Coll Storm

Hey everyone,

I'll tell you my weird story. I have had medium length hair for about six months now. The last time I really had short hair was about that six months ago and never noticed my hair thinning.

Now about three months ago I switched from using gel, to using glue. I didn't realise the glue had alcohol in it. I've also dyed my hair once in that time period.

A couple of days ago one of my co-workers had mentioned that my hair was looking thin, but I dismissed it, because I've gotten the same comments in the past, because I've had spikey hair for the past five years and usually you can see some of the scalp, but once you put your hair down without anything in it, people then realise that it's nothing.

So, tonight I shaved my head with the number 3 guard on my clippers and took everything off.



My co-worker was correct. I have had major hair loss in the past six months. I'm talking about shocking. From the cowlick in the back of my head, to the front of my hair has major loss. It looks like I'm headed towards having a Captain Picard.

My question is this... it doesn't seem natural. My mothers hair is a little thin, but that's do to medication that she takes. Baldness doesn't run on either side of my family.

Can the recent switch in hair care products be the cause of such rapid loss??? I'm seriously wondering what the hell is going on. I wouldn't even have noticed this, unless I shaved my hair off.

Prince

I'm no expert when it comes to hair care products. All I know is, that I've always been told that they're generally rough on one's hair, and despite of how gross it may be, the healthiest thing for your hair is not washing it on a daily basis. Personally I never gave a fuck, I couldn't stand the grease so I washed it daily, but I always went for mild shampoo, and didn't use gel or dye it.

I'm 27 and bald, though, so all bets are off.

__________________
Who is John Galt?

Coll Storm

It's not the fact that it's happening, it's the fact that it has hit within a period of six months.

Right now I'm in general fear mood, because I've also had bouts of feeling really sick at times and I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it either.

Evil Milkman

Dude. Glue? That may not be the cause, but you may want to consider getting looked at by a doctor if you're also feeling badly sick sometimes. Keep us posted...

MSD

I think he means "Hair Glue," not anything like Elmer's or epoxy.

yournamehere

I've washed my hair every day since I was a teenager - I'm pushing 50 now and still have a full head of hair. Clean hair.

I've always heard it's genetic - on your mother's side. But with all the crap they've been putting in our food and all the everyday products we use - who knows?

__________________
If you want to avoid 95% of internet spelling errors:
"If your ridiculous pants are too loose, you're definitely going to lose them. Tell your two loser friends over there that they're going to lose theirs, too."
It won't hurt your fashion sense, either.

raeanna74

It all depends. What is your age? If it is related to hair products then it's probably not hair LOSS but hair breakage - consequently making hair appear thinner. A change in hormones can do this. During pregnancy I lost lots of hair but after the baby was born and my hormones switched then I had a lot of new hair growth. Hair loss in men is related to the levels of progesterone in their bodies - thus the genetic link.

Personally I LOVE a bald or shaved head. I think it's just so sexy. Glad to hear you went with the razor instead of freaking and trying to cover it up.

__________________
"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

bermuDa

you can always get some of this:



modern hair care products causing rapid hair loss.... Sounds like you should contact a doctor, and then if necessary, a lawyer.

__________________
I am the very model of a moderator gentleman.

Coll Storm

Just an update for everyone. I haven't shaved my head yet and most of my friends have been very supportive.

I found out that I do have a bald grandfather, but that's it and he's on my fathers side. I don't know if it's male pattern baldness or not.

I have an appointment with my doctor on April 5th and will be asking for a Vitamin Deficiency test and other blood work.

If he does tell me that it's natural and that I'm due... well, I'll just enjoy the rest of my days with it and then will eventually just buzz my head bald.

Oh and for those asking. I just turned 35 on March 14th. Nice Birthday present for me....

Cynthetiq

full head of hair here long, down to just about the small of my back.

i don't put crap into it except gel when I need to dress up or look presentable. Other than that, I don't do much else.

I do have LOTS of hair that comes out when I brush it every day. It's annoying and I think that I'm going bald, but I know it's truly not the case because it's not thining or receded.

maybe the glue had nothing to do with it but happened to coincide with its use.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

Coll Storm

Well, I shaved my head and that's when I noticed it. If I didn't decide to start with a fresh crop, then this would have gone unnoticed.

I also forgot to mention that I dyed my hair about a month & a half ago. I'm really lost at this point and will just have to wait for what my doctor says.

I've already made the decision to just go with it. I'll shave my head bald and hopefully have a good life with it. I'm rather young looking and my biggest fear is that people will think that I have cancer or something.

Fenton-J-Cool

Ohhhh..

__________________
wra

Coll Storm

Actually the glue that I refer to is by ICE and it's Spiking Glue. You can also find another brand called Got2B in most supermarket/drugstores.

Either works very well, if you have hair...

jay-g

I'd have to say its genetic. I have a friend that is my age (23). And he is balding, so he just shaved it all off. For all those people that do have hair, i wouldnt make fun of the guys that are balding. It will probably happen to you.

Coll Storm

Well, I'm just going to wait and see. I think I'm okay with it... first couple of days I was upset about it, and then suddenly I'm understanding that life still goes on, but it depends on what you do with that life.

Being bald will not change who I am. I'll enjoy my hair well I have it, but then once it's gone... I'll shave the rest off.

fnaqzna

My hair went at about 34 or so... one moment, full mane... two years later... bald man.

Oh well... Worst part, I don't really like hats. I never have, but winter is cold up there and sunburns absolutely suck.

And you can forget about working under the sink. You'll come out bloody.

Last... It's been years now and I just buzz whatever is left. Nothing is more irritating than listening to a commercial on television stating something along the lines of, "Tired of that embarrassing hair loss..."

Ya know... Embarrassing... oh yeah... I'm embarrassed alright. If they have a 1-800 number, I resist the urge to call 'em up and tell them to go fuck themselves. Embarrassed my ass.

Coll Storm

I have a feeling fnaqzna that our stories are going to be alike in the end.

I'm 35 and have lost more hair in the past six months, then in my first 35 years.

I have a feeling by the end of this year... all of it will be gone.

Nefir

I started going bald in high school. I used to have pretty long hair, but I am now 22, and shave my head regularly. Its the best decision I've ever made, and I haven't looked back since.

- No maintenance, besides the actual shaving
- No "bad hair days"
- No clogging up the drain with lost hair every time you take a shower.
- Baldness is a sign of wisdom and intelligence.
- Many women (at least those with good taste) think bald = sexy

I support your decision, and hope you stick with it. As long as you don't shave your eyebrows off, you won't look like a cancer patient, and growing facial hair will offset the baldness in a very good way.

__________________
You do not use a Macintosh, instead you use a Tandy
Kompressor break your glowstick, Kompressor eat your candy
Kompressor open jaws, Kompressor release ants
Kompressor watch you scream, Because Kompressor does not dance

dy156

If you don't want to shave it all off, you could just get a shorter haircut. Longer hair makes the areas where you don't have hair more pronounced. I don't think you should grow facial hair, because bald men almost always have facial hair, and I think it makes them look like they're just trying to compensate. You can also explain to the ladies that it's just a sign that you have more testosterone than most other guys. That's what I used to do.

Rodney

Yeah, but it's tricky. You inherit the tendency toward baldness (or not) from your mother's side. But you inherit the _pattern_ of the baldness (receding hairline, baldspot in back, both) from your father's side. Makes it confusing.

Always possible that environmental factors and weird haircare products exascerbate things; in isolated cases, I'm sure that that's true. But I'm 48, and more than a few of my high school classmates were going bald five years after graduation, 25 years ago. And in those days we didn't put much of anything on our hair; maybe you blow-dried it, but that was about it. No gel, nothing, at least not in my blue-collar burg.

Coll Storm

I have my doctors appointment on Monday. I'll probably update this post then and let everyone know what happens.

Are there any specific tests I should ask for?

Charlatan

I think I'm doomed.

My maternal grandfather was bald.
My father and his four brothers were all bald (but not his father)
My brother (4 years older) is going bald.

My hair has been thinning since about 19. That said I still have a "full" head of hair. It is nowhere near as thin as my brother's was at my age (or my father for that matter). No bald spots yet but my I have noticed some receeding in the past few years.

I am hoping I've dodged a bullet but I am fairly resigned to my fate as a bald guy...

I have been told, by users, that propecia is a good for keeping the hair you have.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

World's King

I WANT MY FUCKIN' HAIR BACK.

__________________
heavy is the head that wears the crown

Beefimator

My hair is flying out at a rapid rate. I'm 25. And my theory is, the shorter it is, the less bald I look.

AfterBurn

My dad is like 1/2 bald, I hope I won't go bald! But even if I do I'm for sure getting one of those hair transplant operations

__________________
smoking weed everyday keeps the doctor away

Coll Storm

My situation is just weird. I basically have a very short crew cut right now and the area that thinning is noticeable, but it seems to only me.

My friends think I'm nuts. I'm not saying that I'm bald, but my hair is thin on top. If I can figure out how to add a photo, I'll do it. I would rather people that don't know me give me an honest answer if it looks normal or not.

Coll Storm

Here you go....

Tell me what you think.

zensheep

I'm 19 and my hair started thinning last year, or at least thats when I noticed it. Since last summer I've basically just buzz cut my hair with a size 2 clipper and it looks pretty good, hard to see the thinning unless you're up close, or under a light (which I hate ). Recently I've started to grow it out and it's still looking not too bad, it's not long enough to really accentuate the thinning parts, and I'm not gonna let it get that long hehe. I have a feeling that I'm going to be in the sameboat as you are Coll Storm, I've noticed general thinning on the top of my head, but no one single area where it's taking place, just seems to the whole top of the head slightly thinning. Irritating, but there's nothing I can do about it at the moment, so I just buzz it and don't let it bother me. Anyways, I've got a lot better things to have on my mind.

What kind of shampoo are you using? You may want to look into Nioxin Shampoos and Conditioner. Expensive as hell, and I've been using it since November, it won't regrow anything, but it does a good job at clearing out all the gunk that gets stuck in the pores, and I believe I've noticed a slight decrease in hair coming out in the shower, but that may have been only because I used to have long hair and it was more noticable hehe. Well it's worth a try. Sorry for the rather long post

HamiC

Gotta say, in my mid-30's........really short hair with or without the thinning......is so much easier. No prep time. No hassles. No expensive product. And not a bad look. If the hair is going.....let it go with dignity.

That being said, if you are nervous about the impact of product on your hair or health, stop using it. No hairstyle is worth real or suspected harm to your health. Go natural.

cameroncrazy822

I'm sorry my friend but the long and the short of it is that if you "think" yo're losing your hair... brother it's already gone. Don't do the really bad implants or bad styles to "hide" the definciency. Embrace it, shave it, and be self assured. It works trust me. If you're fine with it and not embarrassed or shy becasue of it... no one else will be either. Be careful though, this rule works conversely as well. We don't want to be another George Costanza do we? Good Luck my friend!

StephenSa

Hate to say it Coll but it looks like you are thinning at the crown. Of course it could just be the flash showing more of your scalp in the photo but it looks pretty thin to me. The good news is thinning at the crown of the head gives you some decent options. Propecia and Minoxonyl have been proven to work in that area as opposed to the front of the scalp where it seems to have little if any effect. The sooner you start the better it works so you might ask your doctor about it if you want to go that route. As for me, I'm thirty six and have hair halfway down my back but have a slowly receding hairline. Its not too bad now but I plan to fight it all the way. Screw fading away gracefully, I want hair!

__________________
Thousands of Monkeys, all screaming at once. Pulling God's finger.

Arc101

I'm 34 and in the same situation - I was never bothered about my hair until I started losing it. My younger brother who went bald at 23 is now able to take the piss out of me like I did to him. I want my hair back !

Coll Storm

Yea, it's just the crown and not really the front at all. I actually just took my first dosage of Propecia and will try it for six months, before I make the big decision.

My doctor believes it's a major case of stress and it's funny, because the past three days have been the most stressfull of this entire year.

So, I'll just go with six months of the "supposed" wonder pill and then I'll see what I'm going to do later on.

Jasmar

my doctor told me i was going bald when i was 17 and theres no history of male pattern baldness on my moms side and its not that common on my dads side. It's bullshit, I'm 18 and using rogain and propecia everyday. I wouldn't have minded if i was in my late twenttys and it started but geez im not even old enough to drink. Propecia and rogaine work pretty well depending on the person but its your best bet

Coll Storm

Like I said... I'm on Propecia, and my head at this point has really short hair. I buzzed it with the #1 guard and to be honest.... I love it. It takes me two second to shampoo my hair now. It seems to be more comfortable to. I really like my hair this short.

Polyphobic

Started going bald at 17. I am now 29 and just shave my head. It is funny how preoccupied our culture is with hair. Every so often someone asks me if being bald bothers me. I just laugh at them. Being bald isn't the end of the world. It's just something that happens.

__________________
<--The great infidel-->

Astrocloud

You should always consider your mother's father when considering baldness.

In my case it is genetics. It took me a long time but I am just starting to accept it.

Coll Storm

My grandfather ( on my mothers side ) has a full head of white hair. Maybe I should ask him for some of it? He has plenty to spare, because it's still growing for him.

QuasiMojo

come back when you're 30.... heh..

__________________
AzAbOv ZoBeLoE

Coll Storm

To be honest with you... the photo was taken up close, but I know what my crown looked like six months ago, and I've lost a decent amount.