Just joined - 20 yrs old; Need some advice/ My Story - page 1 -

• Just joined - 20 yrs old; Need some advice/ My Story by ReadytoMoveOn on 27 Feb, 2014 17:57
• Whats up guys, I just joined and I really need someone to talk to about my balding problem. Im posting to quickly share my story and to ask you all for some advice.
  
  Story;
  Ill keep it short because I know you all have gone through the same thing in some shape or form. I am a 20 year old. This past summer on a vacation with some family friends one of the girls we were vacationing with asks me "Do you just not grow hair there?" She was referring to my hairline on the right side of my temple. Thats when it all started; for the last 5-6 months i have been DRIVING MYSELF INSANE. This is definitely s***y, Ive been through it all, the depression and anxiety, the hair envy, the constant observation of every guys hairline that I pass throughout the day, the obsessive online research about medical treatments and their hellish side effects, the looking in every mirror and pulling back my hair to check the hairline, Ive been through it allll. Again let me emphasize  this is s*****yyyyyyyy. I wouldnt wish this misery on anyone. Its a constant thing to, I hate how I now wake up every morning thinking baldness baldness baldness baldness all f**ing day. ITS GOT TO STOP!
  
  Now for the advice I need;
  Im so over all of it, Im ready to move on with my life and im not about to obsess about this crap for the next 20 years. That being said my hair is not that bad, yet... But i know its coming at a steady pace. Personally I cannot deal with this because it happens so slowly and because I know I will continue to obsess about it and its just not worth the time. It has been a major source of stress for the last 6 months. I started treatment with minoxidil just recently and im really no feeling putting this s**t on my head every day, Im a natural person and that goes against my beliefs plus the side effects (aging of the skin, shedding) all seem to just become more stress factors for me because i begin to obsess about those as well.
  
  I hate hiding behind my bangs because even if no one else can tell yet, I know its there and this always makes me want to look at it and pull my hair back, its almost a f**ing compulsive action now.
  
  So I think Im ready to shave it really short.
  
  
  So my question is, if you all were in the early stages of a receding hairline, early enough that its still easily hidden, but the hiding was driving you insane would you all recommend making the buzz cut or hiding it as long as I can? I dont believe i will look bad with the buzz, but Im still so young to accept the baldness straight out and I just want some feedback.
  
  Ive already kinda made my decision but Id like to hear what you all have to say about the matter, I really think I would be able to move on alot faster if I could face the hairline every day in the mirror instead of hiding behind my bangs...
  
  
  Sorry for the long post but I really needed this off my chest. I may post pics before and after the cut if I decided to go with it but right now Im just looking for your opinions. Thank you this really could help me out alot.
  
  READYTOMOVEON
• #1 by EarlBald on 27 Feb, 2014 18:16
• You can probably cover it up bit longer, but since you want to try shaving it, why not go for it?  If you don't like it, you can grow it back.
• #2 by slymyke on 27 Feb, 2014 18:24
• I'm thinking that you are leaning toward buzzing your hair.  If so, I think it is a good idea because you will be making a decisive move to do so.  It will be your choice, and will make you feel better about yourself because of that... rather than watching your bangs vanish over time and constantly feeling hopeless and not in control of your own look. 
  
  I wish I could go back and take that approach.  I waited waaaaay to long to do it, and had to deal with the vanishing bangs and then the super thing top before I finally buzzed mine.  I felt so much better when I finally did.
  
  Good luck... We are here when you need us.
• #3 by Frontier Guy on 27 Feb, 2014 19:03
• Welcome Ready.
  
  Reading your post is exhausting. I can feel the emotions you have invested in hair. It's really not worth all that angst.
  
  You said you notice all the other guys' hair ... but have you noticed how many guys are sporting the buzz or shaved look? If not, start focusing on them and you'll see it just about everywhere.
  
  As the others have said before me ... just buzz it and be done with it. If you don't like it, it will grow back (for now).
  
  My guess is that when you buzz it you will feel the relief of all that stress going down the drain. It may lead you to shaving down to the scalp ... which is awesome. But let that happen when you are ready for it.
• #4 by Mike E. P. on 27 Feb, 2014 19:22
• I was exactly where you are now  when I was your age, feeling the same way. I held on to my hair for as long as I could, watching it recede and bald ever so slowly over many years. All during that time, it caused me tremendous stress. Guys were not really shaving their heads back then.
  
  I first started noticing the recession when I was 17. I don't think it was noticeable to others for several years. I finally buzzed my hair into what we called then a crew cut. It was the best thing I could have done for myself. All the stress vanished and I stopped worrying about my hair. Of course I continued to recede but I just kept buzzing my hair shorter and shorter and finally shaved myself bald.
  
  I would tell guys to hold onto their hair while they have it, but for guys like you and me who stress and obsess, holding on to the hair is not worth the constant worry. So my advice to you is to buzz it and stop letting it drive you insane. You will be free to enjoy your life. I wish I had done that much earlier. It would have saved me years of anxiety.
  
  Good luck and use this site as a source of support!
• #5 by Razor X on 27 Feb, 2014 21:36
• If you're obsessing, go ahead and buzz it.  It's the only way to make the obsessing stop.
• #6 by Vogi_the_bald on 27 Feb, 2014 22:40
• HEY. I hope I can shed some light on the topic. I wanted to put it my two sense because I am not that much older then you. I am 4 years older. I actually started to buzz my hair in high school. Right now, you are stressing out about having your hair recede. I say try the buzzed look. If you like it, try the sly look. You are never too young. I look like a little kid with my hair long. I look more MATURE sly.  I have very thick hair that grows straight out. It was such a hassle to manage every moment of every day.
  
  As soon as I took the razor plunge, I knew that I made a life style change. I feel more confident, and less stressed out. I rub my head constantly because you like your head.  I will warn you... you will have the exact opposite "fear". The darn shadow. You will worry you have too much hair on your head. but dont worry, you dont. It just feels rough. It will take about a week to truly get noticeably long. (thats why we shave every to every other day).
  
  So my long reply to your long post. Do it. Try it out. I am only 4 years older then you and I am going to shave for the rest of my life. Being bald is the best feeling in the world.   
• #7 by bennett11 on 28 Feb, 2014 06:04
• buzz it - i had started doing that when I was 19 and stayed with that shorter and shorter until shaved.
  
  
• #8 by stasiu on 28 Feb, 2014 07:11
• Welcome to SBG !
  
  Buzz it is best bet.  However, don't go to like a zero guard unless you really want to.  Try like a #4 top, #3 sides/back to let you and everyone else adjust.  Experiment with short styles.  Crewcut, for instance.  Then gradually keep it buzzed tighter and soon everyone will get so used to you with buzzed hair they wont even know you are balding.  With summer coming up, you might want to go from a tight buzz to a regular razor head shave.  Sounds like you got a plan in mind.  Don't stress over hair !  Keep us posted !
• #9 by 50plus on 02 Mar, 2014 06:13
• Thank you for an honest and open post.
  
  I say buzz it down and go from there, You're going through what lots of us did (yes really). The anxiety and stuff is very real
  
  though and I don't mean to discount it. Again thank you for the revealing story.
  
  In a short space of time after shaving you'll kick yourself for placing so much importance on hair.
  
  I thought too that if you can write as well as that you're an educated man so weigh it up and move on to things that are
  
  worth exercising your brain over.
  
  I get the feeling you're on your way. You'll be fine - better than fine in fact. 
• #10 by Goatee on 02 Mar, 2014 10:30
• Remember, everyone is not the same. We all have different heads and hair growth. If you are worried and obviously unhappy then as people have said, buzz your hair first. Remember, the hair will grow back! If you dont like it buzzed then let it grow.
  
  I used to buzz mine down.
  
  I just so much prefer it bald now.
  
  It does take maintenance but you can always make that fun and enjoyable.
  
  This forum is full of useful threads etc. Lots of helpful people on here. You are not alone.
• #11 by Lith on 02 Mar, 2014 13:40
• I say buzz it/shave it. I'm 23 and decided to go bald about 2 months ago now due to hairloss. I started cutting my own hair shorter and shorter starting at about 19-20. The moment it hit me, I was at my little cousins baseball game. One of my other cousins was behind me while I was sitting down looked at my head and started mocking me saying I was balding. I was about 19-20, like I said and she was like 10. I know it shouldn't have bothered me so much, but it did. So I understand your obsesiveness, it's not fun.
• #12 by meganuera on 02 Mar, 2014 18:05
• Not being a hair expert, I'd say that a probably the majority of males have a receding hairline, but not all develop the horseshoe. Don't worry about. Just decide that you are going to wear your hair the way you want to. If you want to try shaving it, go for it. But if you like your hair and are just worried about losing it, stop it because nothing is going to stop that from happening. Even if you shave your head, it's not necessarily going to help you get over this hair-angst. You might just be jealous of other guys' hair all the more.
• #13 by Arnie on 04 Mar, 2014 15:33
• WELCOME TO SBGs!!! 
• #14 by wpruitt on 04 Mar, 2014 15:47
• Welcome