general propecia question

[Guest]

hello, newbie here

im 20 years old, have had hair loss and recession for about a year or two now, but only in the last 6 months has it gotten noticeable. i went on propecia in late april 03 and have now just begun using rogaine 5% and nizoral shampoo.

i know the statistics with propecia are pretty good, but i honestly have very little hope.. my recession has gotten worse in the last 3 months and im now about a norwood 2, with still some little hairs in the receded areas. i feel like its accelerating. my dad was pretty much a norwood 5 by age 24.. so i dont know what my chances are.

i was wondering how many people here have really maintained their hair with propecia, especially with frontal recession. has it been completely unsuccessful for anyone here? i know i havent been on it very long, and i definitely plan to give it at least the full year, but im still terrified of my front hairline continuing to degenerate, which it looks like it might, considering the amount of little thin hairs i see growing in front and interspersed in my denser areas.. thanks for your help.

bryan

[Guest]

hello, newbie here

im 20 years old, have had hair loss and recession for about a year or two now, but only in the last 6 months has it gotten noticeable. i went on propecia in late april 03 and have now just begun using rogaine 5% and nizoral shampoo.

i know the statistics with propecia are pretty good, but i honestly have very little hope.. my recession has gotten worse in the last 3 months and im now about a norwood 2, with still some little hairs in the receded areas. i feel like its accelerating. my dad was pretty much a norwood 5 by age 24.. so i dont know what my chances are.

i was wondering how many people here have really maintained their hair with propecia, especially with frontal recession. has it been completely unsuccessful for anyone here? i know i havent been on it very long, and i definitely plan to give it at least the full year, but im still terrified of my front hairline continuing to degenerate, which it looks like it might, considering the amount of little thin hairs i see growing in front and interspersed in my denser areas.. thanks for your help.

bryan

[Guest]

Hi Bryan:

 

Bryan:

 

Good question. "Proscar" or "Finestride" works as you know by stopping the formation of DHT from your testosterone. It takes at least a years to see results. It will in most cases stop the hair loss process. I'm sorry to report though that it will not STOP the progression on the temple areas or frontal hairline. It does not work in those areas. Take a look at my before and after pics.

 

You cannot expect "Proscar" to regrow those areas. It also will not stop the destruction to your hair in the frontal areas. There is no scientifical proof to prove otherwise.

 

http://www.dralvihairtransplant.com/page_Patient11MS.htm

[Guest]

Although very rarely, there are cases where Propecia works in the frontal areas. From what I read hair growth cycle is around 3 months, so it's possible that you may see some regrowth soon. I also read Propecia may take a year to show you some results. If I were you I would continue to take it for a year, and if the situation doesn't improve, perhaps consider switching to duasteride, which is supposed to work better than Propecia, but has more possibility of side-effects. The bad news is your dad is NW5, the good news is within 4 years you will have some idea whether the meds work.

 

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic''. Arthur C. Clarke

[Guest]

thanks for your replies, yeah i honestly dont really expect very much out of this.. im sure you can all relate to how i feel though. i just wish it wasnt happening so soon. its like.. so much for being young and attractive. that sure was quick. had it for what, 3 years? now its leaving. anyways enough of that, thanks again, does anyone else have personal experience with propecia or input?

[Guest]

check out www.hairlosshelp.com forums - there's much more young guys there.

 

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic''. Arthur C. Clarke

[vocor1]

Bryan:

I have personal experience with Propecia AND what you are going through.

Give Propecia some time. It took me 3 months and then I started seeing results. I'd say after 1 year of using it, my results are probably as good as they'll get: no additional hairloss and mild regrowth in the crown area.

Propecia is pretty much the best thing out there right now. It's worth giving it a real shot at helping you.

I hear you on the young hair loss. Mine was so abrupt and noticable. Was fun gettting teased my senior year of college. I dealt with it and just had a "that's how it is" attitude. You can get by on that. Depends on how important status is to you, I guess.

I guess it got more important to me and the BS is drawing to an end. I'm really pulling for you for Propecia to work. I wish I had tried it back in college. I was broke and Propecia was about 3x as expensive as it is now.

Yeah, HT was MUCH cheaper. Haha.

Have no regrets for trying. If you got dealt a bad hand, sometimes it can still be played alright.

You are doing the right things -- you choose to try than to give up and be miserable. That's worth a lot.

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

[none]

You say you don't expect much out of this, thats good, kind of, but don't give up hope at the same time. I started proscar about 3 months ago(don't know if it is working yet, except it halted my shedding, so maybe?) anyways propecia stops dht in your body, not just dht that goes to one part of your head, so therefore I think it is reasonable to assume that if it stops balding in your crown(thats where the tests were done, thats why they claim it only helps in that area) it should stop blading all over the head. They say the same about rogaine, maybe it is just me but rogaine started to regrew hair in my temples in about 2 weeks(it shouldn't start until atleast 2 months) so as you can see results can vary person to person so there is no reason to assume propecia, or rogaine won't do much for you until it doesn't. I've even read cases where it regrew almost whole heads of hair, but that could just be stories. Maybe try avodart? I would if it wasn't so expensive.

 

none

[fizzlefest]

I'm on my 3rd month of propecia. I "think" I'm seeing some re-growth in the front hairline. I can see little wispy hairs that I never noticed before. Of course, I never really studied my hairline so closely before either, so who knows what it is. lol

[Beanstalk]

I'm 20 years old also. Ive had a very hard time dealing with hairloss. It isnt really noticeable now, but unless I regrow in the coming months it will be. I used rogaine 5% for about a month. It put me through a HEAVY shedding process. And I think it actually did start to work. Because now that I've stopped using it I'm seeing all these tiny little hairs fall out of my head (all over, not just the crown). I stopped using it because it was a horrible inconvience. And the dandruff I got from it was just nasty. So far the propecia is doing ok. I've been on it for 3 months. The shedding in the beginning was bad, but then it stopped for a while. Now I seem to be going through another shedding phase (either that or the hair I grew from rogaine is falling out). I cant really tell if I have regrown anything from the propecia yet.

 

Hang in there

[Guest]

quick question again.. ive been reading about the mysterious shedding phases.. for a while, maybe about 3 weeks ago, i was somewhat convinced i was shedding less hair, but now for the last 2 weeks or so ive been shedding massively, reminds me of when i first started getting paranoid at age 18. the thing is, that ive been shedding everywhere, not just on top, im shedding a ton of hair from the back and sides as well. does this mean im in this shedding period? and it will mean regrowth and slowing down of the shedding in the future? or could it just be acceleration of my natural hairloss and propecia isnt working enough for me? i figure its either one of those two..

i have real long shaggy hair, part of my surfer dude/musician persona, haha. it covers up my receded temples pretty well, but it drives me insane to lift up my hair or part it on the side in the mirror and see a huge empty corner that isnt supposed to be there. i think i may shave it soon. a little afraid. this is probably the last time ill ever have long hair in my life.

anyway, any experiences on shedding? knowledge? my hope is that its just a shedding phase, since im losing so much from the back and sides as well...

thanks to all of you

[Beanstalk]

When I first started using the propecia I shed some hairs on the side too. It didnt last long at all and the hair on my sides is still thick. I think its just part of the overall process.

 

And I too had long shaggy hair for a long time. I recently buzzed my hair to a near-shaven level. I was really nervous about it, but after I did it I was glad. It was a huge weight off my shoulders. If nothing else, its a change. And change is good. After you do it, you'll realize that its just hair, and you'll accept the fact that it fell out... oh well.

 

But continuing the propecia for a full year still couldnt hurt. Just remember that hair doesnt make you who you are.... you do.

[Smoothy]

Your on the right path taking Propecia and xtra strength rogain at your age before it progression given your family history. In my experience, I didnt noticed anything until about month 6 with the combo therapy, then I started noticing less and less hair fallout in the shower. About the 9th month I had very little fallout if any and from that point on I maintained my hair on top until year 5 (yes 5 years) and I started noticing more fallout but I increased my propecia from 1 tablet to 2 tablet and it stopped. It didnt do much for the temple recession however. My suggestion is to also take vitamin B6, Zinc, and Saw Palmetto for added effects.

Then when your about 26, and if your Norwood scale is like your Dad's, consider a transplant with one of the best doctors in the world.

[Guest]

hey guys, it really helps to hear from all you guys, especially you guys my age.. i certainly dont know anyone else who's 19 or 20 and losing their hair.. closest thing to it is my best friend from high school who i worked with over the summer, who was dramatic about every time he'd shed a hair, which would drive me insane, because he literally has the fullest, thickest, nicest hair, and id kill to have my hair like his. anyway yeah, its nice to hear from you guys.

so its been 4 months on propecia now, rogaine 5% for 1 month, i pray i'll see some results in the next 8.. i really wouldn't mind staying a norwood 2, as long as i could be a thick norwood 2, but i guess all over on top ive started diffusely thinning in the last year or something, not noticeable really unless close examination but you can definitely feel the difference.

i think the worst part about it all for me is that when i style my hair to go out or something, i look in the mirror and my hair loss isnt visible, and i really really like the way i look. it like corresponds with this mental self image i have. so i feel good about myself and forget about all this. but the instant i pull back my hair, i just fall into this despair, and the mental self image crumbles. thats the main reason why i want to shave my head or at least cut it short. i need to make a new mental self image, or something. anybody relate?

its just so hard being in this transition stage. people still dont notice my hair loss unless i show them, but im fading fast, and i wonder how much longer i can get away with it. i hate that feeling.

sorry to rant everyone, thanks for reading...

[vocor1]

Bryan:

 

It's not a rant. And what you are going through, it isn't so uncommon.

 

Try shaving it. But shaving it is better than being self-conscious all the time. People see right throw that almost all the time. Sucks. At least shaved, you look like you are "taking care of things" or are a badass. Sometimes the shoe fits.

 

Personally, I don't look good shaved. But I got more interest from women shaved than with my crappy hair grown out. Still, it didn't look good and that is a fact.

 

But maybe you are in a better boat than I was. Try it out. See how others react to you and try to act like all of this is no big deal.

 

Of course, that is easy to say and harder to do. But at least you'll know.

 

I lost a TON of hair at 22 and my friends picked on me big time about it. Fun. And you learn to deal with it, I guess. But it still sucks. I'm glad for the most part, that that is gone now.

 

Good luck to ya.

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

[Guest]

random question, i was wondering what people's experience with these meds were with their family history in mind. my dad was pretty bald by 24, so was his dad, and so was his dad. basically i just want to know if propecia and minox held anybody up decently whose family history is as bad as mine. good old Ma family curse. thanks

[Anonymous]

hey bryan, i can relate, i'm only 19 and suffering from hairloss right now as well.. or so it seems. I don't know what to do, i've been taking some chinese medicine which is suposedly used to stop/cure hair loss but it doesn't seem like its taking much effect, on top of that, i've been using baby shampoo, zinc, and taking multi vitamins... Doesn't seem to be much use either.

 

I'm about to start taking propecia, but i've heard that it lowers testosterone? Can't confirm that but it seems like my only option right now.

 

Anyway, i hear you on the being young part, i don't even feel young anymore, looking in the mirror these days just depresses me when i think about how young i am and already starting to lose hair..

 

I hope the best for the both of us.

[Guest]

I can sympathize with both of you. I started thinning in the crown when I was about 18, and it became somewhat noticable around 19-20 years old. I'm probably still considered a NW2 in the crown, but to me it doesn't make a different what my scale is, because there is not full hair where there should be.

 

One thing that really helped boost my confidence was to start going to the gym and working out. It's not going to make your hair grow back, but your body will look better and you'll feel healthier. Furthermore, I started shaving my head about 6 months ago. Although I know that I looked a lot better with a full head of hair (minus the thinning), right now people don't really know that I'm losing any, which gives me some time to weigh my options.

 

Also, while its usually considered taboo for young guys like us to even start thinking about getting a HT, with the advent of FUE I think that its starting to become a little more feasable, although you still have to be highly careful and NOT BE IMPULSIVE. None of us want to end up looking like a mutant in 5-10 years.

 

The important thing is that you've found this site. Read as much as you can. Make sure you do enough research to make yourself sick before choosing to do anything.

 

Stay positive.