What treatment if I'm not totally sure I have male pattern baldness?

[andragonous]

I'm a 19 year old male. A couple of weeks ago I posted a thread about how I'd gone to a hair loss clinic, where I was diagnosed with male pattern baldness and offered some VERY expensive treatment. I made the point that just like the banks want to see you in debt, the clinics want to see you lose hair. I then went on to say that I went to the barbers, who was shocked when I told him I thought I was thinning. He said he could see no real evidence of it.

So I'm scared that I'm balding and have two conflicting opinions. I have reasons to believe and reasons to disbelieve both theories. The barber regularly observes the hair of men who are thinning and men who aren't but he isn't a medical professional. The woman at the hair loss clinic obviously is a medical professional but also has a clear incentive to say that I'm balding.

Then there's my opinion. I'm desperately paranoid and swear my hair whorl has gotten bigger and my temples thinner. Then again I took no notice of such things until about a year ago, and who has pictures of their crown unless they are investigating hair loss?

I've bought Extra Strength Regaine and a month supply of Propecia, but have heard good reasons (besides financial ones) for being cautions about taking these. Is it worth the risk if I'm not sure that I have male pattern baldness? What action do you recommend I take?

 

[talmoode]

go see a hair transplant doctor. they have this camera thingy that shows if your hair is miniaturised.

 

[ladysmanfelpz]

The finasteride pick up is a nice call. I wouldn't go minoxidil. Only hurt me more than helped. I started losing pretty rapidly at 19 too and I jumped on all I could buy which was just minoxidil at the time and a stupid call. I would get the s5 creams both day and night and a saw palmetto supp to slightly lower dht and you can pop a finasteride pill every once in a while, maybe twice a weak and you should stave it off easily.

 

[Benjamin36]

I'd personally hold off on the Propecia until you know that you have male pattern baldness or not. Rogaine (Regaine) is used for telogen effluvium as well, so I'd start with that and picking up some Nizoral shampoo would be a good idea too.