Raxe's Story - (27 /and completely overwhelmed...)

[Raxe]

Hello, nice to meet you all.

Im 27 years old right now and since I was about 23 I noticed I began losing some hair. I didn't do much about it for the last few years, and I think at least some of it was in my mind, since even if you looked at me now, you'd see a decently thick head of hair. However, since about the summer I've been losing lots of hair. And I mean LOTS. In the shower my hands have a good amount of hair on them everytime I run my hands through my hair. Lately my scalp has begun to itch a lot more also. I am not really sure if this is due to male pattern baldness or something else maybe. But I do have a lot of questions I hope can be answered.

Anyway, in august I started Law School and while normally that is very stressful, I've also become extremely paranoid about losing my hair and has certainly contributed to my anxiety. I should also say at this point that I have a history of anxiety and depression and my diet for my entire life has been extremely poor. I love greasy fried foods, and I know its bad for me. I do however work out and while I am kind of in an "off phase" right now as far as the working out goes, I am still in really good shape despite the poor diet. I have been naturally skinny my entire life.

I am a very meticulous person and since I got serious about trying to combat this hair loss i've combed over message forums and website after webstite and I have to say I am so overwhelmed. I saw a hair transplant surgeon who basically laughed at me(not in a mean way) saying there is no way he'd operate on me given that I had so much hair and suggested that I go on propecia. I saw my dermatologist who basically said the same thing.

I am scared to go on the propecia as I have read horrible stories about it on the internet. I know that most people do not have sides, or have minimal sides, but when I read about some people getting permament side effects that genuinely scared me. Even the mild side effects of being on properica bother me, since I already have some sexual anxiety issues and I dont want to excarcerbate the problem. The only thing I have been using is nizarol.

So, I came to this forum and I've read for awhile and it seems like their are a bunch of really nice knowledgeable helpful people on this site.

I don't really know where to start, but honestly I have been freaking out over the hairloss for awhile. I guess I will start by asking some questions, and I will say in advance, any help and advice that can be given would be genuinely appreciated.

1. Does the hair lost to male pattern baldness look different than normal hair loss or stress related hair loss? It seems to mean like I have a lot of the "shedding" that is going on rather than what it looks like when you lose it due to male pattern baldness. I am not sure if their is a difference or not, if someone could explain?

2. My most pressing question is that If I do decide to go on propecia, what supplements should I take to combat the side effects and make it a less harmful treatment? The way I got to this site was on another message board in a post where people were discussing using green tea supplements to reduce the increased estrogen in the body as a result of the propecia use? I am not sure I understand this mechanism though and would love for someone to elaborate. I am leaning to starting the propecia, but I want to minimize any harmful effects....I certainly cannot cope with "brain fog" or any such side effect either while I am in law school.

Honestly I am just petrified of using the propecia.....I feel like my hair is falling out so quickly though and I have to do something about it.

I've read a lot about other supplements people use(dietary) but I am not sure I want to try those over the propecia because I feel like if i wait 6 months Im going to have lost so much hair.

Thank you all so much for listening to me, just writing some of this out has made me feel a little better.

And again, any advice or help any of you can give will be so so so so appreciated.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Bocgam]

It's difficult to objectively evaluate shedding. You're supposed to lose 50-100 hairs daily, and now it sounds like you might be making an effort to find them. Balding is a continual process of hair miniturization through DHT attack. Even seemingly abnormal shedding isn't necessarily an indicator of male pattern baldness.

Internet hairloss forums are filled with upset individuals who have experienced side effects. All of those who don't are less likely to be posting on the internet. The data indicate this shouldn't be a serious concern in the overwhelming majority of people. Even so, most of the time the sides are reversible. You could always try it out and see how it goes (though your disposition suggests you might be tempted to look for the sides).

What's your level of hairloss? Any photos?

Best of luck.

 

[treeshrew]

Hi Raxe,

If you had some recent pictures you wanted to post, that would be very helpful to see where you're at, and what treatment options might be best.

I am 27, and like you I researched and fretted over starting finasteride for a good 2-3 months. I read all the horror stories, searched the forums for people with bad experiences. Finally, I looked in the mirror and said you know what, maybe I will get sides, but I am going to at least try and see what happens. I'd rather try and get burned then to have not tried at all.

I've now been on propecia for almost exactly a year (started in Jan. 2008) and I have experienced absolutely no sides, absolutely nothing. Oh except it completely halted my hair loss. I experienced a pretty nasty shed about 1 month in which quickly grew back.

Unfortunately I waited a bit too long, and my temples are still pretty receded, though thankfully haven't gotten any worse. I also decided to add minoxidil foam on the hairline, because finasteride doesn't work as well there. While minoxidil hasn't regrown any hair, I feel it is helping maintain what I've got.

I agree with the above poster - you get a skewed view of side effects by reading internet forums. Most people don't visit hair loss sites, the ones that do are usually people who have had bad experiences. The dermatologist I went to said he's been prescribing propecia since 1998 to hundreds of patients and not a single one ever reported any sides.

I also had blood drawn before I started - just to get my pre-finasteride testosterone levels on file in case anything went hay wire, I'd have a better idea why.

All that said, there is no doubt it effects everyone differently, and a small percentage of people can have a bad experience. I think Merck should do more to acknowledge these people and help them out.

Hope this helps!

 

[Raxe]

I unfortunatly do not have a digitial camera but these were from facebook....

Hopefully these help, let me know what you think

Teeshraw did you think about reducing the dose ever?....Im debating starting finasteride but at maybe .5??

 

[Raxe]

btw, i also know comparitively i may not have a lot of loss compared to other people, but so much has been falling out in the last 6 months I dont know what to do, my hair general used to be extremely dense and thick, thats why I think it still has the appearance of being a lot there.

 

[zb00st]

You are ok. As much as I see there are no signs for male pattern baldness, but you best know how your hair density is. Bare in mind that it is normal to lose up to 100 hairs daily and a light change in density is normal with time. But if you feel to lose hair, get on Propecia .5mg ED. If there are sides you will quit but I think everything will be fine with that dosage.

 

[Nuli]

Hows the hair in the family? Dad, grandpa's, uncles. If there's no sign of hair loss in these people I really don't think you have any reason to worry. Your hair looks great.

 

[barcafan]

So dude are you just taking the piss out of people?

 

[Raxe]

My grandfather was very bald.

Guys, im not trying to "take the piss out of people"....

I understand my hair is extremely thick....but I am losing tons and I mean tons of hair each day in the shower.

I absolutely have a thin spot on the vertex of my head, although you cant see it because of the thickness of my hair.

The front of my hair line has become thinner over the last few months.

Maybe I do need to see a shrink for other reasons, maybe I am just confused, is it normal to shed as much as I am without actually having the onset of baldness....i mean, every time i swipe my hair in the shower 4-5 hairs are on it. A lot of these hairs are very thick....I dont know if that means they are just normal loss or not. I spend a lot of time on my laptop during the day, I always see hairs on it that have fallen out. When I read for law school hairs have been appearing constantly on my books....And when i compare to pictures of myself from 2 years ago I've lost quite a bit at the sides of my hairline.

I'm really not meaning to offend anyone. But I am genuinely concerned about this.

 

[Nighthair]

My grandfather was very bald.

Guys, im not trying to "take the piss out of people"....

I understand my hair is extremely thick....but I am losing tons and I mean tons of hair each day in the shower.

I absolutely have a thin spot on the vertex of my head, although you cant see it because of the thickness of my hair.

The front of my hair line has become thinner over the last few months.

Maybe I do need to see a shrink for other reasons, maybe I am just confused, is it normal to shed as much as I am without actually having the onset of baldness....i mean, every time i swipe my hair in the shower 4-5 hairs are on it. A lot of these hairs are very thick....I dont know if that means they are just normal loss or not. I spend a lot of time on my laptop during the day, I always see hairs on it that have fallen out. When I read for law school hairs have been appearing constantly on my books....And when i compare to pictures of myself from 2 years ago I've lost quite a bit at the sides of my hairline.

I'm really not meaning to offend anyone. But I am genuinely concerned about this.

Perhaps take high resolution pictures of your hairline and vertex every 6 months to see if you are really losing hair? Only you know your hair best...

 

[Deus_Ex_Lemur]

Yeah I dont want to blast you, some people can be rude. I mean from those photos, it does look like you're overreacting a lot. But they aren't great rez and small. I wouldn't be too concerned at this point unless it is much worse than the photos you posted show.

 

[Bocgam]

You appear to have a mature hairline. This is normal and not considered male pattern baldness (though there's some debate about the term). It's possible you have some diffuse thinning, but the pictures don't really make it clear.

If you're really concerned about how much hair you're losing, then you ought to collect them all. Count them at the end of a 24 hour period. Again, though, shedding hairs isn't necessarily indicative of male pattern baldness. Continual miniturization is the source.

 

[treeshrew]

hey man, going to have to agree with the rest and say, from the those photos, it doesn't look like you have male pattern baldness at all (although, as others stated, you know your hair best).

i would advise against starting propecia because if you start and don't really have male pattern baldness, or start way too early, it could do more harm then good.

i'd keep an eye on it and see if it gets noticeably worse (like, we could tell from pics), but until then, i wouldn't start anything.

 

[Raxe]

Hey, I appreciate the honest responses. As I said I do have a thin spot on my vertex, and at the sides my hair line goes up a little further than indicated by the pictures. I AM losing a lot of hair each day.

I just know people say to start treatments as early as you can, I suppose it may not look bad.

Just a question then....the hairs I lose due to male pattern baldness will be thin and small?

Because a couple of those come out, alot of the hair I see in the shower is still thick and long.

 

[lovemyhair]

The only way to know for sure if you have male pattern baldness Raxe, is to have your hair mapped for miniturized hair. At 27, your hair is great and just possible stress related loss. Book an appointment with a good derm first, then a shrink if need be, we all know how tough hairloss can be. Good luck.

 

[zb00st]

Hey, I appreciate the honest responses. As I said I do have a thin spot on my vertex, and at the sides my hair line goes up a little further than indicated by the pictures. I AM losing a lot of hair each day.

I just know people say to start treatments as early as you can, I suppose it may not look bad.

Just a question then....the hairs I lose due to male pattern baldness will be thin and small?

Because a couple of those come out, alot of the hair I see in the shower is still thick and long.

If you are losing because of male pattern baldness, the hair that falls will be absolutely normal, but the hair that will grow there will be thinner and shorter. This repeates with every growth cycle, constantly the hairs that grow in places affected by male pattern baldness are more thinner and shorter every cycle. It's called miniaturization.