Hair loss in the crown - and the strategy moving forward - HELP needed!

[WhamHair]

I have been an "off and on" lurker on this forum for a little over two years. First, I want to thank all of you on this forum for making it what it is. I think the biggest challenge with hair loss is the cloud of ignorance that envelops this rather undesirable phenomenon that plagues only about 30% of men. I am in a bit of a quandary right now and wanted to tap into the wisdom of the members of this community before I decide how I want to address this quandary.

 

My hair loss started when I was about 23 years old but it was FAR from visible. The only people that could see it were my hairdressers. The hair loss was concentrated primarily in the crown area and not so much in the front (although there has been substantial hair loss in the front but not enough to bother me!). It wasn't until I was about 25 that I noticed "gaps" in my head thanks to the hair loss. Of course, I was blissfully unaware of this forum at the time and I put my faith in an incompetent doctor that claimed he had hair oil that could regrow my hair. I used it for a year to just to realize that it had no effect and my hair loss continued to the point where it was visible to anyone taller to me. It was at that point that I discovered this forum and tried to weigh my options. I realized I was far from being an HT candidate but I wanted to arrest the hair loss to the extent possible, and delay an HT as much as possible.

 

The general consensus on this forum was that a combination of Rogaine and Propecia was the way to go. Unfortunately, just as I discovered the merits of both, I also grew very paranoid about the side-effects of Propecia and the "not so high" success rate of Rogaine. Hence, I decided to go for either and decided to try homeopathic medicine prescribed by a doctor in India (I go to India about once a year since that is where my family is from). Of course, my general skepticism about any kind of medication at the time was pretty high and I started taking this medicine with a rather high level of skepticism but with no concerns of side-effects - and there were no side effects. I photographed the crown area of my head very regularly and then noticed that after a while, there appeared to be no further hair loss - for a very long time. It felt nice to not be paranoid about this and everything seemed to be fine - until this past summer. I was backpacking in Eastern Europe and shot a few videos at various locations. I was in the videos. There were two that were shot from a height. When I processed the videos at the end of the trip, I was shocked to see that how was originally a "line" of baldness on my head and now grown into a large circular patch on my head that is now impossible NOT to see. Until now, not many people realized I was losing hair but this was the ultimate give-away. I have also thinned in the front area, but as I had mentioned earlier, not enough to bother me. The hair loss seemed to be more steady over the summer. I met with the doctor that prescribed my homoeopathic medicine and explained that things had become substantially worse and were starting to worry me. She did give me something more potent but I am unsure as to how effective it is - and its ability to regrow any hair (something I was not even expecting with the earlier doses since things had not become too bad).

 

In the last two years, I have gone from a Norwood 3 to a Norwood 5. It is very likely that I will end up as a Norwood 5A when the hair loss takes it full course. I have thinning in crown area but not complete baldness. I recently moved to the Chicago area for grad school and decided to schedule a consultation with Dr. Raymond Konior. I had my prelimnary consultation with his office assistant on Thursday morning. He seemed quite upset that I was not on either Rogaine or Propecia and was convinced whatever I was taking was not working. He took photos and made some assessments of his own. They were as follows (I sincerely hope the doctor's assessment is a bit more positive):

 

a. I am not yet an HT candidate. I will most likely be one in the future.

 

b. There is a LOT of miniaturized hair on my mid-scalp and front area and that will be the area where surgery is needed in the future.

 

c. I do not have a large donor area but I have is good but it will not be enough to get me full coverage and that I should not even bother touching the crown area.

 

d. Rogaine/Propecia would buy my hair around 10 years (which is a lot - given the rate at which things are deteriorating at my end).

 

e. When I am ready for an HT, I will have enough to get the front area with a decent hairline and the mid-scalp.

 

It goes without saying that I am disappointed that full coverage does not look likely. I would definitely like to protect what I have in the crown area - despite how bad it has become. My fears with regard to Propecia and Rogaine still exist. I am not too afraid of Rogaine since it is externally applied. I hope to have my in-person consultation with Dr. Konior next week or the week after that. I am sure he would not mind writing me a prescription for Rogaine (something I am seriously contemplating).

 

My questions are as follows:

 

a. Any recommended strategy moving forward?

 

b. Should I ask Dr. Konior for a strategy that accounts for Rogaine NOT working for me?

 

c. Am I really a lost cause for full coverage as a future Norwood 5A?

 

Any guidance would be helpful. I look forward to some insights on my situation from some of you. I sincerely apologize for the length of this post. Thank you once again.

 

Regards,

 

WhamHair

[WhamHair]

I hope the length of my post did not put off people on here. Is there a chance that might be the reason it doesn't have any responses yet? Please do let me know. Thanks in advance.

 

Regards,

 

WhamHair

[TakingThePlunge]

WhamHair,

 

It's possible that no one has yet responded because you have already dismissed the only two clinically proven and FDA approved treatments for male genetic balding. By not starting finasteride and minoxidil immediately and choosing a homeopathic approach, you've wasted valuable time and lost irreplaceable hair. I'm sorry to be so blunt about this but there is no other viable treatment option at this time. None of us who take finasteride want to take it.

 

I understand your fears about the drug. I was not thrilled about starting it. But, after deciding on my first hair transplant I knew that I had to do everything in my power to protect my investment. Only 2% of men will experience sexual side effects on finasteride and those side effects will go away upon discontinuation of the drug in all but the most extreme cases.

 

When Rogaine and Propecia are used in combination, many experts believe that their effects are increased and, purchasing them in generic form can cost less than $10 total per month.

 

If you are serious about holding on to your hair then it's time to consider making a commitment to these treatments and using them for up to one year before evaluating their effects.

 

Best of luck!

[WhamHair]

WhamHair,

 

It's possible that no one has yet responded because you have already dismissed the only two clinically proven and FDA approved treatments for male genetic balding. By not starting finasteride and minoxidil immediately and choosing a homeopathic approach, you've wasted valuable time and lost irreplaceable hair. I'm sorry to be so blunt about this but there is no other viable treatment option at this time. None of us who take finasteride want to take it.

 

I understand your fears about the drug. I was not thrilled about starting it. But, after deciding on my first hair transplant I knew that I had to do everything in my power to protect my investment. Only 2% of men will experience sexual side effects on finasteride and those side effects will go away upon discontinuation of the drug in all but the most extreme cases.

 

When Rogaine and Propecia are used in combination, many experts believe that their effects are increased and, purchasing them in generic form can cost less than $10 total per month.

 

If you are serious about holding on to your hair then it's time to consider making a commitment to these treatments and using them for up to one year before evaluating their effects.

 

Best of luck!

 

Hey Dave,

Thank you for being the first person to acknowledge my post and trust me, you are NOT being blunt. You're being honest - and I totally respect that. What you are telling me is very much along the lines of what Dr. Konior's assistant told me last week. And you're right, the cost of using both propecia and rogaine in generic form does not add up to much on a monthly basis. I do not have any statistics on the success rate of propecia but I've heard rogaine has about a 60% success rate with a LONG period of quantifiably high initial shedding - which to me feels like a scary proposition - one that I should have experimented with before going back to school. This is definitely something I will discuss with Dr. Konior when I meet him.

 

I have not really dismissed the medications since I've seen them do wonders on several folks on this forum. I never had a reason to get this paranoid since I took photos on a monthly basis to make sure whatever I am taking right now is working (believe me, when I first started, I wanted it to fail!). The last few months have not been good to my hair and if whatever I am using right now cannot buy my hair any more time, it is probably best that I stop it and switch to a combination of Rogaine/Propecia. I am probably very close to committing myself to that decision. I am just trying to use due diligence before diving into this.

 

That being said, I was wondering if you had any thoughts on getting "full coverage" if I end up as a Norwood 5A.

 

Once again, thank you so much for acknowledging my post.

 

Regards,

 

WhamHair

[WhamHair]

Hi,

Like many others you seem to have convinced yourself that you will experience the negative side effects from the drug Propecia (proscar) Well due to the fact you are already convinced chances are you will now, as the mind is a very powerful tool.

 

As Dave has accurately mentioned the meds are the only way to address your situation appropriately.

 

i would recommend you possibly start on the combination of Propecia and Rogaine foam and build up gradually in order to keep the mind from wondering off into the side effect city and also keep your hairloss under control if you want to endeavour to be able to make your situation better, via HT.

 

I would recommend you monitor your loss also and not embark down ANY HT route until 12 minimum on the meds and clear signs the loss is under control.

 

Regards

S

 

Hi S,

Thank you so much for your acknowledgment of my post. I too agree with Dave. I am just trying to use due diligence before I commit myself to this combination of Rogaine and Propecia. I probably am not close to the point where I need an HT - at least not from the front (in fact, when someone sees me from the front, they think I am joking when I tell them I am balding!). But does the success of a future HT truly depend on my taking the combination of Rogaine and Propecia? Please do let me know. Thank you once again.

 

Regards,

 

WhamHair