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Hey
I’ve been taking finesteride since september of 2011 and my hair loss has seemed to either slowed down or stopped and i don’t seem be having sexual problems really. I’m only 18 so is this a good sign?

Did you need me to answer this? I must be missing something here…

Your hair loss slowed down (possibly stopped) and you have no side effects after taking finasteride for 5 months… and you’re asking if that is a good sign? Um, yeah. I’d say that’s a good thing. The medication you’re taking to treat hair loss is working and as long as you stay on it, it will probably keep working.

hey.
im a 16 year old boy presently living in auckland. im fighting to cope with my problem…ie hair loss….
i keep losing a lot of hair every time i comb my hair…about 20 of them…..and i lost all my confidence and courage….i just cant go to my high school any more….and there are times that i thought of suiciding also…

pls help me…i tried talking ti my parents but they just tell me that im paranoid…..again pls help me….im really struggling

I am sorry that you are having a hard time with hair loss. Losing 20 hairs a day is very normal, as one can lose 100-200 hairs a day and this can be normal in many men. In its place new hairs are growing without you even noticing it to replenish the hairs that have fallen out.

If you have genetic androgenic hair loss, there are medications that can also help. Empower yourself with education and knowledge about hair loss. If there are other issues, speak with your parents, your counselors at school, your friends, or relatives. Someone will listen, so don’t give up. The problem may not be as large as it seems. Get a medical assessment to find out if you are really losing your hair.

Hey Doc,
You have a great site going. Thanks for all you do. I am a 20 year old male and my hairline is receding at the corners. The only family history of balding that I have is my maternal grandfather who was completely bald by the time he was thirty. I am currently on finasteride, but I was wondering about a transplant.

Would it be a bad thing to have smaller transplants over the next fifteen years instead of just waiting until you’ve reached your final pattern? For example, could I have one to fill in the corners, and then another in ten years to fill in whatever else is thinning or gone? As of right now, I am about a NW 2.5 with no evidence of thinning in the crown.

Not everyone has the exact same goal, and some patients have transplants to keep ahead of their thinning. This issue is up to both you and the doctor to plan out the Master Plan. Generally, most patients do not wait until they are completely bald… but in your case at 20 years old with early loss, you would likely not be a candidate just yet.

Hey, I just want to take a second to thank Dr. Rassman for all of the time that he puts into this blog in helping young men as myself in looking for solutions to hair loss. I just want to explain something for a second.

First of all im 20 years old, have been losing my hair for some time. For all the time I put looking for answers to stop my receding pattern, people like me seem to be just wasting their time. I have been on finasteride for two years, and from the looks of my head, it seems as if I have no more options. I come to this blog out of desperation to hopefully find a “miracle cure” that will hopefully one day regrow the little fibers of youth that have slowly destroyed any bit of self confidence I once had. Im afraid that I have put countless hours a week researching baldness and still can find no answer in how to stop this.

How do people like me… when all fails…deal with this situation?…because it seems to me like the answer that makes the most sense is to just give up. It is most certainly wrong that young men, barely out of high school, will not face judgement and humiliation from this. In my case, I am embarrased to say that this little problem has turned into one big life crisis. A couple of years ago I was a pretty good looking kid. Now I cant jump into a pool without my scalp showing for everyone to point fun at. Two years ago I was happy…now im just depressed

If I’m going on a little rant here im sorry, but im just desperate I’m afraid. In reality, is there any hope for the guys like us, who seem to see thier youth crumbling, and confidence fading?

You’re not alone in feeling this way. Unfortunately, we don’t have all the answers and there is no cure for hair loss. It’s possible that a hair transplant could be in your future… but you need to find a caring doctor who can work with you on a Master Plan addressing hair loss possibilities.

I am a 18 year old Black Teen and I have a receded hairline. But I was born with it. And to top it off the hairline on the sides of my head do not match and look out of proportion. What can I do to lower and get a straighter hairline? is surgery possible? or are there other methods?

Surgery is possible, but often not recommended to men of your age because of the risks of balding that may impact your future look. I don’t know that there is anything you can do at this point, unfortunately.

Hi Doctor, I am 47 yrs old and my hair started thinning a bit at the crown 2 or 3 years back. I started using minoxidil a couple of years back and it seems to have slowed things down a bit.

I was thinking of using finasteride as well but am wondering am i too old for fin? Also i am not that hairy, with very little chest, arms, legs and general body hair so would that mean that my dht levels are low anyway? My father’s hair started to thin in his 40s and he is now in his 70s and still has most of his hair, just thin around the crown with no bald spot. Thanks

Finasteride works best on people with recent hair loss, especially in the top and crown. You are not too old and I would consider this as an addition to the minoxidil you are presently using. Talk to your doctor.

I am 40 years old and noticed a drastic change in my hair texture and amount over the last two years. I have been about a NW2 with a strong frontal tuft that basically was quite curly and full. The top of my head was curly as well with a slight recession on the temples which seemed age appropriate. In the last two years that has changed in terms of width and density. It seems like looking back on pictures that my hair was darker and curlier only 1.5 to 2 years ago. Is this a common occurrence for MPB? I assumed it slowed down as we age but my case is reversed.

I have been stressed about it as well. The loss has been rather quick within the last two years at my age it seems that I had dodged the bullet for advanced NW patterns but looking at things now and I am certainly not as convinced. Should I start propecia and rogaine to restore the hairs that seem to have disappeared within a year? Family history is NW4-5 on dads side and moms side but later in life..what gives? thanks

Certainly, stressing out about losing hair could lead to further loss. Genetic balding, as we know it, develops in patterns. What you are describing doesn’t sound like patterned balding. I would want to do some testing on you to include bulk measurements of your scalp at different locations and miniaturization analysis to look for problems like diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA), and even a pull test for telogen effluvium, etc. With a good examination and these tests in hand, I might venture a guess as to what is happening to you.

I can’t take Propecia because of the sexual side effects and after I visited your office, the news as to where my balding might be going (as you said the worst case) could be a Class 6 pattern. I already had two hair transplants and I have a scar on the back of my head so I can not even shave my head. I am 21 years old now, so I get depressed when I think that I am going down the toilet with my hair problems. I don’t want to give up my girlfriend as sex is important to us and the Propecia stopped that cold. What can I do?

There are no easy answers. Your examination in the office showed that you have already lost 61% of the hair in the crown, 26% of the hair on the top, and 32% of the hair in the front. With my naked eye and your blond hair color, one can’t really make out the balding at this time. The crown is fast approaching the point where the balding can be detected in bright light. You are lucky, because if you had dark brown or black hair, the hair loss in the crown would be very evident, but in blond men, the loss may approach 90% with average weight hair before it would show.

If you can not take finasteride because of the sexual side effects, these numbers suggest that you may eventually end up with a Class 6 pattern (worst case). At 21 years old, you have a lot of balding that may show up as you go through your 20s. If you want to shave your head, you might want to consider Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP), and provided that the area pigmented was in the distribution of your existing hair, you would have the option to keep it long and/or shave it. We can discuss this option at your convenience.

There is no substitute for Propecia (finasteride) on the market. You might get some benefit by taking 25% of the therapeutic dose (0.25 mg) and this might allow you to get some of the benefits of this drug without the sexual side-effects. Young men (20 years old) who start the transplant process without a good Master Plan and have side effects from finasteride, probably should not have started the transplant process at all, as there may not be enough donor hair to complete the process. Your first transplant doctor should have discussed these issues with you before you started this process. Fortunately, there is the SMP option if you get caught between a rock and a hard place.

My daughter is 15, she has not had a perm in 3 years or more. Just recently her hair began breaking off on the ends and around the edges of her scalp. She uses biosilk shampoo and conditioner and she does flat iron and blow dry her hair at least 3 or four times weekly. What can we do to stop the breakage and promote the growth of her hair? We are african american.

The use of the flat iron could still contribute to damage, but this is best managed by a good hair stylist with lots of experience with African hair types.

13 year old african american daughter having continuous hair loss for several years. Hair is processed and has several bald spots especially in back. Suffers from excema if that helps. Please HELP! Beautician just sews false hair in her head but has yet to get it to grow. Can you please tell us where to start.

It sounds like your daughter is having chemical problems with the things that the stylist is using. Hair loss is common when chemicals are applied to relax the hair. I am wondering what you mean that the beautician is sewing false hair into her head, though.