Went bald at a young age

[MTguitar]

I noticed it falling out when I ran my fingers through it at about 18 or so.

By 21-ish, I could see it noticably thin at the top back of my head. It really freaked me out and I started using Rogaine on it. The stuff works as long as you remember to put it on twice daily. Most of the hair came back, but if I start slacking on the application, the thinning is noticable. It doesn't do anything about your forehead, though and I have a noticable widow's peak.

[Caffeine Patrol]

Been shiny for years, no problem. Lots of ladies like it, and lots of my heroes are chrome domes: Hank Williams, Johnny Horton, Bob Wills, Bill Monroe, Dwight Yoakam, Yul Brynner, and, of course, Deke Dickerson:

[pengipete]

There's only one way to prevent or halt hair loss - castration.

[Larry F]

There are a couple of mentions here about hair falling out as a sign of hair loss. I'm only repeating what I have read, but I thought hair falls out at a steady rate. Bald guys just don't grow it back. I'm not shiny bald and brush it back. I've been told many times that I look like Kelsey Grammar. It has never bothered me at all.

[LoveBandit]

My Dad had the male pattern baldness but my brother (59 years old) and me (45 years old) still have EVERY hair on our heads. Sometimes I think my hair is even thicker than when I was younger.

I have TONS of other problems though, so...

-LB.

[DickensCPA]

Originally Posted by Carzee

When you're young...
I'm no DNA tech, but my take is that early shaving/deeper voice/hairy chested types have higher testosterone (sp?) and get "the Do" probs more.

I'm not bald. I'm the opposite. I'm 51 soon and still have all my head hair, not even widows peak... but I've never had "sideburns" and you'd need the CSi team to find a chest hair on me (low testarossa levels LOL).

That makes perfect sense although I'd never heard it before. My voice dropped in about the second grade. Beginning of school year and every substitute teacher that called roll would give me the ole, "Are you in the grade you're supposed to be in" look.

Had to start shaving the summer before third grade. By 5th grade it was twice a day. My beard doesn't stop below the chin either, meets the hair on my chest. Grows at an ALARMING rate and tough when you wear a tie everyday. I've shaved with a straight razor since 11th grade. Multy blades and disposable won't even pull thru my beard, plus ingrowns are a nightmare. I bet I've burnt the motor out of at least 6 electrics.

I just assumed all my male classmates were the same. It wasn't until I started Jr high in the 7th grade that we changed clothes for PE. That's when I noticed everyone else and they noticed me. I had a full chest of hair and a 3 day beard.

In the 70's I had a hunk of thick hay bale hair and looked like I had a football helmet with no mask. About 25 I got serious widows peak and it just kept peaking. No comb over, just cropped real short. I'm 37 now and would LOVE to shave it all off, but I have a dip in my head towards the front and had a tumor removed that left a scar I'm a bit self conscious about.

I've always blamed it on playing baseball from 4 yrs old thru college.

[xjazzy]

When I was 19 I had big hair but it was not that much quantity!
When I got into university I cut it and two years later I assumed my baldness till this day.

Here's a after and before pics (28 and 19):

[Skully]

It's the bit in between that I couldn't stand - going bald is a lot worse than being bald.

+1.

I started balding at 18. It was a very slow process of receding and thinning. By the time I was 40, I still had some hair on top, but the scalp was definitely winning the battle for prominence. After a period of mental preparation, one day I finally shaved my head. Now, I find myself looking upon the balding with pity.

[Sterling Indigo]

Well, some of mine is turning grey and some is turning loose. Incidentally, I appear to have more hair in other places. I guess we call that a crop rotation.

[Just-Jim]

I have been lucky. 46 years old and no real signs of thinning and very little grey (good genes on my mom's side). It's a double edged sword though. I hated my hair growing up. I wanted to wear it long like my favorite rock stars, but it was too out of control and unmanagable. It grew straight up - did not hang down. It was like a bowl of shredded wheat without the milk or steel wool. I was waiting for the day it would thin, thinking it would be easier to control. Now that I am older, I could care less that it's out of control and a mess, just glad it's there. Unfortunately I keep it short because it doesn't look presentable for business when I start to let it grow out.

[imsilly]

I literally have nightmares about being bald, not necessarily because of the lack of hair (from the age of 14 to about 24 I shaved my head), but because for some reason once people loose their hair they stop bothering to look good at all.

There is the problem, not the lack of hair itself, but the self-esteem problems it causes leading to a vicious circle of self loathing and not bothering. First comes the baldness then the baggy pants and the tweed jackets with arm patches.

Finally comes the BEIGE clothing!

I had the opportunity during a long dull funeral to track my genetic predisposition to baldness by looking at all my close relatives. Luckily I will never go bald as I had no direct maternal links to anyone bald. Genetics is the number one cause of baldness. There is virtually nothing in terms of lifestyle that leads to baldness. Then there is rare cases of illness. So unless I get really unlucky I'm safe.

[1962guitargeek]

Originally Posted by pengipete

There's only one way to prevent or halt hair loss - castration.

I'll live with it ,thank you!!!

I started going bald in the front in my mid 20's. I blamed it on motorcycle helmets.

Now I have the James Gandolfini look. lol!

Yes I had a full beard when I graduated at 17. I was mistaken for a teacher whenever I dressed nice.

That's me kneeling in front.

[wetland10]

I'm not "bald" but somewhat balding in the back and a bit receded in the front. Started in my mid-twenties. I never really worried about it and it seems to change slowly every now and then. The last two years I have noticed a change and started Rogaine to see what would happen. Nothing has really grown back but maybe it has slowed the overall process? I don't really know since I started it long after any loss. I contemplated transplants since the results really do lok good these days. Met with a doctor but have yet to follow though. Anyone go through this? I am on the fence if it is really worth it or not.

Wayne

[F6_FullMelt]

Originally Posted by Larry F

There are a couple of mentions here about hair falling out as a sign of hair loss. I'm only repeating what I have read, but I thought hair falls out at a steady rate. Bald guys just don't grow it back...

I thought this too..

I have been losing like a pound of hair a day for years. In the shower drain, in the hairbrushes, even any time I so much as run a had through my hair I get some hair off. It is worse today than ever, and my hair is bigger than ever as well. Some day I may be in for a big surprise but I do not think so any time soon. I have had a hairy chest for years (I'm talking HAIRY), my stomach and legs are even super hairy. My beard is unbelievably thick and I have not been able to comfortably take a blade to my face since high school. At 22, I am starting to get the sweater vest - a few hairs on the shoulders, some on my lower back. It isn't exactly a blessing. Luckily though, my chest/beard/head are the only parts thick enough to lose a jungle expedition in, so its not so bad. 30-something girls tend to be more psyched on it than girls my age - they lived through the days when the open-shirt/hairy chest were cool.

now if only I could stop getting fatter!

[refin]

I've got a little bit of the friar look------been losing shingles on the old roof now for awhile.
I'll take that over this---

[octatonic]

Bald is cool.
Hiding bald is tragic beyond belief.

You just have to 'own it'.

Would you rather be:



or

[TELECASTERbstrd]

Originally Posted by MattC

I grew a go-tee to give my face some hair.

Any other brothers of the bald out there?

Not bald yet, but I always suspected that guys that go bald before their time grew Go-tee's for that reason!
Fascinating!

[Xanderbeanz]

im sort of receding, but i don't think it's too bad, no worry, i'm sure in 10 years or so time i'll be able to get fibre optic hair implants that change colour within the flick of a button, or touchpad, as buttons are now obsolete, apparently.XD

[Billy B.]

I am a barber and I have seen a magical regrowth in a client who had a big friar tuck thing goin on He used a combo of rogain and propecia and it worked! never seen anything work so well,one was a topical the other a pill not sure which is which ,but together? at least for this individual it was magic

[wetland10]

Originally Posted by Billy B.

I am a barber and I have seen a magical regrowth in a client who had a big friar tuck thing goin on He used a combo of rogain and propecia and it worked! never seen anything work so well,one was a topical the other a pill not sure which is which ,but together? at least for this individual it was magic

Yeah, for some reason that supposedly works well. HOWEVER, Propecia is NOTORIOUS for making your hair quite vibrant and another body part quite "limp." Is it worth that????