This is my first time posting on this board. I am 18 and thanks to my grandfather was blessed with bad genetics. my hairline has already started to receed and looks as if it will continue. Everything i have read from and seen on television says Rogaine and Propecia(sp?) don't grow hair back hair on the hairline or stop the hairline from receeding. Do these drugs grow back hair or help the hairline and if not what drugs have been proven to help the hairline. Also i shave my head with no guard on the razor, does that speed up hairloss.

Hi RBM02
If I were you, I'd get a prescription for Propecia from your doctor or a dermatologist. Propecia is reported to halt further hairloss in something like 80 percent of all users. If you can nip this in the bud, you will be ahead of the game. It's easier to maintain your existing hair, than it is to regrow hair. A smaller percentage of guys can reverse their hair loss, but that's not as common as stopping it, or slowing it way, way down.

Both those products can be very effective all over your head. They were only studied in the crown area, during the FDA tests, so they are restricted from making claims about the hairline. But that doesn't mean they won't work there.

If I were you, I'd get started on Propecia immediately, and think of it as a long-term treatment. Give it a year or so, to judge your results.

Minoxidil can help, but in your case, you might want to start with the simplest approach first, and only add to your routine if it is really necessary. Minoxidil is not as convenient or as effective, so if Propecia works for you by itself, that is worth knowing. Otherwise, if you do decide to add Minoxidil later on, those two things work great in tandem.

Shaving your head will not slow your hair loss down, or speed it up either. If "no guard" on the razor means you are nicking yourself, that's not good in general. I hear the Mach 3 disposable razors are a little more expensive, but great for shaving your head.

Good luck.