I am writing this on a Saturday night. Even 2 years ago I would be out on Saturday nights being social and loving it. I was a senior in high school then with absolutely no signs of hair loss, and looking forward to everything the future was going to bring me.
That was then, and now a completely different story.
I am ONLY 20 (not 25, 26) years old and within only 2 years have almost gone completely bald with diffuse male pattern baldness. Everyday my life is a struggle and its slowly ripping me apart. To make matters worse, there are no signs of hair loss in my family. Hair loss has changed my life so much its really amazing. People started making comments my first year of college and I just ignored it, but when my hair really started going I started to have panic attacks and soon I was forced to move back home and leave that college.
I have been on Propecia for almost a year and it has NOT helped at all and my hair loss is so severe I will not be able to get hair transplants. It has finally settled in that I am going to be a q-tip for my whole life and that I am going to be “the bald guy,” and if it wasn’t for my religious background I would probably have ended my life by now. Two counseling attempts have done nothing because “accepting my image and becoming content” is just not an answer for me. I go to school now, but spend everyday literally in a hat, ignoring people, and hiding. I can t focus on my studies because I have no motivation and all I can think about is how I will always be the “feel sorry for bald guy.” I have literally just “disappeared” from my once solid group of friends, making up lies to them saying I have health issues. I have an anxiety issue as well which makes it even worse. Hair loss has literally already killed me. I feel like a dead man walking. I have been robbed of my youth. All I ever really wanted in life was to be social, have friends, a family, and be content, and I will more than likely not even get that. How am I suppose to go out in the world, get a good job, be social, be confident, try to start a family, when I am a repulsively looking young bald guy?
I really do believe that the absolute worse thing (not life threating) that can happen to a young guy is losing his hair. The fact of the matter is, if you are young and losing your hair, your life is gonna change. You have no choice. I am litterally sickened that there is nothing to really cure severe hair loss and that doctors just dont take hair loss seriously. I feel so bad for young balding guys, if there are others out there (I hear about them but never see them) and just wish society would understand how devastating going through this really is. Hair loss has taken my self esteem, my youth, my motivation, my friends, and my life. I just wish there was something that could be done.
Jake
at 4:44 am
Jake:
I’ve read your story and I listened to Spencer speak about your story on The Bald Truth. I can only imagine how fruitless any words that I say are in comparison to the devastation that your hair loss has imploded on your life. But do know, as a hair loss sufferer myself, I do empathize with you, and wish you the very best in the re-strengthening of your spirit that your hair loss has taken away.
Be strong, my friend.
Tee Jay
at 4:31 pm
Jake, I feel your pain, but hairloss is something that you must face as a reality. Unless there is a miracle cure for your type of hair loss, you’re going to be bald and that’s the reality. Accept it, don’t fight it. Accept it. Accept it.
Also, being blind is worse than losing your hair. I was blinded a few months ago and I didn’t know if I would ever see again. I NEVER got depressed because I faced the reality. I was prepared to accept being blind because I had no other choice. I would have to learn to THRIVE being blind. Luckily, over time, my sight returned against the odds. So now, it’s easy for me to say I’m a member of the face reality club because I did it.
You can face your hair loss and THRIVE once you accept it. If I could accept being blind, you can accept hair loss. I’m weak, and you’re not!
Anyway, I’m with you! Your going to be fine. It will take some time to get used to and then you will accept it and THRIVE again. Keep your chin up.
Joe S.
at 5:02 pm
Thanks guys for the replies. You know, honestly, i have accepted it, and this is just how i react to it. The lifestyle i have been living for the past 5-6 years has been in a group of people/city that is really all image and self esteem based, and i remember about 5 months ago when i was with my friends and we saw this bald guy and they were just completely ragging on him, and thats when i realized that even though these guys were good friends, i can just never hang out with these guys anymore cause that bald guys is gona be sooner rather than later. Did you say he spoke about it? on the show? is there anywhere i can listen to that?
thanks
at 5:55 pm
Jake,
I was listening to the show last night and heard Spencer talking about your story. I was in the exact same place as you are now accept I began losing my hair at 16. By the time I was 18 I had lost about 2 inches of my hair line and was developing a bald spot. I’ve been listing to the show for like 6 years now and it has really helped me cope with my situation. Spencer always says that there is life after hair loss and at first I didn’t believe him, but he is right. I decided to shave my head down to a #2 an go on with my life. I’m 24 years old and while it still sucks to be the young balding guy, I have managed to enjoy my life.
I’m not a great looking guy without my hair. I was considered good looking before I lost it, but I still do OK with the girls. It’s all about how you deal with it.
I still have my bad days, that’s probably why I still listen to the show instead of just moving on, but I really do feel good most of the time and when I was your age I did not believe that I would survive my hair loss.
You have friends here.
Matt
at 6:10 pm
Thanks Matt, i think whats really extra hard is growing up in Orange County, CA where people just are really image based and for me to suddenly lose my image so young has just been so drastic and i just dont think people understand how devasting and life altering it is for a young guy to be going through this.The absolute worse part is losing motivation. Losing image is bad but motivation just kills.
at 8:06 pm
Hey Jake,
Matt’s right in saying that you have friends here. Your
story prompted me to write an article that will be posted the the site shortly.
Hang in there man. You’ve found a safe place. We’re here to help.
Spencer
at 10:44 pm
You can’t change the cards you are dealt, but you can change how you play the hand. You have to play the hand differently. There is ALWAYS a way to overcome things like this. ALWAYS.
at 11:04 pm
It doesn’t matter where you live, being a young guy with severe hair loss sucks but it can be handled. Joe S. is right in saying that you have to play the hand that you are dealt. Believe me when I say in time you will realize that it is not as bad as you think it is.
at 11:13 pm
Hey Jake,
I can totally relate to your story. When I was initially going through this I felt like my youth was slipping away too. And as far as motivation goes, I can remember sitting in my room for days on end seven years ago. I was completely despondent, feeling out of control—like my life was slowly slipping away. I though about the easy way out too: some sleeping pills washed down with a half bottle of Johnny Walker Black…and it would all be over. But I gradually came out of my funk and trust me you will too. Believe me your’re going to get though this and you’ll be stronger because of it. Hang in there man…
at 1:16 am
Hair Loss is a big pain in the ass and can really take a toll on your life but we all have our crosses to bear. You will eventually learn to deal with it if you can’ treat it. I have had some luck with Propecia, but I still don’t like the way my hair looks. It makes me very uncomfortable in social situations and sometimes even with my family.
at 6:52 am
Jake:
I just thot I’d share with you that I also live in OC. It’s the “beautiful people” capital of the world, and it can be extraordinarily tough, unfair, and downright cruel for young hair loss sufferers. I actually have a double-whammy — not only am I fighting hair loss (I’ve had 2 HTs, one with an awesome IAHRS doctor), I’m also quite short for a male. If I went completely bald, I’d be the next Danny De Vito. Sometimes at a Starbucks or other spot where there are lots of beautiful women, I casually hold the door open for them on my way in or out. And when I do, some of them don’t say thanks, and some of them don’t even make eye contact. Not only is it rude, it also feels like they’re telling me I’m below the standard of the male they are willing to talk to. It’s unfortunate that mentality exists out here.
But with time, you’ll begin to realize the emotional pain of not being perfect — of losing hair or whatever it may be — is just too tiring and too much of a drain. I’m 35, and it’s really sinking in with me now, 11 years after I started losing hair. You’ll learn to focus your energies on things that will produce a positive return for your life, whether it’s a career, a passion, a hobby, you name it. You’ll learn to be happy with who you are, and when that day comes, the other pieces of your life puzzle will fall nicely into place. And you’ll just get to be yourself, happily. Imperfections and all.
So keep hanging in there man. Keep haning in there.
Tee Jay
at 5:09 pm
Jake,
Listen to what these guys are saying. I lived through it also and I understand what it is to be depressed. Don’t let it consume your life. Concentrate of positive things.
Hang in there.
Lee
at 2:37 am
Tee Jay,
Did anyone ever tell yo that you look like Robert Dinero in Good Fellas?
at 5:50 pm
I started losing my hair at 16-17. I had been very popular with girls prior to that time, and when I started losing my hair, all of a sudden few girls were interested in me. In addition, male friends who had previously been jealous of my success with girls began making fun of my hair loss. I was so depressed, I almost delayed attending university because I could barely get up in the morning. I then wore a hat 95% of the time for a year and a half, and had frequent thoughts of suicide. I thought I would never find a wife, never have friends like I had previously had, never feel comfortable in public again. However, with time, you do adapt, and once you hit 25 or so, far more guys start balding along with you, which makes it much better. There are even many women in their late 20s who don’t mind, and lots of balding guys I know have attractive wives/girlfriends. It’s true that balding limits your opportunities (especially when it comes to picking up at a party or a club, for example), and I do sometimes become a bit depressed about it even now (age 30), but you learn to appreciate and focus on other, more meaningful things are you get older. Hang in there, and with time, you will feel much better about your situation. Trust me, I (and other balding friends) have gone through exactly the same thing.
at 8:14 pm
he amount of stress that I feel from my hair loss is really something. Just like so many of you, i go through so many thoughts wondering, why me? For the longest time i had the thickest, curliest hair you can imagine. all through high school and just about all through college i had very thick thick hair. While I didn’t start losing it when i was a teenager, i can say with certainty…the pain hurts just as much in your early 20s. I’m a 25 year old who started losing hair probably when i was about 22 years old. I still have a decent amount of coverage right now, but it’s only a matter of time before i really lose my mind.
at first i started thinning at the crown of my head but since my hair is curly i can get away with covering the spot up for the most part. it’s gotten worse as the days go by. i’ve been on propecia for about 6 months with no results. i’ve tried so many sprays, oils, foams over the last 3 years….all with no results (even though they all promise them). About a year ago i started noticing that i was thinning at the front of my hairline as well. it’s gotten pretty bad and i’m not at a point where i’m certain i will have the classic horseshoe shape baldness. i almost wonder why i spend 80 bucks a month on a pill that doesn’t work. propecia is only supposed to help at the crown of your head. if i’m balding in other places however, why keep taking it??
i’m without a doubt worried my girlfriend could leave me once she really notices what’s going on. It’s not that i think she is shallow and i don’t trust that she’ll be here no matter what. who wants to date a bald guy? I was prom king my senior year, could get any girl i wanted in college. i look at pictures of me in college from 4 years ago. i look like a completely different person. i don’t see me at all. i see a waste of space in the mirror. i don’t want to go out, i don’t want to go to work, i don’t want to eat…i’m afraid to get a haircut for christ sake.
-lost, sad and fricking depressed
at 9:55 am
Dear Frankie
I teach college and know a lot of young men in the same position you describe. All I can say is that when I look around the world, bald men seem to be loved as much as non-bald men. Your girlfriend IS shallow if she would leave you for this.
You need to have a life passionate full of joy. It will attract people who care about you. Be so confident, that it doesn’t matter. Care for other people regardless of their physical flaws.
You will have a much more enjoyable time.
peace
Dorothy
at 11:09 am
I stumbled onto this website by accident after reading a humorous article off of the NPR website on the alternating pattern between bald and hairy guys that Russia seems to have with its leadership. I’m 45 now and began losing my hair during my third year of law school when I was 28. It has been going ever since, and now I have peach fuzz and not much more on top. Like a lot of the guys here I went though a period of looking at alternative “treatments” to hair loss. I tried Rogaine and propecia, looked at a wig (too hot on my head) and consulted with a hair replacement clinic which was all about a sales pitch. In the end I said the hell with it all.
I wasn’t happy about losing my hair but I never even remotely felt like it was a life threatening event. What really bothers me when I read about some of the young men here who think about suicide is the kind of values and thought processes that seem common and accepted in our society now. It used to be that women were the primary victims of the commercially projected image, but men are victims now just as much as women. Television barrages us with images as to what is sexy and attractive and what is not. The American commercial engine of business has convinced too many of us that we need to be six foot tall georgous hunky studs with six packs and buldging muscles or we simply aren’t attractive. Perception becomes reality, but you can’t let yourselves buy into that because it is just plain bullshit aimed at one thing and one thing only, capturing the dollars in your pocket. Too many businesses and hair treatment clinics out there prey on insecurity that they manufacture. Making people feel inadquate and bad about themselves and then offering “the remedy”, at a price of course, is a trick salesmen of all kinds have used for thousands of years.
Those of you who say your “friends” treated you badly once you started going bald need to reassess how you define someone as a friend. If someone only hangs out with you because of how you look there is a problem. If you judge your entire self worth on the basis of your outer shell then you have another more serious problem as well. You shouldn’t respond to shallow people by becoming shallow yourselves.
Anyone worth having as a friend or a lover is someone who knows that who you are as a human being is one hell of a lot more important than whether you have a thick patch of hair on the top of your head.
My advice to those of you who think the end of the world has arrived with the advent of your hair loss is to take a deep breath and move on with your life. Who you are is controlled by what you do and how you act, not by how closely you conform to a commercially manufactured ideal that is designed to shoot down your self-esteem.
Be proud of who you are and everything else will fall into place.
Chris
at 11:02 am
Hey Chris,
Your comments are spot on! Men have more pressure today to meet an unrealistic and manufactured ideal of “beauty” than ever before in our society’s history.
The reason I created these resources was to provide a place for hair loss sufferers to openly discuss the issues and to learn to embrace the idea that their is life after hair loss . It would be wonderful if we could just accept the hand that we’ve been dealt and move on, but as you know this is not easy for many.
How someone chooses to deal with their hair loss is a very personal thing, however I want those who do choose to go the hair restoration route to fully understand the reality of the hair loss industry and to empower themselves with the information needed to make a truly informed decision.
You are correct is thinking that many in the hair loss industry are nothing but salesman. I better the most know exactly how “the business of hair” operates and in most cases it’s a disgrace.
Spencer Kobren
at 4:44 am
I am blown away by these comments. I was looking for some hair solutions for my new husband who has a large receding hair line , but now I think I will keep him the way he is. I have always liked a soft bald head on a man. I think it is “manly” I would rather see that than a comb over . Also , I did date a man for 2 years that had a peice from Hair Club for men. We had sex, swam , showered for 2 years and I never knew. I was blown away when he finally showed me. I was pretty impressed with it. Either way I feel for you guys and just be comfortable with yourself , because there are really hot women out there like me who will love you the way you are. 🙂
at 12:33 pm
Hi Lorie — cool note. So, do you have any single sisters, cousins, anything? If yes, please send them my way. 🙂
at 3:39 am
yeah, send them my way too 🙂
at 6:27 am
Believe me when I say that hair loss is a MILLION times worse when it happens to a girl. Any one of you guys here, would you take a look at a balding girl and think ”Im interested”? Please dont misunderstand that I believe guys to be shallow, but I am positive the answer to the above question is a resounding NO.
Im so scared right now, I hope another hair isnt falling out as I type. Im even younger than jake above, and my life has just begun only to seemingly end.
I feel like Im getting increasingly neurotic because of hair loss. Like Im losing my old self. oh my god, I just dropped another hair. I cannot type aymore, I feel so frightened now.
I wish all of you here all the best.
at 1:49 pm
melissa, I understand that you a freaking out.. I found out recently that a pretty girl in highschool that I knew was completely bald.. I had no idea whatsoever, she wore this special wig (apparently) everyday and no one knew. THe only reason I found out later was that her brother, who I am friends with told me. There is always that as a last resort, but I don understand your freaking out. I think that everyone is affected by it whether man or woman, although its more acceptable for a man, its still the same feelings of emotion.
at 7:30 pm
Hi Melissa,
I totally understand what your going through even if I am a guy, but I keep telling myself that the faith inside me that’s burning, keeps telling me “there’s hope” like our President Obama would always say. Whatever your situation is, please don’t go on this road alone and let yourself be at fault! Your probably an amazing person with a great heart and future of gifts awaiting to be opened by you. Someone once told me that in a situation of “hairloss” or any other problem, its all about being “PROACTIVE” and that means basically doing whatever it takes to make “ends meet”! But my queestion to your problem is, did you ever consult a doctor with your issue? If not, I recently went to a well- expereinced doctor by the name of Dr. Robert Bernstein and he seemed to help me with my situation. His office is located in New York. If you like, I can give you his contact information?
Address- 110 East 55th Street, 11th Floor, New York, New York 10022
Email- contact@bernsteinmedical.com
Tel- 212-826-2400
at 6:36 am
Late reply, no doubt, but I feel your pain. I started going bald when I was 17 in an unflattering way, and now I look like a Franciscan monk at 27. That is, I would, if I didn’t shave my head, which I started doing when I was 19.
Let me give you a word of advice, don’t just accept your baldness, embrace it. I am reasonably attractice, and was popular with girls in high school. What I found when I started shaving my head, is for every girl who no longer found me attractive, there was another one that suddenly found my shaved head irresistable. Nor did I ever try to hide the fact that I was going bald behind the razor, I often joked about it, and I don’t care if my friends joke about it. I joke about the fact that even bald, more women talk to me than to them, something they find perplexing.
The fact of the matter is, in our age range, shave your head and you pull of the sexy bad boy image pretty well. Even if your head is goofy, or you are a little overweight, or a little skinny. Doesn’t matter, shaved is better than bald spots. As we approach middle age, we can start just using the buzzers ala Jason Statham.
Just one more thing. If you start shaving your head and everyone starts staring at you, it’s not because you look stupid. It’s because you look awesome, and people can’t stop staring at your awesomeness. Remember that.
at 5:04 pm
I too starting losing my hair young at about 17 and reading your story really got me depressed because it hit a little too close to home. I was living in orange county when my hair loss became noticeable and let me tell you it isn’t any easier over here on the east coast.
I’m now 21 and just a shell of my former self. I was once a hit with the ladies in high school and now I’m lucky to get a date, probably because I’ve stopped trying all together. I am convinced that I have become ugly and unattractive so i cope with it by staying in and unfortunately use drugs from time to time to ease my miserable existence. I am extremely depressed and sleep every day til 4 or 5 and running low on hope.
-A miserable pathetic balding creep
at 10:49 pm
Mas , dont feel like you’re the only one who feels the way you do. I admit that I smoke weed a bit here and there to deal with the agony of hair loss at such a young age. I wish I had some words of encouragement to leave you with, but given the fact I share the same sediment, I just wanna encourage you that you’re not alone.
-Mike
at 6:54 am
Jake,
I am 28 and have begun to face some hair loss and am always affraid to end up bald. But I will say the following:
1- you should honestly work out like crazy and turn your body into a Vin Diesel type of body. Seriously, I am not kidding, every single bald guy that is ripped looks and gets more attention then the full head of hair average guy. So if it’s looks you’re worried about, try this method.
2- working out will actually make you concentrate on other body parts and will alleviate the attention on your head. Trust me, I shave my head completly every summer and it feels great because I totally shift the attention on my body.
3- try facial hair! A little gold tea looks great on bald guys…and you can have different designs. It’s all about shifting the attention to anther part of your body.
4- try tanning. Tanned guys look great when they are bald. And if you get that body ripped then even better!
5- get a cool pair of glasses, even if you don’t need it.
6- wear alot of V-neck shirts…(ok maybe this one has no relevancy, but hey V necks rock).
Anyways Jake, I hope my suggestions help a litte. It was sad reading your posting, and I think you should concentrate on the positive aspects of yourself and life. Again, its all about shifting the energy towards something else. Think of Vin Diesel, he is HOT even with no hair 🙂
best of luck
RK
at 8:19 pm
aw, jake, don’t feel bad.
if your personality is awesome, you dont have to worry. [:
there’s a lot of people that dont care about people’s looks.
i dont care about how people look like.
i care about what’s inside.
but i do understand how you really, really dread the fact of going bald.
don’t worry.
chillax a bit. (:
God loves you too. [:
im pretty sure a lot of other people do too.
keep that head held high. [:
God Bless.
xo dee. [:
at 5:34 pm
I started going bald early as well. Im 27 now and have been using Toppik for 5 years. It works great if you dont have much thinning. But im finding as I get thinner on top it dosnt look as good. I feel everyones pain on here. I feel like i have lost my old self. It destroys your life. I hate going to work because of my hair and will make excuses when I cant push myself to go in. Same with social situations. And if I shaved my head I would look goofy as %$*#. Has anyone had any good results with the hairmax laser comb??? Im thinking of buying it but dont want to waste the money (not like I havnt waisted it on many other hair products). I pray that soon there will be a true hair regrowth product. Good luck to everyone. You have a friend here.
at 2:21 am
Hi Jake,
i agre with Richard here, i have tried some insane ideas to get my hair to grow, from bob martin dog tablets to oils ect. but nothing worked. Worst part of all was hair grew everywhere except on my head. When i was 22 i had long hair down to the middle of my back then is just started dissapearing.
So i opted for the Vin Diesel option grew a goatee and gymed my ass off. Once i accepted the fact that it was a case of hair today gone tomorrow, my self image improved. If fact, i got more attention from the ladies with a shaved head, good tan and build than i did when i had long hair.
remember, they way you feel about yourself is also the way peple percieve you.
i tried growing my hair a few months ago, i looked like a monk, then mates said to me what the hell are you doing, shave it off bro. so i did.
so chin up mate, there are lots of woman that love a shaved head, but u got the have the body in shape or grow a loooong goatee and buy a harley.
Ciao Ren
at 11:56 am
Im 22, and this last 6months ive noticed my hair recceding, and getting thinner at the front. IM devestated, it seems to be going so fast, so far only 1 person has really noticed and i have fairly long hair that comes down to my eyes, but its not goona be long before more people do.
I dont know what todo, up untill the age of 18 i wasnt that confident i was ok, but not great, i decided to grow my hair one day, and bam it changed my life, i felt so much happer , i was filled with confidence. Women were no longer something to be scared of but something i could face head on and be part of my life.
4 great years have passed and now i feel like its all being taken away from me.
All my thoughts all day long are thinking about my hair, and dreading the years to come.
I dont knw how to face it, when the day comes when i have to shave my head i dont think ull find an unhappier person onthe planet, I knw its stupid and it is only hair and it is superfical and there are so many worse illness and terrible things in the world. But for me, there is going to be nothing worse.
at 6:03 pm
Phil… I know your concerns and I feel the same way. But now I believe that hairloss can be a choice. This is my suggestion to you. SEE YOUR DOCTOR and ask him about Propecia. This will slow down/stop/ or even regrow your hairloss. We are currently in the cutting edge of hairloss and a NEW treatment has emerged that looks very promising and has a lot of science behind it. There is a current treatment being offered called PRP therapy, now you don’t want to just go anywhere and have it done. If you are considering this treatment I only recommend two doctors because this is such a new treatment and all these companies like Bosley will just get on the bandwagon and will actually be taking people’s money.
Talk to your doctor, listen to these forums and only listen to doctors with the IAHRS seal, or that of “The Bald Truth”. This is not the end of the world.. and you CAN fight this, as I am doing. Everyone on here understands exactly what you are going through, that’s why we are here. Get on Propecia immediatelly, do all your research here, send pictures doctors here will look at them and give their opinion. Most importantly ask questions.
We are all here to fight and get through this,
Destin
at 10:20 pm
Hey Destin,
I am 23 years old. I spoke to you earlier and you gave me some good advice as you currently are giving others as well. I had a few questions to ask you and they are:
1) Do you happen to have any pictures from the before and after effects of using Propecia?
2) When you started the treatment, did you notice a lot of hair shedding and if so, how did you differentiate that from the normal loss of hair you had originally?
3) During the course of the treatment, did it actually slow down your loss of hair and what month did it slow?
4)What shampoo and conditioner do you use along with using Propecia?
5) Do you use 5% minoxidil synergistically with Propecia?
6) If you had to grade from 1- 10 (1 being the least happiest with your results and 10 being the most happiest with your results) what would it be?
It seems like it has helped you alot and is maintaining what you have. That is so good to hear! At the moment, I am skeptical to take the treatment due to some medical issues. But if the drug doesn’t interfere with it, I am praying that I can take it as soon as possible. If you can answer these questions, I would greatly be appreciated. I hope I can be as happy as you! Thank You.
at 10:29 pm
Hey Destin,
Two more things:
7) What stage of hairloss would patients be advised to try the PRP therapy?
8) Who are the two doctors that you recommend for most patients to go and recieve this NEW therapy?
Again its a great pleasure talking to you and hearing your words of encouragement for all of us. Thank you.
-jphi
at 11:56 am
I empathise and understand, BUT, society is more accepting of a male losing his hair (ok i guess not so much in your 20’s!), but imagine balding in your 20’s as a female. We females are harped on and on and on about how hair = beauty and defining of a woman.
It sucks, but i have realised i have to find ways to deal with my thinning (and now balding at the front) hair! I wear a topper!!!
at 3:21 am
I have never really sounded off on this topic, being Im very private, but I cant hold it in any longer. I started to go thin Jr. year in high school and been on propecia ever since. It slowed my hairloss down, but not to the point that it was unnoticable. Imagine having the opposing teams crowd of kids chant Rogain at you infront of a packed gym infront of your home crowd during a ball game. It doesnt end their, my little sister approached me and said everyone she talks to at school thinks your going bald, oohh thanks what a great thing to build my self esteem.
I couldnt wait to get out of highschool before I developed a bald patch. College should be different right? Dont count on it, the damage had been done. I was so self conscious about my thinning, receding hairline, I couldnt let loose and be myself, NO Girls For Me! Instead I sat at home hoping and praying to God, that the Rogain, Propecia, and special diet will have reverse effects, YEEEAAAH RIIIGHT! So I got lower and lower, deeper and deeper into my self pitty. OOoh well aleast no one is making fun of me like in highschool? But no, in my public speaking class, freshman year in college, one girl decided to do a Roast on everyone in the class. What could she possibly say about me? Yeah, that I am going bald and she could see right through my thin hair, right to my scalp. What a great thing to say to me infront of my entire class, being Im only 19 at this point.
All through college I would rarely attempt to speak with girls and when I did, I would watch their eyes wander up to my hair line or lack there of. At that exact point I would discount myself from possibly hooking up with her, thinking “Yep, i have no chance now, i’ve been prejudged and i have no sexual attraction in her eyes anymore.” But what am I supposed to do, wear a hat to college for 4 years, believe me, I whore it 3/4 of the time.
Fast forward 4 years……. I graduated, dont know how considering my motivation, feeling for leading a productive and promissing life dropped off years ago, and ofcourse I graduate my ass right into a RECESSION! I am now George Kastanza, I am bald, have no job and live with my parents, an’t life great. Oh yeah, also wanted to mention the fact I didnt get laid all of college and finally hooked up with a decent girl, which I later relized how mentally disturbed she was after I had sex with her.
To add to my contiued battle for acceptance and an attempt to make the best of my situation. I shaved my head and my mom flipped out, telling me i looked like a cancer patient and will never get a job with a shaved head, “thanks for the vote of confidence mom.” So im back to having a thin fluff of hair on my head, seethrough, and resort to hiding my dispair under a hat 95% of my life. Isn’t life just grand, going bald.
I have also questioned my relationship with God. I have never been a religious fanatic, but do believe in God. I started to question God, “why did you do this to me at such a young age, I wouldnt wish this upon anyone, even those I hated the most, thats how painful, depressing, shameful, and this living hell has been for me.”
at 10:00 am
Hey jphi, sorry i didn’t get to your questions sooner, I usually talk in the forums, but I kind of forget about this part of the site. 1st off.. great questions and I’ll be happy to answer them as follows:
1. Actually I think I might, but these are just normal pictures, I really didn’t document my progress, which is something I SHOULD have done.
2. To be honest, when I first started propecia I was uneducated about people having the initial shedding when on the drug. In fact I remember after a month of being on it (while taking a heavy B-complex vitamins) I noticed how thinner my hair was becomming and was pretty worried that I did something wrong with myself. But then I read that the initial shedding is actually a sign that it is working, so I just stuck through it and around the 3-4 month mark things started improving on shedding. Secondly, it is really hard to differentiate between regular shedding and hairloss shedding. I just convinced myself that it was good and it needed to get worse before it got better.
3. I’m not sure when it slowed down my hair loss, because I didn’t have much loss.. I saw the initial thinning stages. But I noticed improvements between the 7 – 9 month mark of my hair (darker and generally better).
4. I actually have a strict shampoo regime, which most doctors believe that shampoo doesn’t do anything for hair loss, but I think it might help just a little because it improves the conditions, plus the shampoo I use is a “weak” anti-androgen. I use Nizoral 1% Ketoconazole and some generic 2% Keteconazole shampoo from Walgreens. I use the 1% every Monday and Friday and the 2% every Wednesday and Saturday. I feel like it promotes growth if anything, but definitelly not your only line of defense.
5. No, I did in fact by a 3 month supply of Rogaine Foam about a year ago, but decided not to use it because the benefits are really not that great, and I hear quite frequently about the “dread shed” with having trouble recovering from that. So I decided not to use it.
6. Well I was always happy with my hair, my main goal was to just maintain the hair I have, and if I had any regrowth it would be a bonus. So Finasteride and my treatments have done that so I would say I’m very satisfied. But I do understand these drugs have different effects on different people. However, I am curious as to why you are skeptical… what seems to be your medical issues?
7. I know that Dr. Greco says it works best for patients who are in “the thinning stages” as it is believed to reverse miniturization. I personally believe that this treatment is great and there seem to be absolutely no downside in doing this treatment. I had this treatment done in June 23, 2009 and almost being a month later, I feel like it has improved things and is another “tool in the toolshed” that I can use for my current treatment. I posted before pictures on hairtransplantcommunity.com under my screen name “iwannakeephair1674”. I will be posting after pictures soon.. but for now you can see a few pictures of me and my gf when she came to visit me while I am on my internship.
As for the doctors I recommend…. I feel like Dr. Greco is in the forefront of this technology, and his understanding of PRP and “the matrix” he adds that contain other growth factors seem to be promissing. I know for sure he has the most experience with this treatment, since he is the one bringing it into the hair loss community. However, by reputation I would also recommend Dr. Alan Feller , Dr. Glenn Charles, and I would really back up almost any member of the IAHRS doctors who come on board with this treatment.
**Remember man, stay positive and don’t be afraid to take initiative with your hairloss. I personally believe if you stay on top of new technologies comming out (especially the innovations I hear are to come with PRP), and stick with current PROVEN treatments like Propecia, going bald will be a choice**
Hope this helps man and contact me for any more questions.
-Destin
at 10:11 am
Slade, I feel for you man, I really do. vow RIGHT NOW, to improve the situation by talking to an IAHRS doctor. Where are you located? I would be happy to show you how to get a hold of GOOD doctors. The truth is I can understand your situation and how you feel. As far as the God thing goes, do not lose your faith over this and be thankful for what you do have, because even though hairloss sucks, things could be a lot worse. However, be thankful for having good people in this world who can help you….like Spencer Kobren for creating the American Hair Loss Association, The Bald Truth, and forming the IAHRS. It doesn’t have to get worse… even if you are a NW7, you can still DO SOMETHING and gain more confidence. Also, look forward to the future…. I believe hair multiplication will not be too much longer and by then you would be able to have a full head of hair again. Don’t lose hope, just that alone is enough to be thankful for.
Hope this helps,
Destin
at 12:24 am
I understand your pain as my own trial has just began, im only 18, back in november my cousin pointed out to me a area of extreme thin hair, i had never noticed but I thought nothing much of it, well months later it has become a drastic change that haunts me every time i look in the mirror. I have to arrange my hair extremely carefully to conceal all the bald streaks going along my scalp, and it eats me up inside, im so young, denied my moment to feel secure and confident. Ive always been lucky with girls, but I see this as the end of that, I can imagine the thoughts behind eyes that happen to make their careful gaze over a spot that becomes noticeable or unconcealed, and as the days go by my hair becomes thinner n less, soon there will be no hiding it…and I know it makes me sound like a sobby girl but Im so afraid.
Ive been with this girl awhile, and Im afraid of losing her, losing my hair or my scalp becoming patch adams so she no longer finds me attractive. Ive always had shaggy thick long hair, it was like a shell for me, its always made me feel slick, but its disappeared in a mere matter of monthes, now every week seems more n more appalling. I still have a year of high school left to, I cant bare to walk those halls like this, my dad doesnt care, he says its vain of me to care so much, my friends just laugh, no one understands the toll it has, the crushing burden of watching it slip day by day off my scalp. Im just a kid man.
at 8:39 pm
If this bothers you SO much… then why are you people accepting this???? Chase.. do something!!!!! don’t just let it happen if you feel like this man. You need to talk to your doctor about getting on Propecia immediately and don’t just wait it out.
I don’t understand how people are just freaking out and giving up before they even started fighting. There is hope people, if I were you Chase (however, I’m not a doctor but only sharing what has proven extremely successful for me) is to get on Propecia (Stop the progression) and look at / consider PRP ( believe this can do nothing but help your scalp, I really feel like this WORKS!). I believe that it is more than possible to stop the progression of your hairloss and even maybe growing more. I think if you keep up with your Propecia and commit to PRP while you still have time (it’s not too expensive and the worst thing that could happen it doesn’t work, but I believe it will) that you will keep your hair.
I believe in the very least that this treatment WILL slow your hair down until the NEXT best treatment. You have ALL the tools right here to fight this thing, think about it, you have the absolute BEST doctors in the hair loss industry that are gathered here with very knowledgeable people who can help you fight this thing. I was just devastated like you when I found out I was going bald, but I became proactive immediately and have been successful.
Please Chase, don’t give up!
-Destin
at 7:01 am
Gee reading these just makes me realize how unserious my problems are. Not to be a jerk to Jake or anyone else, but if you’re confide t it shouldn’t matter as much you are who you are. But at the same time I feel the burdon. I am 5’5″ and all my life been shorter and I always got so much shit for it growi g up. I played sports and was always cute never hot. I resented my friends but I always busted my ass at sports and earned respect but I was never good with girls until I hit about 19 I realized it was all bullshit and in my head. I became very good with girls and it’s funny because my friends unknowigly till recently wished they could just approach people and make conversation. I eventually parties to hard got fat, lost all the weight got ripped and shaved my head. After doing that when I was about 23 my hair grew back very thin. It was so weird and I could never do my short haircuts again. Over the last year and a half my hair has been thinning in front and it’s ok g and shaggy to cover it up I so sick of covering it up now though. I am turni g 25 and it’s like it’s almost not worth the trouble anymore and I want to shavemy head now, I look ok with a shaved head not worried about, but I am worried about how bad the bald spot may be. There’s a difference shavin your head with hair and losing it.
At this time I do understand Jake I’m a shorter guy had to way deal with that finally got over it thrived and now another hurdle in the road. Iknow hair restoration is getting better but it’s not something I want to do currently. I want to wait till it becomes norepipular and a little less expe dive I I do come to that option.
I cansay that hair loss shouldn’t impair your life though. I mean. You’re still always going to do the things you enjoy and should still keep you’re personality. It’s funny how detrimental this is. I stress about it and other times cope with it. I’m very physically active. Aybe that’s why I sort of like the idea. The problems. Is people are cruel. I have gotte. I to so many scuffles at bars because guys make a short joke or something when i talk to a girl or they are just being condenscendingthen I push them and shit. Haha I am not a fighter at all but itslike I have to show people it’s not cool. It’s annoyi g getting your ass kicked or fighting when they don’t back down and now it’s like great another hit.
Sorry for the mixed compilation of thoughts. Had a point but lost it now just venting. I think if you reds nice and hold yourself well and are tan Lodi g hair isn’t a big deal just shave it down with a 2-3 guard
at 7:04 am
Sorry for typosbtw on cell phone doing this. Slow day at the office
at 12:46 pm
Would just like to say thankyou Destin because of your words i finally got off my arse, went to the doctors and got on propecia.
Been about a month on it now, cant say its working either way atm but as i read a lot its not a quick fix.
thankyou for pushing me to take a step towards fighting this, its made me feel better about it!
at 10:44 am
Jake I completely empathize. I am a woman – my hair was my crowning glory. I was on leave from work for back probems and stress. Unfortunately, te agressive chiropractic treatment I received and tring to cleanse myself from the intolerable pain/and medications brought on by physical/mental stress at first thinned my hair out and then it fell out. I am a woman…. Whether it is a man or woman – ths is devastating and more destructive than any disease. People KNOW if you are wearing a wig – sebaceious glands do not feed into “your hair” – it is costly to replace wigs, they are hot. I cannot go out if it is the lease humid/hot and am always self-conscious. There is not way I can work feeling this way and people may say “Ah well, it’s not that it hasn’t happened before” – it’s people who have hair that say that. It produces more anxiety and stress and I am very careful as to where I go. It has helped rob me of any future happiness. I feel repugnant AND i really have the doctors to blame for this as well. I should have decided MY COURSE OF BACK TREATMENT – it would have alleviated much stress onmy body and consequently my emotional health – but doctors are intimidating – when you are on sick leave from a job – you have to DO WHAT THRY TELL YOU. I wish for them, if there is such a thing as reincarnation – they will experience what they have done to me. The only thing we can do is get on with life as best as we can – self esteem is blown, andmany other health ssues appear. I wish there was a way to make hair grow back they way it was with today’s modern technology. People DO judge a bokk by it’s cover, unforttunately.
at 12:54 am
Good Day All
I have been bald from the age of eight diagnosed with alopecia areata and then totalis. I have learnt to deal with it and live my life accordingly.
I have a healthy body otherwise and do not regret getting this decease, it has made me who I am today. In time you will know what I mean. God does things for reasons that you may not understand straight away.
at 9:19 pm
I was showing signs of baldness at 14, and was noticeably balding at 15. Just be thankful that most of you here didn’t have to deal with it at that age.
There is nothing but terror for a kid – a CHILD for heaven’s sake – hiding in classrooms at lunch, being laughed at constantly, even by teachers – old men who still have full heads of hair. You feel like a freak, worthless. It messes with your motivation, I just scraped through school (staying up late applying various treatements, trying to hide it for the next day, getting about 4-5 hours sleep a night), and spent the years at university wearing a hat. Balding at 18-20 is still very unusual and I didn’t feel comfortable “facing it”, Truth is, without the cap I look like a dirty_balding_creep, and why should I have to look like that? It isn’t perception, it isn’t lack confidence, attitude or whatever, it’s simply that way it looks.
Okay after 27 (I’m 31) it gets easier as there are a few more baldies around, and some men look better than others shaven headed, I still wouldn’t like to look like those men though. Hair gives your features proportion.
This sucks, I can’t believe it’s 2010 and a viable treatment for baldness hasn’t been developed.
at 11:09 am
Guys, I can understand your pain. I’m from Germany. My English isn’t very good, you have to excuse my mistakes. I want to tell you a story to illustarte how mad people can go when they lose their hair. There was a curious case in my country 6 years ago: A man gets to know a pretty woman in a bar, they dance, drink and after that they go to the guy’s house. During the sex the guy grabs the woman’s hair… and guess what happens. Exactly. It turns out to be a wig… The guy is screaming like someone in a Hitchkock movie that is about to be killed. The woman is so embarrassed – she takes a knife and kills him. Later she gets caught by the police and in court room her wig was one of the exhibits in a small transparent plastic bag – next to the knife she used… A true story. I dont want to take out the seriousness of the thread. But just see why scientists and doctors should really increase their effords in finding solutions for hair loss. It can save lives… 😉
at 3:41 pm
I feel for Jake and am the same way have given up hope as it has ruined my life and made me old b4 my time . I have a family member to care for in their old age but am set on taking my life after the person passes as this has overwhelmed my life and I want to say it is no different for a man or woman and if women think that they should know how we feel . It is 2001 and I have become so obsessed I actually think women dont want men to have hair as I have had a lady friend over from work and left my shampoo out and used it the next day and lost alot more hair ,honest to GOD truth the next day something very wrong with that . I hope and pray the worst for people if they are keeping cure from being developed for money or vein reasons God bless but in time I will take my life
at 3:48 pm
sorry for mistake its 2011
at 3:20 am
Reading this article I understand perfectly what you’re going through. I suffered from alopecia areata when I was in grade 4 and I slowly saw my hair die away. I used to be a very outgoing kid as well but by the time I was in grade 8 my hair was gone. It was a little difficult at first to accept but I mean you’re in elementary school with people you know and by grade 8 I was kind of used to everything…or so I thought.
Enter high school and that pretty much killed me. My friends and I went to separate high schools so I was entering a whole new world by myself with a bald head. In fact I was the only bald student in high school. Some people thought it was hilarious, but what really bugged me was the staring. I was the “different” kid and when people found out what I had I was also the “feel sorry for” guy. I wasn’t able to participate in any of the normal high school activities that my peers were doing, I didn’t go to semi formal and my friends begged me to go to prom. I did go but all I did was sit at the table just watching everyone dance.
A lot of people just don’t seem to understand that being young and bald can destroy your confidence and shape your life. Back in high school I used to think that at the deep level of my head there’s this voice that’s constantly telling me my life would be so different right now if I had my hair.
The part about avoiding your friends in the article is true too. I just didn’t want to see any of my friends anymore. To add deeply into that I felt jealous. I’m watching my friends, getting makeover’s, hair cuts, new clothes, and its killing me. I never would have thought it, but watching someone getting a haircut is the greatest thing ever. That may sound ridiculously lame but when you’re bald a lot of things ring true. I fear that I’ll never be able to change…I’ll never get that haircut again.
I started treatments, and my hair did grow back in grade 10, but it fell out a month later. That was the single most God given moment I’ve ever had where I just felt true happiness. When it fell out it crushed me.
Fast forward five years later and I’m still bald, I’m in college now trying to tough things out. I know that there’s no solid cure for this and all my life they’ve told me to be patient. But I’m done with feeling sorry for myself, I’m going back to treatments and I’m going to keep on trying over and over again, because I just can’t accept this, I can’t accept being miserable anymore, I can’t accept not being able to talk to anyone, and I can’t accept people staring at me with big wide eyes .
I want to be happy and I am one hundred percent certain that a lot of people have gone through what I’ve gone through and want to be cured as well. Sure some people can accept the fact that they’re bald, awesome for them, but some of us can’t accept that fact and it’s completely robbed us of our childhood and much, much more.
at 9:45 am
One of my good friends little brothers started losing his hair at a young age I think around 17 or 18 maybe even earlier. He was always a really outgoing kid before he started going bald and good looking too but after his hair loss progressed more and more he became closed in and didn’t really hang out with his friends anymore. It’s like he was a completely different person from the age of 16 to 19. Sadly a few years ago he committed suicide at the age of 25. I believe this personality change can be directly attributed to his hair loss that shattered his confidence. I know it may sound crazy but hair loss killed this poor kid I’m certain of it. And if anybody reading this is thinking I’m speculating too much I worked at the same job as him between the ages of 15 and 19 watching this happen first hand. I’m sure going from being great with girls and having lots of friends to being lonely and bald in a period of five years would make even the happiest of people miserable.
Anyway don’t let your story end like this in a complete waist of a young persons life. Be strong.
at 3:26 am
I’m having a quiet night and i have literally read every last comment on this page and I truly sympathize with EVERY individual suffering with hairloss. I started losing my hair around 16 and like most i was EXTREMELY distraught. My story is like a few i’ve read….I was very attractive and popular n high school that is until my hair started to thin. Although my hairloss is an ongoing issue i STILL deal with i would say i have lucked out a tad because my hairloss wasn’t overwhelmingly aggressive and i have somehow managaed to deal with it. I have had 1 HT it was about 6 months or so ago and i take 0.5 mg of dutasteride and 100 mg of spironolactone a day and ive been doing that for almost 2 years now and that has been truly a Godsend. Not many ppl know about and or seek out dutasteride but THIS STUFF WORKS and has, at the least halted my hairloss and that coupled with my HT has given me a pretty workable hairline. Like a few other ppl have said above, hairloss is just like acne or other debilitating physical ailments in the image arena YOU HAVE TO BE PROACTIVE! If your hairloss truly bothers you to the point of contemplating suicide and trust me i’ve been there myself…YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT! RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!
I’ve also used Dr. Lees minoxidil solutions which i would also HIGHLY recommend, although i no longer use his formulas because they give me severe acne issues. When it comes to hairloss u have 2 options; 1: do whatever the hell u can to get through the day with a shred of dignity whether that be a wig, coloring your hairline in (which i do sometimes with a black eyeliner pencil in certain areas to help give the illusion of thickness and or hair), dutasteride, minoxidil, shaving your head, HT, whatever it may be or 2. Letting your baldness consume you and continue to do nothing aside from crying over spilled milk. (We are losing our hair YES but that doesn’t mean that we also have to lose our souls) and it certainly doesn’t mean we should lose hope of finding a way to fix it and/or finding a suitable alternative.
My heart goes out to EVERY1 experiencing hairloss because not only am i balding but im multi-racial and gay so i completely understand what it’s like to feel the pressure of living up to what society deems attractive/normal-looking and sometimes i, like many others on this forum, feel so unattractive/undesirable in public/social settings that i can barely leave my house because i feel so repulsive. I WILL NEVER GIVE UP THOUGH! I am a part of an extremely superficial subgroup in american society but to this day i still manage 2 spark a few love interests evry now and then and when i do i thank God for that blessing because it revitalizes me and reminds that i still am beautiful…….2 some1 at least lol. And for ne of u guys/gals that think u r not beautiful I GUARANTEE some1 out there begs 2 differ but u have to let go of your doubts and insecurity at least for a moment in time. GET DRUNK that helps me say SCREW IT *KEEP HOPE ALIVE*
at 11:42 pm
smoke weed, it helps i shit you not….and fight against facist corporate media that makes us all feel inferior.
at 9:22 pm
Hello Jake,
I sympathize with you man. I started to get a receding hair line when I was about 17. My high school classmates made fun of me occasionally for it. When I was 19, in my sophomore year of undergraduate school, I began to lose my hair very rapidly. I would literally lose several hundred hairs every day. I later found out that I was having a thyroid problem. They put me on medication and it did help some. However, it didn’t last. I’m now 27 and in my 5th year of graduate school. I hardly have anything left in the front. I think I’m about a 4 on the Norwood hair loss scale. It was very devastating to me when I started having rapid hair loss when I was 19. I had grown my hair out long and girls told me it was beautiful. I still wear it long but it looks ugly and I can’t look in mirrors without getting depressed. I suppose I’ll be shaving it all off soon. I’m afraid to because I have a fat head and I know I’ll look bad. If I’m going to look bad either way, I choose to wear the hair that I have
I too worry about finding a wife. I don’t know what woman would want me. I have very poor social skills. I’ve only had one girlfriend in my life and I’m afraid I’ll never get another one.
I blame genetics. You can’t control it. It runs in my family. My grandmother even has bald spots on her head. I wish I was one of the lucky few that never lose any hair. Fortunately they have hair transplants now. They are even working on something called hair cloning. This Aderans company is developing it and hopefully it will be available in a couple years. http://www.aderansresearch.com/
Don’t kill yourself. I know it is really painful. I thought of killing myself, too. I don’t know what the future will bring, but I have faith that one day baldness will be beaten. Keep on living man.
at 10:42 am
Jake,
I started going bald in my late teens and have felt as you have. I would stay away from the Propecia (look up Propecia syndrome) as some people report long-term impotence with this. I have been through 30 years of this stuff (special shampoos, antiandrogens, vitamins, pluggy hair transplants, scalp hormone injections) and never came to complete resolution with this. Keeping shorter hair helps but some guys don’t care for that either. If you have any beard or body hair you can consider follicle unit extractions (FUE) and single follicle transfer. Some bald men have transitioned from complete hair rim baldness to full heads of hair in the recent past. Its expensive and could take years to complete (depending upon your income) but it does provide real hope. You can always try that. Look up “FUE” and “body to head hair” and get your hopes up. Lots of examples and pictures provided. Get on with your life knowing that there is always something you can do in the future.
at 4:56 pm
How about this one guys.
My girlfriend actually broke up with me because my hairline was receding rather fiercely. I noticed she would keep looking up at my forehead.
No wonder I hate my body. What a horrible place this is for a balding person.
And my family wonders why I’m so sad.
at 11:34 am
I read every single post here. I am a 34 year old hair loss sufferer. Recently i have lost the chances with a girl who i have been talking to over a year on the internet because of hairloss. my hair started falling out when i was 17 and that was the day that changed my life forever. for the past 10 years i have watched my friends get girls and have happy lives and go out on the weekends. I was never able to go out or mingle with others, my hair always prevented me from being the person i wish i was. It takes away your confidence and your left with a feeling of inferiority that never leaves. It was worse when i was in my 20’s, everyday i wanted to kill myself, sometimes im suprised i have made it this far. if anyone is reading and you are in your 20’s, it doesnt get easier until you get into your 30’s. I view life for the last 10 years that everyday i wake up will be the worst day of my life. Having massive hairloss and being rejected by a girl lately has really put the iceing on the cake or bald head. I thought when i get older i might have better luck but so far its just a sad lonley life of rejection. Its so sad that women are so vain, especially here in the usa. alot of very decent men and women who suffer from this get shafted and dont get the chance to find a mate or even feel normal. Hairloss has made me develope a natural disrespect for women. Its no fair they get to carry the gene and say they dont like bald guys, but then they have bald offspring. It reminds me of a joke, why do women wear make up and perfume? because they are ugly and they stink…regardless I hope when i am 50 i might be able to look my age and find a women that doesnt mind, but so far i have learned to abandon all hope at a normal life. I have been rejected and made of fun of too much by my apperance. I have over 17 years of hairloss experiance, i have never known what it has felt like to feel normal or blend into a crowd. I guess im just writing this because i lost another girl because of hailoss and today is the worst day of my life and im sure tomorrow wont be any easier. I love everyone with hairloss because unless you suffer from it nobody has no idea how it feels. Its like being in a club, a very painful one, atleast were not alone. Maybe one day baldness will be like sickle cell and the black plague, maybe all of us that suffer one day their will be a genetic advantage instead of only disadvantages. we can pray for a cure and for eachother. All of you young guys in your teens, you should feel optimistic, there might be a real cure in the next 10 or 15 years and by the time you are in your 30’s you may get your life and youth back, so be optimistic. Dont do drugs and alcohol like i did to feel better…however marijuana does help with so much with anxiety and depression from hair loss. I got a doctors reccomendation for medical marijuana here in california because of my fight with hairloss, the last 3 years have been easier because of marijuana. If you are suffering so much like me and just need relief from the anxiety and depression its is much better than crying yourself to sleep every night or killing yourself. Good luck to everyone, so much love to all you, we have to stay strong and hold out hope that there is another peson on this planet we may all be lucky to find that will give us love and help us feel normal. young guys there will be a cure, science has advanced so much in the last 10 years, another 10 years of suffering and this nightmare may come to a end for us all….but please please do not do fue hair transplants, never concider that as a option…the smiley face scar and the thin/scorched tree like forest that pops up on ur head is not worth it..you will never be able to crop your hair and some girls like that….but they do not like a guys with hair transplants, that is what i have found….yes we all are genetically screwed, but dont make it worse. there will be a cure one day, hope is all that we have.
at 1:39 am
Reading all of these comments really helps a person dealing with hairloss. Here is my story. I am an 18 year old kid who has quite a receding hairline with bad thinning hair. I first noticed my thinning hair at 15 years old after the girl i loved broke up with me. I was always the goodlooking kid too. I was rated best looking in 8th grade and never had a great head of hair but it was okay. So at 15, I first noticed my hairloss and wow what a tough time it can be but ofcourse i went through the denial phase for the next couple of years. I went on rogaine and that helped a little, in my eyes atleast, but as soon as senior year came than it went downhill. I was starting to lose lots of hair and everyone on here knows what the feeling of losing hair is and how hard it is to start your day like that. So at 18, i had enough and went on propecia. At first propecia stopped my hairloss on the first month, but recently i am now on the 7th month and it seems to stopped working but idk. Anyway, i was away at college for my first semester but being that i could not really open up to people because of the feeling of insecurity due to hairloss, i had to transfer back home. Hairloss needs to be cured because this is no way of living.Yes, your parents will say there are worse things in life like cancer, blindness, etc. In my eyes, hairloss fits right in that category of cancer because it might not kill you physically but hairloss does kill you emotionally. An 18 year old boy going through hairloss is just too much to handle. It truly sucks to be jealous of anyone with hair even if they are not goodlooking. Thats how desperate us balding people are that we would prob trade places with someone so ugly but if they have hair then automatically they are prob better than us. If you are going bald at 30 or even your late 20s, please dont complain to much because atleast you can say you had your prime years. If you are going bald at 18 than we have every right to complain because we did not even start our lives yet. God dam baldness is a cancer and a cure for that cancer is all we have to live for.
at 8:10 am
I know that this may not be the politically correct solution, but I overcame the hair-loss problem when I archieved an athletic body training on the gym. From that moment, I don’t care anymore about people thoughs, cause I actually see myself as an atractive and desired person. Perhaps for some people it sounds stupid, but believe me when I say that this actually works: do exercice and archieve a proporcional, hot and impressive body. Yes, it would be better to have hair, but you can’t change that. I used to be more concerned about my mind than about my body, what’s more, I though that people that focused a lot on their body were idiot, but when it comes to be atractive to women, you have to do all you have on your hands. So well, my advice is: move on and enjoy your life. Nobody cares about if you have hair or not, as you don’t care if other people have hair or not. It’s really that simple.
at 6:39 am
I’ve had a receding hairline since I was 16 and have spent the last 3 years trying to cover it up in different styles etc and hated the fact that all my friends had a full head of hair. I’m now 19, in my first year at university and my thinning hair was becoming very noticeable. A week ago on a sudden whim I bought some clippers, took the plunge and went for a grade 2 all over. It took a couple of days to get used to it but now I’m definitely warming to the look. I look different to all of my friends but you have to accept that and try and enjoy standing out from the crowd! It has also made my life a lot simpler, getting ready to go out takes a fraction of the time and I never have to worry about how my hair looks. I feel a lot cleaner and look more healthy, I definitely won’t be turning back.
at 9:35 am
guys. it’s really not the end of the world. it’s not.
it’s true that some women are shallow and require full heads of hair on their men – sure. and i’ll grant that it’s very very very difficult for men to endure this in their teens and early 20s (i went to high school with a few guys who suffered from early balding; one went from a full head of lustrous hair in his sophomore year to probably a 70% loss by the time he graduated, and was completely bald by 20.)
but a lot of women LOVE bald guys. i’m one of them. i PREFER them. it used to be just the shaved head thing, but then i realized that most of the guys i was attracted to with shaved heads were shaving down due to genetic loss. i say, if you’re losing your hair, roll with it, shave that shit down, and rock it like a bad ass. show me a woman who would kick jason statham out of bed and i’ll show you a lesbian.
and for the record, i think this guy (http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3300000/Calendar-with-Taub-house-md-3358471-1442-1996.jpg) is one of the sexiest motherfuckers on the planet.
i’m not alone in this. i know a TON of women, personally, who are wildly attracted to men with no hair.
and even women who don’t have a thing for bald guys the way i always have can find themselves attracted to a man who happens to have a thinning top. i have a friend – 40, GORGEOUS (she gets hit on constantly by men of all ages), attorney, whose ex-boyfriend is a personal trainer with a thick shock of hair. her current boyfriend? about 60% bald. she adores him. her other friends are like ‘wow, really?’ but i get it. he’s successful, confident, handsome, and witty. he just so happens not to have a whole lot of hair. who cares?
i have another friend, my best friend from childhood, who recently fell in love with and married a guy who is bald as a cue ball. the first thing she said when she met him last december was, ‘he’s not like the typical guy i’m attracted to; he’s going bald, and shaves his head. i’ve never been into that before.’ she married him five months after meeting him, and got pregnant a month after that. she is carrying their twins, right now. he is gorgeous (really, incredibly handsome), funny, and treats her like a princess.
in both cases, these women never before dated bald guys.
i could go on and on with examples like this. the point is, it’s not over. it’s really not. it’s all in how you rock it – women are attracted to, above all else, self-confidence. you project self-confidence (not to be confused with cockiness or arrogance) and women will fall at your feet. i promise you that. the best advice i can give, from a female perspective, to you young guys suffering from what really IS unfair and can be life-changing is that you not simply accept it, but EMBRACE it. you have an advantage over those of us of the female persuasion, which is that it’s socially acceptable for you to be bald. not so much for us. so take advantage of it.
at 5:49 am
Guys. I know it’s totally hell to go through this at a young age but I’m with Shannon, if the girl is shallow you don’t want to be with her! Babe or not she’s not worth it!
Great job Adam. And you are right by not being like the ‘other’ guys you’ll be noticed by the girls. … and it is cool!
Also, I had a couple of friends who shaved it all off and wow did it make a difference to their self image and with the girls/ladies. Because it was all gone no one knew they were balding….or by how much! People forgot and just figured it was a look. (Some college basketball teams shave it all off)
For one guy, he didn’t mean to but it actually started a trend in the high school and then had a shave your head for cancer day and many kids kept the look. The school store even started selling cool head gear for those that joined the cancer cause.
One guy, started swimming and just said it was easier. Most of the guys he swam with shaved theirs heads to.
Make it your look!
I’m married to a great bald guy and now he’s gone grey. He’s old so the grey is normal but he was bald when he was 15. He’s now shaved it all off and he looks 15 years younger!
It’s not easy but you can’t control it so choose a path that might make it easier and enjoy life!
at 2:59 pm
I won’t waste time with a story. It’s pretty much the same. I have a handsome symmetrical face, jacked body, tan, huge….you know and you guessed it…thinning horribly on one side of my head. It totally throws off my look. All started when I was 18…now I’m 23. I shaved my head for 2 years in between there and it was great. What pissed me off was how my family and friends would beg me to grow my hair back because I look like I’m 10 years older now. It’s not worth trying to hide it and spend hours using mousse and only being happy when it looks perfectly hidden. Shave your head and go tanning. When people look at your hairline…smile. When someone makes a joke..smile. When it doesn’t bother you, it bothers them. There’s nothing more fulfilling then seeing someone thats insecure (and with a full head of hair) having to poke fun at our “obvious” physical flaws that only makes them feel better. My best friend is totally bald, and because he acts like it never happened, he gets tons of girls. I’m with you all and I think once you focus your energy on something else, you’ll see how much different you’ll be. I don’t mind looking older for my age. I was dating a girl that was telling me she was dating a hot long haired model but with no personality and a 3 inch d***. She left him for that. We all have our flaws, obvious or not. You have an ace in the hole somewhere, all of us have. Use your brain, better yourself in other ways. People see that and are awed that your so confident even though your bald/balding. So use that ace and make it stand out! Best of lucks ladies and gents. Get out there and take that beating from those shallow people. They may not know what its like how we feel being robbed of our youth, being shunned down by the perfect “image” of a man (especially us young guys) or a woman, but at least we get to shape ourselves in new ways because of our genetic problem. Oh and for all of you that are hoping for a new cure or saving money for transplants/drugs and using slimy shampoos and gels. Forget that, nothing is more unattractive that seeing someone trying to hold on to their hair. Play the cards that you have now, that 10 of spades hairline is never going to be an ace. Rock on my friends.
at 3:14 pm
Lastly I would just like to say. Being bald sucks. It’s not because of the fact that I have less hair follicles now then I did 6 years ago. It’s because of the perception of us bald guys have. Look at movies and the news. Most balding dudes are weirdos, drug addicts, play evil characters, perverts, creepy and “lesser of a man”. Good chance people will first think that when they see you because of this perception built up by good ol’ hollywood and other bald guys that let their depression get the best of them. Good thing is that this is all perception, we can fix that! Prove people wrong and show em your confident, people are thrown off by a confident bald guy and it makes girls so attracted to you.Thank god theres guys like vin diesel that are starting to show off a better image for us. So really…the problem isn’t on your head, its in your head. So unlike genetics, we have the power to change that.
at 3:20 pm
Say your out there and things are going great and you get caught at a weak moment, your hair loss gets the best of you, you crumble. Your baldness didn’t “make” you weak, less of a man, ugly….all those negative words…., you just had a bad effing day. Be social and stop hiding behind your balding head. There may not be more hair on the other side, but you can be yourself again :).
at 1:46 pm
Melissa,
I’m sorry about your hair. I can imagine how traumatizing it must be, but don’t lose hope. There are thousands of people out there who shave their heads for the sake of fashion. Why don’t you join in on that? Get a few piercings and a couple of tattoos. Dress in black and wear combat boots. That’s quite a look you can develop for yourself!
Notyetbald.
at 8:46 pm
I am young yes im only jr high and I got alopecia areata when I was
About 6… Its hard for me yes but I do it I know it won’t go away
And that hurts me lately this year I have one bald spot
That people can see and they make fun of me
It’s hard to live bald but ur not the only one
I feel alone lots
I mean I can do my hair the way I want because I have to
Hide my spot and you know I am living but what my mom tells me
Is “it can alwayse be worse” and that’s true im thankfully
It just that at least your not homeless or have cancer
I mean Those people need more help then us
That’s why their is no cure
Also my mom says “everybody has something and you just have this”
And that is true and this is my week point now
I mean I’m Billied for many other reasons
Especially last year about my teeth but now they
Are gettin fixed I. Have braces
And I know this might no help you
But just stay Strong like me.
And I’m younger than u and Im a GIRL so you can’t
See my hair loss a lot but its becoming noticeable
Anyway Ull be fine. 🙂
Find people who understand you
And will care about you
Good luck
I know this is just from a little girl 12 yrs old
But I hope my message is clear.
From: Tara 🙂
at 5:12 pm
Guys, I felt the same pain as you guys. I started losing my hair at the age of 15, a really young age, that traumatized me. Lots of friends made fun of me 2, that really hurt me, and made me an insecure person in every aspect, socially, spiritually, and as to making decisions I would always think of not showing myself first, to not feel embarrassed of my hair loss being so young, all through junior high school and high school. It really sucked, cause I was really a handsome teen, all the girls would praise me, and when I started losing hair, I wouldn’t attract not even one. Sure they say, the beauty is in the inside, bullshit, girls don’t’ like baldie young boys. At the age of 21 I decided to go to hair club, do the “matrix” treatment, that really is a wig, a toupee, whatever you want to call it. At first you say wow, now I look young, now I’ll get the girls, I’ll feel secure, but deep inside I felt even more insecure because you see people sometimes look at you weird, sometimes you even hear: “he is wearing a wig, that is not his hair”. Im 24 now and still with hair club guys, but let me tell you that not a day pass that I decided to get the treatment. It’s a lot of money, you do look younger, but you dont feel comfortable with it, you don’t even want anyone touching your head, cause they’ll know, you feel embarrassed. Bottom line is, Im thinking of ending the treatment and going with a shave bald look, and to hell with everything. Accept myself as I am, Im not the first to be bald, and not the last. What would you guys do, cause I fear, society would just make fun of me all over again, because theyll know I was wearing a hairpiece. Leave comments pliz, trying to make a decision.
at 8:11 pm
Yes it sucks to be in that situation. I’ve been there and it wasn’t fun. You should just gather up your strength and do it. Rip it off and toss it up to the sky as high as you can and let the next sea-gull snatch it up making a 3k condo out of it and then scream freedom at the top of your lungs. Then enjoy life to the fullest.
Good luck.
at 3:17 am
l hate the site of my self for sometime now i was callanging myself to get a tatoo of a sludge hammer on my head to make the appearance of a skull breaking why fool yourself if you have be that
BAld Guy OH l know just avoid mirrows glass photos ponds anything that refects your image but that my opion
at 11:17 pm
Oh Jake you are facing nothing ….being bald at 20 its ruined your life right ?
Imagine becoming bald at 19, and being INDIAN …. on top of it GAY , on top of it feminine ???
Thats like the recipe for suicide.. THats what I have gone through ..
Constant insults from the Asian community beause indian girls hate balding guys, constant insults from family beause superficiality is very imp in Indian society …. that is exactly why caste system came into account.
I thought I had run away to UK where I could be gay and free and happy.. And then I saw scores of those same ROTTEN indian people who just dont want to let me want to live …
While the whites are nice and friendly and accept me the way I am .. the Asians just follow me everywhere!!!
I think if euthanasia comes into legality, I must be the first person who needs to be out of here !
So chill your much better a position than where I am !
at 4:56 pm
If you believe that hair loss is the absolute (meaning) utmost worse thing that can happen to a young man, you need to get out more. Count your blessings young man. Things could be worse.
Cancer
Spinal Cord Injury
Going blind
Going deaf
Watching your parents or anyone die in front you
Being the victim of a horrific crime that left you in a wheelchair
Suffering sudden and permanent limb function due to stroke
Getting shot in the head
Losing a child (to a child predator) the child died
Getting amnesia due to aphasia (head injury in an accident)
Finding out you have a brain tumor
…………………………. like I said. If you think losing your hair is the absolute worst thing that could happen to a young person, think again. All these things happened to people that I know personally who were under the age of 20. NONE of them had hair loss. Now pick yourself up and shake yourself off and go find whatever ELSE gives you JOY in this world. Life is short and on your last day on earth I guarantee you will be wishing only for more TIME / NOT HAIR.
~~~~
Please read this again. Please read this with an open mind.
An open heart. It was not written in anger and was not meant to harm you. I hope it instead changes your LIFE right NOW.
at 3:17 pm
Where do I start. The last 18 hAve been miserable. I was voted most handsome at highschool and then lost my hair at 18. Was forced to apply hair in a can , because at college no hats in class I looked 43 when I was 18. At the age of 19 I had hair transplant. Which left me with a large scar in the back of my head and doll graphs in the front of my head. I left college, pursuded a field that I could wear a hat , contracting, I avoided all functions, weddings, party’s, stopes attending church. Stoped hanging out with friends. I’ve had 7 more corrective surgeries. It’s been 18 years . I’m married with 3 kids. And I couldn’t even attend my own child’s kindergarten graduation. Because of the hat issue. My head looks so messed up because I am unable to shave it. And if I grow it out. I look 70 years old. I used to be super confident a leader. Now this has consumed me for so many years. Now my kids are aware of it. Every day of my life has been altered by this. Do not get surgery until much later. Hair loss/ surgery. Has crippled me in so many ways. I’ve been turned away at resterants because of my hat, turned away from bars, clubs, even churches. And when I appeared in traffic court they asked me to leave because of my hat. I don’t know what to do. Thank God for my wife. Even though my family loves me. I know they are embarrassed of my. Depressed for 18 years.
at 8:01 pm
By the age of 19 I knew I was done for as far as being the person I wanted to be and living the life I wanted to live. I know for a fact my life would be completely different had I not had to deal with this problem thats destroyed my life. Im constantly mad at the world and more or less jealous of every1 in it. Im half the man I used to be and it’s crazy how much of a difference a nice head of hair can make to a person but fact is it really does matter. I look back at old pictures of myself aged 11 to18 and get so sad. My life was just beginning I was happy, liked being me, had the greatest set of m8s, was a school sports hero, decent academically, had hopes and dreams, just entering the best years of my life didn’t think anything could stop me but then I struck down with this curse. Fact is bald people look like total numptys only a very, very small % can pull it off and unfortunately only a very small % of fit women will find u attractive and probby only then if you got loads of money. I just exist these days do nothing but sit in my room playing online poker, games and watching tv. I used to be so active and luved doing anything and everything. I used to think young bald people looked awful way before I realized I was going to be one you stand out like a sore thumb your either gonna be the brunt of lads banta or girls bitchiness or sympathy. You are a lesser man you become inferior, different , u lose everyones respect and ur treated differently. I quit uni at 19, my job at 23 and had 6 yrs off not because im lazy but because I cant deal with the issue. I often think it’s all a bad dream and i’ll wake up and i’ll get to relive the last 10 yrs the way I wanted but unfortunately they have been wasted. So many things I wanted to do i.e university, travelling, girlfriends/wife. a career, lads holidays, moving out from my parents house basically living a normal life. I always feel so nervous, awkward, embarrassed when I go out which is hard to believe because I used to be the loud one, the Team Leader. I have no self esteem, no self respect, no confidence, no motivation or hope the only way I can see myself getting past this is to turn 35 and hope then I wont care as much as im old and past it. If I have anytime to myself where im not doing anything my head becomes so full of negative thoughts and cant clear them heck I cant even sleep unless im totally knackered. Some of the most truthful words ever “If you look good you feel good, you feel good you do good”. What it would be like to be 6ft, full set of thick hair, 18 years old when I wake up tomorrow and be able to live the dream some people dont know how lucky they are to have the basics.
at 12:05 pm
Hi John r..
Im so sorry to hear your story, I was in your position at the age of 23 and I lost 90% of my megga thick hair, ( I had the george micheal hair style of the late 80’s.)..I am now 47..and Iam completely bald The last pic on the norwood scale,
The Point is you just have to move on, I know how hard it is like the comment by mike in wearing a hat, as I wear a baseball cap when I feel really shitty, I have my good days and my very bad days, even at the age of 47 …goin out with friends to pubs, clubs and places where people always want to take foto’s …and then show it to you !!!! why do people with full heads of hair be so cruel i say to myself…but the answer is that they think you’re normal…its me that thinks negative of myself.
On the woman front , yes ive had a few women on dating sites tell me that iam a nice bloke, but wont date me as i have no hair ( to which i replied that she was frumpy and old looking ) ..she never wrote back, but on the plus side I have always had very pretty women as girl friends , main thing is NOT to let them know you feel inferior about your hair loss….I also feel that if you havent got a full head of hair then dont hide it …shave it off !! you’ll have more respect from others and not be the joke of the pack !
I hope these points make you feel better , dont get to my age and feel this way , as you def would have wasted your life …work on other things to make you feel better if you need, if you have bad teeth get them done , big nose ..sort it …I did !!
at 7:30 am
Ive just turned 17, started receding since i was 15, when i was in year 8 and 9 so around 12-14 years old, i used to have all the girls fancyin me touchig me etc, and i never noticed how lucky i was until now, all of a sudden my hair totally changed when i was 15, it went boffy and i had a recesing hairline and i looked stupid for around 2 years, i had enough so i grew it for about 6 months and got it trimmed and neatened up on the sides, i have thick hair so i sweep it over and now im good looking again because it looks like i have normal hair! So if your reading this and yiur hair is still pretty thick, GROW IT, then style it with wax to cover it up. The problem is, before i did this, i stopped speaking to my friends and stopped going out because i was depressed with my hair, so now i have no friends, and when i do go out i am so concious. if its windy i wont go out because my hair gets ruined and i look stupid, life is shit, im 17 im never gonna get laid because i never go out so ill nEver get a girlfriend, why oh why does hair have to be so important, i wish i could shave it off but my head looks massive, im 6 foot 4 and skinny, maybe ill have to hit the gym so i can look good bald.
at 6:25 pm
Dude, I was in the exact same place as you. People ragged on my hairloss when I was only 15. I didn’t really think much about it because I thought it was impossible for me to go bald at such a young age. It really started sinking in when I was 17. I was developing a bald spot in high school already. The following two years were miserable. I wanted to commit suicide. I withdrew from all my friends, my talent and grades in school suffered. Then one day I went to the hospital for a surgery on my foot. I saw a young boy, wearing a mask to cover his mouth, he had lost all of his hair from an unknown ailment (most likely cancer). I felt so bad about being vain, I shaved my head immediately afterwards. Though I don’t look like a jason statham or tom cruise, I still feel a lot better than trying to do the combover or feeling afraid that the wind will expose my hairloss even more. I got so much sh*t from people about my hairloss. I couldn’t sleep for a while. After I shaved it, my fears disappeared. Though I have yet to score with a girl that I find attractive, I feel heaps more confident. Stay in there. I know how it feels. I have my bad days too (people mistaking me for being much older for being a teacher etc..). Just ignore it and MOST IMPORTANTLY try and add value to other people’s lives. It is the best investment for your confidence. Contact me if you want I would love to get in touch. Take care buddy, -Jun
at 7:48 pm
I just want to say . . I believe it can be overcome . . .
I am married to a man who is clearly balding (at 34) , and I am one of those ‘shallow’ women who hate-hate-HATE that look . . I knew he was losing his hair when I married him 5 years ago and I married him anyway because I LOVED him . . To be honest, I hate the way hair loss is making him look, (because I love him so much and I know how he looked when he had his hair, I want other people to see him that way) it’s enough to bring panic attacks on.
BUT I love my husband. I never want to look at another man. So somehow, I’m gonna find a way to get over it, and hope he finds a look that works for him, whatever that is. He’s fortunate and mature enough that it seems not to really bother him. Because in the end, it IS just an external thing, and society has conditioned us to think that’s everything, but the fact is, it’s NOT.
I wanted to leave this message to let you guys know, who must be suffering terribly, that if it’s real love, even ‘shallow’ women, who are bothered by it, can find a way around it, because that’s what love means. If they can’t, then they don’t want you enough, and you need to find another person, because you deserve better.
at 5:59 am
I can totally relate to some of the stories here and have been quietly reading them all. I started to lose my hair on the crown when I was 25-26. It was very debilitating for me because in the few years before that, I found myself getting overweight. Well, I made a commitment to watch my diet and workout regularly. I dropped about 50 pounds and had a full head of hair. I was very proud of myself and felt on top of the world. I had never had fantastic self esteem, but I never felt better about myself. Women could not get enough of me during that time. Then, it was pointed out to me by several people that I had started losing my hair. I thought they were joking until I went home and grabbed a hand mirror………
Life has not been quite the same for me since that day. I am now 41, and have been preoccupied about hair loss for the last 15 years. I have tried Propecia, Rogaine, and briefly tried a hairpiece. I guess I am kind of lucky because the hair loss has actually not gotten any worse. I like to wear my hair a little longer, and certain cosmetic products enable me to do that( Couvre and Dermatch) to name a couple. However, I wear a hat 98 percent of the time. I guess the point is that I feel like hairloss stopped me from being the person I could have been, and worked hard to become. I have never been married and am socially withdrawn. I have gained weight again, and have gotten to the point where I really have trouble finding motivation.I stay in the same warehouse job partly because I can wear a hat. My hat collection is sickening, by the way 🙂 I feel cheated, and I am somehow trying to cope with it. Hoping it gets better one day……
at 8:35 am
I found your article while searching for male pattern baldness in females. I just wanted to let you know that there are lots of amazing hair pices out there for you to use. The most cost effective one I know of is a custom lace front wig. I know the idea of a wig seems odd but the wig maker will fit it so that it perfectly fits your head and the lace at the front makes it look like hair is growing out of your head. Anyway check it out, get one made, go on vacation, use it somewhere for a week around strangers and then decide if you like it or not.
at 10:03 pm
hi!
I’m not sure if you even look at this thread anymore, but as a girl speaking, baldness is awesome and sets you apart. Just work out or look like you take care of yourself, and you have a good sense of humor you will win the girls over! All we want is a confident and funny man. Well, at least for me. I also just found out I have alopecia, which sucks butt! However, I’m taking my own advice and working on other areas that I have control over. I know your thread has been years since started, I hope you have found happiness.
at 12:28 pm
idk if you will ever read this , but your words are what echo inside me . You do have an idea how horrible it is…I am not completely bald , but started taking propecia at 17sh , 21 now and have a receded hairline on a large forehead.
hardest thing is that i was really good looking. I used to be the most popular guy among the girls. But i never capitalized on it because I was weird and shy.
But I always though , hey , I have time. I have college. I will work on myself and enjoy womens’ company , something I have never really gotten.
Today I go to college hidden and alone , my confidence is gone. My ability to communicate is gone. I have become numb with this lonliness. For the past 3 years , I have not opened up to one person. I go to eat alone in a canteen full of people , 4 times a day , everyday.
Rest I sit alone in the class for hours without talking to anyone (because 0 confidence -> because of my hairline , which I hide)
Just right now I came back from the eatery , ate alone , whilst wearing a woolen beanie in 24 ‘C [granted when I wore it , it was cooler , but I did not have the freedom to open it]
I have stopped feeling sorry for myself. Nobody is listening and nobody really cares either
I have terrible grades that I am hiding from my mother , I want to start my own tech start up , but cant seem to figure out what.
anyways , this comment kind of became a psychological sink for me.
I regress.