Hi everyone,
I've been lurking around here for a couple of months, posting when I thought I had something unique to add. I thought it's about time I threw my hat in properly.
I am 22 years old and 6'1". Until about summer of 2003 my weight fluctuated between around 18 and 18.5 stone (that's 258lbs for our american viewers), about 6 stone overweight. At the end of my second year of university I decided it was time to do something about it, hit the gym, cut down the drinking and takeaways. Took a lot of determination but 2 and a bit years later I am exactly 12.5 stone and pretty ripped (even if I do say so myself).
I've never been healthier or happier with the way I look, but in the last year to year and a half, my hair has replaced my weight as my main self-image issue. My original hair was one of the few things i was proud of about my body. After growing up being teased for having red hair, I had learned to embrace it, the celtic heritage, and the fact that it was a beautiful and unusual mop. I'm talking dense, thick, strong, very slightly wavy strands, always managable and fast-growing. And no scalp problems ever. Think Liono from thundercats, if that helps (perhaps I should change my name on here to that...).
Anyway, around a year and a half age I noticed things changing. Firstly, my hair became much wavier, scalpp greasier, yet hair drier and unmanagable. Then the strands seemed to become thinner and my hairline went backwards maybe an inch at the temples. Also scalp developed acne-like spots (folliculitis). Then came the sheds. That's some scary sh*t, I've lost a lot of denstity anterior midscalp particularly, though thanks to the high density I started with and curlier hair it is not yet noticable. I'd put myself at about a Norwood 1.5 and diffuse right now. I think my vertex is solid, though I haven't plucked up the courage to check though - must soon. the fact that I've had receeding comments but no bald spot comment cheers me. Vertex is very oily mind, and a quick scratch digs up fingernails full of skin cells and sebum in this area - not a good sign.
One thing that intrigues me is that I also seem to shed a lot from the bottom of the back of my head. The hairs do not grow long here, and this is the region where my folliculitis is worst. Did my research, jumped on the big three ASAP. About six months in and seem to have slowed progression or maybe stopped it. Shedding right now though, ran out of finasteride 2 weeks ago and am currently 4000 miles from my home in England and broke on a 4-month research jaunt. Home and back on finasteride next week. I've let it grow the whole time I've been out here, it's now the longest it's ever been, though thanks to the sheds very variable in length and pretty crazy looking, though I can just about tame it, major shearing when I get home, probably a good time to take pics. I do still have a lot of hair.
Family history
- dad started losing in early-mid thirties (around when they had me...LOL), though at 55 is NW5, keeps it sort looks good.
- men on mum's side unknown. She's one of 5 girls, from what I remember my grandfather had a reasonable head of hair when he died, i'll dig out the photo albums I think...
- brother. Now this is the scary one. 18 months older than me and fucked. Getting to be a Norwood 4 already. He doesn't give a sh*t though.
Questions I have about my situation include:
1. Could the change in the condition and some of the diffuse thinning be explained by some peturbation of my thyroid balance i caused with rapid fat loss/muscle gain (I'll point out here that I have never used any training supplements, save pure whey protein) and an accompanying change in metabolism?
2. Do I have a testosterone problem? Though I know men only develop full post-puberty characteristics around my age, accompanying my head hair change/loss I have observed a lot of body hair coming in on my back, shoulders, and thickening of existing hair. Also have developed acne in regions of my face (cheeks) that were never a problem even as a greasy teenager. Also, I've retained what, at least among my circle of friends, seems to be a very high libido (still a four a day man, even on finasteride! I've read it usually peaks at around 17 then stabilises lower), and despite not following what is the usual "lift heavy" program for gaining muscle mass, my workout regime has produced and continues to produce easy strength and mass gains.
3. Finally, am I going mad? I know for a fact i'm thinking about all this too much. Hopefully when I move back home next week and reregister with my family doctor I'll find a sympathetic ear and he'll order the tests to put my mind at rest on questions 1 and 2. If it turns out there's nothing wrong with my hormones (which rationally, I know is most likely) I plan to just keep on the big three, take annual picture and generally shut up about my whole thing.
I am considering a switch to Dutasteride though...here's my rationale: I have experienced NO sides whatsoever on finasteride, and am just about the healthiest person I know these days. Though DHT is known to be vital in normal male development, it's thought that mature male secondary sexual charcteristics may need only the tiniest amount, or not require it at all (see http://www.keratin.com/ac/baldnesstreatments/propecia/011propeciaandbeardgrowth.shtml), so inhibiting both forms of 5AR could be a calculated risk worth taking in the battle.
While I enjoy the the speculations on this forum, and respect those willing to give fringe treatments their all AND whilst recognising male pattern baldness is a complex condition, caused by complex interactions...DHT remains the best target we have and Dutasteride the most powerful weapon against it. Cost is an issue right now though, as I am still a grad sudent.
Apologies for the long, exhaustive post. I'm a scientist; it's in my nature to do thing this way. It also helps me to document everything up to my current situation. Any thoughts/questions welcome.
Thanks to everyone who posts on the forum in good faith. Given the embarrassing nature of caring about our male pattern baldness, the field definitely attracts scam-merchants like sh*t does flies. Most conventional doctors aren't interested (apparently there are more important things), so the best resource available to us is each other. Best of luck to all!
I'll let y'all (I AM in Texas) know my test results.
I've been lurking around here for a couple of months, posting when I thought I had something unique to add. I thought it's about time I threw my hat in properly.
I am 22 years old and 6'1". Until about summer of 2003 my weight fluctuated between around 18 and 18.5 stone (that's 258lbs for our american viewers), about 6 stone overweight. At the end of my second year of university I decided it was time to do something about it, hit the gym, cut down the drinking and takeaways. Took a lot of determination but 2 and a bit years later I am exactly 12.5 stone and pretty ripped (even if I do say so myself).
I've never been healthier or happier with the way I look, but in the last year to year and a half, my hair has replaced my weight as my main self-image issue. My original hair was one of the few things i was proud of about my body. After growing up being teased for having red hair, I had learned to embrace it, the celtic heritage, and the fact that it was a beautiful and unusual mop. I'm talking dense, thick, strong, very slightly wavy strands, always managable and fast-growing. And no scalp problems ever. Think Liono from thundercats, if that helps (perhaps I should change my name on here to that...).
Anyway, around a year and a half age I noticed things changing. Firstly, my hair became much wavier, scalpp greasier, yet hair drier and unmanagable. Then the strands seemed to become thinner and my hairline went backwards maybe an inch at the temples. Also scalp developed acne-like spots (folliculitis). Then came the sheds. That's some scary sh*t, I've lost a lot of denstity anterior midscalp particularly, though thanks to the high density I started with and curlier hair it is not yet noticable. I'd put myself at about a Norwood 1.5 and diffuse right now. I think my vertex is solid, though I haven't plucked up the courage to check though - must soon. the fact that I've had receeding comments but no bald spot comment cheers me. Vertex is very oily mind, and a quick scratch digs up fingernails full of skin cells and sebum in this area - not a good sign.
One thing that intrigues me is that I also seem to shed a lot from the bottom of the back of my head. The hairs do not grow long here, and this is the region where my folliculitis is worst. Did my research, jumped on the big three ASAP. About six months in and seem to have slowed progression or maybe stopped it. Shedding right now though, ran out of finasteride 2 weeks ago and am currently 4000 miles from my home in England and broke on a 4-month research jaunt. Home and back on finasteride next week. I've let it grow the whole time I've been out here, it's now the longest it's ever been, though thanks to the sheds very variable in length and pretty crazy looking, though I can just about tame it, major shearing when I get home, probably a good time to take pics. I do still have a lot of hair.
Family history
- dad started losing in early-mid thirties (around when they had me...LOL), though at 55 is NW5, keeps it sort looks good.
- men on mum's side unknown. She's one of 5 girls, from what I remember my grandfather had a reasonable head of hair when he died, i'll dig out the photo albums I think...
- brother. Now this is the scary one. 18 months older than me and fucked. Getting to be a Norwood 4 already. He doesn't give a sh*t though.
Questions I have about my situation include:
1. Could the change in the condition and some of the diffuse thinning be explained by some peturbation of my thyroid balance i caused with rapid fat loss/muscle gain (I'll point out here that I have never used any training supplements, save pure whey protein) and an accompanying change in metabolism?
2. Do I have a testosterone problem? Though I know men only develop full post-puberty characteristics around my age, accompanying my head hair change/loss I have observed a lot of body hair coming in on my back, shoulders, and thickening of existing hair. Also have developed acne in regions of my face (cheeks) that were never a problem even as a greasy teenager. Also, I've retained what, at least among my circle of friends, seems to be a very high libido (still a four a day man, even on finasteride! I've read it usually peaks at around 17 then stabilises lower), and despite not following what is the usual "lift heavy" program for gaining muscle mass, my workout regime has produced and continues to produce easy strength and mass gains.
3. Finally, am I going mad? I know for a fact i'm thinking about all this too much. Hopefully when I move back home next week and reregister with my family doctor I'll find a sympathetic ear and he'll order the tests to put my mind at rest on questions 1 and 2. If it turns out there's nothing wrong with my hormones (which rationally, I know is most likely) I plan to just keep on the big three, take annual picture and generally shut up about my whole thing.
I am considering a switch to Dutasteride though...here's my rationale: I have experienced NO sides whatsoever on finasteride, and am just about the healthiest person I know these days. Though DHT is known to be vital in normal male development, it's thought that mature male secondary sexual charcteristics may need only the tiniest amount, or not require it at all (see http://www.keratin.com/ac/baldnesstreatments/propecia/011propeciaandbeardgrowth.shtml), so inhibiting both forms of 5AR could be a calculated risk worth taking in the battle.
While I enjoy the the speculations on this forum, and respect those willing to give fringe treatments their all AND whilst recognising male pattern baldness is a complex condition, caused by complex interactions...DHT remains the best target we have and Dutasteride the most powerful weapon against it. Cost is an issue right now though, as I am still a grad sudent.
Apologies for the long, exhaustive post. I'm a scientist; it's in my nature to do thing this way. It also helps me to document everything up to my current situation. Any thoughts/questions welcome.
Thanks to everyone who posts on the forum in good faith. Given the embarrassing nature of caring about our male pattern baldness, the field definitely attracts scam-merchants like sh*t does flies. Most conventional doctors aren't interested (apparently there are more important things), so the best resource available to us is each other. Best of luck to all!
I'll let y'all (I AM in Texas) know my test results.