I Am Losing My Hair at a Young Age

Just after I had turned eighteen a close friend of mine looked at the top of my scalp and announced: “Dude, looks like you have a little bald spot!” But I was so young and it seemed so outrageous that I didn’t think a lot of it. That was until my early 20s when I discovered in a photograph that my widow’s peak was sneaking up higher on my forehead. The obvious widow’s peak is an apparent trait for the majority of the men in my family so again I ignored it assuming that was as far as it would go. The nearer I got to thirty the more obvious it became that my hairline was getting worse and that I was experiencing hair loss on my crown too. I was mortified. I was still a young man. Why was this happening? My self-esteem took a big hit and I was feeling a little disheartened.

It’s a horrible feeling when you realise that you are going bald particularly when you glance around your social group at all the full manes, you feel cheated and isolated. There is also the extra pressure on you from your peers because in modern culture a full head of hair is symbolic of youth and virility. It has you questioning yourself. Will you look undesirable to a new employer? Or even worse yet are you going to be dismissed by women?

There are lots of myths in relation to hair loss. Wearing caps is not going to make your hair fall out and neither will applying hair gel. It is actually natural to shed hair; believe it or not, the typical person will shed between 50 and 100 hairs a day. But for some these hairs are not always replaced. The most common cause of hair loss in males is the inherited condition androgenic alopecia which is more commonly referred to as male pattern baldness. Men with this problem have elevated levels of a hormone known as 5(alpha)-reductase, which transforms testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT attacks hair follicles, gradually shrinking them which results in shorter, finer hair until eventually the hair follicle dies.

For those who have read this far and can relate then you have most likely come to grips with your loss of hair… but what can you do about it? You could try your best to hide it maybe with the good old comb over or in my instance the comb forward. Although that isn’t going to work forever and you will ultimately find yourself looking like Donald Trump.

A couple of commonly used hair loss remedies are Rogaine and Propecia. Rogaine is a solution that is applied directly to the scalp. Rogaine works to increase the size of shrunken hair follicles so they can produce lengthier, fuller hairs. Propecia is a capsule that works to slow down the generation of DHT (the hormone that we identified is liable for shrinking the hair follicles to begin with). The issue with both of these medications is that they contain finastercide which has been linked to erection problems and low sex drive. Another problem is that the minute you stop with such products your hair will go back to the original state.

Another alternative is laser treatment where a low-level laser is used to activate hair follicles and encourage hair growth. This is something which I have had personal experience with. I once gave an organization a significant amount of money for a plan made up entirely of the aforementioned drugs plus some laser hair sessions. There was very little improvement. Bear in mind that the effects will vary because naturally everyone is different; however, I surely could not see the justification of the multi-thousand dollar sale price.

The earlier remedies work on the philosophy that you detect your hair loss early. If it is too far gone in your case there are several aesthetic options available like a hair piece. These can be costly and hard to maintain. And despite looking realistic, all it takes is for somebody to run their fingers through your hair to understand that it isn’t real. You could also attempt hair transplants where healthy hair is harvested from the other regions of your head and relocated to the bald areas. It’s often a pricey or painful procedure and there is the risk of scarring.

The final alternative and this is one that I have been leaning towards lately is to just go bald gracefully. Shave your head. Look at a number of the guys out there making this look trendy. Michael Jordan, Vin Diesel and Bruce Willis just to name a few. True, it’s going to be daunting to make that initial leap, nevertheless you can find men out there with flawless hairlines that select this as a style because it looks hot and in many cases makes them look younger.

You need to realise that losing your hair is not the end of the universe although it is irritating because it is something you do not have any control over. Bare in mind you are not alone with research demonstrating that one in four men will encounter premature balding before they turn 30. It’s not your hair style that defines you. It’s how well you carry yourself.