Too Early? PLEASE Help, I'm Desperate

[hopeless]

Hi, my hair loss has gotten to the point where it is basically all i can think about most of the day. I just turned 17. About a year ago (just turned 16) i noticed minor receding above the temples. I did not think much of it, and as a matter of fact i even combed my rather long curly hair out to show it. It looked rather sharp. And steadily, the recession has continued. Just before my 17th birthday i got a short haircut and i will never forget it. My temples have receded to the point where not much of a strait hairline is left - only 2 or so inches in the middle. I have been absolutely traumatized for the last few months and have contemplated suicide. I comb over and style my hair to cover up the bald regions, but it will only get worse and worse. My father is bald, his father is bald, my mother's father is bald, and an appalling number of men in old family albums are bald. All my cousins who are in their 20s are showing signs. But i can't help thinking to myself THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING TO ME SO EARLY. I'm in high school! I have to be thinking about grades, friends and college - not crying myself to sleep. The first thing i notice when i see any man is his hair. And im always just so so unimaginably jealous of every single one of my classmates. I would give up anything to just have normal hair and not be plagued with such a social handicap so painfully early in life. Maybe just to delay it until my late 20s at least!

At any rate, i apologize for the histrionics.. but it is just so unbearable and (perhaps im childish) unfair. So i have done a month of research online and i figure that it is inconceivable for a transplant right now. Apparently only 2 drugs work, propecia and rogaine, and i understand that time is a critical factor.. i need to take action immediately. So, from anyone's experience - and i deeply empathize with anyone that had to go through this so early - should i start taking a dual regimen of propecia and rogaine? At this point, all i want to do is just keep the hair that i have.. i dont even want regrowth! i just need to END this receding somehow...
Please, advise me. Can i realistically expect to achieve this goal with the propecia+rogaine combo? Is it too early? Has anyone else been able to kind of "stop baldness in its tracks" and for how long? Should i go to the dermatologist and request a propecia prescription immediately?

Any advice is GREATLY, DEARLY appreciated. Thank you.

 

[supernova]

Start on rogaine and nizoral shampoo right now. After you turn 18, jump on the propecia.

My hairloss started at 17, too. I'm now 22 and am about to graduate college. I've been successfully maintaining with the big 2, and last month I started Nizoral. Hairloss definately sucks and it will probably never stop "hurting," but you learn to accept it.

 

[Kramer3]

Hopeless:

I can empathize with your current situation. When I just turned 17 I as well noticed that I was losing a suspiciously large amount of hair each day and that my hair was slowly beginning to appear thinner and thinner. My intuition told me that I was beginning to bald but I really didn't think that it could happen at such a young age. Fast forward to a year later and I'm now 18 with hair that looks like sh*t. My hair is curly and I keep it long so that I can manipulate it just right so that it still appears "alright" but I know it's noticeable that I've lost some density.

There is nothing worse then having to go through this at our age. Just like you I constantly look at my friends hairlines and agonize over how thick their hair is and how thin mine must look in comparison. I'm sure if I got a haircut I'd be noticeable, so for now I keep my hair long so that I don't have to go through the trouble you seem to be.

As depressing as it could often make you, you should know that your certaintly not alone. Granted, most people don't lose hair at our age but I'm sure that if you look hard enough you'll find kids in your grade that are in the same boat as you. As bad as I am, I have noticed 5 kids that are worse and will probably become worse because they are not taking treatments.

There are available treatments that can help. You named the two that are proven "Rogaine and Propecia". Rogaine is a brand name and contains the ingredient minoxidil in 2% and 5% solutions. This ingredient, minoxidil, is available from companies other then Rogaine for a cheaper price. Propecia the other product you named is a pill that is taken internally. It attacks male pattern baldness at the source by lower DHT levels. Alone it is is supposed to maintain hair on over 87% of the people that use it. Its active ingredient is finasteride and is also found in Proscar tablets which when split into 4ths can save you money. In addition to those drugs most people commonly use a shampoo called Nizoral which helps with irratation/dandruff/inflammation. Those three are often referred to here as the BIG 3.

If you look at my regime you can see that I use all three of those products and a few other additional ones. It's absolutely not too early to get on the BIG 3. They are really the only viable shot you have at preserving your hair and possibly regrowing. Many people here will argue about the repercussions of taking all three at once compared to one at a time but I personally feel taking all three at once is your best shot at immediate maintence. Another thing you have to consider is that many people question taking Propecia at such a young age because of the fact it alters your hormonal levels, specifically testosterone. I was desperate and choose to use it. Consequently I've experienced minor side-effects such as decreased sexual interest and watery semen that have faded slowly for the past three months. Its a choice your going to have to make.

Coming to this website and getting educated about treatments is the best choice you could have made. I've felt your desperation first hand and thats the reason why I wrote such a long response. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I'll answer them right away.

Best of Luck Man.

Kramer.

 

[ShedMaster]

I agree with kramer.

 

[Wezz]

im in the same situation as well, im 17 and been thinning and losing since 16. IT SUCKS ! :cry:

but we not going to sit here and cry and wait for it to get worse, so i started taking treatments such as taking minoxidil 5% 2x a day and nizoral rotation with t-gel and other none medical shampoo. I will be taking propecia next year as i will be 18 by that time and keep what i have, and regrow hair in upcoming years and have healthier hair. I will be using these treatments for 1-2 years and lower them like taking minoxidil 1x a day and so forth....

Best luck to ya, im very new to this too it takes time and we'll have to be patient !

cheers

 

[BadHairDecade]

Dude I hear ya....What you're experiencing is not childish at all and don't be ashamed about it. I was in the exact same boat your in exept I was about 24 and in a locally popular hair band...Hairloss took over my life. Lost my girlfriend, quit the band, and lost all my friends because I withdrew from everything. Contimplated suicide as well. You're not alone Talk to your parents about it and go to a dermatologist that specializes in hair loss. Get on the big three ASAP. I've been on it for about 3 months and I'm starting to see results. My hairloss has pretty much stopped. I used to get about 100 hairs in the drain after every shower. Now there's like 10-20. I have pics that I'm trying to get posted in another thread. If I get them in there I'll attach a link here for ya. You're still young and should respond well to the treatment. There may be times when you think it's not working but stick with it. Good luck and keep us posted here. The best thing you can do is to keep talking about it don't keep it bottled up, that'll only make you more upset.
Big three = Propecia, Rogaine, Nizoral.

BHD

 

[sonicthehedgehog]

After you turn 18, jump on the propecia.

I will be taking propecia next year as i will be 18 by that time

Is this the commonly accepted age when it's safe to use propecia?

 

[Kramer3]

I used it at 17. Using it anytime below 20 many people think is a risk.

 

[Guest]

I use it at 17. I dont think its a risk. His DHT levels are probley through the roof. Many guys who take propecia still have normal dht levels. I think people overexagerate propecia dramatically like its a hardcore drug. Its pretty light.

Hopeless- I sooo understand you man. I was in your boat about 5 months ago. I started receding when I was 16, but I didn't really think to much about it. Then a year later at 17, I also only had like 2 inches of hairline left. I was so depressed, only thought about hair 24 hours a day, when I would see other guys my eyes went straight to their hairlines. I wanted to die. I contemplated suicide 2. Let me give you the advice I wish I had got when I first started losing my hair.


Your hair needs moisture and protien
Your hair needs vitamins and nutrients
Your DHT is probly through the roof
You probley have inflammation

You need to attack all of these things. Get

AG shampoo and conditioner. Its pretty new. Its really strong and adds all the moisture, protien, and oils that occur naturally in your hair but get stripped away.

Your hair needs vitamins and food to survive. Its probley starving to death. I use Root food hair vitamins, they work pretty well for me.

Get on propecia to block the DHT, its worth it.

Go to http://www.minoxidil.com/ and register with Dr lee. He is the best guy with the best products for hairloss. If you can afford it, get

Xandrox 5% = More powerfull form of rogaine, blocks dht
spironolactone 5%= strong topical dht inhibitor
Dht blocking shampoo=little better then regular nizoral. Will control dandruff and inflammation.

You need to send him a $20 dallor consultation fee by mail before you can order anything. Its worth it though.

Get Fish oil pills. Its really good for your skin and hair.

Get a good anti oxidant like Grapeseed extract, good for your health and your hair. Protects you from damaging free radicals.


This is a powerfull regimen that I use myself. I regrew like all of my hair and my hair thickened up a lot. I was noticeably losing my hair, but now my hair looks pretty good. It fixed all my problems, I dont even really think about hair anymore. Your hair should improve a lot if you get on this regimen, and defentely stop ur loss and regrow some hair. GL, keep us posted, feel free to pm me if you have any questions and wanna talk.

Also, turn to God man. I was so depressed in my Hairloss I found God. Best choice I ever made in my life. The bible has so much knowledge and great teachings for your life. Give God a chance. It will show you hairloss is just a minor thing in life and its not as important as you think it is. I know hairloss sucks. God gave me the answers I needed at the lowest point of my life and got me out of my predicament so I will always give it up to for God now and tell everyone about him. Give him a chance. GL

 

[artvandaley]

Good post youngguy, especially the last part about God.

People get pissed at God when they go through hairloss, and I also did myself. It seems unfair but it's something that alot of people have to go through. You can learn alot from what the Bible has to say, and I think you should put God first in everything, even when it comes to hairloss. Just pray and ask for God's help, it can give you alot of encouragement. Just think about it this way, imagine how much better it'll be to get your hair back after you've lost it.

P.S. see the Passion of the Christ if you get a chance, great movie

 

[goldenbears]

If God helps you, then so be it. But we did evolutionize and logically we are just species and and notion of God helps us with our existence. Logically though, you have to realize that we evolved and they if there is a higher power, its probably not a religion that is existant today. Good luck with everything though, hope you see some improvement.

 

[Yahowha]

Hey all. I'm another 17 yr old/started losing at 16. I've been lurking on this board for a while, but finally decided to step out of the shadows and post.

A couple of you are 17 but waiting until the day you turn 18 to start using Propecia. The Merck information says Proprecia isn't indicated for people under 18, but I believe that the age you can start varies on an individual basis. At any young age, if you're prescribing Propecia for yourself (ie ordering off the net and not seeing a doctor) you should be very careful about it. I decided to start because I think I'm physically old enough for it. You've got to ask yourself if you're through puberty yet, if you still need DHT to fuel your development. At 17 there are kids who have yet to shave, and there are kids like me with a hairy chest and a receding hairline. I imagine if you're losing your hair through male pattern baldness at 17, you're probably a member of the latter group. In this case it's probably fine to start using Propecia, actually I know it's fine since I saw a doctor for the prescription. Rather than strictly adhering to the 18 thing, just look at yourself and decide whether you're ready for it.

 

[Kramer3]

I definetly agree with Yahowa. I've been shaving since I was 13 and haven't grown since I was 15. The only thing that is yet to come is chest hair and I really wouldn't mind post-poning that for just a little longer. I've heard some people on here that are 17 talk about waiting a few months till their 18. What is a few months really going to change? I think its a bit of a risk for anyone under 19. If you want to save your hair though its a risk your going to have to be willingly to take.

 

[blue]

I agree with you Art....about the God thing...
YoungGuy17 just achieved HERO STATUS!!!!!!!

 

[Axon]

Regarding Propecia as a risk before 20th birthday: Let me put it to you this way. I began losing hair around 18 with it really becoming noticeable at 19. If I had started a regimen at 19, I'd have a full head of hair now. Instead, I started at 23, and will have to live with noticeably thin hair on my crown.

Fina and minoxidil improved my vertex area, but it was simply too far gone for a full recovery. Being timely is so important when it comes to battling male pattern baldness.

I was also fully grown at 16 and have been shaving since 13. This is probably true of many on this forum - I got acne before the other kids, I grew facial and body hair before the other kids, and I hit my growth spurt before the other kids. Interesting phenomenon, no?