paul27's story

paul27

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I don't use any treatments because my hairloss has passed the stage of prevention, regrowth is what I need now. I'm 50 yrs old now and have gotten used to being bald, but because I have a teenage son and another pre-teen son, I fear they may face the trauma and anxiety that I had to endure when I first discovered I was losing my hair. I forgot all about hair loss, but I feel I may have to relive it once again. I read a lot about stem cell cloning and a recent article about the discovery of a hair growth inhibiting protein that may be promising. I don't really care about my own hair anymore, but as a parent I want to help my sons.
 

kc444

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Re: My Story

Are they experiencing hair loss right now or is this for down the road? The best treatments right now are Propecia, which is prescription only, and Rogaine, which is a topical that you rub on your head. Most also add a shampoo called Nizoral because a few studies have shown it to be mildly effective (and with very few, if any, side effects). Propecia is necessary to maintain the hair they have.. Rogaine grows new hair but the balding process will continue to progress. These three medications are the only treatments worth looking into at this point in time. Propecia alone is extremely effective at maintaining and often regrowing hair for a very long time.

There has been some promising research, but no one knows for sure if it will lead to a cure or how soon it could be. We don't know if it will regrow lost hair or just prevent further loss. For these reasons, it's best to begin treatment now instead of waiting for something better to come around.
 

paul27

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Re: My Story

My 15 yr old son's hairline appears that it may be slightly receding, but I don't want to poke around too much and end up freaking him out. I'm afraid of him taking propecia because of the side effects. My wife made an appointment with a dermatologist for another issue and plans to consult with him on what to do.
I have bought some Nizoral shampoo and will ask him to use it. My hairline started to recede when I was in my mid 20's so I may be getting a little paranoid about his hairline.
 

UKguy84

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Re: My Story

if this was my kid i would never intervene. let him go enjoy his youth carefree.

you'll end up blowing whats now a small issue way out of proportion and ruin him, bring depression, stress, anxiousness and kill his confidence.

I know you love him and want the best, but sometime good intensions can have bad outcomes.
 

paul27

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Re: My Story

You are absolutely right; my wife and I will talk to the dermatologist without my son present. We will not talk about this with him unless he approaches us. Confidence is fragile when it comes to a teen's appearance. My friend's and I have lost our hair and have never had carreer problems because of it, and we all have beautiful wives. Life exists after hair loss.
 

kc444

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Re: My Story

I agree with UKguys sentiments. Fifteen is too young to bring it up if he doesn't notice it. However, if it becomes aggressive soon, and it may not, you should talk to him about it because other people will begin noticing it. Being approachable is not always enough, in my opinion, because teens typically don't like telling their parents about embarrassing things, especially if it involves dating/girls. When I was a teen, my parents felt like a bridge to the outside world. If I wanted to go to the doctor's to get something checked out, I'd have to talk to them about making an appointment and presumably they would want to know why, so I just wouldn't go if it was embarrassing. I also never wanted to be seen getting Rogaine myself, so I didn't get it. If he gets his driver's license soon, maybe consider putting him in charge of making his own doctor's appointments so that he feels comfortable seeing someone, if he chooses. On the other hand, if you start noticing major behavioral changes (inevitable in adolescents, so use your judgement), you should talk to him about it even if it makes him uncomfortable. Teens have a tendency to want to deal with things on their own, but they often do so in unhealthy ways when the stress is too great. Once he notices it, he's going to realize that you notice it too, so you might as well open up the doors for communication when that time comes.
 
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