Okay guys so here's my story...
I'm 21 years old and I've had a receding hairline probably since I was about 17. Since then the front of my scalp has always been shortening in length as well. I'm not really sure how to explain, but it's almost as if I'm unable to grow the front top of my scalp past a couple inches in length. I see a lot of guys with thinning hair on this site but they can still grow it long and slick it back, which is the exact opposite to how my hair grows. In addition, in the past 2 years or so this area has started to thin considerably. Being very blond, I suppose it's easier for me to conceal it with everything brushed forwards and swooped a bit in the front. However, as it gets thinner this has obviously become harder and harder to do.
I previously tried minoxidil (5%) for about 5 months and made a number of mistakes. I would very often miss using it because I would sleep in different beds, be at other people's houses, etc. It's also incredibly annoying stuff to apply and is very obvious when applied to blond hair like mine. In addition, I was increasingly getting very painful itching and redness along with flaking which was becoming impossible to handle. I would scratch my head at times to relieve the itching and have to brush away 30 hairs from my desk or whatever was in front of me. Stupidly, I never took any before pictures prior to using minoxidil and therefore I can't be sure if it actually had any benefit to me in that time. After stopping using it, the next 4-5 months until this point I have had major shedding and the itchiness has continued. I'm not sure if this is just my body getting rid of any hair I've grown or what. I have since started using Nizoral and my scalp is pretty much back to normal.
About a week ago I decided to see the doctor and ask about finasteride. I was incredibly worried about the side effects, but I decided to give it a go anyways. I think my baldness is a combination of genetics (father is bald as well as mom's dad) and large amounts of testosterone (had chest hair at 16, acne, lots of muscle mass). I was prescribed proscar at 1.25mg per day and have been using it since July 5th, 2011. I still have the 5% Minoxidil left over and will start using that again, along with the Nizoral. So I'll be hitting my scalp with the big 3 and see where that takes me.
I've attached a couple of pictures for you guys to see where I'm at with my hair. I would never wear my hair this way, but what I've done is taken a fine comb and brushed backwards so you can see what I mean by the hair at the front being shorter than the back. Oddly enough, my crown is not very thin, it seems to be just the front. The first picture is with flash, the 2nd is not. I realize it also looks silly with the tan line on my scalp and I apologize for that.
http://imgur.com/OZ7Uol&0lhkO&1wjM4
Anyways please give me any advice you may have at this point and I'll try to keep updating regularly with pictures. I've read a lot of inspiring stories on this site and I want to have success so I can inspire others. Wish me luck!
I'm 21 years old and I've had a receding hairline probably since I was about 17. Since then the front of my scalp has always been shortening in length as well. I'm not really sure how to explain, but it's almost as if I'm unable to grow the front top of my scalp past a couple inches in length. I see a lot of guys with thinning hair on this site but they can still grow it long and slick it back, which is the exact opposite to how my hair grows. In addition, in the past 2 years or so this area has started to thin considerably. Being very blond, I suppose it's easier for me to conceal it with everything brushed forwards and swooped a bit in the front. However, as it gets thinner this has obviously become harder and harder to do.
I previously tried minoxidil (5%) for about 5 months and made a number of mistakes. I would very often miss using it because I would sleep in different beds, be at other people's houses, etc. It's also incredibly annoying stuff to apply and is very obvious when applied to blond hair like mine. In addition, I was increasingly getting very painful itching and redness along with flaking which was becoming impossible to handle. I would scratch my head at times to relieve the itching and have to brush away 30 hairs from my desk or whatever was in front of me. Stupidly, I never took any before pictures prior to using minoxidil and therefore I can't be sure if it actually had any benefit to me in that time. After stopping using it, the next 4-5 months until this point I have had major shedding and the itchiness has continued. I'm not sure if this is just my body getting rid of any hair I've grown or what. I have since started using Nizoral and my scalp is pretty much back to normal.
About a week ago I decided to see the doctor and ask about finasteride. I was incredibly worried about the side effects, but I decided to give it a go anyways. I think my baldness is a combination of genetics (father is bald as well as mom's dad) and large amounts of testosterone (had chest hair at 16, acne, lots of muscle mass). I was prescribed proscar at 1.25mg per day and have been using it since July 5th, 2011. I still have the 5% Minoxidil left over and will start using that again, along with the Nizoral. So I'll be hitting my scalp with the big 3 and see where that takes me.
I've attached a couple of pictures for you guys to see where I'm at with my hair. I would never wear my hair this way, but what I've done is taken a fine comb and brushed backwards so you can see what I mean by the hair at the front being shorter than the back. Oddly enough, my crown is not very thin, it seems to be just the front. The first picture is with flash, the 2nd is not. I realize it also looks silly with the tan line on my scalp and I apologize for that.
http://imgur.com/OZ7Uol&0lhkO&1wjM4
Anyways please give me any advice you may have at this point and I'll try to keep updating regularly with pictures. I've read a lot of inspiring stories on this site and I want to have success so I can inspire others. Wish me luck!