ConcernedCitizen

From what I've read, 15% minoxidil is impossible since 5% is the most minoxidil that can be contained in a solution before completely dissolving.

Hello all! I am new to the board but have found it thus far very informative and welcoming. I'd first like to thank the contributors of this message board-- I've been reading a lot of posts so far from the many people who regularly frequent this message board, and they have all been helpful! With that said, I wanted to ask a question about hair loss pattern. About 5 months ago, I experienced no hair loss and began growing my hair out just because I didn't want to pay for haircuts. I would periodically shave the sides of my hair since I didn't want it to appear bushy but that was it. Up to that point, I have had no hair loss whatsoever. Sometimes, people would tease me of a 'bald spot' they perceived on the top of my head, but since my hair was always matted awkwardly due to hats or sleep, I always thought that it was just the way my hair fell or was matted down that day. Whenever I took a 360 look at my head through multiple mirrors, I never once saw anything worthy of notice as hair loss. After about five months of growing my hair, it was full and thick-- my hair would fall to near my eyes, and I had to brush it back. When I brushed my hair back, I would notice that the line separating my hair as it parted was much too wide for comfort. Since my hair was always thick and brushed forward, I never noticed it. And then I looked at the back of my head and this parted line went all the way down from my hairline down past the crown of my head. I panicked and shaved my hair down with a buzz cut to see what was going on. When my hair began to grow back, there was a line, about an inch starting from the crown and proceeding down and about 1 or 2 cm thick, that was bald and had no hair growth. Furthermore, this line continued from that point to the right side of my head, the same distance as the back of my head to my ears. To further clarify-- there was now a bald line about 1 to 2 cm wide, pointing down to the crown of my head and then making a sharp right turn to the side of my head. Altogether, the line must be 6 inches in length and 1 to 2 cm in width. My question is: Is that a normal pattern of hair loss? There is no other bald spot in my head aside from that. At first, I attributed it to telogen effluvium, or temporary hair loss, but that only accounts for 5% of hair loss in men. I cannot be fall on such a low percentage. I was wondering if anyone has had similar experiences? What irks me is that the hair loss seemed so sudden-- in just five months, I went from no hair loss noticeable to a clear line that I described. Has anyone else had similar experience? Thank you again for your time. I might put pictures, but as it stands, I'm a little ashamed of my hair loss since it is still very new to me.

BouncingSoul, From my research, your symptoms accounts for about 2-5% of men taking Propecia. I am assuming that you got the prescription from your doctor, and that he talked to you about the risk of the drug? You should consult him as to the best course of action instead of anyone that does not know your medical history / prescribed you the drug in the first place. From my understanding though, the symptoms you report are common and should go away on their own. HOWEVER-- you should CONSULT A DOCTOR. It is your health and you cannot leave that to a consultation over the internet. Yep, that is correct. My dermatologist prescribed it to me. I'm going to see my regular doctor next Thursday and I will discuss it with him, then. I was just seeing if anyone else had a similar experience after such a short time on Propecia. I'm hoping these problems do go away on their own, though. Good luck to you. As long as you are being responsible and seeking professional medical consultant. I am in my mid-twenties and hoping to see a dermatologist about Propecia next week. I have heard of the side effects but am not overtly concerned. In my estimation, I think enough about sex! A decrease in my libido would actually be welcome-- hopefully temporary. Good luck and take care.

BouncingSoul, From my research, your symptoms accounts for about 2-5% of men taking Propecia. I am assuming that you got the prescription from your doctor, and that he talked to you about the risk of the drug? You should consult him as to the best course of action instead of anyone that does not know your medical history / prescribed you the drug in the first place. From my understanding though, the symptoms you report are common and should go away on their own. HOWEVER-- you should CONSULT A DOCTOR. It is your health and you cannot leave that to a consultation over the internet.

Hey man, Same here, I was very worried about the price of hair loss regimens. If I were you, and treating hair loss was important to you, I would divert all of my extra cash to hair loss products such as Rogaine and Propecia. I'm not saying divert funds from necessary items such as food and shelter-- but any extra cash you use for entertainment or games, save and buy hair loss drugs. Don't eat out and buy hair loss drugs. It might seem like a lot of monetary commitment-- but would you rather take a chance at a product that is around 80-90% effective, or save some money and do nothing about hair loss? Best of luck to you.

Hey man, We're all dealing with some form of hair loss here in this message board. You have tons of people here that can sympathize and lend you an ear. Regards.

Default, I feel your pain. When I first started dealing with hair loss about a month ago, I scoured the internet during my free time to learn more about hair loss. The two products that I discovered were solid in treating hair loss is minoxdixl [Rogaine] and finasteride [Propecia.] What sold me on these two drugs for hair loss is that they are FDA approved. It is very, very, very difficult for a drug in America to be FDA approved unless it has been proven to successfully work in an overwhelming majority. That is why I put my money on those two products. With that said, what are the percentages of minoxdixl or finasteride working? From my research, 85% of men in the ideal patient parameters [twenties, early hair loss] regrow or retain their hair. To further break down that percentage, 33% claim to have regrown hair, while 50% claim to have retained it. As for finasteride: from my research, an astounding near 90% of men responded well to the treatment. To further breakdown that percentage, 40% claim to have regrown hair, while 50% state that they have retained their hair. With that said-- a person suffering from hair loss can fall on that 10-15% of men that do not respond to the treatment at all! It is frustrating to think about, but treatments still don't work for everyone. However, rest assured, that both drugs are FDA approved. That means they have been ran and ran under the most rigorous clinical trials in the world to prove they are effective in what they claim to do, and they are approved. Edit: Just to elaborate further-- be careful what you buy! A product such as Procerin's, which claims to help with hair loss, main ingredient is saw palmetto. Saw palmetto is not FDA approved and there are no reliable clinical trials to prove it works! Furthermore, drug companies online offer generic brands of Propecia or Proscar for cheaper prices. From my research, generic brands of finasteride such as Finpecia or Fincar from the Indian pharmeceutical company Clianis has not been verified as a reliable alternative for American brand Propecia. So be careful!