Am I losing hair? ****ADVICE NEEDED*** 21 YEAR OLD MALE

[trynotoccasin45]

Hello, I am a 21 year old guy. Since I was young ive always had a big forehead. Ive been seeing some gaps in my hair and sometimes it looks like nothing, but sometimes it looks like my hair is going. My mom's side has all full head of hair for the most part. Also my dads side has full hair also. Except him. I can tell my hair is based off my moms off of my forehead and texture. I started putting a mixture of castor and coconut oil once a week. I feel like I should go see a dermatologist but I don't wanna go on any formations that I don't need to. Should I be worried based off the pics. If so what can I do to stop it from its tracks. I know some people will say just accept it and move on, but I do not like the way I look without hair. I do not drink or smoke, and I eat clean for the most part.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

It's sort of eh. If I were you, I would start treatment right away.

 

[trynotoccasin45]

It's sort of eh. If I were you, I would start treatment right away.

Understood, so what type of treatment would you say?

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Understood, so what type of treatment would you say?

If you want to avoid finasteride for the time being, then keto 2 percent shampoo and 2 percent minoxidil.

 

[trynotoccasin45]

Understood Thanks so much. Would u say its possible to stop it and I'm at the early stages or is it worse?

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Understood Thanks so much. Would u say its possible to stop it and I'm at the early stages or is it worse?

I think you at least have a good chance to halt it and maybe thicken it up some more. You are losing mostly in the corners and that can be hard to restore too I would go ahead. The two that I mention should help avoid sheds. That's why I think Minoxidil two percent is best to start and then you can go up to five percent if you need more oomph.

 

[trynotoccasin45]

Thank you so much, I will definitely start doing that. Really appreciate the help!

 

[1919]

Your crown is thinning a little but you may be able to recover to a great density or maintain it as is. Please don't be worried, your issues are not noticeable to a normal person.
Id start by researching different treatments including finasteride, minoxidil, and ketoconazole. There can be potential side effects with any medication you decide to take which brings me to my next point. You should definitely consult with a trichologist or dermatologist if you want to start treatment. Having someone accountable for medical intervention will keep you safer.
Beware, not all dermatologists care about your health and outcomes. It is likely a derm will end up trying to sell you bullshit treatments. For example, many on here argue that PRP and Laser helmets do not work (the science doesnt back treatment). I would try to stick with finasteride and minoxidil. Unless you have a lot of money to spare PRP seems to be a hit or miss for many but the docs will only show you the rare patients who improve.
Good luck!

 

[trynotoccasin45]

Really appreciate the Feedback! Thank you! so what do u reccomened when looking for a Dermatologist? how do you know if they actually care about your health and don't want BS you. look at reviews? im planning on consulting a dermatologist in the coming days. What should I look out for in specific?

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Really appreciate the Feedback! Thank you! so what do u reccomened when looking for a Dermatologist? how do you know if they actually care about your health and don't want BS you. look at reviews? im planning on consulting a dermatologist in the coming days. What should I look out for in specific?

Seeing an endocrinologist instead and ask the receptionist if they often treat hair loss or transgender hormonal treatments since they are related in terms of knowledge accumulation. Some endos, rightfully so only focus on cancer and serious life-threatening hormonal issues. Dermatologists often seem to have a curtailed knowledge of hormonal meds and almost by definition, take their issues less seriously. Remember Seinfeld and the "pimple-popper" doctor reference on Seinfeld?

 

[1919]

Really appreciate the Feedback! Thank you! so what do u reccomened when looking for a Dermatologist? how do you know if they actually care about your health and don't want BS you. look at reviews? im planning on consulting a dermatologist in the coming days. What should I look out for in specific?

In my opinion, a good trichologist will walk you through your options and not force you in one direction. Since you are 21, they should not be pushing for transplantation but rather to help you create a long term plan (also known as a master plan) to help you keep your hair. They should explain the limitations of transplantation. For example, the fact that you may run out of donor hair if you perform hair transplants too early.
Before making any choices in terms of treatment, you may also consult this forum to get a second opinion. As long as you dont rush into anything, you will be okay.
TBH, there isnt much to know about hairloss. Most of the information can be found online.
I think visiting an endocrinologist is another good approach, but I personally dont have much experience there.
A final note is that forums can often be depressing and bring you down. Try staying out of negative posts because they rarely have any substance.
Dont forget that the option to go fully bald and just not care about your hair is still there. You can even do this temporarily before getting a transplant or waiting for future treatment or cures that may be just around the corner (or not).
Best of luck.

 

[trynotoccasin45]

Understood! Thank you to the both of you! really appreciate it. So yes I have been looking at endocrinologist and dermatologist. I would prefer to actually go to a doctor rather then a trichologist. As for someone like me who is studying to become a doctor lol I would like to see a person more knowledge in terms of the whole body. So ive been doing some research and found a Dermatologist office and the reviews are good and on thing I saw is that they promote the plasma blood therapy, in which- im sure you guys know about, take blood and inject into scalp. Whats your opinion on that?

 

[1919]

Understood! Thank you to the both of you! really appreciate it. So yes I have been looking at endocrinologist and dermatologist. I would prefer to actually go to a doctor rather then a trichologist. As for someone like me who is studying to become a doctor lol I would like to see a person more knowledge in terms of the whole body. So ive been doing some research and found a Dermatologist office and the reviews are good and on thing I saw is that they promote the plasma blood therapy, in which- im sure you guys know about, take blood and inject into scalp. Whats your opinion on that?

The treatment you are talking about is called PRP. I touched on this a little bit before:

Unless you have a lot of money to spare PRP seems to be a hit or miss for many but the docs will only show you the rare patients who improve.
Good luck!

You can try search about PRP on this forum or on reddit's r/tressless for peoples opinion. Anecdotally, it is a hit or miss. Some get results, most dont.
Statistically, PRP is not a proven treatment. You can read about the conclusions of PRP research here: https://www.healthline.com/health/prp-hair-treatment-success-rate#does-prp-work-for-hair.
As aforementioned, In my opinion, if you have the money, go for it, but do not expect anything out of it. Doctor will show you pics that it works, but never pics that it doesn't. Keep in mind that cosmetic doctors are the wolves of wall street in the medical field.
There's also Low-Level Laser Therapy or something which is unproven much like PRP: https://www.healthline.com/health/laser-treatment-for-hair-loss#benefits.

 

[DrHerway]

Understood! Thank you to the both of you! really appreciate it. So yes I have been looking at endocrinologist and dermatologist. I would prefer to actually go to a doctor rather then a trichologist. As for someone like me who is studying to become a doctor lol I would like to see a person more knowledge in terms of the whole body. So ive been doing some research and found a Dermatologist office and the reviews are good and on thing I saw is that they promote the plasma blood therapy, in which- im sure you guys know about, take blood and inject into scalp. Whats your opinion on that?

At your age and progression if male pattern baldness, I would steer clear of PRP. Its expensive, not a proven therapy, and unlikely to be something you can do periodically throughout life.

 

[jazz1]

You seen a dermatologist?

 

[DrHerway]

Your hair loss is not significant from the photos and someone who doesn't know the baseline hairline and thickness of your hair won't be able to tell. But generally if a patient notices a thinning in an male pattern baldness distribution and there is a genetic predisposition, then its usually real. My only caution before beginning treatment is that you have to be committed to treatment. If you aren't sure if you are experiencing hair loss and/or aren't committed to treat it, I would wait until you meet both criteria. Minoxidil application is a hassle and finasteride can come.with side effects. So until you are committed to therapy, its not worth starting. Other treatments are not proven effective and I would not waste time.or money or hair on anything beyond minoxidil and/or finasteride until you have a stable regimen on one or the other or both.

 

[DoctorHouse]

Your hair loss is not significant from the photos and someone who doesn't know the baseline hairline and thickness of your hair won't be able to tell. But generally if a patient notices a thinning in an male pattern baldness distribution and there is a genetic predisposition, then its usually real. My only caution before beginning treatment is that you have to be committed to treatment. If you aren't sure if you are experiencing hair loss and/or aren't committed to treat it, I would wait until you meet both criteria. Minoxidil application is a hassle and finasteride can come.with side effects. So until you are committed to therapy, its not worth starting. Other treatments are not proven effective and I would not waste time.or money or hair on anything beyond minoxidil and/or finasteride until you have a stable regimen on one or the other or both.

@DrHerway Are you working in a hairloss clinic?

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

@DrHerway Are you working in a hairloss clinic?

If a person finds once to twice daily application of minoxidil to be a "hassle" then indeed, such a person should just give up. That is the statement of someone who is looking for a reason not to get help and we see it everyday on here and on Tressless: "oh boo hoo!. You mean I have to use minoxidil (finasteride) the rest of my life?"

Yep, either that or castration and castration in itself generally only stops the progression of hair loss, it does not reverse it.