I'm 17 and am going through a crisis.

[Abach24]

You saw the title, I am 17 years old. In about 5 months i went from a full, thick head of hair to losing my confidence entirely.

I had an extremely rare, bad reaction with an anxiety medication, resulting in the premature genetic loss of hair.(all confirmed by Dermatologist) I recently gave myself a buzz, and I'm just dreading staring at my big old dome with tiny thinning hairs on top.

I want to take the plunge, but a clean "sly" shave isnt what you want to rock in HIGH SCHOOL. I do not have the confidence to go sly bald, yet i am extremely not satisfied with whats left up there!

On top of this all, I have a massive head and i just don't think a pale, smooth, massive head at age 17 is something i can pull off. HELP!

[Bald Hobbit]

Post a picture of the scalp, so we can see if you can get away with it for another year.
And if you don't have the confidence to shave it smooth, you'll definitely have it after.
I also have a big head. I was concerned. It looks way better than I thought it would.

By the way, I'm 19, so I'm about your age. Not balding, but I'd be okay with it. I like the feel, you will too.

[Crusher0209]

I say you have nothing to worry about but defiantly post a pic. I'm a little younger than and I am completely bald sly as can be and love it I think it will help you out a lot with your confidence if you do. You shouldn't have much to worry about. If you need anymore help let me know I will be here and will be willing to help you with anything if you need

[Abach24]

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[marty22]

See what you can come up with by meeting with a specialist. If no success, you need to shave it.

[Crusher0209]

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I say you have nothing to worry about but go ahead try a specialist and  if it ends with possibility of scarring I would avoid it and just go ahead and shave it

[Bald Hobbit]

From what I can tell, you would look good bald. Don't freak out over it. It actually looks okay. You could get away with the buzz for a while, the 9th Doctor, Christopher Eccleston look. But still. You would have a great increase in confidence if you shaved it.

Again, your hairline isn't awful.

If you're not comfortable with being in High School bald, when do you graduate or turn 18? After either of those would likely be an easier transition, even if you're still in high school after turning 18. And just one thing--being bald doesn't look bad at all. In fact, you have to agree it looks awesome. It's just outside the norm, though generally accepted.

[Switchy]

agree with the other members statements . 

[Andrei]

Welcome Abach!

There are plenty of men that start to suffer from balding a little bit before graduating so you're not the only one going through this.
But this doesn't mean you don't have a choice.
From your picture I can see you're sporting a buzz cut and honestly, it doesn't look that bad as I expected after reading your first post.
I assume your hair is now about #2 or a #3, but I would suggest you to run the clippers without any combs attached (to get a #0).
When hair would be that short the thinning is not that oblivious anymore.
Regarding the skin color difference, well, we all went through that, moderate sun exposure is the key.
By the way, if you already went with the #0 buzz cut then maybe consider shaving, just to give it a try and see the result; it can be very therapeutic.

[Beardman]

Firstly, welcome to the family mate, I am sorry to hear about your reaction to eh meds mate, but we should be able to help you with your crisis mate!

Good to see Chris and Crusher have already weighed in, they are pretty new to the game themselves so know exactly what you are going through.

I think you will absolutely rock the sly look mate, you don't have to be old to bust out the razor, there are many of us younger guys going all the way  (I am 26 myself, started shaving when I was 25), and we all love it!

The final years of High School are tough on anyone, let alone those of us that suffer with male pattern baldness (MPB) from such a young ages (I started at 13 or 14, and I think it was pretty noticeable by the time I finished high school), but I think that shaving your head will give you that boost that you are after. I personally felt like a weight was instantly lifted off my shoulders when I saw the finished product, and there are many other out there that have reported the same thing, so Hopefully you'll get it too if you decide to take the plunge  . One of the best things about hair though, is that it grows back (where it can...) so if you don't like the sly look, in a little over a week you'll be back to a no guard, almost a #1 buzz! It's really that quick.

If you do give it a shot though mate, I recommend the 30 day rule, shave every day, (or every other day) for 30 days. It will help you become accustomed to the look yourself, as well as your family and friends. It will also help your head get used to the process too, and will give you time to improve your technique and routine. After the 30 days I can almost guarantee you wont look back!

Let us know how you get on, we are here to help where we can mate!

[Frontier Guy]

By the way, if you already went with the #0 buzz cut then maybe consider shaving, just to give it a try and see the result; it can be very therapeutic.

Great suggestion Andrei ... and if you shave on a Friday night, but Monday you'll be back to stubble/buzz.

You could be razor smooth on the weekends until you decide to keep it all week long.

My guess? Once you shave it all the way, you'll be keeping it all the time.

[slymyke]

Welcome, Abach---you came to the right place.  In some degree, we all know what you are going through. 

 I just wanted to add that if you want to try the razor, a good time may be later this month.  If I were you, I would plan to shave it on the first day of Christmas break--right after school.  I'm not sure how many days your school is out for the Holidays, but you would definitely have more than a long weekend.  This would allow you to see what you think, plus give your hair time to grow back out some, if you truly hated it. 

 If you decide to go back with a slick dome, maybe you could rock some Pitbull style sunglasses and play it off real cool.  Either way, just have fun with it, own the look and let your confidence build.  You will get some attention for sure.  Some will be negative and some positive.  Maybe you will start a "fad".  (do we still use that word?  lol).   

*I do have to say that if you decide to leave it "as is"... you will look fine too.

[balddaniel]

As you may know the bald and bearded look is in maybe you should give that a try.  I'll you will look amazing!  Hang in there. Bald is Bold

[stasiu]

See what you can come up with by meeting with a specialist. If no success, you need to shave it.

Welcome to SBG !  I agree, check this hairloss with a specialist.  I am a bit surprised there was no warnings about this anxiety drug side effects?  With Christmas Holiday break coming soon, I'd buzz it no guard and give the sly look a try.  If you don't feel comfortable with sly, then grow to a maximum of #1 or #2 to blend hair/scalp.  Good Luck !  We all support you !

[mrzed]

I say you have nothing to worry about but defiantly post a pic. I'm a little younger than and I am completely bald sly as can be and love it I think it will help you out a lot with your confidence if you do. You shouldn't have much to worry about. If you need anymore help let me know I will be here and will be willing to help you with anything if you need

Crusher should know. He's still in high school.

Maybe you can talk some buddies into shaving their heads with you! Like 'cancer' patients and their friend in support.


Good ideas above, shaving for the weekends until you enjoy it. Or Shaving over Christmas break.  You do have a good head shape to shave bald.  Think of it as a rite of passage into manhood.  Claim it early. Will make you look a few years older.


I buzzed no guard before shaving bald.  The look is almost identical, but the feel of being bald is what keeps me shaving my head every day.