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Hair and the Loss Thereof
EmperorSeth
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Ever since I was a kid, I had to accept a basic truth. Genetically, I'm destined to get really bald. My dad is bald, and baldness runs on both sides of my family. It's happening very quickly to my little brother, and he's only 25. On the other hand, I'm already 28, and I'm not nearly as bad as he is. I think I'm starting to see some thinning and a receeding hairline, though, but it's hard to just tell at a look at this point. So my questions are
1: How can you tell if you are starting to lose your hair before it becomes too late?
2: What, at this point, can you really do about it? Is rogaine really useful in the slightest, or is it barely better than the old "Hair in a Tube" idea the Simpsons parodied over 15 years ago? What about more recent advancements, and how much can I expect to pay for them?
1: How can you tell if you are starting to lose your hair before it becomes too late?
2: What, at this point, can you really do about it? Is rogaine really useful in the slightest, or is it barely better than the old "Hair in a Tube" idea the Simpsons parodied over 15 years ago? What about more recent advancements, and how much can I expect to pay for them?
You know what? Nanowrimo's cancelled on account of the world is stupid.
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Will be watching this thread with interest.
Assuming for the moment that you have insurance, you can certainly ask your doctor about it next time you go in. Tell him about the family history, but bear in mind that's not the only factor; my brother, for instance, has a full head of thick luxurious hair. That fuckwad.
Anyway, your doctor will probably be able to take a look and see if your hairline is moving, if you've got male-pattern baldness thinning, and that kinda junk. This is stuff you probably can do too, but it's good to have an objective eye looking at it. You don't want to be in denial and miss what's there, or be seeing something that isn't there because you're paranoid.
That said, if you think you have reason to worry about it, you probably do. Rogaine does work, and for a lot of people, work very well. It's available in big old tubs at Costco. Propecia is also supposed to be pretty good, but last time I checked, was prescription only, and probably not covered by insurance.
However, I don't know how well any of that works over the long term. Are you hooking yourself up for a lifetime of rubbing schmutz in your hair or it'll all fall out in one day? Could be, I dunno. Would you be better off finding a hairstyle that doesn't show the thinning/baldness very much that you can just live and be happy with? Yes, I think so. Probably cheaper too. I haven't bought shampoo in a decade!
Oh, one last thing: do you have asthma? I know some asthma meds make hair fall out. Not chemo-style-lose-all-your-hair, but make for decided thinning. That may just be something you have to live with. Or, you know, stop breathing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldness
Anybody who's using it want to chime in? This is contrary to my understanding.
In all seriousness there should be a clinic around you somewhere, most offer free intial consultations so look in the phone book or go the Bruce Willis look.
Satans..... hints.....
I took a quick look at the Rogaine web site (www.rogaine.com, duh!*), and they point out that it works differently on different people. I'd imagine it's very possible that it's more likely to work on either the bald spot or the receding hairline, but I have a hard time believing that it can't work on one or the other.
* Was that a bit over-snarky?
It was approved for balding at the crown, but post-launch studies have shown some limited efficacy on the hairline. Same with Propecia.
This has not been found to be effective by the FDA and the studies are mixed. The FDA has approved it as safe, though - so when you see "FDA-approved" in those ads they're referring to safety approval, not efficacy.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
30 minutes of vigorous cardio exercise daily combined with a diet low in fat and cholesterol?
Or hair plugs, take your pick.
Basically, there are four and a half medically accepted treatments for hair loss. The two I just mentioned, Propecia, Rogaine, and the 1/2 is Nizoral. Nizoral is a 1/2 because it only seems to do any good when combined with Propecia and/or Rogaine, and the benefit is very slight.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Yeah, seriously. There seems to be a not-very-well-understood connection between sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, and male pattern baldness.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
However, I don't know if that's an insight into baldness... or just another sign that Walken is out of his damn mind.
Cause I loves me some eggs.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.