Just another story - (pics)

[humpthewhales]

I'm 18 and I've been aware of my fate since I was probably 14 or so... I always had a big forehead but I could at least cover it with hair. By the time I was 16 it was getting too thin to keep long and now at 18 my life is disintegrating. I've watched my confidence be destroyed and my prospects as far as dates and respect obliterate themselves over something that really is as simple as some dead cells. I have always been somewhat neurotic, but when my hairloss began to get really bad it took over my life. I avoid mirrors and have begun to withdraw from social outings because I feel self-concious and envious of others. It's the same old story many of you are reporting... although I find some of the cases I've seen on here would be a dream come true when I compare them to my sorry situation.

I'm not the same person I used to be. I clung to the hope that I would get taller (I'm five foot eight) and that things would change for me in the way that I saw them changing for so many people around me. A guy I knew in 8th grade.. right before things began to get bad... transformed from being similar to me to being a tall, handsome cool dude, and it seems everywhere I look my friends are just beginning to develop and grow into awesome people. I feel I've shrivelled up and I often wish that I will just die somehow... struck by lightning, cancer, just something so that I don't have to get up everyday and live a life I don't enjoy. I've alienated myself from everyone, including my family, and I truly don't see why I should continue with my life... it's just not enjoyable.

Anyway, it's the same old sh*t you guys hear all the time. Here's some pics to illustrate

As you can see... it's basically thinning all over but there's no bald spot; just a massively receding hairline and nothing at the temples. If I could have my hair the same thickness it is now, but less temple recession... I'd feel a lot better. Unfortunately, I hear this is essentially the most impossible thing to accomplish. Any ideas?
I can't believe how much of a b**ch something like this had made of me... not only am I balding, but now I lack confidence and self-respect. It's like I'm not even a man.

 

[shetdedo]

hey man im in the same boat. im 20 and started balding when i was 16. this sh*t is horribly depressing but ur in better shpae than me man. uve got a nice headshape to keep ur hair buzzed or shaved like jason statham. just wrok out and start an image that dosent need hair, learn to play guitar and ull get layed just as much and then u wont be depressed and ull forget about ur hair. just busy yourself with other character enhancements and let the hair fall where it may.

 

[humpthewhales]

Thanks for the reply man, though I just don't feel like I can create such an image. Through the latter part of high school I attempted to act like it didn't bother me and that I was confident, but it just didn't translate. I felt insincere.

Everything I've read about how bald people and short people are characterized and patronized has gotten me to the point where it feels like life is a game of poker where I've been knocked out right at the beginning and now I have to sit back and watch everyone else finish their game. I'd rather just leave the table if ya know what I mean.

Anyway, I've never tried any kind of treatment... I don't know if it's even worth attempting at this point. If anyone has any paticular suggestions based on my situation I'd love to hear them. Rogaine foam on a shaved head probably wouldn't be very time-consuming, and finasteride is just a pill, but both seem futile to me at this point.. I think I'm too far-gone and genetics has dealt me a rather irreversible hand (my older brother, at 20, is similar but worse, and my dad is pretty much gone too)

 

[Follically Challenged]

You have plenty of options, including hair transplantation.

Use finasteride or dutasteride to keep what you have and regrow some. I used to recommend minoxidil but it made my face fat. Still, no harm in trying. Your temples are screwed but you can salvage what you have, and thicken up the hairline so you're recession looks less like balding.

 

[Hawaii male]

Genetics can be reversable. Get on the Big 3 and you will see.

 

[Trash]

Man looking at the pics i would say the shaved look suits you quite good

Dont get me wrong i m NOT gay lol but i think your looking not bad judging from the pics

well anyways just keep the head up..

 

[Aplunk1]

Hair looks good, my friend.

This is what you need to do.

Get a cup of coffee, and go on a long walk.


There are many things you need to realize and think about.


1) You have options! Don't tell yourself you don't.

2) Your hair is NOT a judging factor of WHO you are.

3) Consider getting on the BIG 3.

4) Keep your hair short for right now. There's little recession, and it looks pretty good on you. Keep the burns/beard.



If you get on the BIG 3, then you MUST make a committment to say on it, take pictures, and be PATIENT!

I'd offer better advice if I weren't so incredibly hungover.


But, so you know, I was 19 when I first had a baldspot and quick recession.


I'm 21 now. Look at my website below. I'm maintaining on my regimen, with regrowth.

 

[btp11]

let me be the second in this thread to preface this with "im not gay", but it doesnt look bad at all. like me and a lot of others, half of the confidence problems are due to what you know you will look like years down the road - keep that in mind! live for now, when your hair doesn't look bad. go out and get the big 4 - the 4th being a chick! (not a "big" chick, just a normal one :lol: ).

 

[Aplunk1]

go out and get the big 4 - the 4th being a chick! (not a "big" chick, just a normal one :lol: ).

Heh, I like that.

That should be apart of everyone's regimen.

 

[Guest]

Too early for shaving it off, imo. You still have lots of hair. Grow it out and nobody will see you as balding. Use it as long as you can! Good Luck!

 

[humpthewhales]

Thanks for the comments. Unfortunately, it looks bad when it grows in and I can never stand to let it do so because I become too frustrated with it. I recently shaved it down even further.. but I am really beginning to consider a regimen.

I don't know if I should go with dutasteride or finasteride - I don't really know the advantages and drawbacks to either - I simply know that there's a good chance I'll get b**ch tits and a weiner that doesn't work. Any advice on that front? Which one will work better for my situation?

I'm considering starting to use the rogaine foam as well, since it seems really easy to use and on a short head of hair such as mine could just be rubbed right into the scalp and would take no more than a few seconds a day. I've been taking MSM for the last few days, but this alone won't help me.

So that would be it... dutasteride or finasteride along with rogaine foam and msm. Opinions? Anything else that should be considered?

 

[dem]

I don't know if I should go with dutasteride or finasteride - I don't really know the advantages and drawbacks to either - I simply know that there's a good chance I'll get b**** tits and a weiner that doesn't work. Any advice on that front? Which one will work better for my situation?
Opinions? Anything else that should be considered?

It never hurts to try finasteride. All that can come of it is perhaps keeping your hair or even growing more hair. If for some reason you feel wierd or have any sides that you are uncomfortable with you can lower your dosage or cut it completely. Why not? try a months supply to see and go from there.

 

[baldstudent]

This is my first reply on this forum, but I know how you feel. I started to lose my hair when I was 15. It sucks. Right now I have been on Propecia for 10 months with a big decrease in fall out. Listen to these guys and get on the big three. Working out can help you with your self esteem. I started working out 2 years ago, it really helps with confidence.

 

[Guest]

Yes, you should definetly give finasteride a try. All you have to lose is some money and some temporary side effects. You should also add Nizoral shampoo, feels a lot better on your head after applying it!

 

[humpthewhales]

Why finasteride over dutasteride? Any paticular reason?

Also... how likely is regrowth in my situation? At this point simple maintenance doesn't seem like enough... I mean, I think it already looks pretty f*****g bad. I know this is an impossible question to answer based on family history yadda yadda...but humour me.

Also Taugenichts, if I still have lots of hair, then you are a wookie, so I wouldn't sweat your situation. I'd trade with you in a second.

I suppose everyone thinks that other people's hairloss doesn't look that bad, but let me assure you, I have gone through the phases of "well, it's not that bad", "well, it's kind of bad", "well, it's getting really bad", and I'm now at the "AWW f***" point.

 

[Guest]

Hello humpthewhales,

sorry for the confusion. I didn´t want to make fun of you or something. Hope you didn´t get that wrong. Yes, I know that my hair is better than about 90% of HairLossTalk.com users. So what, I am not happy about it and I am definetly thinning and receding. I don´t want to change, for a 18 years old teenager your hair looks pretty bad, that´s my honest opinion, BUT you still have most of your hair. So why shave it off? You still can do that when you are a Norwood 4-5, at the moment, you are about a Norwood 2,5-3. Why not use it as long as you can? Your hair looks a lot like Aplunk1´s (apart from color). When it is grown it looked much better than with a buzz cut and the thinning was hardly visible. I thought similiar results might be seen on your head. Sorry again, if I was wrong!

 

[CCS]

humpthewhales,

your hair is a NW2 with diffuse thinning in a NW5 pattern. I think my regimen could at least stop the thinning, though I recommend my spironolactone instead of eucapil. I'll get my web site organised too.

I'm almost 5'8" myself. I think hair matters more to women than height does. Maybe even as much as penis size. Your height does give you a disadvantage, but not one you can't make up for. Your hair should be your main concern. That and doing well in school.

Hair loss does that to people. I'm sure if the most popular, stable people saw clumps of their hair falling out, they would freak. Life can suck when you can't get a pretty girlfriend. But think of the times you've gone hiking or gone to the beach or done something else really fun, and ask yourself if you'd rather be dead than do that as a single person. And ask yourself if you think a 10% chance of fixing your hair some day and getting sex just once in your life would be worth the long wait and struggle, instead of just dying now. I thought of all this, and decided that there are some fun things in life, and it is worth living even as a permanantly single guy. Yeah, I don't credit it to the women who don't give a sh^t about me, or the guys for that matter, but it still is the truth that even if there is a big whole in your happiness, it still is better than dying. I'm not saying work 60 hours a week, but set goals and get ahead just enough that you can buy some basic luxuries and afford a rafting trip here and there. I'm guessing you don't have a car, and feel like life really sucks without one. Well lean on your successful friends to take you on trips with them, and take charge of your goals, since no one else can accomplish them for you. You'll get where you want eventually. There is some really cool technology coming out. You might look 25 at 65 if you can afford the new technology. So your youth is not gone yet if you can just get ahead.

 

[LookingGood!]

humpthewhales,

your hair is a NW2 with diffuse thinning in a NW5 pattern. I think my regimen could at least stop the thinning, though I recommend my spironolactone instead of eucapil. I'll get my web site organised too.

I'm almost 5'8" myself. I think hair matters more to women than height does. Maybe even as much as penis size. Your height does give you a disadvantage, but not one you can't make up for. Your hair should be your main concern. That and doing well in school.

Hair loss does that to people. I'm sure if the most popular, stable people saw clumps of their hair falling out, they would freak. Life can suck when you can't get a pretty girlfriend. But think of the times you've gone hiking or gone to the beach or done something else really fun, and ask yourself if you'd rather be dead than do that as a single person. And ask yourself if you think a 10% chance of fixing your hair some day and getting sex just once in your life would be worth the long wait and struggle, instead of just dying now. I thought of all this, and decided that there are some fun things in life, and it is worth living even as a permanantly single guy. Yeah, I don't credit it to the women who don't give a sh^t about me, or the guys for that matter, but it still is the truth that even if there is a big whole in your happiness, it still is better than dying. I'm not saying work 60 hours a week, but set goals and get ahead just enough that you can buy some basic luxuries and afford a rafting trip here and there. I'm guessing you don't have a car, and feel like life really sucks without one. Well lean on your successful friends to take you on trips with them, and take charge of your goals, since no one else can accomplish them for you. You'll get where you want eventually. There is some really cool technology coming out. You might look 25 at 65 if you can afford the new technology. So your youth is not gone yet if you can just get ahead.

Hair matters most to women? Penis size???? Height? DUde you are a living testament of what men with little confidence think of. Grab your balls and get tough. Bald men get laid man. Penis size, unless you have 2 inches is not a defining difference. Did someone say you are small?? Get out more! You spend more time on these boards then in a bar or club where girls are. Do you even try? Give better advise or just dont say anything! Jeez! :freaked2:

 

[humpthewhales]

Hair matters most to women? Penis size???? Height? DUde you are a living testament of what men with little confidence think of. Grab your balls and get tough. Bald men get laid man. Penis size, unless you have 2 inches is not a defining difference. Did someone say you are small?? Get out more! You spend more time on these boards then in a bar or club where girls are. Do you even try? Give better advise or just dont say anything! Jeez! :freaked2:

I don't know if you're a dude or a lady, but based on your use of the word 'man' I'm going with... man.

Anyway, personally I'd like more than anything to agree with you, but for some reason I just have trouble with it. Being bald and short, especially at a young age, really does f*** up a lot of your chances. I'm not saying that everyone under these circumstances is completely screwed, but you are at least somewhat screwed. I think it varies from individual to individual, and I think the loss of confidence and the perceived sense of inferiority contribute to the loss of charisma and attractiveness more than the physical symptoms themselves, but nonetheless the physical traits set you back too.

I guess what I'm saying is that I wish I was a ladykiller, but I'm not, so I've become a sad, introverted little sh*t with no confidence. Funny how that happens. Anyway, I'm at the point where I think my hair is a douchebag anyway and he can just leave my head entirely if he thinks he's too cool to put in an honest day's work. I just wish that I had other qualities and physical characteristics that made up for all my flaws, in particular my hair and height. I mean, realistically, some guys are good looking whether or not they have hair, and some aren't good looking either way, and unfortunately for those of us in the second category, the world becomes an empty, vacuous, loveless (including self-love) place to exist.

 

[Follically Challenged]

hump,

I know how you are feeling about looks. I too basically have my happiness determined by how attractive i think i am in that moment in time. Sometimes I look good, sometimes I don't, and I always have hairloss going on right now, but I got hair transplants so I know that will be improved or even great soon enough.

Hiar transplants can deliver for you your hair back, if you want to take the chance. Sounds to me like you don't have alot to live for, so why not go for it. You can make the money...really easily if you become a truck driver. Sure the job sucks but you can make 50 grand a year easy. Maybe that will give you your hair...and you move on from there.

Don't kill yourself...maybe one day you get your hair back (chances are pretty good really, with hair transplants) and you make some money in the stocks, and you get yourself a nice home somewhere with a girl who is cute and sweet. Don't kill yourself because you weren't given these things on a silver platter. Sure it sucks getting there but if you ever get there, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and will appreciate it that much more.

Get on propecia or dutasteride.