Going Bald In Less Than A Year, Need Advice

mannyFJ

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I am on thyroid medication. Thinning is universal but a pattern is emerging. I had also been on oral antibiotics for a very long time. There are some miniaturized hairs and the overall horseshoe is far less dense than a year ago. Have some doctors deeply committed to the idea this is something other than just male pattern baldness but don’t have solution or ideas what it could be.

Not to say I know I have the MBP gene and know most likely that is the real cause. The shedding is just insane. And no these crazy assholes that are accusing me of faking photos are clearly the real assholes on here. I own that I’m losing my sh*t but until I slow it down I’m going to continue to seek answers. Finasteride has had ZERO impact outside of maybe making the shedding worse.
Amen bruh. I never shedded so bad until I messed with finasteride. Biggest regret
 

Who Farted

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That was June. I’m losing well over 500 hairs a day and I’ve thinner everywhere. Yes that looked good. This is today.

I am going to make one more attempt to help you. I hope you will consider my words as I believe they may help you with your state of mind.

In case it hasn’t been mentioned already, you really need to stop with these sink pictures/ritual. Beyond the fact that we have seen an identical shot a dozen times or so and that it’s kind of gross, is the fact that it is making your situation exponentially worse.

Every time you repeatedly brush an area you loosen/damage more hair. One time here and there wouldn’t matter, but daily it adds up and overtime will cause more hair to be removed than is at all necessary. It’s not that this hair wouldn’t have come out anyway, it’s that you’re causing it to do so prematurely. When a hair comes out prematurely it’s not on schedule with it’s an anagen phase, meaning it’s not going to regrow immediately, as it would under normal conditions. This is going to leave you with patches that will remain until said point is actually reached.

Additionally, this puts you at risk for traction alopecia related loss. Each and every time a hair is pulled out you run the risk of damaging your follicle. Eventually follicles subjected to this process will stop growing entirely. Normally brushing wouldn’t do this, but when your hair is already of lower quality and prone to coming out easily, (as it is in your case if your posts aren’t embellished), it can most definitely do this; gentle or not, tension is tension, and your tolerance to it has clearly bombed.

Beyond the risks above, there’s also the matter of the cosmetic effect caused by said hairs being removed before their time. Hair doesn’t grow back immediately and consequently, your thinning will appear to be worse than it actually is. This causes additional stress, which can also, in its own right, make matters worse. If you have Telogen Effluvium, as your doctor suggested, then this is the absolute worst thing you can do as it will only amplify the effects of the condition.

I know first hand that this compulsion is a hard one to shake, but I promise you can do it and that it will help not only your state of mind, but the health of your scalp and the follicles therein. If you find it too difficult to stop outright, I strongly suggest that when you feel the need you set a timer for 5 minutes and commit to immediately stopping once it goes off. As you get more accustomed to it, you will be able to reduce the allotted time until you reach the point where you will stop and will no longer need it.

Honestly, you should also stop with the shower counting. All that is doing is making your situation worse. When you wash or condition, close your eyes any time your hands will be in sight and rinse them before you allow yourself to see them.

Try your hardest to let your hair be and to avoid checking it at all. Then, in a month or two, take some pictures and see the impact or lack thereof so you can get a better perspective of how much your shed is actually affecting your appearance and whether or not the hair in thin spots is growing or not.

Right now, you’re in a horrible spot wherein your life is defined through the prism of your hair. That’s no way to live and you deserve better.
 

bluecyclone

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Thanks man, I appreciate the feedback this. I do think it is a factor. But that is my life, a sink full of hair daily and gross *** wall/sink when I shower.

The long hair has been a double edge sort in this as well. Requires more touch to control it thus more brushing, moving and more tension.

it’s also hiding some significant diffuse thinning than will become clear once I cut it. Hairline is diffusing but mostly solid.

I had hoped the Finasteride would get me at least somewhat stable and I’d go for a shorter safer cut.

I stopped HCG in the early spring that was helping to counter sides and jumped on oral in September. Since then the shedding is the same/worse sides suck but I’m trying to push through, but my hair, even the once very healthy frontal and side hairs have all but died. Feels like someone lit a fire to the entire Norwood area. Still a ton of coverage but declining fast.

still a solid hairline but a weird change in hair color and recession. this is new development since starting Propecia.

guys with shorter cuts, do you think it helps you ignore hairloss more so than not? Considering the benefit of cover versus the ability to maybe ignore my hair.
 

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Mitko1

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A picture of my hair wet. Non parted and it looks worse than his. It looks very dense when dry. Imagine his hair.
 

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bluecyclone

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I see what you mean but your hair looks much much healthier. I’m not making this sh*t up. Maybe overboard on the reaction to the shedding and what perceive to be a drastic change since starting Propecia. If you look at past photos you will see the change.

I mean I feel like I lost my forelock in about a week.
 

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whatintheworld

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OP, why don't you try getting a buzz cut? With a shorter hair length, signs of miniaturization will be easier to find, if there are any.
 

Who Farted

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Well all I can say on that is that I sure as hell didn’t notice my shedding when my hair was short. Growing it out was actually the first time I ever thought about it at all. Longer hair can give you coverage, but it also lessens volume due to the weight pulling them down. The straighter your hair the more true that is.

I always try and encourage people to buzz it when they start the process as the shedding will be difficult to notice at all, which can save you the stress of witnessing the shed that accompanies the regimen, and it also makes it a hell of a lot easier to put topical stuff on your scalp and and to roll if you so choose to do so.

It’s just going to come down to what is comfortable for you. I like my hair long, but I also shed like a dog, and if you’re already worried about your hair it may make things worse for you. A double edged sword for sure. For me, I went short for a period and rocked every style in between, (just so I wouldn’t regret not doing so if I reached a point I couldn’t pull them off), but eventually returned to chin length once I was confident I could handle it. I have had straight, naturally fine hair my entire life and the weight does impact the appearance of volume, but I’ve decided I’m ok with it.

No right or wrong answer here, just the one that works best for you
 
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bluecyclone

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It’s a hard call. I mean, right now I can hide the loss with the length and the mostly in tack hairline.
Though the forelock is thinning fast. At this point I wish for recession and density not this diffuse hair cancer. But buzz cut is an option I

out of desperation getting PRP tomorrow, if nothing else check the box on treatments that failed.
 

Who Farted

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It’s a hard call. I mean, right now I can hide the loss with the length and the mostly in tack hairline.
Though the forelock is thinning fast. At this point I wish for recession and density not this diffuse hair cancer. But buzz cut is an option I

out of desperation getting PRP tomorrow, if nothing else check the box on treatments that failed.

Can’t hurt at this point. My hair thinned out when I hit my 30’s but the hairline is stable. Thankfully, it seems to have stopped for now. If it starts up again though, I’ll be going short for sure. Having grown up with a father who loved to point at his glistening head and say “this is your future” kind of numbed me to the idea of losing hair, which I think has helped me to avoid panic when and if the shed returns. In the meantime I’ve been given the opportunity to fully consider the options, one being all sorts of hairstyles so I thought it worthwhile to pass it on to you.

As for you, if the loss is the same regardless of styling, you may as well be wearing your hair however you think it looks best. Unfortunately, that means that you’re going to have to accept that you’re going to notice your shed far more than if it were shorter.
 
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bluecyclone

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I thought I was in the clear at 40 and it has been a Forrest fire for two years and everything I’ve thrown at makes it worse.

the hairline is going now, forelock first which is f*****g gross. I really don’t know what to do anymore. A lot of hair all going at once with sick miniaturized ends.
 

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MKP05

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I thought I was in the clear at 40 and it has been a Forrest fire for two years and everything I’ve thrown at makes it worse.

the hairline is going now, forelock first which is f*****g gross. I really don’t know what to do anymore. A lot of hair all going at once with sick miniaturized ends.
Dude. Not trying to make this a pissing contest but you keep saying how much hair you lost in two years yet your hairline is just beginning to recede. Try losing all density AND having your temples recede a couple inches along with forelock being decimated in a year and a half. I’ve seen your pictures and I believe you’re definitely losing hair. But get prepared for an onslaught of comments when you post a picture like this which, aside from some slight recession, appears to show a thick full head of hair. Like I said I’ve seen your pictures and I do believe you have diffuse thinning underneath all that hair. And I feel bad for you because you’re obviously distraught. Just be prepared for people to tell you that you have no hair loss and everything looks fine for your age.
 

bluecyclone

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Sorry yes I know I’m fortunate, just coming in fast and haven’t been able to stop it. I’m in a PRP office now and it makes me ill how this industry works.
 

MKP05

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Sorry yes I know I’m fortunate, just coming in fast and haven’t been able to stop it. I’m in a PRP office now and it makes me ill how this industry works.
I hear ya. I’d be curious to hear how the PRP treatments work. My derm has been trying to push me in that direction for almost a year. They are expensive and I’ve heard the results are pretty mixed. Good luck.
 

MKP05

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Speaking of how shitty the medical industry is in general, I just got off the phone with my endocrinologist and she refuses to write me a script to check my DHT and testosterone levels. She said she doesn’t treat testosterone issues. Has anyone else had an endocrinologist refuse to have hormone levels checked?
 

bluecyclone

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That is bullshit. If you are on Finasteride you should be able to demand 6 month T and DHT tests. Your Finasteride prescriber might be able write orders.

on the PRP just met with Greco for the second time since April. First time I passed on the PRP, this time he told me not to do it. He says I have two processes going. Chronic Telogen Effluvium and underlying AA. His fear was the possible shed and trauma could make the Telogen Effluvium worse.

never f*** with hormones is my lesson. Thyroid meds that I don’t think I ever needed kicked off an imbalance that I can’t right.

he also likes topcial Finasteride and oral minoxidil.

I want to add a blocker. Anyone think it’s safe to add RU to a 60ml PG 1% Finasteride? Or CB
 

MKP05

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That is bullshit. If you are on Finasteride you should be able to demand 6 month T and DHT tests. Your Finasteride prescriber might be able write orders.

on the PRP just met with Greco for the second time since April. First time I passed on the PRP, this time he told me not to do it. He says I have two processes going. Chronic Telogen Effluvium and underlying AA. His fear was the possible shed and trauma could make the Telogen Effluvium worse.

never f*** with hormones is my lesson. Thyroid meds that I don’t think I ever needed kicked off an imbalance that I can’t right.

he also likes topcial Finasteride and oral minoxidil.

I want to add a blocker. Anyone think it’s safe to add RU to a 60ml PG 1% Finasteride? Or CB
Tell me about it. My dermatologist said she was not authorized to write a blood script for hormones and to talk to my endocrinologist. My endocrinologist said she’s authorized to write the script but refuses to do so because she doesn’t treat testosterone issues. I told her I’m simply looking to know my levels but she still refused.

Meanwhile look at this f*****g mess. All lost in 20 months 17 of which I was on finasteride. Well my dutasteride arrived tonight. So I’m sitting here sweating trying to decide if I’m going to double down and try to obliterate my DHT.
 

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bluecyclone

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Try a urologist, I goto the head of urology at Norwood (northwestern) He’s liberal with tests, even covered though the panels are $$$.

I’m going to start more research on level balance. I still can’t make sense of normal to high T and low DHT. Also when my T is best like early winter my hair was better when it tanked and I added oral Propecia my shed got worse, hair quality declined and got more depressed and insane on the forums.
 
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mannyFJ

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I do my own prp. Im not sure i saw benefits but I haven’t done it in a long time and now im shedding way more. Maybe i should try it again and see if shed decreases
 

Who Farted

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I’m going to start more research on level balance. I still can’t make sense of normal to high T and low DHT. Also when my T is best like early winter my hair was better when it tanked and I added oral Propecia my shed got worse, hair quality declined and got more depressed and insane on the forums.

It makes sense that your testosterone levels are high when you’re taking finasteride. It’s actually known to cause a relative increase of available testosterone as a consequence of how it works. finasteride prevents testosterone from being converted to DHT, which increases the amount of testosterone in your body by whatever amount would have otherwise been converted. The drug itself doesn’t affect testosterone production one way or the other, but it does change the way it’s allocated by limiting how it can be used, which in turn leads to a surplus of the baseline hormone.
 

Pequod

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Without doing blood tests you are completely guessing about everything on this. My DHt level was so high that finasteride only lowered it enough to barely be above normal.
 
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