Is there anyway back from a horse shoe at 23?

[Jaae]

Yep, I'm fucked.

Noticed I was losing it at 15 and it has really ruined my life.

Confidence - Destroyed
Education - Now a waste
Social Life - Non-existant
Relationships - None
Employment - Struggling

The worse my hair gets, the worse I feel. I am left with hair at the sides, bar some peach fuzz on top, and I yearn for the days when I only had a receding hairline. It's the deterioration of thickness on top that has caused me most grief. I was still able to grow my hair out a fair length without it looking too ridiculous but there is not a chance of that now, it's way too thin. I'm having to buzz down to a #1 regularly and my horse shoe is still visible. It's horrible.

I was diagnosed with depression a few months back and responded well to anti-depressants at first. I seem to have stalled again though and I've been feeling down a lot recently. I can't believe how early I have been struck by this crap.

Is there anything I can do to at least thicken my hair a little to ease up the prominent horse shoe line? I never tried anything back when I first noticed I was balding, which I guess is a regret now, and I'm worrying it might be just too late. Maybe minoxidil will thicken my hair a little, but I just can't afford £80 a bottle as I'm unemployed.

I often day dream of what my life would be like if I hadn't started losing my hair so young. Life must be fun when you are confident about yourself. So many things you can do. But my self-esteem is a complete wreck and when I look at myself I'm knocked right back down.

Still hoping for that miracle cure!

 

[HairPieceMan]

maybe concealers like dermatch or nanogen.

but if you're a true horshoe you need to have wigs becuase your too far gone for transplants.

 

[Ori83]

The only thing you can and should do, is to work on yourself, get a proper education, focus on having fun, make money, have hobbies, im not a horseshoe yet, im not that far behind, and i can say that the only aspect it fucks up is the girls aspect, other then this, everything else remained intact so just think of it as an oppertonity to work on other, more fulfilling things...

 

[Jaae]

The only thing you can and should do, is to work on yourself, get a proper education, focus on having fun, make money, have hobbies, im not a horseshoe yet, im not that far behind, and i can say that the only aspect it fucks up is the girls aspect, other then this, everything else remained intact so just think of it as an oppertonity to work on other, more fulfilling things...

But this is what bothers me most. I want to have meaningful relationships with people. But who would care for me when I don't care for myself?

I've had several opportunities to be happy with a girl but have blown it through self doubt and lack of confidence. When it's happening I pretend it doesn't bother me that much, but when I look back the missed oppotunities have hurt me alot. I have far too many regrets for a 23 year old.

I am working on myself with anti-depressants, CBT and regular gym sessions to hopefully get some confidence in my appearance. But it's going to take time until I get to a stage where I think I could actually be happy for once. Years, in fact. And I have already wasted so much time.

 

[Ori83]

There are two ways to go about it (from what i've seen over the years here on the forum)

You can either cry and halt your life, or you can proceed and be successful in other areas and find your satisfaction there, neither will change the hairs on your head (or lack-of that is).
so do your own math and choose what fits you best... putting a smile or crying, again, neither will change the reality on your head!!

 

[Ori83]

Unfutunatly we didnt have a say in our situation, but we get to chose how to deal with it.... i hope i made my point clear.

and yes, i have my ups and downs but with time, i learn to deal with this sh*t situation and i can honestly say that, although im not as attractive as i used to (sadly) i do have confidence, and i enjoy whatever i can, and i still go to collage and get myself educated because no pussy in the world will do that for me !!! at the end of the day, im the one who will provide for myself and id rather have a career then an end job...

 

[Lloyd Braun]

Jaae, I understand entirely. I'm 23 as well and my hairline is horrible. Hair loss is the most terrible thing and our young lives would be so much different if we weren't inflicted with it. There's other problems in life but none like hair loss--it's always there and always distressing. Anti-depressants, in my opinion, are not going to get you anywhere if the reason for your depression is baldness. If you're like me, the hair issue is so fundamental that you would have to be in a coma to cure the depression caused by it.

I would recommend that you get on finasteride or dutasteride asap. Maybe try oral spironolactone if you are desperate. You may be lucky and get good enough regrowth so that you can use hair fibers to achieve a full, thick look. minoxidil is a good idea and there is no reason to pay $150 per bottle. Amazon has the Kirkland brand for about $26 for six bottles (each one month supply). Otherwise just wait for the cure or until you can afford a hair transplant. That's what I'm going to do. Of course, it is hard being in the mental state that we're in to become rich enough to get a top notch hair transplant. That is why you may be a proponent of my hair transplant tax.

 

[Joe-1991]

The only thing you can and should do, is to work on yourself, get a proper education, focus on having fun, make money, have hobbies, im not a horseshoe yet, im not that far behind, and i can say that the only aspect it fucks up is the girls aspect, other then this, everything else remained intact so just think of it as an oppertonity to work on other, more fulfilling things...

This is the best advice you are going to get. You just have to get up and do it. If a girl like you then just go with the flow, have lots of sex.

I am in the same situation at 20 - very bald and finasteride has ruined my sex life. Trust me, you don't realize how lucky you are until you have a REAL health issue.

 

[fodandahalf]

Aside from all the 'work on your confidence' suggestions, there are ways to look younger. A lot of people are against the idea of scalp micropigmentation but I reckon it looks great. Check out the gallery on www.hishairclinic.com. Not only would you feel great for it, but you wouldn't have to worry about it washing off, falling off etc like you would with temporary concealers/ wigs.

 

[Lloyd Braun]

Trust me, you don't realize how lucky you are until you have a REAL health issue.

I have arthritis too and, if I could cure that or give myself a Norwood 1, I would do the latter. There isn't even really a real choice there. The hairline makes me sad, holds me back, etc. but not so much with the arthritis. Arthritis flare-ups have been pretty damn painful for me (5 minutes to get down the stairs, for example) when they happen but any disability imposed by that is acceptable in society. It's just not something I care about much anymore. I used to hate it but then I noticed my hairline had receded and then it wasn't so bad at all. Now, if I was injured or crippled (by arthritis or otherwise) to the point where I had to be in a wheelchair, than I would care about that more. I wouldn't accept those conditions in exchange for a Norwood 1.

As I've said before, I'd permanently give up my sex drive for a permanent Norwood 1. A sex drive isn't bad thing--that's for sure--but my hairline just dwarfs any concerns going on there.

 

[s.a.f]

And this guys like a NW2 max :shock:

 

[LooseItAll]

Yeah it is ridiculous. Crying over you hairline, when you still have a full head of hair. Man up.

 

[Lloyd Braun]

Yeah it is ridiculous. Crying over you hairline, when you still have a full head of hair. Man up.

The OP does not have a "full head of hair," if what he says is true.

 

[Jaae]

It says in the title I have a horse shoe. Even buzzing down to 0 it's noticeable.

I wish I had a hairline at the front!

 

[Lloyd Braun]

It says in the title I have a horse shoe. Even buzzing down to 0 it's noticeable.

I wish I had a hairline at the front!

I have a hairline at the front--if you want to call it that. Trust me, you should say "I wish I had a good hairline at the front." The good part really does matter since an f***ed up receding asymmetrical hairline is no good.

 

[uncomfortable man]

It says in the title I have a horse shoe. Even buzzing down to 0 it's noticeable.

I wish I had a hairline at the front!

I have a hairline at the front--if you want to call it that. Trust me, you should say "I wish I had a good hairline at the front." The good part really does matter since an f***ed up receding asymmetrical hairline is no good.

Yeah but your just a boy so what do you know?

 

[Lloyd Braun]

[quote="Lloyd Braun":19zgvrfp]

It says in the title I have a horse shoe. Even buzzing down to 0 it's noticeable.

I wish I had a hairline at the front!

I have a hairline at the front--if you want to call it that. Trust me, you should say "I wish I had a good hairline at the front." The good part really does matter since an f***ed up receding asymmetrical hairline is no good.

Yeah but your just a boy so what do you know?[/quote:19zgvrfp]

I haven't been a boy for over five years. Besides, having male pattern baldness pretty much makes me a man whether I want to be or not. Part of the reason I hate it is because I still want to be a "kid." But it won't matter much now because I'm exiting the early twenties. It's such an outrage that I was robbed of my youth. Yeah, I know I'm not the only one around here, but I'm just saying...

 

[slipy]

you think you got robbed? how is a guy early 20's with horseshoe supposed to feel? Norwood 2 would actually be the hairline of my preference.

but i agree with you on something - i've had health issues since my teenage years and yet im more concerned about how balding affects my mental health. i can handle physical pain but the emotional torment this has caused me is too intense.

 

[LooseItAll]

Yeah it is ridiculous. Crying over you hairline, when you still have a full head of hair. Man up.

The OP does not have a "full head of hair," if what he says is true.

Pardon. That was directed towards you my firend...

 

[fodandahalf]

You'd choose arthritis over keeping a norwood 2?? I'd take arthritis if it meant I could have a norwood 2! I'm pretty much a norwood 3 at 18 years old and I know I don't have it that bad.