male pattern baldness While maintaining thick hair

[xtracrispy]

Hi
If anyone can offer me any advice, I'd really love it.. i'm killing myself over here.

All my life I've always had really thick hair, and just naturally assumed that it'd take a while for me to go bald because there was so much diameter to thin out with.

Lately I've come to realize that I am indeed going bald.. and my genes are totally bypassing my hair thickness, by reducing density. The fact that my hair's thick and stands straight up, doesn't help things AT ALL.

Here are some pics:
Am I being paranoid, or am I really losing it?? WHAT CAN I DO???

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3382/pict0170jj.jpg

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/9825/pict01684zz.jpg

 

[WithTheLidOff]

I looked at your pics and I'll give you what advice I can offer. First of allyou have a REALLy great head of hair tha many people your age would kill for. THe small bit of thinning on your crown may be the inklngs of balding starting to creep up. However, its barely noticeable (probably just ot you) it looks EXTREMELY slow, which means that maybe there wont be a radical change for the next 5-10 years. ANd that is the exact area that treatments are good for. All hairloss sucks, but if I had ot have a choice..id take what youve got. I would monitor thigns closely, but not yet start minoxidil or finasteride. Many people on here will tell you to jump on it, but you really dont need it. Id use Nizoral 1%, multivitamins and green tea and not think about it one bit. If it gets worse, then you can add the big guns and it looks like they will help you as they have so many other people. Best of luck and see what others say.

 

[Sir_LagaLot]

i dont know...you cant really tell if its 'fast' or 'slow' from looking at just a pic...we dont really know if hes shedding alot cause he hasnt stated so...

you might wanna just try nizoral 1% shampoo twice to thrice a week...if you notice that patch getting bigger dont wait a second longer and get minoxidil ...use it twice.

your hair still looks thick, doesnt seem to have miniturized.

Best of luck.

 

[xtracrispy]

Lol, thanks for the pep talk.. but how many 21 year olds would want what I got


I played with minoxidil for about 6 months last year.. it messed with my front temples bad; it's all fuzzy and thinner now I'm hoping that I didn't use it for too long, and that it'll all grow back.


At this stage, I think I'd be happy if I stayed the same until I was 30; but what's the best way to maintain? I've started using Nizoral for its mild anti-dht properties... but the more DHT killing, the better!

 

[Armando Jose]

Hi xtracrispy;

Have you a receding line also or not?

Have you problems with sebum, I meant a dry or oily hair?
If yes, I would recommend a preventive method to mantain the actual situation. Also I think is very difficult, if not imposible, regrowth the hair lost years ago.


BTW, How many years are you suffering hair loss? I am with "WithTheLidoff" it looks EXTREMELY slow, 6/7 years perhaps, and it's noticeable the no-miniaturization of neighbour hairs.
You have a coarse hair.

Armando

 

[xtracrispy]

I do have pretty deep temples, but then again I've always did so I don't know if it's just me. I remember kids as early as grade 8 saying "dude you're goin bald!" or "yo dude you have a mini bald spot"... I doubt I actually had male pattern baldness back then, so it *MIGHT* just be the way my hair grows?

I used to have a really oily scalp.. to the point where I can scratch it and my fingers would be oily coming out.

Recently I've started washing it with Nizoral, and that seems to help the oiliness.

Here are some pics of my temple, and front hairline. My left temple is perfectly fine.. but my right side is all thinning and fuzzy.. is this normal??

And also: What are the best preventative treatments???
Thanks guys for the support.

http://img23.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict01720nn.jpg
http://img23.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict01674dd.jpg
http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict01742kv.jpg
http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict01700ck.jpg

 

[WithTheLidOff]

wow dude...thats some thick hair. That one spot on your crown DOES look a little concerning..but certainly not alarming. In High school my hair was so thick I had to comb it with an afro pic...by the time i was your age..i was VERY concerned..it was thinning fast. Howver you appear to be in a better position than I was at the time. I was POSSITIVE that i'd be a cue ball by 30..i'm 27 and a half and (with treatments) my hair doesnt look too much worse at all. I WOULD NOT use minoxidil at all if I were you..certainly not now. It loses its efficacy, so use it when you need it. Almost everyone i know with a full head of hair has that little bit of thin hair on the crown where you do. Whats your family history by the way?

 

[Armando Jose]

What are the best preventative treatments???

In your case I suggest a topical one as Jojoba oil. Apply a tiny amount at night and wash in the morning.

Armando

 

[HairyPotter]

After looking at your pics I would say that you have male pattern baldness... Its not severe yet so you should jump on some Finasteride (Propecia) as that is probably whats best for you in your situation.

If I were you I wouldnt use Minoxidil, but I would get on Propecia ASAP.

Hurry, run

 

[chewbaca]

I thinkk IMO u may be suffering from "patchy" male pattern baldness where only the vertex is bald. I had seen such cases before

 

[Guest]

Although hairloss can tak on more than one pattern I would sya that this is pretty classis male pattern baldness, you decided to use minoxidil on the temples - I suess you must have thought that they were thinning. And you do appear to have some thinning at the crown.

I don't see the point in waiting to start treatment if you do have male pattern baldness. I never started finasteride when I first was loosing and regret that now, I was in you situation, with thick thick hair, but although that will buy you more time before scalp shows through, you can still end up loosing it all.

 

[Guest]

I thinkk IMO u may be suffering from "patchy" male pattern baldness where only the vertex is bald. I had seen such cases before

Ahh the old classic patchy male pattern baldness.

If its was 'patchy' male pattern baldness then it would not be Male Pattern Baldness as it is not following a pattern.

Could be Alopecia Areata.

 

[chewbaca]

I thinkk IMO u may be suffering from "patchy" male pattern baldness where only the vertex is bald. I had seen such cases before

Ahh the old classic patchy male pattern baldness.

If its was 'patchy' male pattern baldness then it would not be Male Pattern Baldness as it is not following a pattern.

Could be Alopecia Areata.

U cant be sure that it could be Telogen Effluvium weither since maybe MPPB can also start in the vertex first

 

[everysixseconds]

GOOD LORD!

WHERE DO YOU GET SUCH THICK HAIR FROM! IM INSANELY JEALOUS!

as for that thin patch, propeci or a nice dosage of dutasteride will stop it in tracks, then you should expect regrowth in 6-12 month thereafter.

 

[YoungAndThin]

that's some thick *** chinese hair lol.

 

[TheBaldingMenace]

Yup, it does look like the dreaded male pattern baldness thing is setting in BUT it t'aint bad!!! There's lots of different options out there to try why not check with you qualified Doctor and see what he/she recommends.

 

[xtracrispy]

The main thing that I'm confused about, is what my method of hairloss is.

If it truely were a DHT issue that propecia or something could cure... would that not thin my hair out first?

Each individual strand is still as thick as it ever was... which to me, doesn't sound like a case of DHT clogging follicles, etc.

Certain follicles are just deciding to quit and give up.. and lower my density... that is the true question I am asking, and seeking an answer for.


Also, the pics make it look a lot worse than it is due to the flash.. lukcily in the right lighting, you still can't see scalp

Thing also about my head is.. I have a raised bump in my skull right at the vertex.. which fans out my thickass chinese hair to make it look even less dense :freaked:

I'm scared of internal DHT blocking pills though.. there aren't any long-term studies on it, or its impact on the children of users. There are some things that I'm willing to sacrifice looks for, and that is for my kid's well being.

 

[xtracrispy]

Oh yeah, family history:

My dad has GREAT hair. No recession or thinning at all, all black, and he's almost 60!

The only thing odd about him, is that he's always had a grey spot right on his vertex where my thinning is.............. it always looked like someone dripped paint on his head :lol:

Could there be some genetic thing where that area experiences more degeneration than the rest of the scalp? Or that he only went grey.. but I'd have to go bald??

 

[doggfather]

Why don't you try liquid spironolactone 2% or Fluridil and see how that works if you are scared of using Propecia? It shouldn't be too hard or take too long to apply liquid spironolactone or Fluridil at night. If you do go the liquid spironolactone route I'd recommend putting it into a dropper bottle so it's easier to apply.

 

[WithTheLidOff]

blasted family history....bald grandads..Dads was a Norwood 6..mums a Norwood 3ish....Nw6 dad.even my mum and gradmas had really thin hair. Its like its some freak science experiment...lets get some people together and give birth to someone that cant POSSIBLY avoid baldness. At least you have a chance lol!