What Now? I Am Losing The Battle Against male pattern baldness

[JohnOKelly]

Hey all, I used to be a member of this forum maybe 10 years back. I don't remember my username or password so had to sign up again.
I started Rogaine and Propecia over 10 years ago now but my hairline has slowly been receding regardless. I'm now an advanced NW3 I would say. I'm guessing that there is still nothing available to help regrow a receded hairline right? Is the only option still a hair transplant? Hairloss has bothered me so much since I began treatments and I cannot cover up the recession anymore. How much cash are we talking to restore a NW3 to a NW2? I'm not sure I want or could even afford this route but I have to do something, hairloss is ruining me. I'm 33 years old by the way.

Now with pics, see my latest reply

 

[spring15]

Depending on the surgeon and what country you have the transplant you're looking at between $2000 - $12000 USD roughly.

Are you looking at or FUT / FUE? Some pics of your hair would help

 

[chappaquiddick]

Hey all, I used to be a member of this forum maybe 10 years back. I don't remember my username or password so had to sign up again.
I started Rogaine and Propecia over 10 years ago now but my hairline has slowly been receding regardless. I'm now an advanced NW3 I would say. I'm guessing that there is still nothing available to help regrow a receded hairline right? Is the only option still a hair transplant? Hairloss has bothered me so much since I began treatments and I cannot cover up the recession anymore. How much cash are we talking to restore a NW3 to a NW2? I'm not sure I want or could even afford this route but I have to do something, hairloss is ruining me. I'm 33 years old by the way.

What was your norwood level when you started?

 

[Ravinder]

If you have tried everything then moving with hair transplant would be the best solution because as you said that you have lost the fight against hair loss or male pattern baldness then consulting with a hair restoration or surgeon would be better option for you.

 

[jd_uk]

Hey all, I used to be a member of this forum maybe 10 years back. I don't remember my username or password so had to sign up again.
I started Rogaine and Propecia over 10 years ago now but my hairline has slowly been receding regardless. I'm now an advanced NW3 I would say. I'm guessing that there is still nothing available to help regrow a receded hairline right? Is the only option still a hair transplant? Hairloss has bothered me so much since I began treatments and I cannot cover up the recession anymore. How much cash are we talking to restore a NW3 to a NW2? I'm not sure I want or could even afford this route but I have to do something, hairloss is ruining me. I'm 33 years old by the way.

There has been zero progress in male pattern baldness 'treatments for many years. Hair transplants are good for some people but also limited - you always need to factor in future loss. More and more I think the best way is jut to get regular short/tidy hair cuts until you eventually one day lose it aka 'balding gracefully'.

 

[AnxiousAndy]

You're lucky to have the hair you do at your age and respond to treatments the way you did. Im 19 and finasteride accelerated my hair loss now im almost NW3 :/

But to answer your question the only way to regain your hairline without a transplant is through consistent use of potent anti androgens like Androcur and spironolactone.. whatever you choose to do make sure it is an informed decision. You've got it better than alot of people on this forum.

 

[mr_robot]

If you're on finasteride and your hairline is receding getting a transplant will give you a few years relief, that is assuming you have good donor hair. The hair behind the transplant will continue to recede and then you will need another and then another, repeat this until you run out of cash or donor hair.

If you can only get a nw3 to nw2 it's going to look pretty bad when the hair behind recedes and you don't/can't get another transplant. I've seen a few instances of this on public transport and it looks really bad, you will end up having to buzz it all off.

 

[jd_uk]

If you're on finasteride and your hairline is receding getting a transplant will give you a few years relief, that is assuming you have good donor hair. The hair behind the transplant will continue to recede and then you will need another and then another, repeat this until you run out of cash or donor hair.

If you can only get a nw3 to nw2 it's going to look pretty bad when the hair behind recedes and you don't/can't get another transplant. I've seen a few instances of this on public transport and it looks really bad, you will end up having to buzz it all off.

Sadly my thoughts too. Until we have affordable hair cloning which I believe is many years away then our options are extremely limited.

 

[mr_robot]

Additionally have you actually got a blood test to determine your DHT levels?

 

[JohnOKelly]

Sorry for the late reply, I lost my internet connection for a while.

Yes I know that I have it better than some on the forum, seen as I'm 33 and as far as I know still an NW3, the thing is, it still bothers me as much as it did when I was 20 and I even remember saying to myself when I started treatments at around 23, if I make it to 30, I won't mind going bald, well, I'm 33 and it bothers me just as much as it did back then.

I will post pics later to actually get confirmation on what my Norwood class is. I'm unsure as I've the horrible habit of checking my hair daily, for the last 10 years and I have not been taking photos.

I don't know what Norwood I was when I started, people here told me that I was a 2.5/3, but I've definitely lost ground as I can't style my hair the way I used to anymore.

My family history is not good, all the males on both sides of my family are Norwood 5+, I'm not sure at what age they reached those levels though.
As for transplants, I'm not sure I could afford one and the fact that my family history isn't great I'd be hesitant to get one as I'm aware that I would probably need more in the future.

Does Androcur and Spironolactone regrow hair at the hairline or are they for maintenance mainly?

I have not had blood tests to determine DHT levels...

I remember when I first joined here, there were people who had been here for years saying the same thing that new treatments are just 5 years away etc. Fairly disappointing that not much has happened yet.

Anyway, I will post up some pictures later on as I'd like some confirmation as to where exactly I actually am on the scale.

 

[abcdefg]

You could try RU or experimentals plus swap out finasteride for dutasteride. Yes its more risky, but options are limited so those are about the only choices. Dutasteride is probably the strongest near approved AA there is that is pretty safe.
Ill say this I personally dont see anything new coming out for at least 3 or 4 years minimum, and even then something like CB that is like an AA. All the stuff like replicel and that is all pipe dream decades away IMO. I wouldnt pin much hope on that stuff.

 

[pegasus2]

RU58841 and Dutasteride are about the only new things worth trying in the last ten years. Some have had success with dermarolling. That's not as easy as popping a pill though.

The good news is that it's no longer 5 years away for better treatment options. Now it's one to three years, which means in five years we might actually have something.

 

[JohnOKelly]

Thanks for the reply's. I'm still unable to post pics as the quality of the camera on my phone is awful, but I'm going to borrow a friends as I'd really like to know where I reside on the scale.

From what I remember about RU, it's something you have to make up yourself correct? Or has something changed in the last 10 years with this?

Instead of swapping Propecia for dutasteride, what about adding dutasteride? Would this be risky? I'd be hesitant to swap out the propecia completely just in case I don't respond to dutasteride for some reason.

 

[JohnOKelly]

Ok I got some pics finally. So where abouts am I on the scale now?

 

[biddybomb]

was expecting way worse. Your hair looks great tbh man. Yeah you receded a bit but you are effectively a full head when u have ur hair styled. I wouldn't say u are an advanced NW3 either, I'd say your a 3 at the very most and more like a 2.5. Even though you have recession your hairline still forms a nice straight line and you don't have any bad diffusing areas so count your lucky stars you have that. You could a minor transplant at the hairline and youd be golden.

 

[DoctorHouse]

You are a NW3 but in your last photo you still are able to pull off the full head of hair look. You still have great density and to a non Norwood spotter, you would look totally normal. It's only when you pull your hair back that your Norwood level is obvious. I have a slightly lower Norwood than you but the density is alot worse than yours so it looks worse than yours. Density is the key to making it look good. And it makes you a great candidate for hair transplantation. If you can hold on to what you have for another ten years, you will blend into your age group more. And I agree, hair transplantation is your best option at this point if it bothers you that much.

 

[ske]

Depending on the surgeon and what country you have the transplant you're looking at between $2000 - $12000 USD roughly.

Are you looking at or FUT / FUE? Some pics of your hair would help

Wow that's really high figure

 

[spring15]

Wow that's really high figure

Cosmetic surgery ain't cheap el ske

 

[JohnOKelly]

Thanks for the replies.

So I'm at NW3 it seems? I thought I was further, like a NW3.5... The charts are very hard to follow and there are quite a few of them out there which all look very different...

Yes I can style it to make it look more full, but it's quite a bit of work.

It does bother me quite a bit, as I mentioned previously, it hasn't stopped bothering me since I noticed it begin to recede in the first place. I do have an unrelated anxiety disorder which probably doesn't help matters.

As for transplants, currently, I wouldn't be able to afford one and I'd be concerned about the risk of male pattern baldness suddenly becoming more aggressive. Going by my family history, all males are NW5+. Although it is very tempting to just try restore it to a NW2.5. A few years ago, styling it was far easier.

Anyway, it seems that for regrowth there isn't really anything worth adding to my regime? I don't have a whole lot of cash to be spending on things that simply are not going to work.. So, with that in mind, there really isn't anything else currently that can help with regrowth?

Thanks.

 

[JohnOKelly]

Hi again, just looking for some opinions please.

I've noticed that they are now selling RU on this site. I was wondering if this would be worth a shot to maybe try and give some life to the peach fuzz I have around my hairline. If I could thicken them up maybe it would make a bit of a difference.
Would adding RU be a risk of any kind? I'm a little unsure of how to even apply it or how often etc It was a little difficult to find information on that and also, how would you apply it if you are already using a topical (Rogaine liquid)

Any opinions welcome
Thanks.