Post by: Guest on May 27, 2005, 05:20:33 PM
I had a slightly high hairline. That's natural for me.
I grew my hair long for a year. I also may not have had the best nutrition, and I had a lot of stress. Before it got real long I was channeling my stress into a disorder that involves pulling out hair. Ever since I was a little kid I used to twirl my finger in my hair and sometimes make knots, then undo the knots. I started doing this a lot.. thinned out a patch of my hair bad. Managed to quit through willpower. My hair got longer. It was also always frizzy and dry and kind of.. well, instead of being straight, being all frizzy looking, on top, this I attributed to abusing my hair before. When it was shoulder length, I started brushing regularly. I was getting a LOT of hair in my brush. In retrospect I don't see WHY I was so stupid as to not realize what was going on. I got my hair cut and the guy doing it told me my hair was really dry and said maybe I had a thyroid problem. My mom has one, so maybe I inherited one. Since I could tell my hair was looking a little thin once he had cut it down to normal length, I asked him to guess my age from my hair.
He said 'Oh, you haven't gone too far past 30 yet' or something to that effect. He barely believed me when I told him he was 18 until I pulled out some ID. His response was to tell me I was going bald.
I would note that over the year of growing my hair, I almost never washed it. Bleh. Big move, no shower at one end, no shower at the other. I kept it from getting stinky, no more. Never used any good shampoo or conditioner.
For a few months now I've been using 'damaged hair' shampoo and conditioner. I think my hair is improving a bit. I'm also taking a lot of silica supplement tablets with horsetail. But, my hair on top is still noticeably drier. I think the reason so much came out when it was long is the dry hair was easier to break when it was long. In the mirror, it looks thin on top in a pattern that looks like male pattern baldness. On the sides a little, too.
So. Any thoughts or ideas? As much as I like having everyone assume I'm much older than I am (mostly from my eyes and voice but now the hair too) I don't want to go through life losing my hair this early. Goddamit.
Post by: Sindawe on May 27, 2005, 05:38:57 PM
Its genetics dude. Some families are predisposed to baldness. I think its an old secondary sexual characteristic. If you lived long enough to go bald, you were pretty successfull at avoiding predators, disease and finding food. All desirable qualities to pass on to your offspring.
At least, that MY rational.
Post by: Preacherman on May 27, 2005, 05:43:42 PM
Post by: thorn on May 27, 2005, 05:46:11 PM
at least i got luckier than my dad. he was total bald at 22, i am receding at 32
Post by: Azrael256 on May 27, 2005, 05:51:58 PM
Genes have everything to do with it. That, and environment. If you're not getting all the stuff you need to make hair, it will grow back in very slowly when you shed hairs as part of the normal cycle. This can make it look like it's thinning out.
Talk to your doctor, or, just go buy a rogaine spray. They sell store-brand rogaine in a pump spray bottle at walmart. If drugs don't do it, you're outta luck. Just don't do that stupid combover BS. Either you're bald or you're not. Don't try to fake it.
Post by: Preacherman on May 27, 2005, 05:52:55 PM
Prepare to meet thy dome!
Post by: thorn on May 27, 2005, 05:58:47 PM
HAHA= first- yeah, thats why i handed off my brush and have a big pile of dreads now, i think it helped.
Second- going thru majorly retarded drama with my ex for months seemed like it acclerated the process,
But- ultimately , i agree, genes are the biggest factor.
i got lucky they say yer moms side whatever, but i definitely have my moms hair (brown) not my dad's (black) and her dad lsot his slowly, and not all of it, so i hope that will be my case.
trying to reduce the stress big time, and i think it is helping
Post by: cfabe on May 27, 2005, 06:18:29 PM
Me, I'm 23 and it's not falling out yet but I am noticing a few greys here and there. Such is life.
Post by: Sindawe on May 27, 2005, 06:21:54 PM
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Please, tell me what's so funny about this so I can laugh at it too.
Well the "funny' part is due to your relative youth when its happening. Company loves misery, that sort of thing. I'm thinning at 41, but not bald yet. For me, part of the humor is the vanity. I've always known that it would go (Maternal Grandfather was bald, my father was thinning when he passed away at 57), so I did not worry when it started falling out in my early 30s. For some of us, its a fact of life.
Post by: grampster on May 27, 2005, 06:29:36 PM
Seriously, you are more than what grows or doesn't on your head. "That which does not kill you, makes you stronger".
Post by: Guest on May 27, 2005, 06:37:48 PM
Post by: Sindawe on May 27, 2005, 06:57:35 PM
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"That which does not kill you, makes you stronger".
I've always liked the way that was phrased as I first heard on Eon Flux. "That which does not kill us, only makes us stranger"
Post by: Fatcat on May 27, 2005, 07:58:45 PM
I think you just gotta get past it and get on with your life.. easy for me to say, I know, but my uncle does fine.
Post by: Azrael256 on May 27, 2005, 09:29:04 PM
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You won't know you're really getting old until you start growing hair in new places anyway.
Ok, that one is not funny. I'm 23, look like Ed Asner, and the cute little coeds call me "sir."Wow. I'm 23, and I know who Ed Asner is... that's scary by itself.
Post by: Guest on May 28, 2005, 01:04:37 AM
Post by: Azrael256 on May 28, 2005, 01:37:20 AM
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Get your thyroid checked.
Yeah, I did that one. My mother, the projective hypochondriac, immediately thought I had every disease that could possibly cause hair loss when I was 13 and developed my father's (early) hairline. They tried everything short of shooting me with a silver bullet to try to explain why my hair seems to be trickling down my neck (although such a procedure is likely forthcoming). The doctor finally came up with a diagnosis of "his dad was bald as a cue ball by 30." Luckily my hair loss seems to have slowed down quite a bit. I've got the front pattern thing from dad, but I guess I lucked out elsewhere, as it's all thick and healthy in the back (thus far). The only problem is that whatever fell out of the front seems to have regrouped along my shoulders.Since we're talking about mom, it is worth noting that she limped around on a sore ankle for nearly a year convinced that she had some sort of nerve damage. Ostensibly, this came from a Yoga-related accident. Fortunately, she did not need surgery to repair her torn achilles tendon. This was diagnosed after I threatened to "beat [her] about the head and shoulders with a two-by-four." She seems to be quite good at caring for other people, as her reviews in her nursing job are always sparkling, but anyone who carries her genes would be well advised to seek medical advice elsewhere.
Post by: Sean Smith on May 28, 2005, 05:59:39 AM
Quote from: Blackburn
So. Any thoughts or ideas? As much as I like having everyone assume I'm much older than I am (mostly from my eyes and voice but now the hair too) I don't want to go through life losing my hair this early. Goddamit.
You might just want to see a doctor. Some of your symptoms are a little wierd.If it is just genetic baldness, shave your head. 100% bald is always better than f'ed up looking hair.
Post by: Ben on May 28, 2005, 06:46:22 AM
http://www.headblade.com/gallery/Default.htm
Post by: Stickjockey on May 28, 2005, 08:18:22 AM
Post by: roo_ster on May 28, 2005, 12:32:59 PM
Make sure you get enough protein in your diet. If your fingernails are slow-growers, too, that (not enough dead cow in the diet) might be your problem. Also, for the dry hair, get some quality fats/oils in the diet (olive oil, yummy). A good diet, to include protein & fats, is essential to happy hair.
If none of that pans out, get ready to join the Hair(less) club for men. I am a provisional member and will be admitted in some number of years.
If it really bothers you, get into body-building/powerlifting. Who cares if a muskrat lives on your head if you can bench press folks through the wall? You can tell folks you went bald after being a pharmeceutical steroid experiment gone awry. The price you paid to be the manly stud you are.
Post by: Scix on May 28, 2005, 03:33:16 PM
It's not fair. :-(
Post by: Antibubba on May 29, 2005, 02:24:54 PM
Post by: Typhoon on May 31, 2005, 07:58:30 AM
You may not be able to prevent the hair loss, but you can keep it at bay for as long as possible.
Post by: RaggedClaws on June 08, 2005, 04:23:07 AM
My mother's father was bald as a cue-ball, and my younger brother is losing/lost it real quick. I'm thinning, but I'm married now, so what do I care about my hair?
Just make sure you wash your hair regularly with shampoo, because it's just gross if you don't. Dirt and oil clogging up the pores on your head can't be good for hair growth.
Post by: Waitone on June 08, 2005, 08:47:31 AM
--Women have a lot to do with it
--Health is involved.
--Emotion and psychological state have a lot to do with it. Extreme stress will cause hair to drop out. My daughter was under incredible stress and for a while her hair was coming out by the handfull.
See a doctor. Internist or Family practice is a good place to start. A dermatologist is in order if primary docs find no organic cause.
Post by: Guest on June 08, 2005, 01:10:36 PM
(Ok, I'm teasing!)
Post by: Monkeyleg on June 08, 2005, 02:03:38 PM
I've asked my doctor about it, asked others, and the answer is always the same: it's in the genes.
A former client of mine started balding in his 20's. He spent $18,000 on hair plugs. All that accomplished was to give him a little bit of fuzz on top. It looked ridiculous.
Another client of mine had a thick head of hair, and then lost all of the hair on his body when he was in his 40's. The doctor told him it was partly genetic, but mostly due to stress.
You can talk to a doctor, you can keep searching for the magic solution, or you can just accept it. Trust me, I know how you feel. I used to have Rod Stewart-style hair. Now the best I can hope for is to look like Richard Nixon.
One of the guys I knew who went bald on top in his 20's compensated by dressing sharp, particularly with his shoes. I figured he did so because it drew attention to his feet rather than his head. In the end, it didn't matter. He had a gorgeous, smart girlfriend, now his wife.