does nothing to lower DHT. Minoxidil is effective in around 40% of men while Finasteride is effective in about 85% of men.

 

[MarylinC]

Thank you both for your answers.

The Regaine plus shampoo option certainly seems like the best way to start so he can buy himself some time to pursue more options and perhaps talk to his doctor about Finasteride. I also heard that Dutasteride is the stongest medication if his hair loss is particularly aggressive but has the most risk of side effects but I'm sure his doctor is the best person to get advice from.

I came across a shampoo called Alpecin on Amazon which seems to be higher rated then the others although I'm not sure whether that's because it costs less.

Would he need to keep using these forever or does there come a time when further hair loss will eventially stop naturally?

 

[AllerganSaveUs]

Thank you both for your answers.

The Regaine plus shampoo option certainly seems like the best way to start so he can buy himself some time to pursue more options and perhaps talk to his doctor about Finasteride. I also heard that Dutasteride is the stongest medication if his hair loss is particularly aggressive but has the most risk of side effects but I'm sure his doctor is the best person to get advice from.

I came across a shampoo called Alpecin on Amazon which seems to be higher rated then the others although I'm not sure whether that's because it costs less.

Would he need to keep using these forever or does there come a time when further hair loss will eventially stop naturally?

Dutasteride is better than Finasteride, but you have a higher chance of side effects. Hair restoration specialists and dermatologists would most likely recommenced first trying Finasteride, then if it does not work well after 6 months-1 year, try Dutasteride. He would have to use these medications forever if he wants to prevent further hair loss, unless a cure/other treatment comes to market such as Setipiprant. Since he is so young and has noticeable hair loss, that means his hair loss is at least fairly aggressive. This means his hair is very sensitive to DHT and needs a DHT inhibitor (such as Finasteride or Dutasteride) to have a high chance of preventing further progression. The younger you are with hair loss, the more sensitive you are to DHT.

Alpecin shampoo main ingredient to prevent hair loss is caffeine. Caffeine has been shown to stimulate hair growth clinically (when applied topically), but is not very effective. This shampoo will not be enough to stop hair loss alone.

Also, I am not sure his doctor would be the best person to get advice from. I HIGHLY recommenced he sees a hair restoration specialist or dermatologist. Many people on this forum can vouch, general doctors who have not done the proper research on hair loss often give BAD advice. Good luck.

 

[Btg]

Thank you both for your answers.

The Regaine plus shampoo option certainly seems like the best way to start so he can buy himself some time to pursue more options and perhaps talk to his doctor about Finasteride. I also heard that Dutasteride is the stongest medication if his hair loss is particularly aggressive but has the most risk of side effects but I'm sure his doctor is the best person to get advice from.

I came across a shampoo called Alpecin on Amazon which seems to be higher rated then the others although I'm not sure whether that's because it costs less.

Would he need to keep using these forever or does there come a time when further hair loss will eventially stop naturally?

He has good chances of something better coming out in the next 10 years , but if he starts with finasteride he ll have to stick with it for quite some time . Dutasteride is not recommended before trying finasteride , it stays in your body for a really long time , so if you experience side effects it will take longer to get over them

 

[MarylinC]

I'm very grateful for your helpful comments.

Because he is still very young and hasn't lost extensive amounts of hair yet I think the best thing is to try and buy him some time to decide what he wants to do so I like the idea of Regaine and a good shampoo to begin with to try to slow up further hair loss. As we are in the UK I think Finasteride has to be bought with a doctors prescription so at least he'll have more time to decide if he wants to do that.

It seems to me all these treatments can get very expensive as well as being a real chore to have to keep applying so at least if he has more time to decide what he wants that's a good start.

 

[JeanLucBB]

I'm very grateful for your helpful comments.

Because he is still very young and hasn't lost extensive amounts of hair yet I think the best thing is to try and buy him some time to decide what he wants to do so I like the idea of Regaine and a good shampoo to begin with to try to slow up further hair loss. As we are in the UK I think Finasteride has to be bought with a doctors prescription so at least he'll have more time to decide if he wants to do that.

It seems to me all these treatments can get very expensive as well as being a real chore to have to keep applying so at least if he has more time to decide what he wants that's a good start.

Finasteride is by far the best option, shampoos apart from ketoconazole (Nizoral) are all unproven treatments, minoxidil will only work in the short term and will still result in hairloss without using an anti-androgen like finasteride.

As a 23 year old I've spent over 20 grand on hair transplants because I waited too long to get on finasteride and lost a lot of hair. Stupid idea, your nephew doesn't need time, he needs to try finasteride. It's also incredibly cheap, you can cut a generic 1mg pill into quarters and it should cost under $100 a year.

 

[Jimm]

Hi everyone.

Can I get some advice on how I can help my 21 year old nephew. He has noticed he has started losing quite a bit of hair which he is really upset about.

I would really like to help him but I’m really not sure how best to start. Some products have worrying side effects and are expensive while various others make bogus claims but don’t really help.

So far I’ve looked at finasteride, minoxidil, derma rolling, laser combs and a thing called viviscan. There’s no way he would consider a wig and I think hair transplants would be out of his price range at the moment as he’s only a student.

Could anyone please give me some advice on what best to do for him?

Thanks for reading.

Finasteride is by far the best option, shampoos apart from ketoconazole (Nizoral) are all unproven treatments, minoxidil will only work in the short term and will still result in hairloss without using an anti-androgen like finasteride.

As a 23 year old I've spent over 20 grand on hair transplants because I waited too long to get on finasteride and lost a lot of hair. Stupid idea, your nephew doesn't need time, he needs to try finasteride. It's also incredibly cheap, you can cut a generic 1mg pill into quarters and it should cost under $100 a year.

The better advice is to not let your 21-year-old nephew take finasteride just because some dumbass on a hair loss forum is recommending it.

 

[JeanLucBB]

The better advice is to not let your 21-year-old nephew take finasteride just because some dumbass on a hair loss forum is recommending it.

Yeah, better to listen to the inexperienced, moronic f*** head like yourself who disregards the data and let the kid who is already upset about it go bald by his mid twenties. Which he will if he's not on finasteride, and that's an indisputable fact.

What a f*****g disgusting piece of sh*t you are.

 

[Btg]

the best advice is to tell your nephew his options and he should search byhimself and decide for himself , forum comments are contradictory concerning treatments

 

[JeanLucBB]

the best advice is to tell your nephew his options and he should search byhimself and decide for himself , forum comments are contradictory concerning treatments

Realistically, if he's like 95% of people here he'll end up losing a years worth of hair and spending $1000 on shitty supplements and laser helments before he gets on finasteride, which is the only option that works.

 

[MarylinC]

I know Finasteride does not bring back all of the hair once it's lost but what about prevention? Is it sucessful at totally stopping further loss?

I know he's also worried about if it could have any effect on libido so I'd be interested in hearing what others think.

 

[hopeforhappiness]

Hi everyone.

Can I get some advice on how I can help my 21 year old nephew. He has noticed he has started losing quite a bit of hair

This is very contradictory to this

I'm very grateful for your helpful comments.

Because he is still very young and hasn't lost extensive amounts of hair

Hair loss is very insidious in that even with handfuls coming out in the shower you may be able to look in the mirror and not see a difference. That is until one day someone makes a comment or you wake up and you do notice the difference. It’s likely the difference can not be undone. And what is worse than that is it only will get worse from there. Treatments take time to work (typically 3-6 months) and the first treatments may not even be a success. Some spend a year and two years just finding the right treatments. 2 years can easily mean 2 Norwood’s. Losing 1 Norwood can age a persons appearance by 5 years. Whatever your nephew decides it is important he knows that proven treatments are 10s of thousands of dollars cheaper than a transplant. And anyone who has balded at a young age will tell him it is completely life changing. Not a single person would recommend letting it get to that stage. Time = hair. Younger = more aggressive balding = more urgency than if he were older. The chore of a topical application is a very small price to pay.

 

[hopeforhappiness]

I know Finasteride does not bring back all of the hair once it's lost but what about prevention? Is it sucessful at totally stopping further loss?

I know he's also worried about if it could have any effect on libido so I'd be interested in hearing what others think.

If he is a responder finasteride works wonders at prevention. Libido may be affected. FDA says there is only a 2 % chance of that happening. Finasteride is typically prescribed at 1-1.25 mg a day but there are studies that show just 0.25 mg as equally effective to 1 mg due to the way the drug works. This may limit any side effects. Some have known side effects to go away over time. For some they get worse. He will only have to stay in tune with his body and decide when to increase or decrease dose, or to taper off entirely.

 

[JeanLucBB]

I know Finasteride does not bring back all of the hair once it's lost but what about prevention? Is it sucessful at totally stopping further loss?

I know he's also worried about if it could have any effect on libido so I'd be interested in hearing what others think.

The various major studies put it at about an 80-85% efficacy rate at maintenance (prevention) for the medium to long term, for most 10 years or more. About a 30% chance of minor regrowth as well.

Like Hope says sides aren't a major worry statistically but he should be aware.If he has any then likely just discontinue its use. I've been on it since I was 22 for about 18 months now with no sides at all.

 

[kj6723]

Finasteride is really his only option if he wants to maintain a full head of hair long term. minoxidil can help with regrowth but without using finasteride as well it's a losing battle

Most people's only regret, including my own, is not getting on this drug sooner

 

[MarylinC]

This has been so helpful. Thank you everyone.

I'd like to recommend him to talk to a specialist doctor about getting more advice discussing Finasteride, and maybe have some tests done. However, I am a little wary about it. One thing I do know is that I used to be a book-keeper for a guy who ran a shop selling men's hair pieces and I know most of the various people within the industry, from doctors to transplant providers, salon's etc all make and receive commission from each other for recommending clients to each other. It does make me worried about whether their recommendations are more about benefitting them or their clients.

If he does go and see a specialist hairloss doctor what kind of tests does he need to have?

 

[Btg]

This has been so helpful. Thank you everyone.

I'd like to recommend him to talk to a specialist doctor about getting more advice discussing Finasteride, and maybe have some tests done. However, I am a little wary about it. One thing I do know is that I used to be a book-keeper for a guy who ran a shop selling men's hair pieces and I know most of the various people within the industry, from doctors to transplant providers, salon's etc all make and receive commission from each other for recommending clients to each other. It does make me worried about whether their recommendations are more about benefitting them or their clients.

If he does go and see a specialist hairloss doctor what kind of tests does he need to have?

it is hard to find a doctor who knows about hairloss , even some specialists will try to rip him off with their own scammy procedures that produce no significant result ( like supposedly enhanced prps and stuff ) , some others will just prescribe vitamins and rogaine and wish him good luck , but the truth is you need a long term hairloss plan , bear in mind that hairloss at such a young age is unlikely to stop by itself and unfortunately minoxidil rarely buys people more than 2 years , so without an anti-androgen long term maintainance is probably impossible ( maybe pgd2 - inhibitors can help but they are still experimental and not proven to work )

 

[MarylinC]

I'm starting to think the best thing I can do for him is send him to this forum. Seems to be a wealth of really helpful information.

Thank you all again so much. X