College junior, shedding like crazy, what to do now? (Pics)

[highheat]

Freshman year, I used to have a lot of hair-- I mean in the monsterous, I'm being a poor college freshman and not cutting my hair. Then I started to notice I was shedding a lot-- pretty noticeably-- to the point I was clogging the shower drain. I didn't think much of it, since I had never had long hair, I figured that it was normal to lose hair, and since mine was so long, it was muoy noticeable.

Well last year and this year I've been cutting my hair back shorter and shorter, and I keep shedding. My hair has definately lost volume and thickness-- however my hairline had not receded, so I had not not been truly bothered, even though sometimes when I run my hand through my hair, I take out 10-20 hairs.

A couple weeks ago, my mother pointed out it looked like I had a little bald spot on top of my head-- of course-- my maternal grandfather, and all my mother's brothers were bald before 30. So that's not good.

Anyway, long story short, I called my dermatologist who is booked until March! Obviously I can't see him for anything prescription until then.

http://www.balloflightning.com/images/bowling/hair1.JPG
http://www.balloflightning.com/images/bowling/hair2.JPG
http://www.balloflightning.com/images/bowling/hair3.JPG

I know it's not bad right now, but family history dictates it's only going to get worse. That and I assume the earlier I look into it, the better off I am treating it. I have been thinking about starting a regimen with the Rogaine foam, at least until I see my dermo.

Anybody here have a similar initial hair loss, and what did you guys do about it that worked? What treatments should I be looking into, if any?

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

1. suicide is always an option, unless you can imagine living life happily with a slick bald head (just kidding hehe)

2. Get on Proscar. Propecia = 1 mg of finastride <-- active DHT fighting ingredient. Proscar = 5 mg of finastride (Proscar is used to treat enlarged prostate). Ask your doctor for proscar and cut it into 4ths using a pill cutter. Why do this? It is a super cheap and just as effective way of using propecia, and you are a poor college student.

== Do a ton of research on propecia, DHT, proscar, and finastride and take notes. Look like you know what you are talking about to your physician and they will be more apt to give you proscar ==

You need proscar NOW!. Scew your derm, go to your general physician. Thats what I did. I demand that you get on the phone as soon as you read this post and make an app. with your physician.

Rogaine foam x 2 a day (if you are poor go to walmart and buy Equate if you can't afford Rogaine, its generic Rogaine that work just as well, just not nice and foamy), and get Nizoral shampoo (also at walmart)

1/4 proscar once daily
Rogain foam 2 x a day
Nizoral shampoo every other day
Pray to God you do not become bald once daily

 

[Guest]

that crown honestly doesn't stand out as balding to me.

i mean some people have thin crowns but if your family really just noticed it then chances are it is. i myself have something similar, maybe a bit smaller on the back, but some people just have naturally thin vertexes.

i would do what worldofwar craft said and make an appt with your general doctor asap.

 

[s.a.f]

Whats the rest of your hair like eg the hairline? If everything else is strong and thick I would'nt worry too much. Although if all your relatives were bald by 30 that does'nt bode well, prepare to get on the meds.

 

[highheat]

My hairline hasn't gone back at all, but it has thinned out. Not as noticeably as the crown, but it's thinning.

I thought I'd start seeing the hairline backup at the same time as the thinning or even before I started losing a lot on the vertex, but I guess not...

BTW: I suppose I picked a bad choice of title, but I'm not going through a "shed" technically since I'm not really on any treatments. I guess my title should have been AM I GOING BALD! So I don't know why I ended up in the shedding forum, unless a mod moved me without reading I guess...

 

[Cassin]

well it's in your title.........

 

[highheat]

well it's in your title.........

I know, hence why I admitted to "probably a bad choice of title"

 

[Cassin]

well it's in your title.........

I know, hence why I admitted to "probably a bad choice of title"

Too many threads to read each one so sometimes you go by titles to save time.

Where should I move it back to? Mens General?

int:

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

that crown honestly doesn't stand out as balding to me.

i mean some people have thin crowns but if your family really just noticed it then chances are it is. i myself have something similar, maybe a bit smaller on the back, but some people just have naturally thin vertexes.

i would do what worldofwar craft said and make an appt with your general doctor asap.

While I agree with you that the crown doesn't stand out as balding:

Bad genetic history + he notices hair falling out/something wrong + mom notices thinning = very low hopes he isn't starting to bald.

 

[sphlanx2006]

I would wait a little before i get in meds if i were you. Your hair is still extremely good. There is no noticeable thinning yet. Keep an eye on it, and when you see the first slighlty thin spot grab your finasteride pills and start stuffing them down to your throat!

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

Re: College junior, shedding like crazy, what to do now? (P

A couple weeks ago, my mother pointed out it looked like I had a little bald spot on top of my head-- of course-- my maternal grandfather, and all my mother's brothers were bald before 30. So that's not good.

Anyway, long story short, I called my dermatologist who is booked until March! Obviously I can't see him for anything prescription until then.

On second thought, its pretty obvious your crown is thinning. I dont know why people want you to go bald. I mean, your mother would know if that was a bald spot because she gave birth to you and seen you grow up throughout time, while people on these forums have seen one digital picture of you.

Is it any coincidence that you noticed increasing shedding and your own mom points out a bald spot? Doubt it.....

All of the obvious signs are there, you notice it, your own mother notices your thinning, you are shedding more than normal, and your genetics dictate you will be bald. The first picture of your three shows a clear bald spot forming. A calic isn't long and circular like your bald spot.

All of the writting is on the wall. The choice is yours:

1. Follow others advice and wait for losses to continue so you can pray it will be fixed with meds

2. start now and regain what you have lost already.

I would choose option 2 personally.

 

[Guest]

WoW,

just as an aside, here's what my crown looks like now:

As you can see, I have the double cowlick thing going on. My parents weren't sure if I've always had it but before starting the drugs but if their parents do not know then they should consult a derm since male pattern baldness can present itself in many different patterns. All I know is that that looks a lot better than the obvious crown thinning that I had going on before.

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

WoW,

just as an aside, here's what my crown looks like now:

As you can see, I have the double cowlick thing going on. My parents weren't sure if I've always had it but before starting the drugs but if their parents do not know then they should consult a derm since male pattern baldness can present itself in many different patterns. All I know is that that looks a lot better than the obvious crown thinning that I had going on before.

Thats a nice head of hair, I wish I would have started earlier. I am already a Norwood 2.5 :-x

I can't say for sure if he is going bald, but man those signs are scarey (tons of shedding, mom making comments, bad genetics). Pesronally, I wouldn't risk it if I were him.

 

[Guest]

no i agree with you that he should see a dermatologist and with bad genetics chances are it is the very beginnings of male pattern baldness. my hair basically looks like that in the picture above except at the hairline and right behind it you can see some white areas of scalp where i have some diffusion.

 

[highheat]

Thanks guys, my general physician won't see me, and his nurse was giving me a load of crap about him not prescribing anything unless I proved it was drastically different anyways.

So I'm going to try and see a dermo in the next couple weeks when I'm at school, rather than wait the three months to see one when I'm home. We'll see what he has to say, I guess.

Just reading things-- Finpecia-- generally assumed to be safe and reasonably close to the real thing? Like I said before, I have no dough...

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

Thanks guys, my general physician won't see me, and his nurse was giving me a load of crap about him not prescribing anything unless I proved it was drastically different anyways.

Your general physician won't see you? What a bunch of horse crap! Early 20s is generally when hairloss starts. You need to find a new general physician. That is absurd.

 

[weezerboi18]

hair looks fine to me. I'd rather have thinning on the back then front.

 

[Skaff]

Your hair looks fine now but all signs point to male pattern baldness. The earlier you catch it, the better...I'd get on finasteride asap.

 

[GamilGamal]

me and u have like the exzact same hair. I've had thin hair my entire life, my dad is bald and so is my older brother (hes 31 im 21). I dont notice a great deal of shedding, i mean i wake up with 3-10 hairs on my pillow. And there is hair in the drain after i wash it but not enough to clog it up. I doubt i lose more then 100 hairs a day. But still i KNOW im gonna be noticeably balding in the future. Ima make a thread similar to urs to see what people think i should do once i get some pics