anonymous man

Havent been here for a very long time. Since 2007, taking Propecia, using regaine, and looking at myself every day in the mirror, couting hair. Anyway, decided to log in, and share my latest story, which will probably result in me not coming back to this forum again. I am over it. Over worrying about it. I dont want to worry about my hair anymore. Its starting to fall out big time. I cant stop it, its meant to happen - so be it. I stopped Propecia a few weeks back. I went to the doctor (some random doc, not my own) to get a propecia prescription. He gave it to me, but he was a fantastic man. We talked for half an hour, about being a man, about life and whats important in it. All of this from a man I did not know, over 1000km away from my home. I am not going to discuss pros and cons and the like about drugs. Thats covered in many other threads here. I personally always hated knowing I am throwing down a little tablet every day that is designed to play with hormones and stuff inside me. To keep my hair. I had been thinking to stop for a while. SO, thats it. 4 years of Propecia stopped a few weeks ago. I still have the prescription, but I am not going to buy it. I still use regaine, thats easy, and if it helps, it helps. I feel somewhat liberated, but sad at the same time. I am going to lose my hair, its going to be tough. Wherever I see a mirror, in an elevator, toilets, bathrooms, car rear view .... I keep looking at that receding hair line. Its tough indeed. But it happens to many, many men, right? I just felt that its time to move on with life, and accept what comes with it. I am coming to accept the fact that being bald does not mean you are a second rate citizen, that you are somewhat 'not as good' as that guy with a mop on his head. What I say now is all very strong and proud and liberating bla bla bla, but its not like that. I still hate it. But I have resolved to do it, get over it, get on with it. If I am lucky, I have lived perhaps a third of my life. Realistically, I have probably lived half of it. I really dont want to be living the next half, worrying about how many strands I saw in the sink today. Time to start living again, indeed. I hope it works out how I picture it in my head. And who knows? Maybe in a few years they will have a quick fix that makes me look like the 21 year old version again. But if I do beat this psychological issue, I am pretty sure I will pass on that fix as well. Good luck to you all with it - good luck in your transplants, your medications, treatments etc. I just hope you do it all with a smile on your face, and know that everything will be OK and that life will take you where it must, regardless if you have hair on your head or not. Please dont stress and torment yourself like I did for that dark period of time. Cheers Dave

Yo, Getting back into the gym, had a big session - as I lifted some massive dumbells up onto my thighs, getting ready to do an overhead press - I felt a massive stab in my stomach, not really in the groin area, but higher up, on the side. Bit of discomfort, anywya, worked out regularly for another 2 weeks. Now, I feel its pressure. And a sharp, stabby pain can be felt sort of in my groin area. Whats the go? Am I going to die? But seriously - what does a hernia feel like? Is it possible that this has occured? There is no visual difference, nor are there any lumps. Could it be I just strained myself? I am rather panicky, and have not worked out for the past 2 weeks because of it. I am going to see the doc tomorrow - but in the mean time, anyone have any advice / stories of what it could be, and what I could expect? Regards, Anon

Lookin good Jup. And glad to hear your confidence is way pumped up too. Thats one side effect that you want. Not only increased hair, but increased happiness. Off topic (I didnt know where to post, so I thought I would simply shove it in here - this is a popular thread haha), I saw a photo of myself perhaps 4 to 5 years ago .... was mucking around with some mates at night in a backyard, we were wrestling each other etc - theres one photo of me with my head bent at an angle, so the flash full got right into my scalp .... DISASTER! Worst photo ever - its all SCALP! DISGUSTING But then I thought about it, look how it was back then, 5 years ago, and look now ... it was bad then, its bad now - maybe this is normal for me? Haha - if thats the case, then fair enough - I still have hair to look fairly non-bald, its just the crap lighting that kills me. The photo was a confidence booster anyway - it showed that perhaps my hair loss is not accelerating as quick as I thought it was! Thanks for letting me hijack your thread Jupi

looks like Cured did a runner on us baldies

Jupiter, Mate, I just looked at your pics. Are you really sure its wise to be fretting over your hair? You have enough of a mop to put a whole roll of super absorbent paper towel to shame Dude, seriously, your head looks thick, heavy, excellent. You have a VERY long way to go till you start stressing

lol hahaha Anyway, this is a great topic. I always thought that ones I get a woman hook line and sinker, the propecia / rogaine / stress stops. Shave it to the skin, squeeze out some kids, and not worry about the head anymore. Time will tell though.

Just say to women you got the scar during some war, that will always impress. Or that you were very ill, play the sympathy card Sorry to poke fun at your issue. On a serious note, that must suck. You replaced one issue you disliked with your appearance with a different one. If your HT worked and you have hair again, I say, dont fret. Keep your hair a bit longer, and believe me, no one is keeping an eye out on your scar except ... you. The only people who might look at your scar and make the assessment of your head are probably men who have undergone a HT or planning to undergo one. And they are the ones who you WANT to see the scar, so you can show it off and take pride in the outcome! Good luck, friend.

damnit Dr. Tim beat me to it haha Oh well

Bill is the clear winnner that must of been a 'fuzzy' doner area, on all of you oh dear where on earth did you guys get those hairs from hey??

lol Both of 'Cured' posts sounded like the biggest sales pitch ever haha I will only believe things like this when well established members of this forum try something and report back results Someone who signs up and claims miracle regrowth with their first post sounds like there is a hidden agenda of some sort .... especially when they sit there and say 'i have nothing to gain' and try to DENY a hidden agenda When Bill or whoever else on this board (there are hundreds of experienced users whose words I will trust on this forum) can confirm positive results, then i will believe.

fair enough .... 'something', I am not making silly excuses, I am just asking if there was a link thats all I am asking because my dietary habits have not changed, my level of exercise hasnt changed either, my life is identical to how it has been for years. Its just that say in the past 6 months, things sort of ballooned (I am still fit and feel that i look good, its just that I am starting to feel a bit of padding) Bill, like you say that you maintain weight / appearance by eating right and going to the gym for the past 3.5 years, so have I by doing the exact same thing Only problem is, its not working anymore! I guess it must simply be coincidence then ... OK my extra healthy diet starts ... tomorrow thanks gents

Here is a question that may or may not have been covered before. Now I know that we cant go start pointing fingers at any little change in our bodies, and blame any medication we are on, but it may be worth a go to ask: Propecia / Minox use for 5 months. I was always pretty chunky, weight wise. However, without changing diet, without changing exercise routines, I find I have jumped in weight by almost 10kgs (oh I dont know for all you Americans out there, say 22 pounds). I am promising myself to vigorously begin an intensive exercise routine to slam off the weight. Is it possible? Has it been heard of? Propecia and possible weight issues? I guess I could see a correlation somewhere, i.e. playing with hormones and drugs to change testosterones etc in your body to stop hair loss etc etc etc. may result in some changes in the way your body processes and stores food? Anyone know anything like this? Or am I just turning into a fatso because I like my McChickens too much? All help / advice / opinions welcome. Cheers, anon

Here is my question: Is shedding temporary? I mean, is miniaturization of your follicles as a result of using propecia simply temporary, or is that it - you use propecia - it kills off a good lot of hair, before it starts doing its job of simply keeping what it hasn't destroyed? Or will I be pleasantly surprised, and will my hairline restore itself to pre-propecia use (i.e. 5 months ago)? I ask this because I feel my hair has become noticeably thinner in the past 5 months. Any advice on the shedding phenomenon?

Hence, MrJobi, why I wrote that its 'linked', not the cause

geeez Looks like I didnt think through the propecia very well I was thinking a few days ago, what can be the real issues with Propecia - what am I pumping my body with? Then thinking about children, possible birth defects (I know the article states that its unlikely etc.), it got me worried I am wondering - is my vanity and/or confidence worth it??? Gee something to ponder big time now ....

This is it guys - a cure - move to the country Article from Aussie Website: Pollution leads to baldness - research From correspondents in London May 06, 2008 01:55am Article from: The Courier-Mail Font size: + - Send this article: Print Email TO the follicly-challenged who've tried gels, drugs and even a transplant with little joy, the research will come as a breath of fresh air. A study suggests that men living in polluted areas are more likely to go bald than those who enjoy living in a cleaner atmosphere. The discovery raises the prospect that yet more treatments for the often confidence-sapping condition could be developed. Academics at the University of London linked the onset of male-pattern baldness to environmental factors, such as air pollution and smoking. They believe toxins and carcinogens found in polluted air can stop hair growing by blocking mechanisms that produce the protein from which hair is made. Baldness is known to be hereditary, but research suggests environmental factors could exacerbate hair loss. Male-pattern baldness, which affects two-thirds of men, usually develops gradually, typically starting with the appearance of a bald spot in the crown and thinning of the temples. Mike Philpott, of the school of medicine at Queen Mary, University of London, said: "We think any pollutant that can get into the bloodstream or into the skin and into the hair follicle could cause some stress to it and impair the ability of the hair to make a fibre. There are a whole host of carcinogens and toxins that could trigger this." The study was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23649665-401,00.html Hopefully it will give science a few more leads ....

Hehe my good deacon .... I was exagerrating a tad with my post - trying to lighten things up. Being an arrogant pr*ck wont really help you, no .... but becoming a little bit more confident, less concerned over hair loss, and identifying the things inside yourself that make you happy are important All of us here are concerned with hair loss, so I am fairly sure its safe to say we are all concerned with our appearance .... Therefore, its a few simple logical steps from here. If we would be happy with a full head of hair, I am sure we would be happy with anything that makes us look 'better' in our own eyes. I saw a six pack on your gut, arms that are bubbly, a chest that sticks out (and feels like) like an ironing board, and shoulders that are bulging will make us a little bit happier to look in the mirror WHen I look at my head, I feel depressed. But when I look at my chest when I wear a tight white tee, I am beaming (and I am desperately ttrying to get more more MORE meat on my body). Gym and the resulting physical 'superiority' feeling you have when being beefy and ripped, is an AWESOME measure to help get the confidence up. For me it is anyway. When I am feeling down, and act like a mouse, I get little to no attention. I had y hair cut today in a hairdressing place, and the girl was stunning. I shrunk in that seat, and just wanted to get out. She was fairly indifferent, and we didnt talk. The guy next to me was balding too, yet he was on top of the world, and was bantering with his hairdresser, laughing, and getting heaps of attention! My point is, do what you need to do - when I wear my fav outfit etc, I go out looking like a tank, I still get the looks from the girls, and the guys too, probably saying 'look at that hero, what a d*ckhead, but still, his arms are pretty chunky' haha BE HAPPY is the key, if your hair sux, then compensate with other factors that you have better control over. Discipline and hard work cost nothing - and you can have phenomanal confidence boosting results from it. What a rant ... sigh ..... and look at me tooting my own horn. I actually have deflated heaps, and look crap these days - just a sloppy bald guy now hehehe Cheer up depressed friends - lest I spiral out of control ... again

Come on people, inspire me I was looking so beefy, untill I strained my back ... took me a few weeks to feel 100% again, I really twisted it good while lifting some heavy dumbells for a freeweight bench session .... I feel like i have shrinked.... INSPIRE ME so I can get some good happy feeling inside me again after a big gym session Please

OH and remember that receding hairlines / temples dont react as well as the crown, to both Propecia and Rogaine. These drugs work the crown much more effectively. I havent heard of a sure fire method tha works on the front of your head, perhaps someone else has some good info ...? Good luck once again

macd You have pretty much sumed it up yourself in the thread title. If you are not prepared to do Propecia, then you must hit the Rogaine. Brand name Rogaine verse generic Minox, I am not sure about - I am sure someone here will provide you the scoop. I think you should stick to what most rely on - Rogaine, and wash 3 times a week with Nizoral or Revita. Perhaps try some nettle or other herb / green stuff, because its cheap and may promote something in you that doesnt work in others. Stick to the known stuff first, and throw in others if you can be bothered. Remember to document your progress - its same like weight loss, or gym work. A lot of the time you might lose weight, but you cant see it (or gain it and not notice). Its only when someone hasnt seen you for ages, that they will say 'gee you lost HEAPS of weight', and you didnt se that. Same with the hair - make sure you document your progress through photos so you can be certain, and get a real kick from seeing thicker hair 6 months from startin your routine (fingers crossed it works). Good luck !

Massive words there Dr Feller haha Awesome stuff!

Harden up your personality, develop an arrogant look on your face, shave that head, get your body into tip top shape, and wear tight white tshirts everywhere you go Believe me, you will be a winner, hair or no hair Dont people see so many good looking women with bald guys? You see it often - I can guarentee you, that bald guy with the hot girl looked at himself a handful of times and only felt mild annoyance at the condition of his hair - otherwise, he was too busy being cool, tuning women, to care ..... thats why he is happy today Confidence radiates my friend - If it means upping other parts of your body, like muscles, to acheive it - so be it ...... I am hypocritical I know, butI flipflop a lot - I feel like you, then I feel like the hero guy the nest day - point is, your confidence is what makes you

Thread has been revived right on cue .... 16 months have passed! Time for this wonder drug to be released! Why am I still bald???

You are right ... if I was to have no hair for the next 15 years, I dont think I would be pumped up to get it all back ... but in saying that, so many in the HT photo section are older gents etc - so I am sure our vanity / desire to look good stays with us forever .... which I think is a good thing .... Now about that truck in Iraq you say ...??

The big difference at least in my case is the foam works and VERY WELL especially when combined with Propecia Perhaps then you should fill out my questionairre in the 'survey' thread, and document your results for us all to see .... lol @ me selling my thread