Hey guys,
As my inaugural post here, I'd like to say that this forum and its members have been a huge benefit to me in navigating my feelings and thoughts about dealing with my male pattern baldness. So, thank you in advance.
To make my long'ish journey succinct....I am a 26 year old business owner, film actor, and motivational speaker. My father is completely bald, as are my uncles on my father's side of the family. My paternal grandfather though had good hair until he passed on in his nineties.
My mom's side, though, are the hairy people. Material grandparents are both very endowed in this regard, and my mom's siblings (and herself) have tons of hair and never had to think about thinning or hair loss (and they're in their sixties).
I first started to notice major temple recession and frontal thinning two years ago. Throughout college and afterwards, I had a perfect straight hairline and thick, thick hair that I would tie often into a ponytail or "let it fly" as I rode my motorcycle around town. Throughout my life, my hair has been my greatest asset and a source of pride....a sense of identity to me.
So you can imagine how devastated I was when my male pattern baldness started and now is a NW2 heading into a NW3. I researched online and consulted with docs for years, and it's definitely pattern hair loss. Since I have done some TV and commercial work as an actor, and my main business is a motivational seminar/coaching niche, I am not really sure what to do at this point.
Last year, I was on Rogaine, Avodart, and Finpecia for 4 months with Nizoral shampoo every other day. While I think this may have slowed the recession, I had unwelcome sexual side effects with the Avo and Finpecia so I stopped. I had also consulted with my dad, who is a holistic doctor (and has had TONS of success in helping patients with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol issues, etc), and he put me on a natural hormone-stabilizing treatment that had few results (though the nutritional regime gave me more energy and vitality in my daily life).
Let me pose a question for you all here and I'd like your honest feedback. I put together two plans of action in an attempt to save my hair since I'm still relatively young:
*** PLAN 1: Aggressively combat my male pattern baldness now:
1) I was planning on getting FUE/SFET work done to thicken my frontal hairline and restore my receded temples. Among many doctors I've spoken with or considered have been Dr. Umar of Redondo Beach, CA, since I like his technique and have seen his FUE results to be acceptable for a NW2 like myself.
2) Go BACK on Avodart and Finpecia, and just "deal with" the side effects.
3) Hopefully the FUE and Avodart regimen will maintain what I have for the next 5-10 years, which is where I really care about my hair line.
*** PLAN 2: Accept male pattern baldness, embrace it, and use it
1) Shave my head down like many other film actors, like Vin Diesel, Bruce Willis, etc.
2) Work on other areas of my life and forget about my hair.
I would rather embrace Plan 1, but there are significant downers that give me pause:
• Even after a successful FUE by a proficient surgeon, if my male pattern baldness continues, my head will look ridiculous as I would have a thick front end and aggressively thinning crown and vertex area, which means I would have to go back in for surgery, spending time and money, and potentially opening myself up for more risks of "white dot" scarring
• If I go back on Avodart and Finpecia, even if the drugs work, the sexual side effects would be something I'd have to live with. Like many of you on this board, I enjoy having sex with a beautiful woman ;-)
• My father studied these two drugs extensively on how it affects blood hormone levels. He cautioned that Avodart in particular may have long term side effects that may be irreversible and screwing around with Androgen levels in the male body can have unforseen consequences down the line with long term use. He specifically mentioned its effects on muscle building (since I lift weights and want to build more mass) and also of effects of the prostate and sexual experiences (which I've already had to witness).
Plan 2 probably is the least risky, but being bald and receding will most likely affect my chances of landing varied film roles. Some of the roles I've been shooting for demand a 20 year old thick hairline. Wearing a wig may not work.
So I'm at a crossroads now. If I go on Plan 1, it may buy me enough time until a more permanent solution comes out, like stem cell hair cloning, Histogen, etc. However, I've read on this board and many others that Histogen and stem cell hair cloning technology may not be available for years to come, and that the saying "it's around the corner" has been spouted for years with no stem cell techniques commercially available to date as it stands. Can anyone here comment on where they think hair CLONING/STEM CELL tech is and how soon we may have it?
I am tempted just so shave it all off and say SCREW IT! but I know that I will miss my (formerly) long locks. If I get FUE, what would really be a bummer is if my male pattern baldness continues and I have to become a surgery addict for the rest of my life.
Anyways, again, if you have anything to add or have similar experiences to me, please share. Attached are some recent pics of my vertex and temple hair loss.
Thanks, guys.
[attachment=1:28ux2b5c]photo.JPG[/attachment:28ux2b5c]
[attachment=0:28ux2b5c]photo-2.JPG[/attachment:28ux2b5c]
As my inaugural post here, I'd like to say that this forum and its members have been a huge benefit to me in navigating my feelings and thoughts about dealing with my male pattern baldness. So, thank you in advance.
To make my long'ish journey succinct....I am a 26 year old business owner, film actor, and motivational speaker. My father is completely bald, as are my uncles on my father's side of the family. My paternal grandfather though had good hair until he passed on in his nineties.
My mom's side, though, are the hairy people. Material grandparents are both very endowed in this regard, and my mom's siblings (and herself) have tons of hair and never had to think about thinning or hair loss (and they're in their sixties).
I first started to notice major temple recession and frontal thinning two years ago. Throughout college and afterwards, I had a perfect straight hairline and thick, thick hair that I would tie often into a ponytail or "let it fly" as I rode my motorcycle around town. Throughout my life, my hair has been my greatest asset and a source of pride....a sense of identity to me.
So you can imagine how devastated I was when my male pattern baldness started and now is a NW2 heading into a NW3. I researched online and consulted with docs for years, and it's definitely pattern hair loss. Since I have done some TV and commercial work as an actor, and my main business is a motivational seminar/coaching niche, I am not really sure what to do at this point.
Last year, I was on Rogaine, Avodart, and Finpecia for 4 months with Nizoral shampoo every other day. While I think this may have slowed the recession, I had unwelcome sexual side effects with the Avo and Finpecia so I stopped. I had also consulted with my dad, who is a holistic doctor (and has had TONS of success in helping patients with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol issues, etc), and he put me on a natural hormone-stabilizing treatment that had few results (though the nutritional regime gave me more energy and vitality in my daily life).
Let me pose a question for you all here and I'd like your honest feedback. I put together two plans of action in an attempt to save my hair since I'm still relatively young:
*** PLAN 1: Aggressively combat my male pattern baldness now:
1) I was planning on getting FUE/SFET work done to thicken my frontal hairline and restore my receded temples. Among many doctors I've spoken with or considered have been Dr. Umar of Redondo Beach, CA, since I like his technique and have seen his FUE results to be acceptable for a NW2 like myself.
2) Go BACK on Avodart and Finpecia, and just "deal with" the side effects.
3) Hopefully the FUE and Avodart regimen will maintain what I have for the next 5-10 years, which is where I really care about my hair line.
*** PLAN 2: Accept male pattern baldness, embrace it, and use it
1) Shave my head down like many other film actors, like Vin Diesel, Bruce Willis, etc.
2) Work on other areas of my life and forget about my hair.
I would rather embrace Plan 1, but there are significant downers that give me pause:
• Even after a successful FUE by a proficient surgeon, if my male pattern baldness continues, my head will look ridiculous as I would have a thick front end and aggressively thinning crown and vertex area, which means I would have to go back in for surgery, spending time and money, and potentially opening myself up for more risks of "white dot" scarring
• If I go back on Avodart and Finpecia, even if the drugs work, the sexual side effects would be something I'd have to live with. Like many of you on this board, I enjoy having sex with a beautiful woman ;-)
• My father studied these two drugs extensively on how it affects blood hormone levels. He cautioned that Avodart in particular may have long term side effects that may be irreversible and screwing around with Androgen levels in the male body can have unforseen consequences down the line with long term use. He specifically mentioned its effects on muscle building (since I lift weights and want to build more mass) and also of effects of the prostate and sexual experiences (which I've already had to witness).
Plan 2 probably is the least risky, but being bald and receding will most likely affect my chances of landing varied film roles. Some of the roles I've been shooting for demand a 20 year old thick hairline. Wearing a wig may not work.
So I'm at a crossroads now. If I go on Plan 1, it may buy me enough time until a more permanent solution comes out, like stem cell hair cloning, Histogen, etc. However, I've read on this board and many others that Histogen and stem cell hair cloning technology may not be available for years to come, and that the saying "it's around the corner" has been spouted for years with no stem cell techniques commercially available to date as it stands. Can anyone here comment on where they think hair CLONING/STEM CELL tech is and how soon we may have it?
I am tempted just so shave it all off and say SCREW IT! but I know that I will miss my (formerly) long locks. If I get FUE, what would really be a bummer is if my male pattern baldness continues and I have to become a surgery addict for the rest of my life.
Anyways, again, if you have anything to add or have similar experiences to me, please share. Attached are some recent pics of my vertex and temple hair loss.
Thanks, guys.
[attachment=1:28ux2b5c]photo.JPG[/attachment:28ux2b5c]
[attachment=0:28ux2b5c]photo-2.JPG[/attachment:28ux2b5c]
