Stay Positive, We're The First Generation Who Are Never Going To Be Bald.

[Eggman2607]

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[SmoothSailing]

Or we might be the last generation to go bald

 

[Goofinground]

The current treatments are good enough to maintain current hair for many years in most people, so visit a specialist and start ASAP if you notice a change.

That is, if you respond to these treatments - if not, you have the exact same fate as a caveman 4000 years ago, quite scary

 

[Agustin Araujo]

It has been pretty hard to stay positive when everything around you is progressing at a fast rate except proper hair loss treatments. There's basically an easy fix to any 'cosmetic' issue except for this one. People have been saying for decades and decades that a baldness cure will come out within the next five years before some us on this board were even born. In this world that we live in which is so looks obsessed, hair loss should have been solved a long time ago.

 

[Goofinground]

i agree to a certain extent - i believe the "cure" already would be here, if the research wasn't made by people who are actively trying to earn money from us or if almost every proven hair loss treatment wasn't a "ups" side effect from something else.
There are no public fonding towards an issue like hair loss, and therefore no objective research - for the exact same reason my doctor didnt want to pescripe finasteride to begin with . "its only a cosmetic issue"

And frankly i get it, why would you fund a project aiming towards regenerating cells to produce hair again - when you could fund a project regenerate cells that leads to chronic diseases, involving death.

 

[Dante92]

Or we might be the last generation to go bald

THIS definition is more accurate. Truly satisfying!

 

[That Guy]

I agree, but it will be bittersweet for many, including me. Incoming long post:

I've been using "the big 3" for about 5 or 6 months or so and I'm going to see my doctor again tomorrow because even though I know it takes up to a year to see full results, it appears to be getting worse. Today I noticed after getting out of the shower that I am thinning heavily into the NW3 pattern. It didn't look this bad just a few weeks ago. This, despite having seemingly responded to minoxidil well as I've made temple and front part of the hairline gains. This will probably throw a big wrench in my plans of getting a transplant.

I don't know what I'll do in the immediate future if Fidia's lotion doesn't work as anticipated and comes out within the next 6 - 8 months. I'd wager that if it keeps at the rate it's going, I could easily be NW4 or even 5 by this time next year as 1 year ago I was just early NW2. I guess my only option would be a wig and maybe Histogen.

I too can't accept a bald me. Even at this stage it's affected me in ways that are starting to show to people who know me. The other day, I was in this store that I used to work at and my old boss suddenly just said "You seem like, really depressed and sad." I thought I was doing fine, but I guess in my expressions and voice it just shows.

I work mostly from home these days, writing for orchestra and audio implementation into video games. Toward the start of this year, I also took up a part-time gig doing DJ and corporate audio work, but I recently told my boss there to demote me to the guy who transports and sets all the gear up. I did not give him an honest reason why. In the film/video game work, being all contract based, I have to travel and get out there to meet clients for the most part. It's getting difficult for me to attend these conferences and such because I just can't force the charisma and humor that came to me naturally when I was a fullhead and felt good about myself every morning. As evidenced by my earlier story, it seems I give off this depressing vibe without being aware of it now. These things are NOT good for my career.

So yes, I do believe completely that when I'm in my early 30s, I could probably get my hair back if all else fails before then. I really do. It's just that the thought of a better tomorrow doesn't do much for me NOW and I wonder if my life will be in complete shambles before then.

 

[Goofinground]

Hi That Guy

Your story actually is very close to mine - only been on treatments for 2 months, put pictures frankly show me that ive lost a lot of ground - 2 years ago i even visited a derm, who with a microscope concluded i had no miniaturization, although i had a mature hairline, with was normal for most people ending puberty

By that ive almost lost 2½ norwoods in 2 years

The reason for posting on this thread was, that i got a lot of hope when i started my treatment, i actually thought i could at least maintain, but frankly, if you are meant to go bald you will, its like watering plants in a hurricane.

I honestly dont want anyone to get their hopes up to much..... and even though there are (few) succes stories on this forum i firmly believe that most is either 1. extremely good responders on every single effective treatment (with would be an extremely low probability) or 2. had some underlying condition really not male pattern baldness related, but mistaken for it, and condition diminished and they (magicly) grow a lot back

 

[biddybomb]

I don't know why people think a cure for hairloss is so sure to happen. At the end of the day you are fixing something that goes wrong in the production of a particular protein. All aging is, is the bodies slow decline of being able to reproduce proteins effectively. If it was so easy to fix hairloss we would be a lot closer to immortality. Its not a simple problem at all.

Hair cloning is the only real hope we have in our lifetimes IMO. That and transplants could effectively give a full head of hair back.

 

[abcdefg]

I don't know why people think a cure for hairloss is so sure to happen. At the end of the day you are fixing something that goes wrong in the production of a particular protein. All aging is, is the bodies slow decline of being able to reproduce proteins effectively. If it was so easy to fix hairloss we would be a lot closer to immortality. Its not a simple problem at all.

Hair cloning is the only real hope we have in our lifetimes IMO. That and transplants could effectively give a full head of hair back.

Here is the thing though aging does not change person A and skip over person B. There exists at least 1 man at 50+ years old that is sporting a Norwood 1 teenage hairline still such as elvis, reagan, and others they do exist because I have seen them. The fact 1 man exists fitting this criteria alone proves its not aging because that would be impossible their proteins would slowly decline to reproduce effectively like anyone else as you put it in your theory.
Right now we really dont know what causes it, and probably wont for a long time. Its not part of aging though its largely something else strongly related to genetics. Lots of things that we dont have answers for tend to thrown in the very large it must be aging bucket until someone untangles the true reasons.

 

[GoldenMane]

hahaha I really hope not

I know, it sucks, you notice your hairline edging back while everyone around you has the perfect NW0-1.

BUT, guys, stop worrying. Listen, I know myself how scary it is being a 16 year old guy who's noticed it happening slowly myself. I'm going to see a trichologist very soon and about to start minoxidil and nizoral to try and maintain / regrow my hairline for a few more years.

When I first noticed myself a couple months back, I was so down. Every day I woke up thinking "ffs why me out of all these guys at my college, it chose me, great!" (even though i'm not at a point where pears can recognize yet, however it is very obvious to me).

I've had some days where i'd literally just feel sorry for myself all day. I'm quite vein and I couldn't live with a balding version of myself. "I'm never going to have that full head of hair that I always wanted in my 20s / 30s / 40s" I thought. I've just realized I really am totally wrong, I know i'm being optimistic here but the treatments are coming guys.

The current treatments are good enough to maintain current hair for many years in most people, so visit a specialist and start ASAP if you notice a change.

Today, I was just looking online, and i'm starting to realize that very soon, this will be an issue of the past. Forums such as this one will die down as new treatments become available.

It's happening guys, the new treatments are being developed as we speak, progress is being made and I'm sure that in just a few years time we may even be there, if not very close to having MUCH better options than are currently available.

Stem Cell science is getting there, slowly but surely. You've got to realize that these things are very new, but the technology is progressing at a much faster rate than you might think.

It's only in the past 10 years that we've gone from awful flip up phones to, let's be honest, pretty amazing, super fast touchscreen smartphones. Technology is progressing at a ridiculously fast rate, stay positive guys, the cure / much better treatment WILL come in our lifetime, everyone's going to be alright, i'm almost certain.

You're 16. Your generation will be ok if they take early preventative action and in 10 years pay Tsuji a visit in Kyoto.

Many others here are on their early 20s or 30s and already have extensive hair loss. Telling them to stay positive and that they're the first generation not to go bald is a bit of a slap in the face.

 

[Roberto_72]

super fast touchscreen smartphones.

I think this is an error in thought process that lots of people make nowadays (myself included).

We tend to think: because men created very cool technological devices that in a sense prolong their body, then they must be close to knowing everything related to the human body.

They are two completely different fields. It may be that, before we understand how the body works at atomic level and can be repaired at a DNA level, it takes 100 years, iPhone or no iPhone.

 

[That Guy]

I think this is an error in thought process that lots of people make nowadays (myself included).

We tend to think: because men created very cool technological devices that in a sense prolong their body, then they must be close to knowing everything related to the human body.

They are two completely different fields. It may be that, before we understand how the body works at atomic level and can be repaired at a DNA level, it takes 100 years, iPhone or no iPhone.

While that is true in the general sense, it's not really the same as what most people mean when they say this. It also doesn't really matter if we understand the process if we have a solution that renders knowing obsolete.

The most common reasoning people use for why there will not be a baldness cure is because there wasn't one before. The reality is though, the understanding IS better and the technology required to implement it is also better. It will not get worse.

50 years ago, you didn't have anything; 30 years ago, you got Rogaine; 20 years ago, you got propecia. Now, you have a lot of scientifically backed things in or entering clinical trials.

For what it's worth, I suspect it will be decades before all the inner working of male pattern baldness are discovered. While prevention is better than cure, most aren't going to really care if a permanent solution to the problem exists.

 

[Giiizmo]

50 years ago, you didn't have anything; 30 years ago, you got Rogaine; 20 years ago, you got propecia. Now, you have a lot of scientifically backed things in or entering clinical trials.

I get the optimism and I'd love to share it but until any of these new treatments gets commercialized, we still don't have anything new. Even then, there's no telling what unforeseen side effects could pop up a few years down the line or even if everyone will be able to benefit from them.

I'm still hopeful, mind you, but it's hard not to notice the grains of sand trickling down the hourglass.

 

[Roberto_72]

While that is true in the general sense, it's not really the same as what most people mean when they say this. It also doesn't really matter if we understand the process if we have a solution that renders knowing obsolete.

The most common reasoning people use for why there will not be a baldness cure is because there wasn't one before. The reality is though, the understanding IS better and the technology required to implement it is also better. It will not get worse.

50 years ago, you didn't have anything; 30 years ago, you got Rogaine; 20 years ago, you got propecia. Now, you have a lot of scientifically backed things in or entering clinical trials.

For what it's worth, I suspect it will be decades before all the inner working of male pattern baldness are discovered. While prevention is better than cure, most aren't going to really care if a permanent solution to the problem exists.

Oh I did not explain myself correctly. I do think Tsuji will make it, and hopefully someone else before him or at the same time.

I was referring to the idea that the information revolution can be related to the "genetic" revolution.

I think the level of knowledge that is related to the production of a smartphone is orders of magnitude inferior (how many orders, we do not even know) to the knowledge needed to speak the body's DNA language and tell it with certainty: grow hair, kill tumor.

 

[resu]

Prevention will be the only true cure we should be lucky that anyone is even trying to attempt to regrow hair.