Attention all BALD guys...

So...I am losing my hair. This is the first time I have actually admitted this to anybody, but I needed to accept the fact. I thought this would never happen, as far as genetics go I was doing well and always had a really really thick head of hair. I can remember multiple times that I have had a hair cutter tell me that I will never have to worry about going bald. Well those berkeleyers were wrong! Further research on causes of this informed me that I likely caused all this myself, I will not mention specifics but it appears to be the result of living a fast life at a young age. Karma may have helped out with this one too, as I have made fun of my friends who had receding hairlines on several occasions.

In the front the hairline has gone back slightly, but what really concerns me is that I am really thinning out in the back.

So to all the other bald/balding guys out there I have two questions for you..

Do any of the "treatments" out there actually work?(i.e. rogaine, propecia, etc) What about some kind of grassroots treatment? I just started taking fish oil and iron supplements to try and help stabilize it but I am willing to try anything within reason....

And the most important question of all...

At what point do you say "berkeley it" and shave it ALL off? I do not want to be one of those guys that is completely bald on top but still has the long hair of their youth on the rest of their head and looks something like bozo the clown:

Anxiously awaiting any input from people who have been there/done that!

berkeley it. Shave it. You won't regret it. I've been doing it for 5+ years now. My daughter has enough hair for the both of us.

From my meager understanding, rogane and the like work for awhile but you need more and more to keep it up. Plus it takes a while to kick it if it's going to work for you. I gave up early and didn't stress out about it. Besides, I like crew cuts.

There's not magic treatment to stop it from falling out. Some stuff may slow it down, but you can't stop it. If you've got the bucks, you could do hair restoration/plugs.

Otherwise, it's personal choice as to shave it or not. I've got the traditional male pattern baldness, but no way on earth I'm ready to shave the rest of it off yet. I just keep the rest cut short, so I don't look like Bozo.

I'm slowly going bald. It's funny, because I used to shave my head when I had a full head of hair, so I really don't care that much.

I no longer shave it, but I do keep it short these days.

Genetics are a much bigger factor than lifestyle. Overall odds are about 4 in 7 for baldness. Meds, stress and nutrition can play a role though.

Just isn't worth the time, money, effort and risk to go fight mother nature with meds or home remedies - she will kick your ass. #1 or #2 attachment on some clippers - and good to go without having to spend the time shaving the melon.

Grtechguy wrote: berkeley it. Shave it. You won't regret it. I've been doing it for 5+ years now. My daughter has enough hair for the both of us.

What he said. Screw it, buy a set of clippers and start saving money on haircuts. I have been no guarding it since about 99-2000 with the same set of clippers. I had to get haircuts every week when I was in the Marine Corps and didn't want to spend the $5-$7 a week on a high and tight anymore. After getting out, I still do it because I am too cheap to start paying for haircuts, I like the look, and I like the feeling of no hair.

I was super nervous about doing it the first time, hoping that I didn't have a weird shaped head.

We had a thread about this a couple years ago...can't seem to find it.

I don't shave mine yet, but I keep it very short on the sides, and just long enough to fall over on the top. I'm thin in the back with a five-head. One thing I've noticed about mine is that it progressed very rapidly from age 24-26 and then pretty much stopped. I'm now almost 30 and it hasn't really progressed in the last couple of years.

Oh, and as for meds, Rogaine apparently works well as long as you keep using it, and although it's not reliable enough that it's claimed by the manufacturer, it SOMETIMES helps regrow along your hairline (the box only claims it helps vertex baldness). Stay away from Propecia unless you're willing to run the risk of being chemically castrated, it's a rare-but-not-unheard-of side effect.

I had really long hair in high school and into my early 20's before genetics took over (I have my mother's father's hair line - exactly). Plus, I really got into cycling about that time and long hair became really annoying. Shaving seems like too much work to me, so I just have it cut with a #3 a few times a year. I might have that done tonight in fact, since it's getting a bit unruley/annoying.

I decided about 10-years ago that when I no longer had enough on top to part, it was time to shave it off. That happened about 3-years ago. I should have started shaving it off about 20-years ago though - it's so much easier!

Mine started thinning by the time I got out of high school. A year of paying some guy $5 for a haircut while I was in the service was enough to convince me to buy a set of clippers. From there it was a short walk to just shaving it.

That was 20 years ago, I haven't missed hair at all in those 20 years. So much faster to get up and out the door in the morning, one less thing to worry about. I hit it with a razor ever 3 days or so or if I let it go longer because Im lazy then I need to hit it with the clippers first, no biggie.

2 notes, if you, like me, are prone to hitting your head on things like when you work under a car you will now be lacking a layer of padding, but the clean up and damage assessment is easier

Second, sunscreen! The first time you burn your head...and you will, you will never for get sunscreen and/or a hat again.

Say no to the hair, you won't regret it.

Shave it. Most of the treatments I found have negative effects on your hootus listed as a side effect. No thank you, I'll just switch to a shorter clipper guard. No point looking sexified if you can't back it up.

There is something to be said for reducing stress in your life as already suggested, as is "massaging" the scalp. But you really can't stop the inevitable.

Forget about the plugs that ends up looking worse than just being bald. Just go for the Jean-Luc Picard and move on with your life

Worrying about it makes it fall out faster.

I've donated ~19 gallons of blood over my life so far, at every one they ask if I'm taking ______ (a hair relacement product). If they don't want it in someone else's blood, I don't see how it could be good in mine.

Are you a better Dad with more hair?

Are you a better wrench with more hair?

Are you a better lover with more hair?

Blame it on a crappy recessive gene from your mother's side and move along.

Yes, I have a five head and a fly airport. Suck it up.

Dan

I was pretty much the exact same boat as you a couple years ago, except from the sounds of it I didn't care as much. I was in denial for a while, as the front hair line was receding a bit and thinning, but I didn't think much of it. That was until I saw a picture of myself from behind and noticed how thin the typical bald spot area was! I still don't have any bald spots, but I have some pretty thin areas. What I've found to work is just keep it short. It looks much better and less obvious that way. I trim the sides and back of my hair with the 1/4" attachment every two weeks or so, and the top with the longest attachment every three months or so. I think it looks the best when the sides and back are freshly trimmed and the top has about a month of growth on it, but YMMV.

jere wrote: Just go for the Jean-Luc Picard and move on with your life

If I have to be bald, I wish I could have his hair line...

Hell, you could grow it out, wear round glasses and have a Ben Franklin thing going...

I'm 67 and have most of a full head of hair. Got a real thin spot in the back and a slightly receding front. Have decided that if it progresses much more, I will shave/ clipper it all off. Have talked to quite a few guys that do that, and generally they have no regrets at all. Besides that, I am not vain.

The only draw back to not having hair are sun burning the dome. I try to remember to wear a hat when I'm going to be at risk for sunburn. I use a #4 guard on my clippers and save $$ on hair cuts. My wife doesn't care about the baldness, but doesnt like me to cut whats left any shorter.

I have a nice thick head of hair. I wear a hat during all my waking hours, 7 days a week. Is that bad? Am I going to start losing hair because I always have something on my head? Serious question.

A part of me thought that wearing a hat all the time in the military was a reason why I have a receding hair line, but all I have to do is look at a picture of my father. Then I realize why the receding hairline is there.

Check this out...

www.headblade.com

I had a thick head of hair. I can't tell you how many people commented on my thick head of hair. I too, had hair stylists say I didn't have to worry about it. Well, now my thick head of hair has given way to a thick head. I shaved my head for about a year. I loved it and will do it again one day....maybe tonight. My wife didn't like it so that's the only reason I'm not a cue ball now. I keep it at a #1 now.
So, shave it and watch for sunburn. Sleeping with a sunburned head sucks.
Oh, and I used disposable razors (wasn't using a safety blade at that time) and the razors lasted a long time and I never cut myself. It's very fast and painless.

I'll let you know when I figure it out. In my 20s I had really long "Grung Rock" hair. Loved it. When I started losing it, around 28, I got it cut "normal" and all was fine for a while. But now I'm more bald-er. Normal looks goofy, especially since I don't like getting it cut and it's usually too long - like right now. And it looks God awful when it's too long. I did clippers one summer, but really, I just look silly with nothing up there. Some of us just don't have the head for it.

I wear hats a lot.

Man, all of you bald guys sure do have a lot of ways to rationalize not having hair!

rogaine, propecia, finesteride (generic propecia) all work for some people. Basically you need to find what works for you. For obvious reasons people find the pills much easier to live with. A combination of rogaine and propecia will cover most of the bases if you're willing to spend the cash for both. A Dr told a friend of mine...."it's much easier to keep the hair you have than to try and grow new", so if you know it's thinning, and want to keep it, you should start now.

Also, like was mentioned earlier, you will need to stay on the treatment for it to continue to work.