I Am Only 20 Years Old And I Am Losing My Hair Rapidly.
I’m 20 year old male from the England and I have rapid thinning hair loss on the top of my head and slightly on the back. It’s all happened over the past two months, I spotted a slight gap in my hairline and was getting a little scared about it. I started counting the hair after washing to see if I was losing it. It was only about 20-30 and rapidly its been increasing to 50 then 100 and now for the last 5 weeks its 150 to 200 everyday. It itches a lot through the day, I’m starting to get dandruff (which I’ve never had before) and my scalp is becoming clearly visible, especially under bright lights. When I comb my hair I lose about 10 per area of my head including the sides and back. I went to see my doctor 4 weeks back and he said there is nothing any of us can do to stop it. I started Propecia a week ago in fear that if I don’t do something now I will lose it forever, the hair loss is still around 150-200 a day though. I know its no miracle worker but if my hair loss doesn’t stop now I fear it will be gone in two months. Its totally destroying my life and its making me completely depressed. I would provide photos but I think I’m the only 20 year old who doesn’t have a camera
Thanks for the great blog and I hope to hear from you soon, Thanks
Wow !!!
That is something !!!
You must be the only 20 year old without a camera (even on a phone) !!!
On a serious note, you should think about getting a camera.
With respect to hair loss you may be experiencing, I am glad you were able to see a doctor and you have a treatment plan. The doctor should perform a ‘HAIRCHECK’ on you for measuring your hair bulk. This is the most accurate test available to follow changes in your hair and hair loss across the board. Aside from that, I really cannot help you much other that give you a generalized fact that genetic male pattern balding starts in your 20’s, even in teens as early as 14.
There are medications such as Rogain and Propecia to help. There are also procedures like SMP and hair transplant surgeries which can help but there is not one thing along that will solve your hair loss problem. A good Master Plan is important, especially if you are in your teens or 20s as the wrong approach can be disastrous. There are too many horror stories about young men who took actions too early, like hair transplants in your teens or early 20s.
Thanks for replying.
Yeah I suppose I should get a camera, I don’t even have a phone (never have).
My doctor wasn’t interested in helping me as he thinks all I can do is let it happen. He wouldn’t even examine my hair
I suppose all I can do is hope the propecia works and slows it down but I have a bad feeling I could be in the minority of people it doesn’t work for.
Thanks again
Most regular doctors won’t even know how hairloss works, let alone the treatments – consider seeing a specialist hair surgeon even for a consult.
At the very least Propecia should slow down your loss for a few years – and it’s always possible you’ll get regrowth – I’ve seen a lot of people regrow some hair over time. And start saving – you’ll be amazed at what a hair transplant can achieve in a few years time
Good luck!
Thanks Paul.
There is no hair specialist or hair surgeon where I live unfortunately and the only ones are by referral. That’s why I have to see my doctor but he has no interest in referring me to a specialist or the fact my hair is going. I’m going to see another next week in hope that she might be more understanding. Otherwise I will have to go quite far and pay a lot to go see specialist.
I really hope it does slow it down, I’m not seeing any signs of it yet though. Does Propecia stop working after a few years?
Thanks a lot
You will probably have to pay to see a specialist – if you live far away there are some doctors who can give you a basic ‘assessment’ via the Internet but obviously they can’t perform genuine hair checks.it may seem extreme but if you are extremely unhappy about hairloss – just seeing a specialist in person can give you a lot of answers and a plan for the future.
Propecia doesn’t really stop working – it’s just some peoples hair loss is more aggressive than others and eventually you will lose hair if it’s in your genetics – that said I’ve met plenty of guys older than me at my surgeons offices and they’ve had success with propecia for coming up on 20 years now. It does take a while to start seeing results though as your hair grows in cycles so it can be many months before you see what impact it’s having.
The good news is you are very young and propecia works best in young men at the onset of hair loss. You are the best candidate for success and plus you have many years ahead for new treatments to be developed or hair transplants to become more refined.
It is depressing to start losing your hair so young but if you can focus on the advantages – you have started propecia at the best possible time statistically for results, you are young enough to still be able to experience new breakthroughs and in a few years, if you still haven’t gotten the hair back from propecia you can see excellent results with a hair transplant while you’re still in your youth.
Thanks Paul,
You’ve made me a bit more optimistic about my hair loss. I’m seeing a new doctor in two days time and I’m hoping she’ll realise what effect this is having on me and refer me to a specialist, otherwise I will have to pay.
I’m just going to hang in there with Propecia and hope it can return my hair to what it was. I didn’t lose it that long ago either only within the last two months. I suppose it has been rather aggressive diffusion though
Thanks for the advice and encouragement.