Dealing with Hairloss - Accept or be proactive?

[cle103]

Hey guys, 

I'm in my mid 20's and not a single male in my family has hair to speak of. So I know where this is going. 

I also know that I can do something about it (Finasteride, Minoxidil, Ketoconazol) - and now would be the time to take action. I'm unsure if I should pull the trigger. Side effects seem rare but substantial. I'd really like to keep my hair but it's hard to weigh the pro's and con's. Main motivation is honestly dating opportunities as I'm single.

What are your thoughts (and experiences with those meds if you have them)? 

Cheers! 

Edited May 16, 2022 by cle103
Spelling

[Leo Gura]

14 minutes ago, cle103 said:

So I know where this is going.

There's your answer.

[LSD-Rumi]

@cle103  Hair is not essentail for good looks, many men look even more hot bald than with hai ( take Leo for example ). What you need is a good look with hair or not. But If you don't look good bald then you may want to do something about it.

 

[Batman]

How about going bald? or finding some other haircut that suits your hairline and face?

I'll tell you what, to me it seems that every hair loss treatment - takings meds to play with your chemistry or hair transplant - is already a losing situation. Either case, you will have to revolve around this matter by taking meds for years, making more hair transplants, complications and what not.

But I totally get you, men are attached to their hair, and it may seem that women appreciate men with healthy hair. But nothing is set in stone. There are woman who doesn't give a rat's ass on the fullness of a man's hair, and they can be hot as fuck. Moreover, losing your attachment to your hair will mature your personality and wisdom. You can learn a lot about ego and mind just by letting go of your hairline ideals and conditioning regarding the matter. In the end, if you learn to love your self and feel complete even though you are bold or "suffer" from a receding hairline, that is a much more powerful experience than running around medications and doctors to keep you look young. 

At the end, ask your self - what will you achieve by this war against aging? Is it really worth it? You admit that you only do it because of dating. It is totally an understandable consideration, but it also shows that if an other was not in the picture you couldn't give a damn. Do you really want to deal with meds for years just that some girls will find you attractive because of your physical qualities? Being able to accept your condition and own it is a lot more powerful and attractive than trying to fulfill some socially accepted standards.

[TheWatcher]

luckily enough there are almost 8 billion people on this planet and a good percentage has and had the same problem as you my friend, go and watch people who've already gone through this process and know all the dead ends, traps, and answers.

YouTube " Mike Thurston's or fousey tubes hair journey"

there are many others but these two are two solid sources who had been through it all. Good luck

[Adodd]

I'm in your boat!

Just started getting receding hairline and thinning on top! Gonna shave it off in the next year or so probably. Being bald doesn't always look bad at all! A comb over always looks bad though haha.

 

 

[cle103]

Thanks guys! 

The plan I had in my head was to keep as much hair as possible for 1-2 years and then settle down and stop caring about it. I guess that's attachment in action lol. A transplant sounds like a nightmare.

@Leo Gura out of curiosity: Did you look into Finasteride and the like? If so, did you try it or why not? 

[Leo Gura]

4 hours ago, cle103 said:

out of curiosity: Did you look into Finasteride and the like?

No, you're pushing water uphill.

[thisintegrated]

DERMA.  ROLLER.

 

Thank me later.

[kamwalker]

Depends on how far gone you are. Catch it early enough and it's worth taking the steps to save it if you actually want to. Because it's easily doable. But the longer you wait or if your hairloss is just too aggressive it won't matter at that point 

[mysticalninja]

I started balding at 18, i knew it was a losing battle immediately.  So i would just accept it, you can only delay the inevitable.  Im also pretty educated on the oral meds and i wouldnt take any of those.  Anything topical is going to be minimally effective.  Lastly some kind of transplant would be the most effedtive option, but it would still be a long term fight i would not want to engage in.  Always remember bald brothers love each other.

Edited May 17, 2022 by mysticalninja

[cle103]

@thisintegrated Heard about it. Though only in conjunction with meds and it also seems pretty heavy duty when done right. What is/was your experience with it? 

12 hours ago, mysticalninja said:

Always remember bald brothers love each other.

That's the spirit!

[thisintegrated]

1 minute ago, cle103 said:

@thisintegrated Heard about it. Though only in conjunction with meds and it also seems pretty heavy duty when done right. What is/was your experience with it? 

It works for wherever you need more hair.  No need for any sort of meds/Minoxidil/anything.  

[undeather]

On 16.5.2022 at 2:12 PM, cle103 said:

Hey guys, 

I'm in my mid 20's and not a single male in my family has hair to speak of. So I know where this is going. 

I also know that I can do something about it (Finasteride, Minoxidil, Ketoconazol) - and now would be the time to take action. I'm unsure if I should pull the trigger. Side effects seem rare but substantial. I'd really like to keep my hair but it's hard to weigh the pro's and con's. Main motivation is honestly dating opportunities as I'm single.

What are your thoughts (and experiences with those meds if you have them)? 

Cheers! 

When it comes to hairloss, here is the deal....

1) First of all....
.... you need to determine how you would do as a bald guy!
-> Could you rock a bald look? (Maybe with a better frame?)
-> Does your face look weird without hair?
-> How about your beard situation?
-> Is there strong attachement to your hair?

You need to be brutally honest with yourself.
Also, your own insecurities will influence your opinion on this - thats why its important to get input from honest outsiders.
If you have a nice head-shape, good beard situation, then any hairloss prevention is NOT worth it. 

Some faces just look weird without hair. Period.

"But you shouldnt care about what others think"
"Just work on your confidence bro"
"Its all about inner game"
-> Those comments are redundant platitudes. Yes, there is truth in it, but its just not that easy. Sometimes the quick fix is the best fix. 

2) Evaluate your hairloss (using the norwood scale)

3) Interventions
Gold-standard: Finasteride
-> 1mg per day, its possible to cycle the intake (for example every second day) or lower the dosage down to 0,5mg depending on your genetics
-> Will hold your hair-situation as it + regrowth/thickening in recently shed area
-> Side effects are RARE, but happen. Internet search will give you a strong negativity bias
-> Side effects usually go away as you stop taking the drug (Those who prevail are propably with a strong psychophysiolgoical component)
-> A metabolically/endocrinologically healthy body faces a lower chance for side effects
-> If you want to do it, do it the smart way: Blood lab/androgenic-profile before and 6-12 months after you started the drug

Topical Finasetride:
-> Available in some countries, seems almost as good as the oral drug with lesser side effects! 
-> its a bit more annoying to deal with because its easier to just swallow a pill BUT it wont infleunce your Blood-DHT-levels as much

Minoxidil + (Microneedling):
-> Slows the process and regrows hair (especially when combined with needling)
-> Combine with microneedling (1,5mm) to get max results (its WAY superior)
-> Side effects are very rare and usually mild
-> Applied 2 times a day, on your scalp

Microneedling:
-> Its possible to do just that but it wont stop your hair loss indefinitely
-> There seems to be a certain subgroup of hairloss cases who suffer from sclerosis/fibrosis of the scalp. In such cases, dermarolling/microneedling seems to be effective! However, most people need it in combination with Minoxidil!

Keto-shampoo:
-> No good evidence that it actually works
-> I have tried it and I notice "some" hair thickening effects but cant tell for sure

If you really want to max your results, combine all 3 treatments! 
Most people notice zero side effects even after years of treatment. 
There is just one way to find out -> TRY it!

If your hairloss is at a very early stage, Finasteride on its own should be enough! 
If you are at around Norwood IV, no intervention will really help you to get a good result. At that point, you can think about hair-transplantation.

No one can tell you beforehand if you will experience side effects. 

You are welcome


 

Edited May 17, 2022 by undeather

[Matt23]

Apparently Turkey has some of the best hair implant places... if you decide to do so.  Could do a vacay and hair implant sesh at the same time.

But also....Firstly...

Do you look good bald?  If so, just go bald my man.  

[cle103]

@undeather thank you for the in-depth reply! 

At the moment I'm just a bit icky about the Finasteride side effects. Percentages don't mean much if you're the 0.1% who gets it rough. 

Regarding looks: I'm in good shape and I have a beard... could just get a buzz cut to see how it would look. Gonna give it a bit more thought. 

[Yarco]

Embrace it and get it over with now. Being that guy with the receding hairline trying to comb it over is cringe and everyone spots it immediately. 

Watch some videos from BaldCafe for inspiration. A bunch of balding guys shaving their heads for the first time. Every video I've watched it's been an extremely positive reaction across the board. Most of them look 10x better after it's done, and you can tell it's like a weight has been lifted off of them.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Baldcafe/videos

[InkPop]

Look into Massaging your whole head and scalp area. You have blood circulation restrictions happening due to tightening skin. Be gentle don't hurt yourself. Search: what i've learned balding. On youtube. The best video about what I am saying. @Leo Gura I hope you catch this comment. You could give it some try. It may be never too late.

[integral]

 

[teraflu]

On 16/05/2022 at 3:12 PM, cle103 said:

Hey guys, 

I'm in my mid 20's and not a single male in my family has hair to speak of. So I know where this is going. 

Psychosomatics science says that hair loss usually happens to men when in early childhood (or in some cases, later) they experienced humiliation, disrespect, or any situation where their masculinity was weakened. And the solution is to go back to childhood (therapy) to heal particular trauma (might be minor one), if it is not too late.