shala's (18) story

[shala]

Hi all, I need some advices.

My hair has always been thin and the crown area has looked sh*t for loooong. Also i've never had a normal child's hair line. So i'm fine with this kind of hair but i don't want it to go worse. Every member of our family have thin hair and my father is 60 and has great hair. Don't know about granddads.

In january 2010 i made a thread here and most guys said that 'crown is thin but nothing horrible, keep an eye on it'. I have done that and haven't stressed much because nothing really has happened.

But lately i've noticed that my hair has become much thinner. Not only from top but also the sides are thinner and body hair drops out too what is weird. And the thinning on top isn't constant, some areas look worse than others. I'm quite sure the hairline hasn't changed. Hairs fall out almost every time i pull my fingers through the hair. Nothing really aggressive but scary still. The fallen hair look healthy and have that white bulb. Could it have something to do with stress? I've had that A LOT in the past monts.

So, should i do something? Or still take pics every month if something dramatic happens? This sh*t is depressing, hair looks good when it's dry but when i take pics after shower and/or with flash, it looks bad. I don't need perfect hair but i don't want to look like Jason Alexander when i'm 25 :--(

pics, everyone is with flash: http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii13 ... aaiiiiiir/

 

[n1ckk]

Hi Shala,

It was hard to judge your photo's because on some photo's it looked like there is nothing going on, while on others i notice some thinning on the crown and vertex.

Are you using any proven meds to fight your hairloss ? If not i suggest you should start with nizoral or minoxidil 2% solution. Minoxidil is said to be extra effective on the vertex and crown. And if the minoxidil causes no side effects and is not irritating to your scalp, you could consider the stronger 5% solution.

There is also Propecia, which i think you allready know, blocks the DHT in your system. The bad guys in hairloss. But it is a wise idea to consult your doctor and find yourself some information on the internet about what propecia might do for you.

Also on one photo i see some thininng just above the ears/below the temples, which is not likely to be effected by dht, thus not part of the normal male pattern baldness process. This kind of thinning could be the result of:

- Recent diseases / even a Flu could lead to massive shedding in just a couple of days
- Defficiency in, vitamin B, Zinc, Iron, Biotin.
- Severe stress

So this is what you want to do:

Step 1: Find yourself some good information about hairloss. I suggest you start lurking around this forum
Step2: Consult a physichian, get you blood tested, to make sure it's male pattern baldness.
Step3: Start the 'Big Three" Propecia, Minoxidil, Nizoral.
Step4: Keep this regimen consistently for a year ( except when there are mayor side effects offcourse )
Step5: after a year there is about 70% percent chance that you will regrow all your hair back. And even a higher chance to maintain what you have.

By the way, do you have experience itch on your scalp ? Itch combined with excess sebum is often a sign that DHT is attacking the follicles.

Hope this helps.

-

 

[shala]

Thanks for your response

Yeah the pics are tricky. It's really hard to say if there's any change in thickness or am i just being paranoid.. Most pics show nothing but hair FEELS super thin. Sometimes my scalp is really itchy but so is every part of my body because of atopic dermatitis.

No i'm not using any meds. finasteride might be good but i don't want to use minoxidil because 1) i really don't need regrowth 2) i'm going to army next year so then i can't use it daily. And i don't want to start taking finasteride just because i might have male pattern baldness. Maybe i need to get my blood tested.

Like i said, i've had horrible stress last months so it could be the reason for this but dunno.

More opinions?

 

[Winter]

please add some close-up photos of your hairline

 

[shala]

added

hate to have a high forehead

 

[shala]

no one?

 

[Winter]

you have signs of minituarization at your temples but its nothing major and might just be how your hair looks

 

[shala]

thanks winter. the hairline is in pretty good shape and receding that isn't my main concern - overall thinning is. the thing is that i want to jump on finasteride before it's too late. like i said earlier i don't want to use minoxidil or go to the point where i need to cover up the loss with toppik etc. hair's good now.

so, are there clear signs of male pattern baldness? Should i do something now?

 

[shala]

seriously guys

 

[shala]

Pretty depressing week in terms of hair loss. Going to a school doctor in a few weeks because of some other health problems (greaaaat..). Anyway, I just realized that the sides are almost as thin as the top. Why?

edit: posting dad's pic as a reference

 

[ivangennaro]

I don't think you're losing hair. That's just a swirl around your crown.

 

[Joe-1991]

It doesn't look as if you are losing hair. Furthermore, your father has a very impressive head of hair for a man of his age.

 

[shala]

thanks guys :---)

i really want to believe that i'm not losing my hair. however it's hard when you see hairs falling all the time and stuff. it's true that my crown looks OK but seriously the top has never felt so thin. long hair just covers up the loss well.

don't know what to do... currently i'm not planning to start any treatments but yesterday i bought nizoral 2%(1% isn't sold in our country???). i used it and i'm sure i've never lost so much hair in shower. weird. hope it goes away. if this slow loss continues a month or two then i must do something. it seriously f*****g sucks to be a teen and think about hair loss

 

[moonbase]

I don't think you're loosing hair mate. I suggest you start eating better (eating ALOT as you look stick thin) and perhaps work out. Hair shedding from the sides is not a sign of male pattern baldness but of Telogen Effluvium. Don't look to drugs yet, just take care of your body for now.

 

[shala]

lol you're right. i should eat better and work out - work in progress! and yeah i'm starting believe that i'm not suffering from male pattern baldness. i'm just so self conscious and take every falling hair too seriously even tho that's normal. now i probably should leave this forum, right? :woot:

 

[fodandahalf]

To be honest your hair doesn't even look thin at all to me, I have a high forehead too and have never been able to pull off a decent hairstyle ever since I stopped shaving it (age 12) but you look like you can manage a nice full fringe to me. As for your crown, the hair is growing in all different directions so there's bound to be a little scalp showing, especially with hair as straight at yours. I have friends with really thick (stupidly thick) hair who have been telling me I'll be bald within a few months since I was about 15. However these all show more scalp at the crown than me because their hair is straighter. It's not really an issue unless the hairs feel thinner/ miniaturized there.

 

[fodandahalf]

Also in reference to picture 12- does your cat always defy gravity?

 

[shala]

yes it does! cats can do the most amazing things lol. but yeah nice to hear that my hair looks good to you. even though i have a high forehead i'm happy that i can still pull off almost any look i want. let's hope the hairline doesn't recede because there is little miniaturisation : ( what comes to the crown: it doesn't really feel thinner/miniaturized at all.

now i should stop worrying somehow.

 

[shala]

felt good for a few weeks until i got a hair cut. now when the sides are short and the top is longer, the top feels still a bit thinner. coverage is good but absolutely 0% volume. after the hair settles down, it looks super flat.

i also noticed that some hair that falls out are thinner and less pigmented so i seriously have some miniaturization going on. there are also little hairs on the hairline.

i feel so bad

 

[fodandahalf]

The sides will naturally feel thicker and stronger because you've had it cut shorter. If your hair was all one uniform length, it would all probably feel the same.