Baldingat17's Story - (PICS!!)

[baldingat17]

I'm new here but 17 and actually have a really bad receding hair line...Please let me know what is the most affective way for me to regrow hair...this is so embarrasing....and also a good haircut for this problem...Thanks.

 

[Thickandthin]

Re: balding at 17 pics!

Propecia, Rogaine, and Nizoral Shampoo are your best options.

For a haircut I'd go for something like Jude Law:

He's got more recession than you but his hair looks great.

 

[SE-freak]

Re: balding at 17 pics!

Hello and welcome

Your hair looks very healthy but your hairline has started showing it,s demonic intentions!

I believe that a good strategy would be to hold off finasteride (propecia/proscar) for a year till you hit 18. Until then you can put your money on a topical dht inhibitor. Then switch to finasteride.
Now... is a stimulant needed? I would say yes... but I have seen impressive results from people on finasteride only, you are very young and your follicles have not been hit for a long time. That gives good probabilities of recovery.

One thing that is a valuable constant is a ketoconazole containing shampoo, that you could start using from tomorrow and twice-thrice weekly.

You started researching hairloss early, you have photographic assessment of your situation and you are on the right place to get information and support. That is half the battle won. Let's see what others have to say...

 

[baldingat17]

Re: balding at 17 pics!

Are the topical DHT inhibitor and the shampoo different things?

 

[SE-freak]

Re: balding at 17 pics!

Are the topical DHT inhibitor and the shampoo different things?

Yes, in fact a shampoo does not stay on the scalp long enough to make a difference unless it is... Nizoral! (Not considered one of the 3 best treatments at the moment by chance.)

A topical (as topical dht inhibitors) is a solution or cream that you apply to your skin and let it sit, be absorbed and reach the follicle, thus having a positive effect on its function. I do not have personal experience with topical inhibitors so I believe there are other people here that could give much better input than me.

The general scientific consensus is that what is responsible for Male Pattern Baldness, in our case our M shape flirting hairline, is the inflammatory response to a male hormone's binding (DHT) to the sensitive androgen receptors in our scalp skin. So, in order to stop/delay/reverse the balding process this underlying cause must be countered. A stimulant on it's own (like Rogaine for example) would give an extra offset of growth, but would not stop the follicles from gradually shrinking to death.

My recommendation for a topical vs an internal DHT inhibitor(a pill) was due to your young age. Finasteride has heavy scientific data supporting it's effectiveness as a hairloss drug.

 

[baldingat17]

Re: balding at 17 pics!

So you recommend Finasteride plus the special shampoo...but not rogaine or anything like that? It sounds like I need the topical inhibitor to stop the loss, and then something else to start hair growth again. Is this correct?

 

[baldingat17]

Re: balding at 17 pics!

I misread that sorry...you are saying ketoconazole shampoo plus a DHT inhibitor!

Anyone have any thoughts on DHT inhibitors?

 

[SE-freak]

Re: balding at 17 pics!

So you recommend Finasteride plus the special shampoo...but not rogaine or anything like that? It sounds like I need the topical inhibitor to stop the loss, and then something else to start hair growth again. Is this correct?

Look, it depends on your expectations and of course the way you wish to approach the situation. Regrowth when using inhibitors does happen, but should be considered a bonus- inhibitors aim at maintenance-slowing down the process.

If you think you would be happy with possible thickening and some regrowth you could let minoxidil out of the mix. If you want to aim at the maximum regrowth you could get following approved treatments then by all means start using a stimulant. The best currently available stimulant is minoxidil and it has given impressive results to some. But I should emphasize this: Minoxidil is not a styling product, it is not a gel or cologne it requires certain level of commitment from your part. You will have to use it consistently with no on offs if you want the results that it gives to last.

here is a graph that shows the relation between different combinations of treatments:

Notice that the combination of finasteride+minoxidil has the potential of offering significantly better haircounts than each treatment on it's own.

 

[baldingat17]

Re: balding at 17 pics!

I have heard alot of bad stuff about the long term products...

 

[SE-freak]

Re: balding at 17 pics!

I have heard alot of bad stuff about the long term products...

Of course you have! Being sceptical is very healthy. That is why you must feed your healthy sceptiscism with personal research. Bad stuff does happen and a hairloss site or forum is the place to come across it. :ninja:

But... are there any short term products?