24 year old with agressive male pattern baldness - Norwood 2.5 - looking for advice or help? - WITH PICTURES

[Travalanche]

A fringe (Medium length), short hair, or buzzed are the only hairstyles I've been able to pull off since my hair loss began. I had long hair/ponytail for like 3 years straight during my high school years but as my hair loss got worse it looked more and more crappy.

I can still pull off a fringe but barely, I'm about at the Craig Owens level at the moment sadly.

But I did have it buzzed prior which looked fairly good but I had to work out constantly or I looked weird and my current job makes that nearly impossible so I gave up.

A medium hairstyle with temple coverage is all you can really do at your point if you want more than your average short haircut but then you have the wind to worry about but thankfully it's easy to fix by hand.

Honestly though, if the top of my head goes away all of my hair is getting the razor as I refuse to go beyond this point, I work in a grocery store and I see comb-overs all day long and no thanks.

I figure I might have another 2-3 years at least before things get bleak and I'll be nearly 30 by then so at least I had a good run I guess.

 

[thedarkcolor]

Hey everyone...

Just popping in for an update. I cut my hair on Christmas day as everyone had suggested. This is what I currently look like:



It was the first time I've had short hair since I was 12 years old...it's going to take some getting used to.
Problem is- I am losing hair at an accelerated rate. Even with my hair short...I'm now losing hair twice as fast it seems. It's almost like I'm going through puberty or something. I'm getting acne and I have sebum production that's out of control.

For those that have followed my threads to any degree, I tried finasteride last year for about 8 days total and it wrecked me, HARD. I crashed for about a month and then I recovered. It was terrifying.

I don't think I quite have hairloss that warrants shaving it all off, yet...but I lose close to 300 hairs in the shower every morning. If I wash my hands over the sink, hair just seemingly falls out of my head. This happens at work too and there's little hairs all over our office's bathroom if I don't clean it up. When I go to friend's houses....tons of hair gets left behind. It's insanely embarrassing. Another thing I've noticed is that my left temple is nearly an inch more receded than my right temple, with little dying hairs that haven't fallen out yet. This is something I never really noticed since I side parted my shoulder length hair and the bangs usually fell over my left temple. But now with short hair, this is VERY VERY apparent unless I style it to cover the left temple slightly.

I can upload photos if anyone is curious.

Also, I have a dermatologist appointment this upcoming Monday and I'm going to ask for another prescription of finasteride. I'm 24 for crying out loud!!! If I wait and do nothing...I'll likely be NW6 by the time I'm 30.

I've also posted on Reddit if anyone's curious about x-postsL: http://www.reddit.com/r/tressless/comments/2roxia/ended_up_cutting_my_hair_short_going_to_try/

Cheers,

 

[hairyhenry]

looks good man. That facial hair is awesome.

 

[jabbathehair]

Your sides are still to long to hide the receded hairline. In my opinion your hairline looks a lot like the family members picture you posted. I would go a lot shorter. Check out a faded cut and rock that beard. Trust me!

 

[winnyblues]

I think he looks really good with that length especially with that facial hair..

 

[rwhairlosstalk]

Wash with nizoral 4 times a week. it will surely buy you time. take a smaller amount of the med and supplement with saw palmetto as an addition. I found saw palmetto didn't do anything on its own. but with meds it was effective at slowing down the hairloss. Use minoxidil daily. Just because the meds hurt you, you cant give up. Do the big three with some alterations like I said. Then slooooooooowly increase it. Also take MSM daily. start with this slowly and a full glass of water. It to slows down the loss. I guarantee if you do all of this you will see a reduction in the rate you are losing.

 

[thedarkcolor]

Hey everyone- just posted some blood work I had done about a week ago.... I think I'm going to take the plunge and re-try finasteride at a lower daily dose (.25mg daily) and see what happens. Would anyone happen to have any insight on this blood work? I wanted to establish some baseline levels, since the first time I took finasteride (and crashed for a month) I did not take a blood test until AFTERWARD.

I'm wondering if this is a bad idea...

Thanks again for everyone's input.

 

[SayifDoit]

Why don't you try ever 3 days on 0.25 finasteride
As insane as it sounds, but finasteride as a half life of I think 3-4 days, not sure.
But I believe it could be the best way to avoid side effects.

Pretty insane to experience PFS after just 4 days being on it, I went on it for two weeks* with and didn't feel a thing after stopping.

 

[MEVOYACURAR]

Hey everyone- just posted some blood work I had done about a week ago.... I think I'm going to take the plunge and re-try finasteride at a lower daily dose (.25mg daily) and see what happens. Would anyone happen to have any insight on this blood work? I wanted to establish some baseline levels, since the first time I took finasteride (and crashed for a month) I did not take a blood test until AFTERWARD.

I'm wondering if this is a bad idea...

Thanks again for everyone's input.

View attachment 30782

Well done. It is a good idea to have blood works done before, during and after finasteride treatment. It seems you have kind of low testosterone for a 24 yo man. But SHBG and stradiol are perfect.

Regarding your style I also think you would look better having your hair shorter (less visible balding and easier to care). And it is a modern combination with your long, perfect beard. Become a hipster lover.

I know you are already a 24 yo adult and only take 0,25mg of finasteride, and propecia seems to be pretty safer that way. However, taking into account your history I would recommend you to be monitored by a dermatologist during the treatment. Good luck!

- - - Updated - - -

Why don't you try ever 3 days on 0.25 finasteride
As insane as it sounds, but finasteride as a half life of I think 3-4 days, not sure.
But I believe it could be the best way to avoid side effects.

Pretty insane to experience PFS after just 4 days being on it, I went on it for 4 days with and didn't feel a thing after stopping.

I would also start first at SayifDoit´s protocol and little by little taking it daily.

 

[thedarkcolor]

During the time that I "crashed" I did some bloodwork to try and pinpint the reason for feeling the way I did. In the blood work that I did while crashing, it says my free testosterone was 9.86 pg/mL and that the reference range for a male 20-39 years of age is anywhere between 8.8 - 27.0.



[FONT=arial, sans-serif]However, the test I had done a week ago shows my free testosterone at like 80+ and with totall different reference ranges. My total testosterone was also about 100 lower during the PFS crash. Could these differences be the catalyst for the crash? Any way to mitigate them? I'm trying to be 100% prepared before I take another finasteride pill since it'd hit me really, really hard last time. [/FONT]

 

[GoldenMane]

Hair loss sucks for everyone, but for long haired dudes it hits twice as hard. If it was me I would just power on through the sides, I'd do anything to keep mine. One thing yu might try is a topical like RU, maybe add topical spironolacetone, it may let you keep your hair without the sides.

 

[Wolf Pack]

During the time that I "crashed" I did some bloodwork to try and pinpint the reason for feeling the way I did. In the blood work that I did while crashing, it says my free testosterone was 9.86 pg/mL and that the reference range for a male 20-39 years of age is anywhere between 8.8 - 27.0.

View attachment 30783

However, the test I had done a week ago shows my free testosterone at like 80+ and with totall different reference ranges. My total testosterone was also about 100 lower during the PFS crash. Could these differences be the catalyst for the crash? Any way to mitigate them? I'm trying to be 100% prepared before I take another finasteride pill since it'd hit me really, really hard last time.

Great new style, I remember talking to you when you were about to cut the long hair. No need to shave/buzz yet.

It's difficult; if the finasteride made you crash so badly as you describe it's probably going to cause you mental/physical issues in the long term if you get on it. I would do what the other guy said: topicals.

 

[frenchy]

you look way better with new haircut op

 

[thedarkcolor]

Great new style, I remember talking to you when you were about to cut the long hair. No need to shave/buzz yet.

It's difficult; if the finasteride made you crash so badly as you describe it's probably going to cause you mental/physical issues in the long term if you get on it. I would do what the other guy said: topicals.

I fear I might need to shave/buzz my head soon. Seems like my hair grows really, really fast, but the frontal region since I posted the haircut photo has thinned out and receded so incredibly badly. However, the back remains thick. It's so hard to style and it's a constant reminder that I'm losing hair on top of how much I loser in the shower and sink on a daily basis.

Anyhow, I really appreciate you following the thread and offering your opinion and advice. I'm very close to trying finasteride again. I got a prescription for 1 mg Merck brand name Propecia from a dermatologist and filled it at my local pharmacy last week. I told the dermatologist my situation and my previous crash and PFS issues when I took it last year for 8 days total at 1.25mg. He said some people get side effects from generics but don't with brand name. Said that no one he's prescribed the drug to has ever told him about permanent or long lasting side effects, with the exception of the drug simply losing efficiency over time. He also mentioned that some people get side effects with finasteride and don't with dutasteride. He looked at my scalp and actually talked with me for about 30 minutes. I felt like I was genuinely getting my money's worth with the doctor visit. Anyways, he offered to give a prescription for either finasteride or dutasteride and I told him finasteride.

He advised to try a more homeopathic approach and try starting off with .25mg of finasteride to see if I got side effects. Here I am- recovered from a finasteride crash nightmare, one year later staring at a pill cutter and four pieces of a Propecia pill.

Ughhh, I wish life was easier.

- - - Updated - - -

Hair loss sucks for everyone, but for long haired dudes it hits twice as hard. If it was me I would just power on through the sides, I'd do anything to keep mine. One thing yu might try is a topical like RU, maybe add topical spironolacetone, it may let you keep your hair without the sides.

The thing that scared me the most was the mental side effects. The brainfog and cognitive issues and emotional blunting were the absolute hardest, since my job and my life revolve around working with numbers and I constantly have to be on my toes. I love my job- I work in the music industry at a concert venue and I manage online ticket sales, merchandise sales, and other miscellaneous things. I always have to crunch numbers. I mean, at the end of the day I get to watch national touring bands and musicians, but when I crashed before...

I wasn't even able to get out of bed. I had to go to the emergency room twice. I missed about a month of work and nearly lost my job.

It just sucks because everyone I work with and the bands that come through- the alternative or indie "hipster" lifestyle with long hair, etc....that I used to be a part of I guess. I've had long hair my whole life. You never see a balding dude in the music industry. All these guys have their hair. I've seen roadies in their 50's and 60's with better hair than me. It ****ing sucks having your identity ripped from you without having a choice at such a young age, and having your co-workers and friends watch you silently, embarrassingly suffer.

Maybe I'll try RU. I have no idea where to begin looking for that- any info? Thanks!

 

[TD500]

Good advice take it slow, .25 MWF or EOD. I've even read people taking it once a week for a month before stepping up the dose.

 

[GoldenMane]

I don't know where to get it, sorry. From what I have read, it appears that people buy the active ingredient then dissolve it in some organic solvent (alcohol?) and essentially make their own. I'm not sure if RU58841 exists as a commercially available solution. From what I have read though, it does appear to be quite effective, at least as effective as finasteride from what I hear. The danger with topicals is that they are still absorbed into your blood, just to a lesser extent, so they still have the potential to go systemic, but the risk is lower than with orally taken drugs. I think it's well worth a shot. Topical spironolacetone too. If you go the topical route the you have to be consistent, perhaps even a little bit more aggressive in your approach. Good luck man, hope it works out for you, act fast and don't give up!

 

[thedarkcolor]

Hey everyone,

Just popping in for another update, with another set of photos. First two are from a few minutes ago while the last three are under harsh florescent lighting in my bathroom.


My hair grows incredibly fast... Ever since I cut my hair in December around Christmas time, I have not felt like me. I understand the finding it weird to have short hair because I'm not used to it after having shoulder length hair most of my life, but it seems like the hairloss around my forelock has gotten significantly worse since I cut my hair. Greasy scalp, intense acne flareups, greasy face, lots of hair lost in the shower. More so than usual.

Around the time I cut my hair I began to try Saw Palmetto and Biotin. I have a Prostate Blend that has Saw Palmetto, stinging nettle, green tea, and other things I've noticed people around here have mentioned as having "anti-androgentic" properties. I've been taking this twice daily, when you're supposed to be taking it once a day. I also take biotin.

Weird thing is that after about a week of starting this, I feel constantly tired. Not to the point where I can't function like when I had my "post-finasteride crash" but noticeably more tired all day, even if I sleep. My sleep gets interrupted at about 6:00am every morning. Ever morning, like clockwork I get "kicked" awake. This happened when I was taking finasteride last year and happened when I crashed too. I also have a slightly harder time concentrating, but it's not severe. Not nearly as bad as my crash was.

I am 100% sure these things are not in my head. Is it possible for me to really, really be that sensitive to anti-androgens?

I've decided that I just can't do the short hair. It's not me. Sometime next week, I'm going to try .25mg of finasteride and see what happens and try my absolute hardest to power through any side effects I may get. On Reddit's /r/tressless some users have told me this is suicide due to how hard I crashed before when I received a prescription for 5mg finasteride and I cut it into quarters and took 1.25mg daily.

I'm thinking if I can just get my forelock to thicken up to normal density I'd be happy. There are lots of dudes that I see that have Norwood 2-3 recession and have long hair and beards and look cool to me. It's just that my forelock is ****ing so thin now. Seems like it happened overnight. If I could thicken that and halt all further loss I would be 100% satisfied.

Also, would anyone mind going back a couple of posts and look at my blood results that I posted? Or can anyone offer any insight on it?

Thanks!!!!

 

[MEVOYACURAR]

Hey everyone,

Just popping in for another update, with another set of photos. First two are from a few minutes ago while the last three are under harsh florescent lighting in my bathroom.
View attachment 31108View attachment 31110View attachment 31111View attachment 31112

My hair grows incredibly fast... Ever since I cut my hair in December around Christmas time, I have not felt like me. I understand the finding it weird to have short hair because I'm not used to it after having shoulder length hair most of my life, but it seems like the hairloss around my forelock has gotten significantly worse since I cut my hair. Greasy scalp, intense acne flareups, greasy face, lots of hair lost in the shower. More so than usual.

Around the time I cut my hair I began to try Saw Palmetto and Biotin. I have a Prostate Blend that has Saw Palmetto, stinging nettle, green tea, and other things I've noticed people around here have mentioned as having "anti-androgentic" properties. I've been taking this twice daily, when you're supposed to be taking it once a day. I also take biotin.

Weird thing is that after about a week of starting this, I feel constantly tired. Not to the point where I can't function like when I had my "post-finasteride crash" but noticeably more tired all day, even if I sleep. My sleep gets interrupted at about 6:00am every morning. Ever morning, like clockwork I get "kicked" awake. This happened when I was taking finasteride last year and happened when I crashed too. I also have a slightly harder time concentrating, but it's not severe. Not nearly as bad as my crash was.

I am 100% sure these things are not in my head. Is it possible for me to really, really be that sensitive to anti-androgens?

I've decided that I just can't do the short hair. It's not me. Sometime next week, I'm going to try .25mg of finasteride and see what happens and try my absolute hardest to power through any side effects I may get. On Reddit's /r/tressless some users have told me this is suicide due to how hard I crashed before when I received a prescription for 5mg finasteride and I cut it into quarters and took 1.25mg daily.

I'm thinking if I can just get my forelock to thicken up to normal density I'd be happy. There are lots of dudes that I see that have Norwood 2-3 recession and have long hair and beards and look cool to me. It's just that my forelock is ****ing so thin now. Seems like it happened overnight. If I could thicken that and halt all further loss I would be 100% satisfied.

Also, would anyone mind going back a couple of posts and look at my blood results that I posted? Or can anyone offer any insight on it?

Thanks!!!!

You have inside the ranges, but low testosterone. Maybe that´s the reason why you feel sensitive to anti-androgens.