Hair Loss

Im 27 and starting to go bald on the top of my head.  Im am currently using nioxin shampoo and thinking about starting rogaine. Suggestions are much appreciated.  Oh and i really dont want to do the surgry ive heard thats its kinda painful and doesnt always work.

I personally like bald/balding men, so you need to know I have that bias right off the bat.

Once you begin minoxidil (rogaine) treatment you need to commit to taking it permanently to ensure hair regrowth remains. Once you stop, it will recede very quickly to whatever the set point for you is at the age you stop.

While I understand that many men are uncomfortable losing their hair, I struggle with the cost/benefits of taking a prescription medication for hair loss that is absolutely absorbed through your scalp into your system. I feel exactly the same way about botox injections for frown lines in women.

So, I'm not the best person to respond because I think we downplay the long term side effects and risks of prescriptions far too much in our society so that we can rationalize taking substances that can harm us for self-confidence-boosting reasons.

Most of the guys I've known who begin balding in their twenties, simply shave their heads completely -- and hey, I like the look.

But I don't want to come across flippant regarding your own situation and all I'd like to suggest is that you think about the systemic impacts of taking minoxidil for decades. It's all a great big sum total and it's cumulative. You can't know now what prescriptions you might need for real health issues down the line -- what interactions could those prescriptions have with a body that's already been on minoxidil for say 15 years? No one can answer that and they don't even try.

Best of luck in your decision making process.

Does baldness run in your family?  Have you been under a lot of stress?  Have you had your thyroid checked?  Just some things that can cause baldness that you may need to think about.

Otherwise, bald can be very sexy.

Yes it does usually not this early though no i havent and yes i have.