22 year old who needs advice

[icecreammandan]

hi guys I'm 22 years old and have noticed some thinning on the top of my head, primarily in the back around my cowlick area. By all means, I still have a full head of hair but i can see the signs of future problems. I went to a local hair restoration center in my area, not based on reputation but based on the fact that it was like 10 minutes from my house. The office lady basically thought i was nuts, asking me why i was even there and decided i really didn't need to fill out the medical history paperwork, pretty much dismissing the problem. I finally get in for a ....VERY quick interview with the doctor. He literally touched my hair for about 5 seconds in a dark room. No microscope, not even a bright light. He told me to try a laser comb or rogaine. He pretty much scared me out of taking propecia, but he did agree that my hair was thinning in the back. He told me if I did decide I wanted propecia, I could always call the office and he could phone the script in to my local pharmacy. I need advice about what to do, obviously if i want to take propecia the only thing i have to do is make a phone call. I think it's fairly obvious though that he didn't do a very good examination. I'm willing to bet no doctor around here is going to map my scalp for miniturization, i live in the lehigh valley of PA. So what should i do? should i call him back and get propecia and do my own miniturization test with a microscope or should i see another doctor?

[Lain]

Oh oh - A doctor that tells someone to head for the laser comb. Not the best idea in terms of saving your money. I have yet to see someone who actually grew hair from it! Dont forget that it is only FDA approved for safety NOT efficiency. Dr Rassman also has had experience with laser treatments which didn't show much of a hair regain. (just search on the balding blog - many blog entries about it)

In case that you have hair loss that is connected to DHT Propecia is the best choice for you. However I would honestly perform a real miniturization test by an expert or by yourself before taking this drug. If your hair is alright it simply would be a waste of cash.

Scaring someone out from taking Propecia...well...there might be sometimes negative side effects related to the drug. However don't forget that after 18 hours the drug is out of your body, meaning if you have side effects from it they would wear off very fast. Also only a very minor percentage experience real side effects from the drug. Mostly these effects are related to exactly these acts of scaring out people. (Nocebo effect) There is also the option of only taking 0.5mg finasteride (half a propecia pill) per day. It is still fairly effective and reduces chance of negative effects.

STILL: You need a prescription for the drug and a real doctor (not the dude from the internet forum) who has experience with this drug should talk to you about it. (about possible gains - about possible unwanted effects) Mark (the real hair loss guru here) will surely look at your post too and add his comment. His statements are backed up by working together with Dr Rassman who I think has very much experience with Propecia.

[icecreammandan]

Would it be safe to assume its male pattern baldness if i'm finding very thin hairs as well as normal hairs on my pillow. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but if hair loss was related to stress the shafts would not shrink in size. I would assume it would just fall out but i really don't much about any type of hair loss. The fact that i went to see a doctor in the first place, was mostly due to the fact that I have been finding very thin unhealthy looking strands of hair on my pillow.

I also had another question, its probably an uncommon question for men my age, but i went through an emo fad stage in my life where i would use a flat iron to make my hair straight ( i have wavy hair) and i was wondering if that could have potentially caused the hair to thin over time, or if that maybe by using the flat iron i jumped started my mpb genes. My father who is a much older man told me he noticed he was going bald in his 40's, he's a 6 on the scale.
Thanks for the help guys.

[Lain]

No its not that easy to assume that you are suffering from MPB alone by looking what hairs are on your pillow. You really need an expert for this diagnosis. (someone who looks more than just 5 secs on your hair in a dark room) If you want you can post pictures here on the forum but even by looking at pictures (not done with a microscope and in early hair loss state) the diagnosis is very hard.

When you flat iron your hair you are flatting "dead material". Hair that comes out of our skin is a dead keratin bond. As long as you don't burn yourself terribly with the iron (contact with the skin) you should not have any hair loss from it. Indeed your hair may get thinner because of the impact of the heat - however the new hair that grows should be normal again.

I am not a doctor, but I have never heard that flat irons, blow dryers or any of these cosmetic devices may activate your genes. Mark will hopefully double check that however I honestly doubt that there is a correlation.

[icecreammandan]

alright thanks Lain you've been very helpful. I'm going to order one of those usb microscopes and try to perform my own test, like you said, i can't just rely on pictures or expect a person over the internet to rely on pictures haha. I will post up some shots with the microscope in the future as i will probably need help decoding their meaning.

[strkfitron15]

I've been taking Propecia for the past 6 years, so in the spirit of saving your libido and verility I recommend you stay away from it. Although the results are good in terms of stopping hair loss, and promoting new growth...the side effects out weigh the benefits in my opinion. Do some research on the side effects......contrary to the manufacturers assertions, they can last a year or more after you stop taking the drug.

[icecreammandan]

I've been on the drug for 2.5 months now and I haven't experienced any noticeable side effects, I would assume that if were to have gotten any side effects it would have happened already. Now will there be possible side effects 10 or 20 years from now? I guess it's possible but I'm willing to take the chance for now. It seems as though you feel the same way as I, or you would not have taken the drug for 6 years, has something changed?