Help Please

[pcu83]

Hey I am looking for some advice.

When I got my hair cut a little under 4 weeks ago, I started freaking out about my hair getting thin. I am just wondering if I am being paranoid or I should get Rogaine or Propecia or some other treatments? Basically, I'm 22. My maternal uncle and grandfather both are/were bald, but my father who's 46 has always had very thick hair and shows no sign of thinning. I have always had my father's hair, but that's my family history. My basic situation is that I've noticed the hair behind my hairline has started to thin out. The thing that really makes it confusing is that my hairline has not receded at all, nor has the vertex shown any type of thinning. Just the area toward the front of the scalp, but behind the hairline. As I've looked over pictures from the past two years, I've noticed that this has always been there in some form or another.

Here's a picture of my hair a few months ago when it was long. The circled area indicates the thinness showing through.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pcu83_1/d ... pg&.src=ph

Here's a picture from about two years ago when my hair was blonder -- the circles again indicate the same thin region.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pcu83_1/d ... pg&.src=ph

I will try to post a current picture soon, but the first picture is demonstrative of the general idea. Basically there's no visible thinning except when I get out of the shower and then I can really see my scalp in that area. I haven't been shedding hair (as far as I can tell) either on my pillow or in the shower. I ordered some Nioxin shampoo and conditioner and have been taking some biotin supplements for the past 3 weeks. I am a little concerned about hair shedding if I were to start minoxidil treatments...Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I'm wondering if someone could offer some advice.

 

[sublime]

 

[pcu83]

New pictures taken this morning:

Wet hair:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pcu83_1/d ... pg&.src=ph

Dry hair:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pcu83_1/d ... pg&.src=ph

Hairline:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pcu83_1/d ... pg&.src=ph

As I mentioned earlier, I haven't seen my hairline recede at all. Maybe someone could help me out with a regimen?

Thanks.

 

[SE-freak]

Your hairline is holding strong and is ridiculously thick.

I can see the thinner area in the middle region but that is not worrysome imo. Lets hear what others have to say.

 

[Goingat20]

hey pcu83 my hair is similar to yours except my hair line is a bit worse. I have the same problem with the mid scalp, i would suggest maybe looking into treatment as only mine has gotten worse.
Goodluck

 

[Sir_LagaLot]

wahh.. :cry: i want my hairline back..

you've got thinning on the vertex.

propecia + minoxidil + nizoral.

 

[pcu83]

doesn't vertex = very top of head (aka crown)? i don't see it, just the mid area.

also what levels would you recommend?

 

[87david]

Your hair stills looks very good, but I can see some thinning. If I were you, I would go ahead and start using some Rogaine and see how it works. Then, if you feel in the months ahead that your hairloss is still progressing, try propecia. But don't panic about your hair; it's way too early for that.

 

[Guest]

I would recommend keeping your regimen down to a very basic level.

Finasteride 1mg daily and Nizoral Shampoo thrice weekly should do the trick.

Stay on that for at least a year and don't start adding lots of shite until you have evaluated your progress.

3-6g grams of MSM and a Multivitamin daily may also be a good dietary supplement to help.

Good luck.

 

[The Gardener]

Ditto what the Neiltom says.

You might even want to start out more basic than that. Do you notice any itching or irritation in the thinning areas? I would be curious to see what a regimen of Nizoral and Tricomin spray or Folligen spray would do for you? If you have a highly irritative scalp, this might tide you over for years before having to start up with finasteride. Neiltom's advice is more solid, but mine is a bit simpler and might be worth a try if you are not experiencing a rapid and traumatic rate of loss.

I believe that hairloss occurs in stages, not in a continuous rate, so if some simple topical treatments can get you through for a while, you might not have to consider more tedious treatments such as finasteride or minoxidil for quite a while. Then again, a case can be made to get on the finasteride early and often, but it is just a thought.

This is a good time for you to examine your lifestyle on the whole. If you really want to start a war on your hairloss, the time has come to examine your eating habits, your exercise habits, and if you smoke, time to stop. You have early signs, and anything you can do to slow down your internal ageing trigger mechanisms that activate the hormones, I believe, will help you with your hair.

Replace coffee with tea, and GET your exercise in! Read NeilTom's signature line and you will get the picture. You are seeing some signs of ageing, time to take action and migrate yourself into a higher gear of good living.

 

[pcu83]

Thanks for the help. I went out and bought some Rogaine today and will be making an appointment to see a dermatologist soon to get a prescription for Propecia. I also got the Nizoral (1%) shampoo.

My hair isn't really that itchy. I don't smoke, I exercise regularly, don't drink coffee, try to eat healthy. I've just been really confused lately. I've never noticed shedding. Ever. It's just maybe I spotted this and have been freaking out, but I figure it's worth it to try and stop any hairloss before it starts. Like I mentioned earlier, I've always had my father's thick hair even though my mother's side of the family has some history of baldness. I just am not sure that it's male pattern baldness b/c I don't have thinning on the vertex (that I can tell) and my hairline is still where it was ten years ago. I suppose that's what the Doctor is for.

Thanks again. All your advice has been really helpful.