Giveandgo's Story - (23)

[giveandgo]

Hey everyone. I'm 23 and I've been losing my hair for a couple years. It got pretty noticeable quickly and I started using Toppik to conceal it. I was using Rogaine but didn't seem to be seeing results, possibly because I wasn't combining it with finasteride. Anyway, recently my hairloss got really bad and I decided to talk to my doctor. He put me on proscar and I started on kirkland minoxidil. I feel like I'm balding in a really weird way, in a strip down the middle instead of the normal pattern. I've been tempted just to stop the toppik and cut the hair really short, but since I have no clue what it would look like and I can't go from looking totally covered (the toppik does wonders) to totally bald right away, I have no clue how to do that. Does anyone have any thoughts?

 

[LooseItAll]

Re: Giveandgo's Story- 23 Years Old

Well you've got super aggressive hairloss, that NW5A at the age of 23. I think saving your hair is unlikely to happen but its always worth giving meds a shot.

Just take proscar, buy some minoxidil and wait.

 

[FSHGLD]

Re: Giveandgo's Story- 23 Years Old

I would say you'll almost definitely look better with a shaved/buzzed head. Honestly, what have you got to lose? Do you like your hair now? You could buy an electric razor with all the guards for £10-£15.
You'll have a bit of stubble at the top and won't look the same as a totally bald guy, and if you keep using finasteride and minoxidil, you'll hopefully regrow a bit.
I think your chances of regrowing most/all of your hair are very slim, but ask yourself if a small (or maybe rreasonable?) improvement/retaining the status quo is worth it to you.

 

[hopeofhair]

Your hairloss is very similar to mine with a thin strip down the middle. I would give meds a try. I've been on 0.5 mg of Propecia daily for 4 months now and my hair is starting to thicken up (I will post updated pics soon).

I know most will say shave it but its whether you are comfortable doing that. Try the meds and keep on the toppik.

 

[Wuffer]

You don't appear to have any completely 'slick' bald spots, so you might have some decent success with finasteride. Definitely give it a try for a year; there is a good chance you could see some nice results.

 

[giveandgo]

Thanks for the responses. It just happened relatively quickly and so far, I've been able to conceal it. People don't get how frustrating and stressful hairloss can be

 

[Wuffer]

People don't get how frustrating and stressful hairloss can be

That's why you're here, where we all understand!

I think concealers are great, but people sometimes rely on them too much and cover up the fact that they really need to treat the hair loss. After a while, even concealers won't cover things up, and then it's a bit too late to start treatment.

You are still in a pretty good position; you have really good coverage and I think you could see great benefit from treatments.

Be sure to take progress pictures!

 

[cuebald]

If I were you I'd get on finasteride and minoxidil, finasteride to stop any further decay (and maybe thicken a few of the miniaturised hairs a tad) and minoxidil for further thickness. That then should allow you to still use concealers for many years, and hopefully the treatments will thicken your hair enough not to give anyone a shock when they see you without the Toppik. You might even get lucky and have great results = enough to not need the concealer any more.
I'd at least try that rather than buzzing it all off and forgetting about it (and then possibly regretting it a few years down the line when chances of success would be slimmer)

 

[giveandgo]

If I were you I'd get on finasteride and minoxidil, finasteride to stop any further decay (and maybe thicken a few of the miniaturised hairs a tad) and minoxidil for further thickness. That then should allow you to still use concealers for many years, and hopefully the treatments will thicken your hair enough not to give anyone a shock when they see you without the Toppik. You might even get lucky and have great results = enough to not need the concealer any more.
I'd at least try that rather than buzzing it all off and forgetting about it (and then possibly regretting it a few years down the line when chances of success would be slimmer)

Yeah, this is what I'm going to do. About how long is average to see results when combining finasteride and minoxidil? I know it takes awhile for hair to grow, but I would imagine that things should look a little thicker just by virtue of the fact that hairs should stop falling out while remaining hairs are still growing.

 

[giveandgo]

Out of curiosity, does anyone think a hair transplant might be an option for me? The hair on the back is pretty thick. Also, what type/extent of hair transplant would someone like me be considering, and about how much does it cost? Thanks!