Hair receding at 21 years.

So, for the past four years (that's right, since I was 17) my hair has been receding slowly, but surely. Now it's at the point where my self esteem is significantly affected - for instance, I feel like whenever I meet someone or greet an acquaintance my hair is all they see. I'm a skinny guy, and I feel like my receding hairline looks incredibly off with my body, and that the clothes I wear look ridiculous because of the contrast with my hair. As you can imagine, this further weakens my self esteem. Suffering from mild depression recently (I don't know what the cause of it was, but my lack of self esteem did not help), I've considered getting hair replacement "surgery" but I don't know the options and/or the norm for young adults in my situation. Any ideas, comments or suggestions? Please, anything would help.

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Based on 180 votes (120 yes)
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Comments ( 12 )
  • notsofast

    Well of course it's not normal for a 21 year old to have receding hair. Look around - how many 21 year olds do you see with that issue?

    That being said - girls don't care if you have a receding hair line.

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  • mrbrownfinger

    This post is nearly 7 years old, I bet the OP looks like Patrick Stewart by now

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  • Nokiot9

    Defenately not normal. But one of my friends is balding and another is totally bald almost and both arein their early 20s. They do killer things wwith hair transplants now a days. You literally can't tell its not naturally grown hair.

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  • averageman

    yeah i didnt really notice until two years ago when a girl mentioned it in bed "you have a bald patch? oh no your hair is just receding" humiliating. safe to say i didnt see her much after that. but i got really self contious and lost what little confidence i had. i didnt sleep with another girl after that for a year or so and had a few patches of mild depression where i pretty much shut down and lost my sex drive pretty much (not right for a 16/17 year old). ive been using some caffine enriched shampoo thats stopped the receding a little and even started to grow back slightly. but again it does run in the family for my as my older brother had the exact same thing.
    Just the thought that it isnt getting any worse made me feel alot better! im no longer depressed and am actually getting laid now, frequently, and the girls are no longer slutty trolls theyre hot.
    SO my man id say STOP WORRYING. its unhealthy and might even speed up the whole hair loss thing. i say get some of that shampoo it doesnt do miracles but i think its more of a mental thing, you use it, it tells you it helps, makes you feel better. might even be a placebo effect who knows

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  • SMILEifyourstupid

    I think it's normal! Girls don't notice it that much, well at least I don't, and I'm a girl. especially if you act confident! But don't give up on really good FDA approved products, you can also find pills which work and combat balding, be patient and don't stop using them, it took my brother a year and a half to see a difference also, take multivitamins, collagen pills and eat a lot of protein. But try not to sweat it too much! Think of the hit man (from the game/movie) he looks sexy and he's bald!

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  • dc22

    Go to hair club. They will ggive you products to strengthen and thicken your hair. It worked for me

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  • MercedesBenz

    Ive known a couple of guys in their late teens with the same problem. Both shaved their heads. Both look great; got the bald/glasses intellectual look going. Both attractive. Or you could try the rogain option as mentioned. Either way, dont let it get you down.

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  • Fartyr

    Be glad women are forgiving and usually don't care. I know I don't, and many other will agree. Just love yourself and others will too.

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  • playswithcannons

    I was in the same boat a couple years ago, loosing hair and not liking the fact. Instead of trying to save my hair, I decided to go the other way and took it all off seeing if the shaved look was better on me or not. Personally, I was pleased with my choice. It's an option. Some people look good with hair, others don't.

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  • crustybum

    Hey man if it's seriously affecting your self esteem, and their are ways out there for you to fix this (surgery or hair shampoos and whatever) then go for it. What's stopping you? Just do it :)

    Only, then you will have to deal with ppl 'noticing' your new hairline. But in the plus side, it's a topic most ppl would avoid bringing up to your face. As we all know how sensitive a man can be about his hairline.

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  • thundercat

    If it is due to a genetic, hereditary condition of early alopecy, you will just be wasting a lot of money in a lost battle and then risking your health trying to keep or get hair artificially. Fortunately we live nowadays in a culture that has put as one fashion to have a bald scalp.
    Let me tell you this: you are what you are, and you feel as you want. Do not let anyone to make you feel down and out. Try this: for a while instead of battling against baldness, shave your head and be proud of it. It is economical, practical and healthy and comfortable. Attitude is what counts, not hair.
    You wont get self-confidence though hair. Self confidence comes from what is inside the skull, not over it.

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  • JimmyJump

    I am 20 years old and noticing a receding hairline as well - gradually over the past year. My uncle is bald, my father is bald, and my cousin was almost completely bald at 17. It's pretty much inevitable for me, but like you I am looking at techniques to slow it down. I'm not sure what you've tried as preventative medicine, but there are only 2 FDA-approved products out there. One is Minoxidil (Rogaine), which has about an 85%% success rate at regrowing hair within 6 months in the vertex area of the scalp (the place you think of when you hear of a "bald spot". This has the advantage of being topical, so you aren't introducing new chemicals to your body. The other is Finasteride (Propecia), which is a pill with which 90%% of men saw hair regrowth/stopping of hair loss within 5 years. This obviously requires more time, and may result in some unfavorable side effects. I find it annoying that the FDA only tested these products in the vertex area, instead of in the front as well, which is where young men like ourselves are concerned and want to do something about it! I would suggest trying either of these and seeing if you see some improvement. If not, hair restoration surgery is a viable option if you feel the need to, and has been refined over a period of many years now, so it is much more credible than it has been in the past. Good luck!

    Oh, and this is normal. I may be seeing a pattern where there is none, but I have seen many younger man get balder earlier. Hey, maybe it's evolution! You might be a freak for having hair on your scalp one day. :D

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