- Reaction score
- 88
Update: Appreciate the effort guys. Actually I don't want to block my systemic DHT at this age.
I am trying other treatments once again.
I am trying other treatments once again.
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Rate my hair at age 18 and give advice
- Thread starter YoungBalder15
- Start date
Considering whether to do a hair transplant so early into your hair loss is a terrible idea.
First find out the true cause of your hair loss from a dermatologist who will get some blood tests done.
Then once you know what the true diagnosis is, report back here, then only can people help you.
No point trying to apply solutions that might not even be relevant to your specific type of hairloss. That is why understanding the root cause of your hair loss is the first step. Because different problems have completely different solutions.
First find out the true cause of your hair loss from a dermatologist who will get some blood tests done.
Then once you know what the true diagnosis is, report back here, then only can people help you.
No point trying to apply solutions that might not even be relevant to your specific type of hairloss. That is why understanding the root cause of your hair loss is the first step. Because different problems have completely different solutions.
- Reaction score
- 88
I went to doctor. I tested blood thyroid, testosterone, vitamin D, zinc all levels were tested and they are fine. Doctor said it is androgenic alopecia. And he prescribed minoxidil and finasteride. I was 17 then. I used minoxidil and stopped. What other blood test or diagnosis should I do?
Usually Androgenic Alopecia (Androgenetic Alopecia) doesn't affect people at such a young age as 15 years old. Also it doesn't affect your hair on other places of your body besides your head. Also, even when it does affect your hair on your scalp, it only affects the top of your scalp, hairline, and crown area of your scalp. Yours seems way too widespread (across your whole head), aggressive and diffuse especially for your age.
Did you use Finasteride? Also, what side effects did you get on Minoxidil?
There's a wide possibility of conditions that could be the cause of your hairloss. The fact that you have hairloss on your eyebrows and diffuse hairloss across your entire scalp can be a good indicator that the cause is something other than Androgenetic Alopecia.
You could have:
1) Alopecia areata – The same autoimmune disease that is oftentimes responsible for scalp hair loss can also affect your eyebrows. In this case, your immune system mistakenly targets and attacks your eyebrow follicles, thereby slowing or halting eyebrow hair production.
2) Nutritional deficiencies – Your body requires a healthy balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Since some of these nutrients sustain and influence hair growth, a lack in any of them could result in hair loss. For example, a deficiency of vitamins C, E, B-12, D, iron, cysteine, and/or omega-3 fatty acids could trigger hair loss, including in the eyebrows.
3) Dermatitis – Skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis, can interfere with proper hair growth. Any type of dermatitis can block hair follicles from growing hair normally.
4) Thyroid disease – The thyroid gland, located in the front of the neck, produces hormones that regulate your metabolism. When it produces too much or too little of a hormone, your body’s normal processes – including hair growth – can be disrupted.
5) Excessive stress or anxiety – Psychological issues are known to contribute to eyebrow hair loss. If you have recently experienced a traumatic event or major lifestyle change, this may be the root cause.
6) Telogen effluvium (Telogen Effluvium) – This refers to a temporary, but dramatic, loss of hair that happens when your normal hair growth cycle is interrupted. This can be due to stress, changes in your diet, medications, hormonal or other changes in your body chemistry.
*It could also be a combination of more than one of these*
I would highly recommend you read this article to help you get an idea of what might be the real root cause of your hair loss:
www.medicalnewstoday.com
You could have:
1) Alopecia areata – The same autoimmune disease that is oftentimes responsible for scalp hair loss can also affect your eyebrows. In this case, your immune system mistakenly targets and attacks your eyebrow follicles, thereby slowing or halting eyebrow hair production.
2) Nutritional deficiencies – Your body requires a healthy balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Since some of these nutrients sustain and influence hair growth, a lack in any of them could result in hair loss. For example, a deficiency of vitamins C, E, B-12, D, iron, cysteine, and/or omega-3 fatty acids could trigger hair loss, including in the eyebrows.
3) Dermatitis – Skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis, can interfere with proper hair growth. Any type of dermatitis can block hair follicles from growing hair normally.
4) Thyroid disease – The thyroid gland, located in the front of the neck, produces hormones that regulate your metabolism. When it produces too much or too little of a hormone, your body’s normal processes – including hair growth – can be disrupted.
5) Excessive stress or anxiety – Psychological issues are known to contribute to eyebrow hair loss. If you have recently experienced a traumatic event or major lifestyle change, this may be the root cause.
6) Telogen effluvium (Telogen Effluvium) – This refers to a temporary, but dramatic, loss of hair that happens when your normal hair growth cycle is interrupted. This can be due to stress, changes in your diet, medications, hormonal or other changes in your body chemistry.
*It could also be a combination of more than one of these*
I would highly recommend you read this article to help you get an idea of what might be the real root cause of your hair loss:
Eyebrow hair loss: Causes and treatments
Many factors can cause thinning or hair loss in the eyebrows, including hormonal imbalances, diet, some health conditions, and certain medications. This article looks at the causes and treatments for eyebrow hair loss.
www.medicalnewstoday.com
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Finding good reputable doctors is your best option. Infact you need to go to a "dermatologist" specifically, not a simple doctor. Because doctors don't know much. Dermatologists specialize in hair. So their far more knowledgeable.
But there's tons of doctors and dermatologists that don't know sh*t so your gotta research the sh*t out of things for yourself and so when you do have the appointment with the dermatologist, you know exactly what's going on and what to advise the dermatologist on.
Because a good dermatologist appointment might cost a lot but it's worth it.
I would have recommended you travel to wherever is the closest Best Dermatologist, and that you don't just go to the doctors that are nearby because as you said, they aren't good. If traveling is a problem, then fortunately due to COVID-19 lock downs happening, many dermatologists are requesting people have electronic consultations. So you could probably use Skype for the consultation or you could have a telephonic consultation, whereby you email in your hairloss pictures before the consultation with an explanation of your problem. This is advisable because you could use the cost that it would for traveling to a reputable dermatologist, on simply having an electronic consultation with a top dermatologist.
Also, there's some dermatologists of hair loss surgeons that offer a free electronic consultation to assess your hairloss. Just do some research on Google regarding this. They don't necessarily need to be in your country due to this. Especially if they using things like Skype.
With the 6 possible diagnosis I listed in my previous message, you need to use Google to search which blood tests need to be run for each of those 6 possible diagnoses. Then take that list and tell your dermatologist to run these additional tests.
Once you get your new blood test results, make sure you tell your dermatologist to explain why they chose the new diagnosis they will give you. You must understand why it is so. You must also ask the dermatologist to explain to you why it is any of the other diagnosis I listed. Make sure it makes sense to you so their not bullshit ting you. It's often that people get wrong diagnosis and have to go for a second or 3rd opinion from different dermatologists. It's really inconvenient to get another opinion from another dermatologist but often it's the best thing to do.
I think it's good that you didn't hop onto Finasteride because it truly does have terrible side effects.
Also looking at your hairloss, it doesn't look like Androgenetic Alopecia. Possibly Androgenetic Areata, or a Thyroid problem or a Nutritional deficiency or Stress related (because you mentioned you were stressed and stress can accelerate hair loss - the thing about stress is, it takes about 3 months after the stressful ordeal until you see the hairloss/thinning - so it's best to be as calm as possible).
I think you still have a strong fighting chance because you still have alot of hair. Nothing is completely bald on your head.
The reason why a Hair Transplant isn't a option for you right now, is because your hairs are currently too thin to transplant firstly and secondly, you're far too young to get a hair transplant. Because if you get a transplant when you're young, and continue to lose hair as you get older after the transplant, it will look really bad, because you will have a bald region with only a strip of hair on your head which was from the transplant.
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I posted this in the other thread you commented in, but I'll copy and paste it here to make it easy for you.
This is something you can do in the interim, and is something that I highly recommend you do immediately:
Something that will give you almost instant results to stop your hair fall is to use a Caffeine-based Shampoo. It's truly amazing what caffeine can do for hair loss.
I recommend you use Alpecin C1 Shampoo and Alpecin Caffeine Liquid. Both are really low cost, yet very effective.
Hair requires 10x more energy during the anagen (growth) phase, and if it doesn't have enough (which is what DHT does - it cuts down this energy supply to your hair) you end up having thin hair that eventually falls off. Caffeine-based Topicals like the above I mentioned provide your hair with this energy. So it's vital you use it ASAP.
Those 2 Alpecin products I mentioned are recommended to be used everyday.
But since you also need to use a 2% Ketoconazole Shampoo which will combat your dandruff easily as well as possibly restore some of your hair (since your hairloss could have possibly be caused by seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff) due to its anti-androgenic properties it will also help to combat local DHT on your scalp.
(DHT by the way is the hormone that causes hairloss).
I would recommend you use Alpecin C1 Shampoo 5 times a week and in the remaining 2 days of the week I would recommend you use the 2% Ketoconazole Shampoo. These 2 alone will really help you.
Note: you need to use the Ketoconazole Shampoo after every 3 - 4 days ( you need to space it out). So that equates to 2 times a week. And in between those days that you aren't using Ketoconazole Shampoo, you need to use the Alpecin C1 Shampoo.
Only use Ketoconazole Shampoo twice a week for the first 4 weeks, after that use it only once a week to maintain results. That means you will use the Alpecin C1 Shampoo for the remaining 6 days.
As for the Alpecin Caffeine Liquid, that is a tonic that you apply twice a day (morning and evening) and you leave it on your hair.
Remember, fixing hairloss isn't an overnight thing. It will take many months. In fact you should only expect to see thickening and regrowth after the 6 month point. When you have realistic time frames like this, you won't be disappointed when you don't see results in 2 months.
However, by using the Ketoconazole Shampoo and Alpecin C1 Shampoo, you should see reduced hair fall and dandruff within a month.
Remember, this will require patience, discipline, consistency and effort to work.
It's good that you cut your hair really short because it will make applying topicals like the Alpecin C1 Shampoo and Alpecin Caffeine Liquid and 2% Ketoconazole Shampoo soooooo much easier.
Also it will be much easier to track your hair growth with short hair, plus it looks so much neater short.
In terms of your diet, make sure you're eating nutritious food and a well balanced diet that's high in protein. Your hair needs protein. Make sure you're eating the right amount of calories per day for your height and age. You can sort of find out if you are at the right body weight by calculating your BMI (Body Mass Index) which uses things like your height, age, gender to determine if you're overweight or underweight. You should ensure you are eating enough nutritious food.
Then you need to make sure your body is healthy. You need to make sure you exercise at least 3 times a week. Aerobic Exercises are recommended. But you can throw in some weight training to build muscle. Working out helps to get rid of stress and being physically fit helps your body to be more efficient to deal with stress and health problems.
You also need to make sure you get enough sunlight everyday. Vitamin D is very important for hair growth. Go in the sun every day for about 15 minutes and expose your hair to the sun. Also I recommend getting a Vitamin D3 supplement. Ideally if you can get a Vitamin D3 supplement (10 000 IU's) that would be great, so you will only need to take one tablet day.
Then you need to make sure you're getting the right vitamins you need. A Zinc supplement is good to get, Biotin as well. There's other supplements which are beneficial but if you have the money, then you can look at others.
Also, completely cut out all sugars from your diet immediately. That includes cooldrinks and snacks that have sugar in them.
Also make sure you eat mainly Low GI foods. Especially things like bread, make sure it's brown bread and Low GI.
All of these things really affect your hair. And fixing your hair is not a 1 fix solution. No 1 thing can fix your hair. You need a multi-faceted approach. But it's very possible to win with a little effort.
This is something you can do in the interim, and is something that I highly recommend you do immediately:
Something that will give you almost instant results to stop your hair fall is to use a Caffeine-based Shampoo. It's truly amazing what caffeine can do for hair loss.
I recommend you use Alpecin C1 Shampoo and Alpecin Caffeine Liquid. Both are really low cost, yet very effective.
Hair requires 10x more energy during the anagen (growth) phase, and if it doesn't have enough (which is what DHT does - it cuts down this energy supply to your hair) you end up having thin hair that eventually falls off. Caffeine-based Topicals like the above I mentioned provide your hair with this energy. So it's vital you use it ASAP.
Those 2 Alpecin products I mentioned are recommended to be used everyday.
But since you also need to use a 2% Ketoconazole Shampoo which will combat your dandruff easily as well as possibly restore some of your hair (since your hairloss could have possibly be caused by seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff) due to its anti-androgenic properties it will also help to combat local DHT on your scalp.
(DHT by the way is the hormone that causes hairloss).
I would recommend you use Alpecin C1 Shampoo 5 times a week and in the remaining 2 days of the week I would recommend you use the 2% Ketoconazole Shampoo. These 2 alone will really help you.
Note: you need to use the Ketoconazole Shampoo after every 3 - 4 days ( you need to space it out). So that equates to 2 times a week. And in between those days that you aren't using Ketoconazole Shampoo, you need to use the Alpecin C1 Shampoo.
Only use Ketoconazole Shampoo twice a week for the first 4 weeks, after that use it only once a week to maintain results. That means you will use the Alpecin C1 Shampoo for the remaining 6 days.
As for the Alpecin Caffeine Liquid, that is a tonic that you apply twice a day (morning and evening) and you leave it on your hair.
Remember, fixing hairloss isn't an overnight thing. It will take many months. In fact you should only expect to see thickening and regrowth after the 6 month point. When you have realistic time frames like this, you won't be disappointed when you don't see results in 2 months.
However, by using the Ketoconazole Shampoo and Alpecin C1 Shampoo, you should see reduced hair fall and dandruff within a month.
Remember, this will require patience, discipline, consistency and effort to work.
It's good that you cut your hair really short because it will make applying topicals like the Alpecin C1 Shampoo and Alpecin Caffeine Liquid and 2% Ketoconazole Shampoo soooooo much easier.
Also it will be much easier to track your hair growth with short hair, plus it looks so much neater short.
In terms of your diet, make sure you're eating nutritious food and a well balanced diet that's high in protein. Your hair needs protein. Make sure you're eating the right amount of calories per day for your height and age. You can sort of find out if you are at the right body weight by calculating your BMI (Body Mass Index) which uses things like your height, age, gender to determine if you're overweight or underweight. You should ensure you are eating enough nutritious food.
Then you need to make sure your body is healthy. You need to make sure you exercise at least 3 times a week. Aerobic Exercises are recommended. But you can throw in some weight training to build muscle. Working out helps to get rid of stress and being physically fit helps your body to be more efficient to deal with stress and health problems.
You also need to make sure you get enough sunlight everyday. Vitamin D is very important for hair growth. Go in the sun every day for about 15 minutes and expose your hair to the sun. Also I recommend getting a Vitamin D3 supplement. Ideally if you can get a Vitamin D3 supplement (10 000 IU's) that would be great, so you will only need to take one tablet day.
Then you need to make sure you're getting the right vitamins you need. A Zinc supplement is good to get, Biotin as well. There's other supplements which are beneficial but if you have the money, then you can look at others.
Also, completely cut out all sugars from your diet immediately. That includes cooldrinks and snacks that have sugar in them.
Also make sure you eat mainly Low GI foods. Especially things like bread, make sure it's brown bread and Low GI.
All of these things really affect your hair. And fixing your hair is not a 1 fix solution. No 1 thing can fix your hair. You need a multi-faceted approach. But it's very possible to win with a little effort.
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Is it possible this is a case of DUPA and male pattern baldness?
If you are not willing to go with minoxidil or finasteride you could try the topical version of finasteride, or RU. In your situation, which is fast and aggressive loss, you are likely going to need strong pharmaceutials like those in some shape or form in your regimen. No matter what you choose though, you should definitely do needling, and I think castor oil goes well with that.
If you are not willing to go with minoxidil or finasteride you could try the topical version of finasteride, or RU. In your situation, which is fast and aggressive loss, you are likely going to need strong pharmaceutials like those in some shape or form in your regimen. No matter what you choose though, you should definitely do needling, and I think castor oil goes well with that.
- Reaction score
- 88
I appreciate your effort so much.
It would mean world to me if I could get my hair back now. As I said I already gave up and shaved my head but not liking the shaved look, neither my family.
"I think you still have a strong fighting chance because you still have alot of hair. Nothing is completely bald on your head."
This gave me hope. I also studied hair loss religiously. I have wooden comb to massage, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, castor oil, coconut oil, Ketaconazole, Dermaroller in my house but I stopped using them since I did not see improvement. Now after reading your comment I am thinking to start using some of them again.
Actually you gave so much hope that I need you for my last fight against hairloss so I will inbox you.
- Reaction score
- 88
In 2019 I was very concerned about hair loss. So I kept checking my hair with fingers. This is the amount of hair that fell.
Currently I don't check hair since I gave up. But it is still falling if lightly rubbed.
Zoom to see better
2019
This is my buzzed hair in November 2020.
I also think my rate of hair loss is too extreme.
It's great that you already have all these treatments in your home, it will make everything so much easier.
How long have you been trying these oils and ketoconazole shampoo for? Have you been using the oils consistently ever single day for at least 6 months before giving up on them?
Those side effects you noticed while using Minoxidil are the side effects of Minoxidil. How many % Minoxidil were you using? And yes unfortunately Minoxidil affects the collagen in your skin so you look older. Which is why I prefer to advise people to go with natural stuff first.
Remember to get those 2 Alpecin products and start using them religiously and immediately. It will help to stop/greatly reduce your hair fall.
And no problem, hairloss sucks for everyone. Feel free to PM me whenever and I'll respond as soon as I can.
Remember this a fight, so you have to be positive and never give up. Despite all the failures in the past you must believe this time will be different.
If you workout at the gym, you'll know that there is an actual phenomenon called the "mind-muscle connection" . When people work out, they say if you focus on the exact muscles you will be exercising/activating for the specific exercise you're doing, you will actually activate that muscle/s MORE, thereby essentially training the muscles harder with the same weight, which will result in your muscles growing bigger. This method requires complete and unwavering focus during the whole exercise to work. That is why you see the really big guys in the gym get super upset if they get disturbed during a set.
Contrastly, the same person could be using heavier weights but will activate the same muscles (doing the exact same exercises) far LESS if they don't have the "mind-muscles connection" during the specific exercises. So less muscle activation = less muscle growth.
That is why there's so much more to the phrase: "It's all in the mind". And "Get your mind right first".
So you have to be extremely positive every day throughout your entire day, whilst you're eating, relaxing, working, applying oils and treating your hair. This coincidentally will also help you reduce stress and depression which is the cause of accelerated hairloss. So it's a win-win because when you are being extremely positive, without a doubt, you will also be activating your hair follicles more than just doing your hair treatment like a robot that's depressed and doesn't expect it to work.
So make sure you think super positive thoughts throughout your day that this all will work, physically imagine your hair follicles being activated and getting more blood, oxygen, nutrients, energy. Picture those thin hairs getting thicker and thicker. Picture your hair fall reducing. Picture your diet and supplements activating your hair follicles to make them thicker and stronger.
Some of the greatest athletes and bodybuilders of all time live by this "mind-muscle connection". Arnold Schwarzenegger is a prime example. His focus and positivity was unmatched.
There's still so much you can do, so giving up is something you should never do.
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I think this is something that is definitely valuable and not really appreciated much in the community. When I am stressed, I can actually feel my sweat/sebum glands open up in my scalp and I know that it's not good for my hair. I am unaware of any studies that concern this, but there are a number of members on this forum that have described actually being able to feel themselves losing hair. If you have the genes and the hormonal profile already, a negative mindset will only accelerate the process, that much is certain.
OP, I know that you are still 18 and I can totally understand you don't want to take systemic treatments that mess with your hormones at this juncture. However, I think you can still get some gains from topical antiandrogenic treatments. These likely won't have systemic effects when used in reasonable dosages. As far as oral treatments, you have to realize the big picture here - you could take oral minoxidil (which is way more powerful than the topical, and it completely stopped my shedding) and you can maybe only take it for a short period of time, say 6 months or even a year, just to boost your initial regrowth. Then you can maybe switch to a lower dose, to the topical, or add something else in place in your regimen.
I agree, @YoungBalder15 the reason the treatments you've been using hasn't been working is very likely because you have Alopecia Areata. Tell this to the new dermatologist you have an appointment with.
I feel for you going through this at such a young age, however, best thing you can do is take advantage of your age and higher testosterone levels - start lifting weights NOW. Prepare for the inevitable. Btw I’m thinning the same as you. Consistent loss of density all over the scalp. finasteride did help, but the sides are unacceptable. I’m not far gone so if I take finasteride I’ll recover full density, but it’s simply not worth it.
Supplements and snake oils won’t help much but a vitamin B-complex is always a winner.
good luck!
Supplements and snake oils won’t help much but a vitamin B-complex is always a winner.
good luck!
Its good to hear more people speak out about the ridiculous side effects of Finasteride. It's the same reason I stopped taking Finasteride. I noticed more and more people recently are starting to speak out about Finasteride and not allowing themselves to be silenced because their apparently a "minority".
YoungBalder15 also said to me with such certainty at the age of just 18 that he definitely wouldn't use DHT blockers. Coincidentally he has many doctors in his family, especially his immediate family.
Which is quite interesting because I've seen other people who's parents are doctors and refuse to allow their own family to use Finasteride. This is interesting because doctors or dermatologists can easily prescribe Finasteride to patients without the blink of an eye, but when it comes to their kids, ironically they become very against Finasteride.
Tells you a lot if doctors won't prescribe something to their own but will only prescribe to people they don't know.
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I find it concerning that sexual sides are what it's users are worried about most. I get it, our boners are important to us, and yes, lack of morning wood is our bodies telling us there’s a serious problem up ahead, however, it’s the neurological damage with long term finasteride use which ultimately made me quit, and probably why those docs won’t allow their beloved children to use it! The future is not bright using finasteride.