eek's story

[eek]

Hiya.
I'm a 22 year old male, and noticed about a year ago that my hair "might" be thinning, or falling out. I've always had VERY thin hair, much like women have. Nothing like thick hair like alot of men have :/
Anyway, looking at dated pics, I think my hairloss might have started at 19 or so. I've been on minoxidil for about a month, and in some areas, the hair seems to be regrowing. but. I originally noticed my hairloss because of one side of my scalp, not the other. Both temples are relatively hairless, much like my fathers were. He isn't bald though, temples till around 45, then he started balding abit more around 50-55. His hair is very black and thick btw. As for my mother, she's gone thru 2 chemios and still has quite alot of hair, she's lost some but nothing dramatic. Tht side of the family seems to have quite strong, but thin hair aswell. The fact is, the hair seems to be regrowing on 1 temple, the one which i would never have guessed was losing hair! The other one is the problem. Not only the temple, but above it seems to be thinning, and losing hair. I can clearly see the difference between the 2 sides, and frankly, it's quite depressing. At first, the derms i saw were wondering if i really was losing my hair. When i told them it was really bothering me, they prescribed me minoxidil. When i suggested 1 side was going down alot faster, they told me it was quite symmetrical. It's not only that i can see it. I've grown my hair, and one side is definitely growing slower, and weirder to comb. I'm happy minoxidil is regrowing hair on that temple of mine, although that was going unnoticed for me...can balding really be asymmetrical?
I think that's all for now, and i'd like to thank you all for any potential feedback provided

 

[HairlossTalk]

Hiya.

Hi eek, welcome to HairlossTalk

I've been on minoxidil for about a month, and in some areas, the hair seems to be regrowing.

Takes a bit longer than this. Could just be new hairs cycling into growth like you would have seen without Rogaine. Hair regrowth from rogaine typically takes 3 to 7 months.

I originally noticed my hairloss because of one side of my scalp, not the other.

This is pretty common. Guys seem to lose more hair in one temple area than in the other. For me its my left side.

Both temples are relatively hairless, much like my fathers were. He isn't bald though, temples till around 45, then he started balding abit more around 50-55. His hair is very black and thick btw. As for my mother, she's gone thru 2 chemios and still has quite alot of hair

Some guys begin to thin out a bit in their 20's and never get any worse. So its a tough call to make. You may be just like your dad. Develop that "mature hair line" we call it, and then never lose any more. Best thing to do is just evaluate your status in intervals of 6 months to a year. No less. Take pictures that are very clear and wont leave you wondering later on 'how it really looked' at the time. The good news is, if you don't let it go for 5+ years without doing anything, you can always start on something that should stop the process and get you back to baseline. Just be casual about it. No need to stress, and keep an eye on things every half a year to a year.

I can clearly see the difference between the 2 sides, and frankly, it's quite depressing.

Nothing to be depressed about. Your hair is a funny weird qwerky thing. It does weird things like this all the time. It will get really bad in one area then get really good. Its a roller coaster ride, and this is why we always suggest doing evaluations on grand-scales. Every 6 months. Not every day or every week or every month. You'll drive yourself insane. Expect it to do all kinds of peculiar things in the meantime. Your job is consistency. Dont change, swap in and out products, increase or decrease applications, etc. Stick with one religious regimen and stay consistent. In the end, your hair will be better off for it.

HairLossTalk.com

 

[eek]

thanks for your reply HairLossTalk.com
If i look at 2 year old pics, I sometimes wonder if it's moved at all. I kinda feel it was the same at 20, I just didnt see it. Growing paranoid about it sure isn't helping either. But i do see the hair fall out, i lose 20 or 30 when i wash my hair daily, so i reckon it's worsening.
Also, another question:

I'm fairly sure most of the hair was lost between 19 and 21. not sure though, could still be worsening. The thing is, I'm wondering if this is linked to some other changes. I was always fairly hairless on my body. Some on my legs, a wee bit on my arms and hands, but not much more. At 19-20, hair on my chest, abdomen, arms started growing. And it's been growing ever since. I'm not exactly a body hair fan, so I can see it worsening. Also, I never had acne during my teens. Suddenly, around 19, it popped up, and worsened at 21. The treatments I got from the derm improved it a bit, but it's still there alright, and I can't get it to go away. Is there any way the horrible hair growth and acne is related to the hair loss? Am i just completely falling apart?

EDIT: After reading a few posts, i thught i might be adding some stuff:

I can tug my hair on the top all I want, it rarely comes off. might be losing it too, but it just wont fall off when i pull it. Sides are another story, temples and further, hairs always come out. They always have that whitish point at the root. The most frightening result when i pull my hair is situated at the neck/head location. In the back, of course. When i pull them, they almost all come right off!

And while I'm at it, might as well just mention all of it. I've been in depression since I'm 18 years old. Was doing better, until hair loss, acne, body hair growth etc kicked in. Not that I think its got anything to do with it, but thought it might be worth mentionning. Yes, i'm fucked up hehe.
Don't take this as whining though, just trying to describe my situation the best i actually can.

And another edit. Yes, I love this button. I just pulled some hair behind my ear (yes, behind), and most of the hair i pulled came off! No, I didnt pull hard, I'm not a trichotillomaniac. I swear I had 10 to 15 hairs between my fingers
Is it supposed to fall off that bad behind the ears?