Going bald in college

[Pink22m]

Greetings everyone,

I debated on posting this, but I have decided to see if I can get some solace in knowing there are others out there like me.  As the topic title says, I am going bald and I am in college.  I know this may seem silly to some, but I sometimes find myself quite self conscious of this, and I was wondering if there were others experiencing the same thing.  I guess the part that is frustrating is being so young and seeing everyone else around you with a full head of hair.  If I was 30 and was beginning to go bald, it wouldn't be as distressing.  But being 23 and going bald can make for a distressing situation, especially when you are very self concious about your looks (as I am).  I have not ever seriously considered any hair transplants, as I just don't know how safe those procedures are.  

I guess the purpose of this post is to feel comfort in knowing that there are others out there who are also experiencing this.  It often seems as if I am the only guy on campus going bald (at least among the students), and it would be helpful to know there are others out there.  Do you have trouble coming to terms with it?  Can you somehow embrace your baldness?  Any comments and/or suggestions are more then appreciated. Thanks.

 

[matadorpoeta]

pink,
i hope this can give you some solace. when i was 21 my hairline started receding and it troubled me because i thought i'd be completely bald by the time i was thirty. luckily, it stopped receding and now that i'm 28 i have the same head of hair that i had at 21.

i've had phases where my hair fell out because i was stressed or because i had a fever, but it has always grown back. i suggest getting more excercise (there aren't that many bald pro athletes) and stressing less. the two guys i know who are my age and have lost the most hair are also the two most uptight guys i know. just take it easy and if it keeps falling out remember there are lots of women who like bald guys. also consider that this may be a blessing in disguise. vanity is not a good trait and maybe this hair loss will help you to rid yourself of some of it. good luck.

 

[Mitch D]

May I first commend your courage,for posting on a subject so sensitive for you.

If it makes you feel any better,I first began losing my hair when I was just 16. Just imagine being in high school,attempting to sort out raging hormones and social hierarchies,whilst concurrently dealing with the growing bare patch at the top of my head. Not fun. My Calculus teacher actually signed my yearbook that year,"To a balding friend." Prick. I've been fortunate,that I haven't lost too much more since then (I'm 42 now). My bald spot at the crown is a little larger,and my hairline isn't as far forward as I'd like,but I've still got decent coverage. I once considered using Rogaine (before it went OTC),or Propecia. However,I work in a pharmacy,and the percentage of men who reportedly regain significant growth is low. Not worth the $$ IMO. Yet no less a fashion stud than Tom Ford has admitted that he uses Propecia,and said in a recent interview that he's been able to maintain his hair on it. Depending on the extent of your hair loss,and the shape of your face and head,you might consider cutting your hair very short. Donna Karan,in the Jan/Feb '04 Details,said: "...Frankly,I like bald. If you're losing your hair,don't get all freaked out...Look at Ed Harris or Bruce Willis...The best-looking guys in the world are Buddhist monks. They all shave their heads and they are gorgeous. So don't panic." No brother,you are not alone. I've been where you are now. As I've gotten older,I've grown less and less concerned with how others might perceive me. Would I like to have a mane like George Clooney or Pierce Brosnan? You bet. But,my lack of hair is no longer an obsession. Hope that this helps some. Mitch

 

[banksmiranda]

I had a couple high school classmates who went largely bald before the end of high school. I probably won't have to worry about baldness, but I've been getting a small handful of grey hairs since I was in high school. I'm 21 now. I have from five to ten at any given time, which my mother(she's wonderful.) takes care of.

 

[LA Guy]

At first sign of baldness, either shave your head, or at least keep your hair closely cropped - only way to go.

 

[vantheman]

My hairline slowly started receding when I was about 21, and I was the only one who seemed to notice. Most people just thought I was being paranoid.

Soon thereafter, I went on Rogaine and then propecia. They do seem to help some, but didn't completely halt it. I'm 25 now, and have lost more hair, but it's still not bad. People who just meet me usually don't even realize it. Luckily, the loss has been pretty slow, and wasn't a lightning strike like some guys, where they lose almost everything inside of a year.

When it becomes more noticeable, I plan to go ahead and just shave completely. Transplants that actually look good and don't involve scarring up your whole scalp cost such an amount that I would only spend it if I were obscenely wealthy.

At least I wasn't as bad as one of my good friends in high school, who was half bald by the time we graduated.

 

[j]

Check this out: Nizoral for Hair Loss Excerpt: Doctors have known for a long time that Nizoral shampoo, in prescription and non-prescription strength, works well for controlling dandruff. But at last year´s meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, a group of scientists suggested that over-the-counter Nizoral might also be useful as a hair loss remedy. The researchers compared Nizoral A-D Shampoo, containing 1% ketoconazole (the active ingredient), to another shampoo containing 1% zinc pyrithione. Zinc pyrithione is the active ingredient in dandruff shampoos such as Head & Shoulders. They found that Nizoral increased hair thickness and decreased hair shedding, whereas the zinc pyrithione shampoo had the opposite effect. [...] One 1998 study showed that prescription-strength Nizoral, which contains 2% ketoconazole, worked just as well as minoxidil (brand name Rogaine) in men with androgenic alopecia (male hereditary balding). Both medicines increased hair thickness and increased the number of anagen-phase hair follicles on the scalp. But the researchers were guarded about the meaning of these results, saying that more rigorous studies on larger groups of men should be done.

 

[HRHAndrew]

GO ON PROPECIA. I have been on it for several years, and would be as bald as a cue ball without it. I think the $50 a month is well worth it. I am the only one of the males in my family with hair. It is a joy to run my fingers through it in their presence.

 

[tjmaglio]

GO ON PROPECIA. I have been on it for several years, and would be as bald as a cue ball without it.  I think the $50 a month is well worth it.  I am the only one of the males in my family with hair.  It is a joy to run my fingers through it in their presence.

How long was it before you started noticing Propecia's effect?

 

[HRHAndrew]

How long was it before you started noticing Propecia's effect?

Within about three months I noticed regrowth. It took about two weeks to stop the hair loss. Highly recommend.

 

[oDD_LotS]

Do Propecia/Rogaine/Whatever work for people losing the hair towards the front of the head as well?

I have general thinning all over, but mostly towards the hairline, and I'd heard that Rogaine only worked for people who had a bald patch towards the back, not for individuals with thinning hair or receding hairlines.

I just found a picture of me from my freshman year of college yesterday, and hadn't realized how much hair I'd lost.. (and shaving my head/cropping it short is NOT an option)

 

[tjmaglio]

Do Propecia/Rogaine/Whatever work for people losing the hair towards the front of the head as well?

My understanding is that Rogaine won't help prevent the recession of your hairline however Propecia will as it limits the production of DHT. I haven't tried applying Rogaine to my receding hairline but I am going to see my doctor regarding Propecia. I quickly tried to find some links supporting this but my quick search yielded quite a bit of junk web sites to wade through. Nevertheless, at one time I did go through them and the consensus is what I'm reporting here.

I just found a picture of me (sic) from my freshman year of college yesterday, and hadn't realized how much hair I'd lost..  (and shaving my head/cropping it short is NOT an option)

Stress is also a contributing factor to hair loss, so whatever you do, don't obsess over it.

 

[HRHAndrew]

My understanding is that Rogaine won't help prevent the recession of your hairline however Propecia will as it limits the production of DHT.

This is correct, Propecia will stop all balding. If I had gone on it about six months earlier, I would have complete regrowth.

 

[oDD_LotS]

Thanks for the advice.

It looks like I should definitely try for Propecia...maybe I can get back to what it used to be.

 

[LA Guy]

(and shaving my head/cropping it short is NOT an option)

I'm wondering why not. Seems to me like a shaved head/really close crop would fit your style and physique pretty well.