I Want to Sue My Dermatologist

I have noticing balding since I was 13 years old, but no one seemed to believe me for many years of it. At age 15, I saw a dermitologist who told me that I was not balding. At age 18, I finally convinced my mother to take me to a better dermitologist who confirmed that I indeed was balding, and prescribed me Propecia. Honestly, it’s to a point which I can no longer walk around like a normal human being. I am in such deep depression and will be unless the situation gets much better. Keeping the hair I have isn’t enough and a hair transplant isn’t afforadable. Am I in the position to sue my old dermitologist (and win)?

I understand losing hair in your teenage years can be devastating, but if you were dealt a genetics card of male pattern hair loss, there is not much you can do. Of course there are medications such as topical minoxidil and oral finasteride, but they are not generally prescribed for men under the age of 18 because few doctors recognize that teens can experience genetic balding just like young men can. With a parent’s cooperation and understanding what is going on inside and outside the head, I would consider prescribing Propecia for someone much younger than 18. There are also hair transplants available but at the age of 18 you can not possibly know that your final hair loss pattern might be so that a hair transplants done without a good solid prediction of your future as it fits into a personalized Master Plan for you, would not be a good idea. Add to these problems, that teens often do not have the maturity level or the finances to follow through with a surgical solution, and hair transplants make for possibly a worse situation than doing nothing.

You need a good diagnosis, confirmed with objective measurements to know that is going on. If you are indeed in “such a deep depression” because of your hair loss, perhaps you may consider seeing a psychiatrist over a dermatologist, but at the least a doctor who is caring who you can bond with. Depression is a real problem for anyone fixed upon some body deformity, real or imaginary and it should be cared for by a professional.