Thinning/Balding

[Fhloston]

I've noticed mine thinning too. On my mother's side my grandfather has a full head of hair in his 80s, on my father's side all of my uncles are going bald. Shit is always random. Growing it out again one last time though for the hell of it.

I'll shave it though when it gets too bad, I actually enjoy a shaved head anyways.

[Milton]

get some sweet hats

[Odesseiron]

Okay so this'll be a pretty long post, but I'll give you all my experience in the matter.

I'm 27 (28 next month) and I am losing my hair as well in certain spots. It's more towards the back of my head, but the rest of my hair is pretty thin. Nowhere near as thick or full as it was in HS. It probably started 3 or 4 years ago, I just didn't want to admit it at the time. I was extremely self conscious about it, and I also have a scalp condition called seborrheic dermatitis, which made it that much worse. I use a shampoo to keep that under control to a minimum. Anyway, you do have a couple of options, but I will be leaning towards the 3rd, unless you're really vain, or made of money.

1) Rogaine. This is probably most peoples first thought at how to fix MPB (male pattern baldness) This stuff is really hit or miss. Mostly miss, IMO. Sure it does generate new hair growth and does give you some fuller hair, but the stuff is fairly pricey and you cannot stop using it. Remember that episode of The Simpsons where Homer is using Monyxidil and by the end of the episode his insurance no longer covers it, so he can't use it anymore and his hair falls out? Well that is essentially what happens. Not as dramatic though. If you come off it you WILL lose any hair that was cause to grow by it. Not all at once, but pretty quick, regardless. Long story short, waste of money.

2) Hair Implants. This is a more permanent solution to the problem, but there are a few problems with it. Let's get the positives out of the way first. When all is said and done, you will have more hair, and it will grow on it's own again. That's it for the positive. Some of the negatives are as follows. Cost. Hair Implants are expensive as fuck. Just out of curiosity, I checked it out at a local clinic called Mr Carmine. It's apparently one of the top hair implant places in the US. Anyway, the cost is through the roof depending on how much you need done. We're talking thousands and thousands of dollars here, none of it covered by insurance because it is cosmetic. Secondly is the pain factor. The process of implanting hairs is not a pretty one. essentially they're taking hair from one spot in your body, then making hundreds of small incisions on your scalp to implant the hair into it's follicles. It's usually more than one visit, and very painful as well. Ever get a bad gash on your head? Well think of hundreds of little cuts on it. The bleeding is also a factor. If you get this done, expect to take a week or more off from work. You'll have a constant "oozing" of blood and other shit for like a week because of this. I doubt you or your co-workers would like to deal with that. All in all, unless you're rich and a glutton for punishment, skip this. Huge waste of money unless you want to be in debt for a long time.

3) Shave your head. Seriously. Cut your losses and just do it. You might not be comfortable with the idea at first, and downright hate it. It's a pretty hard idea to get used to, and I can totally agree with anyone that doesn't want to do it. It is a pretty big decision for someone that loves their hair. However, once you do do it you'll probably find yourself a lot happier. I started shaving my head around June of last year and couldn't be happier. It is an easy solution, and even easier to take care of. No more having to worry about washing your hair like crazy or styling it. Just come out of the shower, and a couple of wipes later you're dry. It's very in "style" as well. Or it was anyway when I did it, if you care about that sort of thing. (I don't) It's really worth doing.

My decision to shave my head was a simple thing. I got more depressed about my thinning hair all the time. Then one day while on the bus on the way home, I saw some 50-60 something year old guy who was completely bald with 3 long strands of hair combed over and how ridiculous it really was. I said to myself I'm not gonna end up like that, and I'm already grasping at straw. So I got it all shaved off that weekend, and couldn't be happier. I've also come to learn that yeah, it is only hair. Who gives a shit? I couldn't grasp this at first probably because everyone makes such a huge fuss over hair and the like. (media) i've never given a crap about any of that stuff though, so why was I affected? It's a form of "brainwashing" I guess. But yeah, who gives a fuck. It's hair, big deal. For a guy it's no big deal. Women, I can understand the problem, but guys? Hell no.

I hope this post has been helpful to anyone with the same problem.

[Gulkeeva]

My father started balding around 28-30, I'm 28 now, hairs doing fine still, I probably got lucky considering my hair is same as my mothers and still going wild

[SephYuyX]

As I figured there are a lot of people here whove run into the same problem. Im not in a too bad of position yet, but I could in 5 years my crown being bald. I certianly didnt want to spend any real money on it, just wasnt sure if there were any tips to slow it down, or reverse it if caught soon enough.

I keep my hair pretty short as is, and it's not too terribly noticable, but if you look at it, you can tell. My hair turns into a fro basically if I let it grow out, and doesnt look right on me, so I keep it short.

I guess im not too against shaving my head, but hopefully ill be able to get into my 30s before I do it. Guess we shall see.

Thanks for the tips.

[jibini]

Yeah, I'm 25 and mine is going.

I'd been shaving my head for years, and decided to try growing it out for a change...

Discovered that I really can't anymore, and have gone back to shaving it.

[Sqwunk]

I'm 21 and I've got the thinning of right up front. It's not too terrible, right now just the hairline is receeding and it's thinner on top. Basically it's what my dad went through, he was pretty bald by the time I was born (he was 26).

I figure I'll end up looking a lot like he does, he's bald on top and a little farther back (yeah like someone mentioned the George Costanza style) but still thick around the sides and down the back.

I was always told that your hair pattern in your genes is from your mothers side, but I've yet to see my full head of hair that everyone on my mothers side has.

My friends receding hairline makes me laugh, he's still got hair up front, but the actual hairlines on the top corners keeps going back. So his widdows peak just keeps getting longer looking (aka makes me think of vegeta)

But the way I've dealt with things is I've accepted that I can't really grow my hair out anymore, It cant get to a certain length and I can kind of do something with it, but if it moves everyone see's how bad it is. So I just try to keep it short now.

[Fhloston]

I was extremely self conscious about it, and I also have a scalp condition called seborrheic dermatitis, which made it that much worse.

I have this too. Sucks balls at first but it's actually pretty easy to treat. I'm guessing this isn't helping my hairline either.

[Maguspk]

A bald head is a symbol of an abundance of testosterone, women are often attracted to it on some level subconciously.

Hair don't mean shit, if you're balding either fix it or shave it but don't do the awkward thing and ignore it, then you just look stupid.

[Elesirdur]

A bald head is a symbol of an abundance of testosterone, women are often attracted to it on some level subconciously.

Hair don't mean shit, if you're balding either fix it or shave it but don't do the awkward thing and ignore it, then you just look stupid.

Yeah, but it's a different kind of testosterone. True male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia, not just alopecia areata, seems to be caused by elevated levels of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which also may (the scientific community is still working on this, according to Wikipedia) increase rates of prostate complications like prostate cancer, and acne.

DHT causes hair loss by kind of shrinking the hair follicles which makes hair thinner, more prone to fall out quicker, and eventually not be able to grow hair at all. Rogaine works to 'open up' the follicles and allow hair to grow in existing follicles, or strengthen already thin hair strands. However, rogaine doesn't work for everyone, especially those with elevated DHT induced androgenic alopecia, but works better for those who suffer from something more like alopecia areata - and only at the crown. If you're balding at the vertex and the crown, chances are rogaine won't do shit for you because rogaine doesn't get to the cause of the matter, elevated DHT, but is just a stop-gap solution.

Propecia, or Finasteride as the generic drug is known, actually acts to lower DHT levels in your body, which can prevent the follicle shrinking from taking place, or at least just slow it down. However, with the lowering of DHT levels, you may end up effects associated with higher estrogen levels like reduced sex drive, loss of androgenic hair (face, body), and even moobs. I think Finasteride was first designed to help people with prostate problems and, like Viagra, found it had another beneficial side-effect.

On the plus side, noticing your thinning hair might be a good reason to go get in shape and eat a more balanced diet. Even though the actual results haven't been linked in true scientific studies, it's thought that a good aerobic exercise routine and a low-calorie diet can help reduce the amount of insulin produced in your body, which through some mechanisms I can't remember, can reduce the levels of DHT in your body which affect hair follicle shrinkage. It's no magic bullet, that's for sure, but it may help a little and it's way better to be a guy with thinning hair or who is balding that's in good shape, than to be bald(ing) and out of shape.

[Antithesis]

I want to give an honest response to this thread but every time I see Sephy I keep thinking of his pictures and how hot he is.

[Gulkeeva]

Looking it up theirs alot recommendations like...

Don't blow dry your hair, let it try naturally
Don't tug on hair
Remove split ends if any
Massage head
Keep hair clean of mass sweat buildup
Supposedly less you think about it, les slikely it is to happen compared to those that think it will happen constantly
Less stress

[Milton]

Looking it up theirs alot recommendations like...

Don't blow dry your hair, let it try naturally
Don't tug on hair
Remove split ends if any
Massage head
Keep hair clean of mass sweat buildup
Supposedly less you think about it, les slikely it is to happen compared to those that think it will happen constantly
Less stress

i do all this and am still balding fairly rapidly at age 20

[Nirokun!]

Yeah, but it's a different kind of testosterone. True male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia, not just alopecia areata, seems to be caused by elevated levels of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which also may (the scientific community is still working on this, according to Wikipedia) increase rates of prostate complications like prostate cancer, and acne.

DHT causes hair loss by kind of shrinking the hair follicles which makes hair thinner, more prone to fall out quicker, and eventually not be able to grow hair at all. Rogaine works to 'open up' the follicles and allow hair to grow in existing follicles, or strengthen already thin hair strands. However, rogaine doesn't work for everyone, especially those with elevated DHT induced androgenic alopecia, but works better for those who suffer from something more like alopecia areata - and only at the crown. If you're balding at the vertex and the crown, chances are rogaine won't do shit for you because rogaine doesn't get to the cause of the matter, elevated DHT, but is just a stop-gap solution.

Propecia, or Finasteride as the generic drug is known, actually acts to lower DHT levels in your body, which can prevent the follicle shrinking from taking place, or at least just slow it down. However, with the lowering of DHT levels, you may end up effects associated with higher estrogen levels like reduced sex drive, loss of androgenic hair (face, body), and even moobs. I think Finasteride was first designed to help people with prostate problems and, like Viagra, found it had another beneficial side-effect.

On the plus side, noticing your thinning hair might be a good reason to go get in shape and eat a more balanced diet. Even though the actual results haven't been linked in true scientific studies, it's thought that a good aerobic exercise routine and a low-calorie diet can help reduce the amount of insulin produced in your body, which through some mechanisms I can't remember, can reduce the levels of DHT in your body which affect hair follicle shrinkage. It's no magic bullet, that's for sure, but it may help a little and it's way better to be a guy with thinning hair or who is balding that's in good shape, than to be bald(ing) and out of shape.

Dear god, let the estrogen protect my hairrrrrrrr. I was actually thinking of trying to get my blood androgen levels tested (mostly the estrogen/estradiol) to keep their nirokunish levels nirokunish forever.

[Elites]

Are wigs really that noticeable

[Gulkeeva]

i do all this and am still balding fairly rapidly at age 20

Well, theirs always.. genetics can't fight that ;/

and work on that stress management!

[Sqwunk]

Are wigs really that noticeable

Not sure about wigs, but where I work we have a customer come in that has very thin hair, and so he uses the spray on hair. He has a very shiney black scalp lol. For everyone's benefit, no one should even consider doing that.

[Conformity]

ladies if you're losing your hair try going demi moore on it, i dated a girl with a bald head, it was hella hot, we stayed together for over 4 months.

[Cyn]

ladies if you're losing your hair try going demi moore on it, i dated a girl with a bald head, it was hella hot, we stayed together for over 4 months.

No thanks.