I’m 23… just noticed some slight thinning on my crown area. Went to the doc and got on propecia. although i’m by no means balding yet (just thinning) I think I will eventually go bald by the looks of the rest of my family. Has anyone used propecia for a prolonged period and if so what were the results?
also does anyone have any experience with minoxidil products like rogaine, scalpmed, etc? any advice or info would be greatly appreciated. It’s just been devistating having to go through this at such a young age.
Sorry I can’t offer any advice regarding any products, but I can offer a little advice:
Don’t worry about it to much, and don’t let it ruin your confidence. I started losing my hair at a young age as well, and I remember how devastating it was at first. I have had absolutely NO problems getting women, making friends or anything else. It really is not that big of a deal when it comes down to it.
I started losing my hair at age 18, so I gained 70 pounds and shaved my head. Deal with it man, the hair doesn’t matter. All that matters is how you view it.
My hair thinned dramatically at age 22, but then slowed down just as abruptly as it started. At first, I thought it was hell. Then I discovered the wonders of very short hair (no more than 1"). Beyond that, I start to look like Bozo the Clown, when the sides and back grow much more rapidly than the top. I suppose weekly trips to the stylist would fix that problem, but then how gay would that be?
I haven’t been to the barber now in three years. Clippers and a shaver and I can take care of my own head just fine.
Right now my head is shaved for summer. A lot of women seem to love that. Don’t fret man, there’s other options. Just don’t go growing a ponytail to compensate! Try a beard instead.
Oh, and watch out for Minoxidil, it will cause you to shed hair at first. I think it’s all a part of their scam to get you hooked on it, in hopes that you didn’t shed hair for naught.
From what I have heard, one of the main effects is a huge decrease in testosterone and sex drive. Doesn’t sound too appealing for someone trying to gain muscle?
Apparently the herb saw palmetto is quite good at blocking DHT. Ive been taking it for a few months as there’s a history of prostate cancer on one side of my family.Some of my cousins are taking it too just as a precaution but one of them starting noticing his har had stopped thinning since he was using it and after a while you could see improvements in his hairline.
Its meant to block the conversion of T to DHT meaning that you actually end up with more free T in your system.
Im not saying it will work or anything like that but there is some evidence that it provides benefits and may be a viable alternative to propecia.
[quote]Cartman8675 wrote:
From what I have heard, one of the main effects is a huge decrease in testosterone and sex drive. Doesn’t sound too appealing for someone trying to gain muscle?[/quote]
I’ve read reports of Propecia permanantly affecting sex drive, and normal DHT levels are needed for sex drive function. You would think once you remove the offending medication the sex drive would bounce back but a lot of self reports negate this. Something else must be going on somewhere. I think it needs to be explored further. I doubt enough research has been done on it.
[quote]Cartman8675 wrote:
From what I have heard, one of the main effects is a huge decrease in testosterone and sex drive. Doesn’t sound too appealing for someone trying to gain muscle?[/quote]
yeah i talked to the doc about this …propecia actually blocks only dht and it only blocks 1 kind of dht which is a by product of test. test is not effected. in the studies they did there were some sexual side effects reported as well as some cases of gyno, but the numbers of these were same in people who were taking the placebo and altogethor less than 1% showed any side effects.
but anyways thanks for everyones advice if worst comes to worst i’ll quit whining and shave my head.
Same story here - started noticing thinning of my hair at age 21, got on propecia at 23. I did experience a drop in my sex drive, so I got rid of the propecia. However, I was worried as hell about sexual side effects from the beginning on, so there’s a good chance that at least part of the problem was due to the placebo effect. When I stopped taking propecia, my sex drive went back to normal fairly quickly.
I’m almost 26 now, and although I’m far from bald, the “horseshoe” pattern is coming through. Although I’d like to have a full head of hair with a nice cut, I’ve come to accept that it just ain’t gonna happen. Every week I clip my hair down to 1/8", and it’s a look I can live with just fine. (It’s almost funny - in high school I shaved my head, even though I could have grown any hair I wanted…)
I’m not trying to tell you not to fight against it and accept yourself the way you’re meant to look, or some similar zen shit that everybody loves to tell people who get screwed by genetics. You’re young, and you wanna look young, so by all means fight for your hair - it could work. I just wanna let you know that at some point, you will be used to the fact that you have hair loss - sooner or later. When you’re going for a mature look instead of a young guy look, full hair is definitly not a necessity. If you take care of the “other stuff” (read: stay fit and wash yourself), your appearance will primarily come down to your charisma and confidence.
Until then, good luck! You might also wanna look into supplementing with zinc, and using shampoo with caffeine in it - maybe it works.
First of all, i have noticed that baldness occurs much more often in well-muscled men than their skinny counterparts. Perhaps testosterone has
something to do with baldness.
Secondly, you aren’t going to look like you are 20 when you are 30, or 25 when you are 45. Aging is just as natural as being born so get over it becaus you can’t do anything about it.
Third, i’ve noticed the very begening stages of balding on my noggin. I like short hair and i’m going to start shaving it soon. I think that I can look sophisticated/professional with short hair as long as i dress nice so people’s first thought won’t be that I am a skinhead or something. In fact i look pretty good imo with a shaved head it makes my sharp features stand out.
I feel more confident and well spoken with a shaved head than having the normal crew cut and fade even if balding weren’t an issue.
My advice, which I wish someone had rammed into my skull when I was 19 and began thinning on top:
Cut it short and learn to love your new look. Think of guys like Vin Diesel or Kelly Slater - they’re both losing hair, but they’re studs in anyone’s book. Why? Cause they’re comfortable with themselves, confident, and more than make up for their hair loss in other ways
Maintain your hair well. That means a session with the razor or trimmer at least once a week. There’s a big difference between the guy that always has a sharp trim to his back and sides, to one that has that Krusty the Clown look (“I’m losing my hair so why give a shit”)
The best thing about cutting it all off or very short is that it becomes a non issue (besides being a hell of a lot more easier to maintain). Above all things, don’t hide under hats, wear wigs or combovers - you ain’t fooling anyone, look ridiculous, and are pretty much advertising your insecurity to the world
Keep it short, train hard, get big and lean, develop yourself in other areas - and the 1% percent of people who can’t get past your sleek head are not worth worrying about anyway