NT Going Bald Crew: Male Pattern Baldness FTL

[lovehateself]

If I have the money, I'm gonna get some new hair damn it.

paying for the right treatment

thats porsche money b

im already cutting my hair at the lowest clip ive ever done, down to a 3

when the day comes, im going out like the transporter til its all gone. 

3v on that scale...

im not ready to come on home

 

[gentrification]

The day it happens I'm getting it low with a baldfade blended into a beard. For now I'm growing my **** long doe. I got my **** ready doe.

 

[nazdrowie]

DE razors are not recommended when shaving ones head...

there will be blood, at least for me there was

 

[foamtothedome]

that aint no jacob jesus  

side note my brother went on procepia (believe i spelt it correctly) Long story short, his doctor took him off it as its been traced to early cases of prostate cancer.

 

[Mark Antony]

My pipe game got too many 5 star reviews to be messing with any of that stuff.

 

[lamekilla]

The baldy is more maintenance than having hair though. I'm bout to invest in some good Andis clippers. I'm so afraid to put the razor blade to my scalp but putting clippers to my head every other day doesn't get it close enough

...my beard however

 

[Blake P]

The baldy is more maintenance than having hair though. I'm bout to invest in some good Andis clippers. I'm so afraid to put the razor blade to my scalp but putting clippers to my head every other day doesn't get it close enough

...my beard however

If you're afraid of a razor blade, Andis Profoil Lithium shaver is what you need to get real smooth.

 

[AZwildcats]

Or the Wahl 5-Star shaver.

 

[Blake P]

Or the Wahl 5-Star shaver.

Yeah, I just like the Andis because the battery is lithium an the foils seem a little stronger.

 

[atlsfinest]

Alright NT papitos, I'm going to try to share as much knowledge as I can with you about MPB based on my experience and a substantial amount of research I've done. My corners started fading into Bolivia as early as 17 years old, so I know that feel. I've been on FDA approved medications for hairloss for a year now and just underwent a FUE hair transplant procedure by one of the top docs in the world 9 days ago. I've shared a lot of knowledge in the Tyga thread, but it's probably better off here.

First I will start by saying that if you are comfortable shaving your head, look good with a shaved head, or are too scared to REALISTICALLY combat hair loss, do it. I believe it is the best option for most men and is undoubtably the safest, lowest risk move when you are losing your hair. I wish I could do it, I really do. But I'm not afraid to admit that it scared the **** out of me because I have a big head, no facial hair, and I'm a skinny papi. So the other papis would, without a shred of doubt, be testing my gansta.

This is the Norwood scale, often used to determine where you are in the progression of MPB. At this point I am somewhere between NW2-3

View media item 2135947

Now, if you decide to fight the good fight and try to combat hairloss, it's important to have a good diet, exercise regularly, etc. etc., all the things that allow you to live a healthy lifestyle. However, the main culprit of hairloss is a form of testosterone called DHT. DHT attacks susceptible hair follicles (front and top of your head) and overtime shrinks them until they die. Thats why when you see your corners or other areas of your scalp fading into Bolivia, the hairs there looks "thinner". That is because the follicle is shrinking, shrinking, and shrinking, until it finally calls it quits and dies. Male PATTERN baldness is called just that because normally, this happens in a few specific patterns: corners, then midscalp, then crown or corners, crown, then midscalp...until all the hair on top is gone. Many men experience the same patterns, but everyone is a little bit different. Thats why you see some guys lose their corners first and other guys have crisp line but they have a skylight in the back of their dome. My pattern so far has been my hairline rised up (16-17 y/o), temples and corners started to catch a fade (18-22), front of my "hairline" started to thin out (23-24). MPB is a progressive issue, meaning it continues to get worse until you either lose all your hair you were meant to lose or you prevent further loss with medication.

That gets me to my next point: preventative medications. This is crucial if you decide that you don't want to lose any more hair. There are basically 2 PROVEN options you have to chose from: minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia). Most of you have probably heard of Rogaine due to the marketing they have employed. It comes in a few different strengths and either a liquid or foam. You have to use it twice a day and INDEFINITELY. This means that if you stop using it, any benefits that you might have seen will quickly fade into Bolivia. Is there side effects? I have heard of some men experiencing headaches and getting very flaky scalps from using minoxidil, but since it is a topical solution, its side effects don't compare to anything you might experience from taking any sort of pill. Is it effective? I believe so, but every man is different. I personally do not use it because I can't see myself taking two times out of my day to put foam in my hair, plus I like to wear my hair longer (I'm a white papi with finer hair) which would make it difficult to apply. The other option you have is finasteride. This is a pill that has been proven to lower DHT levels in your body to prevent DHT from attacking your hair follicles. Studies showed that 85% of men responded well to the medication and prevented any further hair loss over a 10 year period. However, when you research this medication online it can be very scary because of all the horror stories you will find about potential side effects which are mostly sexual side effects. I believe some of these are real life. However in the 10 year study, only 1-2% of men said they experienced sexual side effects. When I first learned about this drug over a year ago, I immediately told myself I would not take it because my sex life is worth way more than my hair. The stories scared the hell out of me. However, once you do a little more research you will realize that the majority of men do not experience side effects from this drug. I decided to give it a shot and I have not experienced any side effects. It has also helped halt my hairloss in its place and I have not lost any ground since I started the medication about a year ago. If you are considering this as an option, there are a few forms of this drug that you take daily: generic finasteride 1mg (2nd cheapest option), brand Propecia 1mg (most expensive), generic Proscar 5mg (cheapest option, cut into 1/4 for daily dose of 1.25mg), and brand Proscar 5mg (cut into 1/4 for daily dose of 1.25mg). From my research and personal experience, generic options do not work nearly as well as the branded versions. Theoretically it should not work this way, I know. But there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that brand options are much much more effective than generic. I started on generic finasteride 1mg for 6 months and while I didn't think I lost much ground at all, it seemed that my hair never really stopped shedding. So I switched to 1mg propecia and BOOM, after 1-2 weeks it seemed like my shedding came to a screeching halt. In the past month, I switched to 5mg Proscar cut into 1/4 to save some money (50% costs of 1mg Propecia). It costs me about $50/month.

I will put a small note in here about vitamins, special shampoos, oils, etc. etc. that people claim will help stop hairloss. While there is nothing to prove that they do stop hairloss, there is also plenty to prove that they do not. Just take a look at all the guys who started balding and tried these (castor oil, snake oil, biotin, etc.) as their only mode of attack. They all keep losing hair. That is because none of these things stop DHT from forming in your body. I have heard that saw palmetto will lower DHT, but there is no scientific proof. Personally I did not want to waste anymore time and risk losing more hair by messing around on natural options, thats why I started finasteride. I also take biotin daily, but more to make sure my hair has all the vitamins it needs to grow healthy. I also use a nizoral shampoo to help keep my scalp healthy and flake free (2-3x per week).

What about treatments? I saw someone in here mention PRP and also you might see some advertisement about laser therapy. While a lot of hair loss doctors out there might recommend these treatments and claim that men have seen improvement while using them, to date there is no scientific evidence to prove so. I don't doubt that some men have benefited from either one, but I am not willing to spend my money on something that hasn't been proven over the course of several years.

Now, lets talk about transplants. As I mentioned before, I just underwent a procedure 9 days ago with one of the top doctors in the world. Dr. Victor Hasson at Hasson & Wong in Vancouver, Canada. I received 1859 grafts to my hairline via FUE technique. After over a year of in depth research, I decided it was time to go through with it. I want to really stress here how important it is to do your research. When you think you've done a lot, do more. This is not something you want to rush into. I know it can be hard because of the mental anguish that hair loss can cause and you just want to have a quick fix. Hair restoration surgery is not a quick fix and is probably the most risky cosmetic procedure that you can choose because it is very unpredictable and every guy is different. A couple really important things to understand before you consider a HT: you have limited donor hair, you will never achieve the same density as your native hair (before you started losing ground) and it is vital to stop any further loss with preventative measures (i.e. Rogaine or finasteride). The last thing you want to be doing is chasing your hairline with more and more transplants for the rest of your life because you aren't taking the meds to prevent further loss. Eventually you run out of donor hair and theres not much else you can do. You have to be very realistic about what you can achieve with a HT based on your age, level of hair loss, donor capacity, type of hair (fine, wavy, curly, thick, etc.), and family history. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!! I can't stress this enough. I traveled from Florida all the way to Vancouver because I told myself if I was going to do this, I wanted to go with the best. It is a very risky and expensive procedure, so you want to make sure you are in the right hands. If you end up in the wrong hands, it can end up messing up your life BAD.

There are two methods of a HT: FUT (strip) and FUE. FUT is when they take a strip of your scalp out of the back of your head where the DHT resistant hair is, dissect the grafts out of that strip, and then plant them in the bald areas. When you get this procedure, it forces you to wear your hair a little longer in the back to be able to conceal the scar once it heals. FUE is when they extract follicles one by one and then plant them in the front of your scalp. This allows you to wear your hair shorter in the back. There is no such thing as a scarless procedure. FUE still leaves small white dots that if you shave your head below a one guard you could probably see. I don't think I will go below a 2-3 guard so that didn't concern me before I underwent my procedure.

I could write a whole lot more about HT's, but theres literally too much to go into. What I really want to get across is that if you are considering a HT as an option for you, DO YOUR RESEARCH. Go through the hair loss forums (Bald Truth Talk and Hair Restoration Network) and read through all the threads (even the bad ones). Do as many in person and online consultations with IAHRS approved doctors as you possibly can to get a few different opinions on what they their recommendation is for you. Don't just go to one doctor and listen to them, I'm so glad I didn't go this route because I would probably be screwed right now.

If you have questions about hair loss or anything related, feel free to PM me. I'll post pics of my pre-op and post-op eventually on here. Its going to take a while to any sort of results. Its a long process. But seriously, if you look good with a shaved head, you should at least try it. Like others said, grow your beard out, work out, and be confident. My roommate had serious struggle hair for the longest time and didn't get laid for 4 years. He decided to buzz it down and has been killing it with the mamis ever since. I know I sound like a hypocrite when I say all of this, but everyone is different. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!

Great Post. Lots of info to digest. Can/Should I mix treatments? I want to try the Rogaine Foam shortly but I'm also interested in the Propecia.

 

[PatRiley]

Yep you can definitely mix the two of you are willing. Just remember, you have to take them indefinitely. As soon as you stop, your hair loss will most likely catch back up to you, where it would have been had you never even started the treatments

 

[cards93]

That transplant **** sounds super aggressive. I'm good with just shaving my head.

Best of luck to you though, looking forward to seeing pics.

 

[Narcissist]

Few key things to having a bald head. Having the head shape for it. Imo that's the most important. Like others have stated, having some sort of facial hair also adds to the look.

As for using a razor, start small and go with the grain like you would shaving your face. Eventually you'll be comfortable enough to go against the grain. I have to go with, against and side to side to get the look I like. I shave it fast with no nicks at this point.

Been sporting the bald look for 6 yrs now and I get more attention for it. Just embrace it and you won't regret it.

 

[PatRiley]

That transplant **** sounds super aggressive. I'm good with just shaving my head.

Best of luck to you though, looking forward to seeing pics.

Yea no doubt it is pretty invasive. I chose the less invasive version and still it was pretty intense. They numb up your head with local anastetic by injecting it with needles into your scalp which is the most painful part. Besides that it was painless. But after a day or two the swelling from the saline and anastetic injections start to move down your face. I woke up day 2 post op and looked like the monster from the goonies. I could barely see my own eyes in the mirror. I appreciate the kind words, I'll definitely be sharing my results. Probably around the 4-6 month mark.

 

[PatRiley]

View media item 2138401
FUE is much less invasive than FUT (strip). I can go more into the differences of the two in more detail later on. But to give you an idea of healing time, this is my donor area (part of your scalp that is DHT resistant and where they extract grafts from) only 1 week post op. I have a stupid bowl cut because they had to shave my donor for the surgery and I left the hair on top so I could get it faded in a couple weeks to be able to conceal my transplanted area better until the grafts start growing

 

[robtoofresco]

^It looks to be healing great, fam.

Cant even tell where they harvested the follicles from unless you're familiar with HT's & are specifically looking for that.

 

[Blake P]

^It looks to be healing great, fam.

Cant even tell where they harvested the follicles from unless you're familiar with HT's & are specifically looking for that.

Yeah, I'm not familiar with the procedure and can't really even see any scar/bald areas.  Crazy.

 

[Sneaker P]

PatRiley You can keep your hair that short and no one will even know where you had the follicles pulled from. So much better than FUT scar.

Keep us updated on results but so far looks like you getting monies worth. Also a before and after would be dope at one point.

Great success!

 

[cards93]

View media item 2138401
FUE is much less invasive than FUT (strip). I can go more into the differences of the two in more detail later on. But to give you an idea of healing time, this is my donor area (part of your scalp that is DHT resistant and where they extract grafts from) only 1 week post op. I have a stupid bowl cut because they had to shave my donor for the surgery and I left the hair on top so I could get it faded in a couple weeks to be able to conceal my transplanted area better until the grafts start growing

that doesn't look bad at all man. I was cringing and expecting much worse when reading your account.

 

[PatRiley]

Thanks guys. I'm having my wife take weekly photos for me to track all the progress. It's still really early on, so I just need to be patient for now. The first signs of initial growth come at 3 months at the earliest. I'm definitely glad I went through with it. Although results are never guaranteed, I significantly increased my chances of a great result by choosing a top doctor with one of the best reputations in the world. I suggest anyone looking into a HT to do the same and never cut corners for cost. There are some options in Turkey that are much cheaper than docs in North America that still produce great results, but with everything going on over there right now I'm glad I made the choice I did.

 

[cards93]

I don't know if you are comfortable sharing, but what does something like that cost? 10-20 grand?

 

[PatRiley]

I don't know if you are comfortable sharing, but what does something like that cost? 10-20 grand?

Yep somewhere around there. Its a very expensive surgery, especially when you choose FUE over FUT. If you want a specific number just PM me

 

[cosmiccoffee9]

not me yet *rubs scalp* but I'm closing on 30 so I could see it in my (hopefully distant) future.

I will say I've known my #1 homie since 7th/8th grade and one of the times I gained the most respect for him is when he recognized his own pattern early and went with the Kobe Fadeaway.

glad I didn't have to, but would y'all pull one of the bruddahs aside for THAT TALK? I'd damn sure want somebody to tap me on the shoulder when it's clearly time. not like bald/beard isn't a badass look for people who actually look like men.

 

[nazdrowie]

@heirjordan15  looks good

based on your knowledge of MPB, can people stop at a certain stage on that norwood scale or is full coverage lose inevitable?

 

[PatRiley]

@heirjordan15
 looks good

based on your knowledge of MPB, can people stop at a certain stage on that norwood scale or is full coverage lose inevitable?

Thanks

Yes I think it is possible to stop at a certain stage, but I believe it depends on family history. Take a look at the males on both sides of your family to see what is possible for your future. They say the maternal side is where you get your MPB gene, but it can really come from either side. For me, my moms side were all bald and started losing hair early and I saw my loss progressing in a similar pattern so I didn't want to take any chances and got ahead of it via medications and HT