Hair thinning - extremely worried

LegacyUser

Hi,

I'm male, 20 years old and my hair is thinning. I started noticing it about 6 months ago and it has worsened since then. It's not thinning at the crown or around the temples which are what usually happens, but rather around the centre of my head there is an area which is beginning to show.

I'm not the most confident fella and I'm already very self conscious about this. My hair was one of the few things I liked about my appearance and I'm sad and angry that this is happening as I'm still only 20. I can tell that that this is going to develop into a huge insecurity and I won't want to even look at myself in the mirror.

I've considered factors that could have caused this but I can't figure it out. My stress levels are under control, diet is decent, I don't feel unwell, I exercise and I'm not overweight. The only thing I can see is genetics but no one in my family started balding this young and it feels like sh*t.

Has anyone here experienced this kind of thinning and found a solution? I'll make any changes necessary to make my hair thick again so open to all advice.

Thanks for reading and for any advice you can give.

Jay Pentatonic

That really sucks man, I'm very sorry to hear what you're going through

Loosing hair isn't easy for most guys, but it's especially difficult when you're only 20 & you're still trying to figuring things out about life & yourself.

I'm 28 and beginning to loose my hair. I know I'm in a much easier position because I'm older but here's what I'm doing that's helpful

- acceptance, this a a major one.
-weight lifting/bulking up
-wearing good clothes/being presentable
-having a well groomed stubble (no neck beard at all!)
-never compare yourself to other guys, only compare yourself to who you were yesterday.

Engaging in the above is really helping my confidence & ultimately accepting my hairline & eventual shaved head situation

Yes, there are procedures out there, but that's a decision for you. For me, I don't believe it's worth the all the stress/risk/money.
I think accepting it & working on yourself to be better, bit by bit every day, is a far healthier path to take for your own well being

Again, being 20 makes this so difficult and that can't be overstated, and I'm sure this post isn't exactly what you may what to hear. But please keep in mind what I've said.
Life's far too short to stress out over how we look all the time.

Edit: sorry if my post seemed rushed, finishing off a 13 hour shift now and fairly brain dead at the mo

dd972

It's not much use I know but I'm 45, still have hair, although it's considerably grey and thinned out and seems to only grow like it did in the past around the sides and back, it's a bloody nuisance in the sense that I need far more trips to the barbers than I did back in my 20's. Keeping it short is the answer and is so commonplace no one really gives a monkeys about baldness anymore.

This is pretty much the norm for most blokes though, I see people like Steven Gerrard or Niall Quinn on the telly and can't get my head around how they've not aged follically since they were 19, it's definitely weirder than going bald.

C3PO

First thing I would suggest is that you go and see a doctor to establish whether it is a medical problem or just natural hair loss. If it is the latter then you are going to have to adapt to it. Whatever you do, don't try to disguise the problem - it just doesn't work and looks ridiculous! Personally, I would start to wear my hair short which many of my friends do and it looks great!

Vicxas

If its natural hair loss, the best thing you can do is bite the bullet and shave your head.

I started losing my hair a few years ago at 28, one day i seen my bald spot in a security monitor and that was that.

Honestly the relief you get from not having to worry about it, and its never as bad as you think it is, I thought i'd look like an egg and while at first it takes some getting used to it quickly becomes the norm. I just grew a beard and went back to the gym.

I tried all the thickening treatments and for me they didn't work, and nuts to paying 10k for implants.

Trust me, covering it up just makes it look 10 times worse, i even tried to comb the sides over, a bloody comb over!!!

Frank Bullitt

Been shaving my head now for about 2 years.

It takes sometime to get used to but the change is great, I much prefer being bald, which may not be what you want to hear of course. Honestly though, I know you will think the world is ending, but no one will care about it if you don't care. Jay1989's post up there hits the nail not he head, work on the things you have control over and you'll see a world of difference.

People will notice a good smile over a head of hair any day of the week.

Ursus Horribilis

You're just losing your hair a few years before your peers start to. Get yourself a tight, stubbly haircut or shave your head and leave it at that. Personally (I'm a woman), a bald man can be very attractive and wouldn't put me off at all. I don't like the beard/bald head look myself but everything personal preference, isn't it?

Jasper_

Try a product call Gofybr.

Been using it for a few years now. Fairly cheap stuff, in fact I ordered the other week and they were giving a free sample away on their website.

It attaches to the hair that has thinned out and makes it look completely full. Sprinkle it on and spray some hairspray over it.

Its one of those things you call bo**ox on when you see a video of it but then you give it a try and it works perfectly. The package comes unmarked so nobody will know what it is unless you show them.

Mokuba

There are risks associated with this but 2 proven medications which might help you are called minoxidil and finasteride. These are the only 2 things known to be successful against hair loss. If you get a transplant then you will nearly always be told to take these anyway.

Do your research into both before taking, as you will have to take both for as long as you want hair, or the results will quickly be gone. Research the potential side effects and see if those are risks you want to take.

You might have had a grandparent with the Male Pattern Baldness gene, luck of the draw.

I'd go tight on back and sides (1) and short up top. Will hide it better.

21Savage

If it was me, and it could well be, I have very thick hair but my hair grows weird on my right temple so I'm never sure if I'm balding or it's just my hairline but go to Turkey and get a transplant bro. Nothing to lose. The technology is so good now. Look at Justin Bieber, a year ago there is pics of his right temple receding and now he has a full head of hair again.

valoren

If not a medical condition, then save yourself the money and get your head shaved tightly. You will likely find people making digs at you about being a 'baldy' etc, take no notice of such idiots.

I went thin on top at 19 and started to do this when I was 22. We went to the doctor who expressed concern that this would impact my self esteem. I was never vain and losing my hair was never going to be a crushing blow. I was lucky that way. A tight head shave i.e. a # 0 from a barber and a day or two stubble was my new 'look'. Mentally and quite bizarrely, now aged 37, I would think I would look ridiculous if I woke in the morning with a full head of hair. There is more to self confidence than having a full and thick head of hair so don't buy into idea that gels etc can stop hair loss. They will merely delay the inevitable.

kerryjack

You can try to save the hair but its going to cost you a lot of time and money for the rest of your life, you could cut the hair tight and spend that time and money in the gym and buying nice clothes and I think you would get better results, I am as bald as an ass myself and I can honestly say that I never gave a ****ee about it , yes it makes you look older and in my case a lot scarier, I was a 6,3 18 stone skin head when it wasn't in fashion and I have been told be a few people that I don't look very approachable but I think thats a good thing,

hiddenidentity

This happened to my best friend and two other guys I know exactly at your age. It was hereditary for one guy as his dad was as bald as an egg. It really affected another friend as he became so self conscious he chose not to socialite anymore. The third guy shaved his head and didnt care. If affects everyone differently. One of the guys went to a hair loss clinic in south dublin and received hormonal medication to make his hair grow. Worth looking in to if it is really getting you down

Ursus Horribilis

There's another thread here from a guy who claims he's impotent because of a hair loss drug...
https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057828504/1/#post105801943

odyssey06

If it does come down to natural male pattern baldness... be thankful that it is happening to you at a time when shaving it is a fashionable option.

No need to resort to bobby charlton 60s style combover!

benny79

Complete vitamin B & Biotin will help you get them in Holland & barrett slows it down the only proven medical thing is minoxidil (ro-gaine) not cheap and doent work for everyone. Everything else is bull.. Trust me been in your shoes hoping to go to Poland this year for a fue Transplant. You be amazed at the amount of people that had it done. But if I was you id wait to im in my 30's before considering it.

benny79

oh Bioxsine is a good shampoo boots do it all natural.

BeardySi

Started thinning in my early twenties, proper baldy by now so I know where you're coming from OP.

As long as it is a natural loss and not caused by outside factors then there really isn't a lot you can do about it. You'll spend a lot of money and heartache trying to hang on to what's there and at best you'll only slow the process a bit.

I'd say find a good barber who'll cut your hair well to minimise the effect of the loss. In a few years you're going to have to do what the rest of us do and shave it. If you can accept it as part of you and get on with enjoying life you'll spare yourself a lot of bother.

Phoenix Wright

Anon162535172 wrote: »

Hi,

I'm male, 20 years old and my hair is thinning. I started noticing it about 6 months ago and it has worsened since then. It's not thinning at the crown or around the temples which are what usually happens, but rather around the centre of my head there is an area which is beginning to show.

This doesn't sound like male pattern baldness to me unless you are diffuse thinning. While mpb is often unpredictable, I am surprised that you have experienced thinning at the centre of your head first as opposed to your temples and crown. If it is concentrated in the one place, then perhaps it could be alopecia areata?

I would suggest visiting your GP or a dermatologist and they can advise you on whether you are experiencing mpb or something else.

Dj Stiggie

Looking back I know plenty of guys who shaved their heads when they were around 20, mostly likely because they were in your situation, but they always played it off very confidently.

They dressed well and looked after themselves physically, and at an age where guys can be very self conscious and spend an age in front of the mirror getting their hair right, these guys had an air of having better things to do, which made the conscious guys envy them and made them very appealing to a lot of women (and men).

Grow a beard if you want to, or don't. You'll never please everyone, but if you're confident in yourself, that will show way more than any fancy haircut.