moeronn

Growing up, I thought I would be nearly completely bald before the age of 25 because my uncles and cousins were. Luckily, I had avoided losing much hair... until recently (I'm over 35 now). And my wife has been on my case to do something about it.

So, for those who have fought baldness and succeeded, what worked for you? What were the side effects or drawbacks?

Ken1997TL

Is this question for the Photoshop gurus?

Billiam

Misfire on the sub-forum or are you trying to imply something about us photo-types?

moeronn

It's usually the otherway around on the misfires. Move please.

Looks like the hair loss is having unintended side effects.

Ken1997TL

Thread moved

And to answer your question, I have a question for you:

Does your mother have any brothers? Are they bald?

If I remember my genetics correctly, baldness is inherited on the X chromosome so your father has nothing to do with it nor your paternal grandfather.

moeronn

I was hoping for a Ramblings move, but this will work.

Nearly all of my uncles and cousins on both sides are bald. My younger brother is nearly completely bald and my older brother is somewhere in between.

Ken1997TL

Interesting.. I dunno

BennyUnitas

i've always heard that it depends on your mothers father. my dads dad was bald for as long as i knew him...but luckily my moms dad has a full head of hair.

RMATIC09

I've heard the same . My mothers father was hairy and died with a fro and eyebrows so thick you could comb them....guess I'm safe.

moeronn

Hello... I'm not trying to find the cause, I'm trying to find a solution!! Sheesh!

wasupdog

iTrader: (2)

i went to bosley on their delta promo where they give you 25k frequent flier miles to get a hair consultation lolz. they pointed out that my hair is thinning out a little bit so i did some research, although i haven't started taking anything due to the side effects. remember, everyone is different so the side effects will vary. one of the main side effects is loss of sex drive!!

if you're serious about hair loss, what you're looking for is propecia. propecia will retain the hair you have and i think may or may not stimulate new hair growth. rogaine works, but it doesn't do what you think it does, especially if you take it alone. rogaine will grow new hairs but they are small little peach hairs. you take rogaine and propecia together to grow new hair where the follicles previously had shrunken and it should work unless your head has a shiny bald spot where there hasn't been hair for a long time. the rogaine grows new little hairs and the propecia keeps it from falling out.

nizoral, a dandruff shampoo that can be bought in any drugstore or grocery store, has an active ingredient that is proven to regrow or thicken hair. for dudes trying to combat heavy hair loss, they take niz with propecia and rogaine. there are other shampoos that probably work the same but are not as popular as niz.

what these drugs do is enlarge and stimulate the follicles where they had previously shrunken so much that no hair was able to grow out. because of this, many experience "shedding" after they start taking the drugs. shedding actually causes hair loss because the follicles are being enlarged so much that the hair is falling out. after the shedding, the hair should grow back thicker and fuller although shedding does come and go in cycles (hair naturally grows and falls out in cycles).

propecia or its generics can be bought online without a prescription but they are coming from india or some other country where the manufacturing process is not standardized like it is in the usa. it is much cheaper though.

if you're wondering why i haven't started taking anything...i believe that these drugs do work but once you start on them you're basically hooked for life. hairlosstalk dot com is a good website.

Babnik

I guess you could shave your head so that it becomes near impossible to tell you're bald.

Street Spirit

Shave your head or buzz it real close?

Go to a few hair treatment centres (where they do transplants) and ask the pros for your options. I guess the rest is up to research and how much money (and possible discomfort) you're willing to go through.

bassplayer5504

This sounds like the healthiest option. I know if I start to go bald that will be my solution. You can even grow a big beard to counteract the loss of hair on your head.

Josh99CL

what wasupdog posted is right now.

Those 3 products generally referred to as the "big 3" are the most proven combination of products to combat hair loss.

Propecia (or like products) tackle the problem from the chemical side and suppresses your bodies ability to turn testosterone into DHT (which kills your hair). Propecia is an anti-androgen "Propecia" is just one company that manufactueres an anti0androgen product. Anti-Androgens are your maintenance drug which helps stop the hair loss basically helping you keep what you have.

Rogain is the commerical name for a Minoxidile based product. These products (rogain foam being the most popular) help stimiluat folciles that recently stopped producing hair. Usually hair loss happens in a few stages where smaller and thinner hairs grow back after the previous fall out until the folcile literally is choked out and can't produce hair anymore. There is usually a very small light colored hair left that is barely noticeable to the naked eye. Minox based products help get these fociles that are recently dormant firing again and are used to help thicken up a thinned out head of hair.

Niz shampoo is usually paired with the other products as scale maintenance from what I understand and helps calm to scale itch associated with hair loss.

Every product works different than others and the side effects from the most effective hair loss solution vary differently. Side effects with anti-androgens are the most severe and a very small percentage of people experience some "gender bender" type side effects in other words they start to grow tits.

If you're serious about fighting your hair loss you need to be ready to accept that there are side effects you may experience that you'll either have to deal with or if you're lucky wont experience.

There is a TON of information on this website and I would suggestion spending some serious time on there to get yourself familiar with what you're up against.

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/

moeronn

Thanks for all the info. I know there is plenty more online, but I was hoping for some first hand experience from people here rather than just general info.

Has anyone used any of the mentioned medications and/or topical treatments?

Josh99CL

I haven't no but I've considered it. My hairline hasn't really moved yet but I'm getting some diffuse thinning.

There is a testimonials section of that site I linked.

imj0257

iTrader: (1)

btw i just wanted to say that this is also what i heard. my dad, dad's brother, and their father are all bald. but if i remember correctly, my mom's dad had hair.

BennyUnitas

i have 2 friends that have tried propecia and rogaine...IMHO it seemed to only slow down the process, rather than reverse it

Sarlacc

1) The whole "it comes from your mom's side" it a bit of a wive's tale. It might be the dominate factor but it can in fact also come from the dad's side. At least this is what I have read in the past.

2) I started thinning at 19. I said fuck it and have been shaving my head ever since.

phile

I think recent research shows it comes from either or. Just like ugliness.

doopstr

In the last 6-9 months the enemy has been attacking me from the rear. In another couple years it may be a shave job for me. We'll see how it goes.

Anyone know what a "hair club" treatment costs?

moeronn

I've been trying to repel a slow frontal assult for some time. Just recently they split to the rear and caught me in a little cross fire.

Unfortunately, shaving wouldn't be a great option for me. Aside from the crap I'd get from the wife, it wouldn't be a pretty picture. I think I've got a pretty ugly noggin. Lots of bumps to the head caused some dents and scars.

Razzi

my dad has a full head of hair, his dad died with a full head, HIS dad died with a full head, same for my mom and all her relatives. my brother has a full head yet i'm slowly losing it on the side, it sucks.

i've been looking into rogaine but i'd rather have a chrome dome than titties

Dr. Colorado

Current research suggests that male-pattern alopecia/androgenetic alopecia is co-inherited from maternal and paternal genes.

Optimum medical treatment now for my patients is 5% minoxidil solution (rogaine)/propecia 1 mg qd. Minoxidil is an anti-hypertensive agent that causes hirsutism as a side effect. Propecia inhibits Type II 5-alpha-reductase interfering with conversion of testosterone to 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone (hormone involved in androgenetic alopecia). Side effects of minoxidil including dryness, scaliness, redness, and itching. A small minority of patients on propecia may experience decreased libido.

Unfortunately, propecia tends to work best for alopecia over the crown of the scalp and frontotemporal alopecia is much less responsive.

Costco

on that

and IMO like others have said, if your hair line is continuing to get to your ear line or is past it, just shave it all off. Even if you've got a bunch of nicks on the head, its better than pulling a Costanza

You could just wear a hat everywhere you go...

and sorry but doopstr's post (and OP's reply) made me laugh

JAB00

My thinning has accelerated in the past year. I occasionally used Nizoral. I tried Rogain but I just couldn't keep up with it daily. I now keep my hair closely cropped. Basically I have a buzz cut but not clean shaven. I have a decent "bald head" shape and I've beefed up a bit so it balances out. I would never consider transplant, nor do I find taking Propecia daily appealing.

Dr. Colorado

Nizoral won't help androgenetic alopecia. Ketoconazole shampoo is used for seborrheic dermatitis (inflammation of scalp characterized by scale, redness, and itch). Is your thinning male pattern or related to an underlying dermatosis?

Whiskers

Does Rogaine work at all? I have a bit of a issue on the back of the old noggin.

Scottman111

I know if I come in here making jokes I'll start going bald tomorrow

1StGenCL

My hair has always been somewhat thin but I always had a lot. Over the last year or so I noticed thinning in the front so I started on propecia and rogaine about four months ago. Now they say it takes about 6 months for you to really notice anything and shedding is normal so I can't say much yet.

First month I was shedding like a mother. I rarely see hair in the sink after brushing my teeth or shaving but during that first month or so, it was everywhere. I had researched and knew it was common so while I was scared, I kept going. After the shedding stopped my hair seemed to maintain and my gf said it looks better and my mom asked if I did something to my hair because it looks fuller (hadn't seen her in about a year). I personally don't notice that much of a difference right now but I don't look in the mirror and think damn my hair is thin like I used to so maybe it is working.

You really have nothing to loose so i would give it a try. Yes, it sucks taking a pill everyday but what can you do.

Oh Whiskers, all the indications for these drugs are for where you are thinning so I would try it out. There is a lot of evidence supporting it helps with frontal thinning but no official study.

Whiskers

On Rogaine. Ill post in a few months.

Rapture

From what I've read, receding hairlines are the old "bald spot" on the back/top of the head are from two separate root causes. Again from what I've read, the bald spot is caused by DHT, not so much so with receding hairlines.

Trying to maintain a full head of hair just to keep women interested is a lost cause because IMO any woman that gives a man crap for going bald probably thinks her titties will never sag.

as far as me I'd say I'm kinda like 1StGenCL. My hair is pretty fine/thin even back when I was in my early teens, but there's a lot of it. The only hair loss I've had is just the lateral sides off the top -- giving me a V-shaped hairline. Any balding I could have is extremely slow. What about you guys, how severely do you go bald? I mean does it happen over a long period of time to where you don't even really notice?

Whiskers

problem is the back of my scalp

Rockstar21

iTrader: (1)

so your wife actually wants you to do something about it?

is it really that big a deal?

Whiskers

She made mention of it.

CUNextTuesday

Honestly, your best bet is to learn to accept it now as get used to shaved/short hair. It's that or spend the rest of your life frustrated at the less than satisfying results you see in the mirror from using these products EVERY DAY for FOREVER.

These products are OK. They work decently well for some people and not at all for others. Propecia can have some pretty fucked up sexual side effects, so make sure that you are willing to risk you entire libido for a few measly follicles. Rogaine is just annoying IMO. It leaves your hair a greasy mess and you have to use it twice a day. That, and I never really saw results from it in 1 year of use. Again, these work for some people and not for others.

More than anything, hair loss greatly affects your self image and it's a very difficult thing for most guys to deal with. I mean, why else are we even having this discussion right? It might not affect all men this way, but as someone who started losing it very young I certainly understand how self-conscious it can make you feel. In my opinion, fighting it is not helping the self-conscious issue one bit. You can try really hard to make yourself look like something you like, OR you can change your perspective and learn to accept yourself as you are. I might be overplaying this aspect of it, but I was one of those guys who wore a hat ALL the time for about 2 years until I finally said fuck it. It's incredibly liberating once you finally let go.

Bottom line is that no matter how long you postpone it, you WILL lose your hair. These products can only delay the inevitable and will do so at a cost to you. I think it's best to accept hair loss as soon as possible and move on with it. PLus women like bald heads, it's sexy!

CAVEAT: Not all guys can rock the shaved head. If your mother had tight hips and you came out looking like one of the crystal skulls you might want to reconsider my advice.

CUNextTuesday

Just realized how old this thread is! -.-'

Rapture

I'm not at all worried about going bald so much as I'm worried about going bald before the "typical age." I don't want to be 27 and having to fight back a receding hairline.

1StGenCL

Propecia - less then 3 percent of men experience sexual sides and after three months of discontinuation, they are fine. Yes, there is a suit still going I believe where the guy had it bad and wanted to commit suicide or something but in cases like this, there are much bigger issues usually.

As for rogaine and greasy, someone said they changed their foam to kill the greasiness a bit ago but I really don't know. I do know that my hair feels exactly the same after it drys (and it drys quickly). Yes, you have to do it twice a day but it literally takes 30 seconds and becomes part of your routine.

Just my