This forum just got me sooo depressed...

[Soulrazor]

Edit: This has ended up being a VERY long post.Sorry.Feels kinda nice letting it all out though...

I just got 21 and have lost a reasonable amount of hair. I still have my hairline completely intact but there's overall thinning and balding at the crown. It just got really bad recently and I'd been holding up on doing something about it for soo long...

Thought I'd really give it my all when it got bad and get it all back.I'm used to seeing those ads with what I assume are snake oils where people end up with a full head of hair..

Then I come here and find out you need to be on these FDA approved drugs for life..that you won't get anywhere near your old hair back...that there might be some atrocious side effects...that they may not work at all or stop working after a while...and the HT procedure seems so less than perfect and...OKAY nevermind.

 

The only real good thing I've come across here is Toppik btw. I'd be SERIOUSLY depressed right now were it not for that.

I have personally gone through the website and have a decent idea of what I need to do. I'd like to hold on to my hair till atleast my early 30s. I'm okay with using some concealer but I really want to hold on to enough hair for it to work decently. I'm really scared of the sides but right now the plan is for me to go on Minox 5% and Propecia. Could you just tell me what I should expect? I'm not getting a lot of hair back right? Should I get some blood tests done btw? I started losing a lot of hair around 13 years of age and it started greying at that age too. I think I've lost all of my grey hairs on the top of my head so I'm wondering if there's some vitamin deficiency that speeded up this process. My scalp is also really itchy these days and it's the way my hair itself has started feeling thinner recently that has really made me worry and decide to go ahead with doing something.

I'll try to summarize this post just so to make it a little easier for you guys to answer:

1)I'd like to maintain my hair till around my 30s. Should I expect that with the minox 5% and propecia combo? Is there no chance of me getting somewhere around all of my hair back?

2)Anything else that I should use alongside these two medications?

3)What should I get done in terms of medical tests/blood tests? I'm really not fit at all I must say, and like I said, my hair started whitening pretty early.

4)How worried should I be about the minox side effects as far as skin deterioratin is concerned? I've read a lot on propecia...enough to know that I will most likely run into sides but what about minox and dark circles/wrinkles on forehead/etc?

Thanks a lot! and I hope to be around here and maybe even keep you guys updated on my progress. Just need that damn Toppik for now. Oh btw...any idea where I can buy Toppik in Singapore?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Soulrazor,

 

Welcome to our hair restoration forum.

 

Unfortunately, the benefit of most hair loss solutions are oversold and hyped up to be cures. The reality is, there is no cure and even the most effective non-surgical solutions (Propecia and Rogaine) are much better at slowing down or stopping hair loss than regrowing hair.

 

People respond differently to medication. It's not possible to tell you exactly what to expect from Propecia and Rogaine, but it's your best chance to restore some of your hair non-surgically. Those who are "good" responders may restore a lot of their natural hair this way. Those that are "poor" responders may not receive any benefit. Most consumers seem to fall somewhere in between. There is a risk of side effects that you should become familiar with. Also, in order to continue to receive their benefit, you must continue on them.

 

Hair transplant surgery has come a long way and many patients are satisfied with their results. It's not a perfect solution since there are a number of limitations, it's costly, and like any surgical procedure, there are risks. But surgeons dedicated to perfecting the procedure have come a long way into restoring a natural looking head of hair in many patients.

 

I'm not advocating that you get in the chair, but that you spend some time researching hair transplant surgery and other solutions to your hair loss.

 

Toppik, DermMatch, Nanogen and others (as you've experienced) are pretty good at masking hair loss. Some people have found that using them indefinitely works for them and don't bother with any more "permanent" solution.

 

Those with extensive hair loss sometimes turn to hair systems or other artificial hair replacement options. Some hair replacement systems can look very natural, but will require a lot of maintenance and can be very expensive.

 

I hope this helps get you started.

 

Bill

[Swimmy]

I'm 22(soon to be 23). I have a little balding in the crown top back of my head. And about a half inch receding in the front from my original hair line. My dad is bald. So I'm looking at MPB. However I have not seen a noticeable permanent hair loss since I was in high school. However, I plan to start with the next month or so to go on treatment for my hair loss. The good news is for us we are in the early stages of hair loss with a few options available to us so we can nip it in the butt and keep alot of hair till we are 30. Probably by then and even earlier we will see drastically improved treatments or a cure. If you read up on news lately companies are seeing hair loss as a gold mine and multiple companies are investing millions. we are seeing a Space race(but with hair).

 

 

Now I haven't started treatment yet other than Omega 3. Which in 2 weeks I have seen less hair loss in the shower from taking.

 

Personally I would avoid Rogaine and go directly to spectral DNC. From all the reviews Spectral DNC blows rogaine out of the water. The only complain people had with DNC was that the pump could easily be broken. However they did comment that the customer service was top notch and that not only did thy replace the pump but gave a whole new bottle of the stuff.

 

But here is what is in spectral

 

* Minoxidil 5% (clinically proven to help re-grow hair; approved by the FDA in treating male-pattern hair loss for more then 15 years.)

* Aminexil SP94 (clinically proven to help re-grow hair; Aminexil is a patented molecule that is the result of over 10 years of research at L'Oreal laboratories. Research has indicated that hair loss is linked to the stiffening of the hair roots and Aminexil has been specifically developed to prevent the stiffening and premature aging of the roots.)

* Retinol (has been shown to improve the absorption and effectiveness of Minoxidil; Minoxidil and Retinol is often prescribed together by dermatologists)

* Vitamin Complex (accelerates the metabolism of the hair follicle)

* Herbal Extracts (provides circulation and nutrition to the affected tissues)

* Nanosomes (microscopic capsules deliver active ingredients deeper into the tissue)

* NEW - Adenosine (powerful hair regrowth agent, similar action to Minoxidil with no side effects, click here for clinical study)

* NEW - Procyanidin B-1 and C-2 (hair regrowth agent with no side effects, exceptional results when combined with minoxidil, click here for laboratory study)

[Ceasar08]

Read this carefully... it will help you out. I started losing my hair around 24/25 and I am now in my thirties. I understand how you feel... let me tell you what I've learned:

 

1. Do not let anyone tell you that anything outside of Propecia/Minoxidil helps. I promise you that I am saving you time/money/trouble/heartache by saying that it will not. I have read these forums for years and there is always some new product or study that people get excited about and it never turns into anything. You have no idea how many products there have been over the years.

 

2. I had lost a very significant amount of hair when I went on Propecia and Minoxidil and the combination did wonders for me. If you start right away and you are aggressive, you can maintain a nice head of hair.

 

3. Propecia may work alone, but Minoxidil will only help temporarily. You need to go with the combo or with Propecia -- do not expect Minoxidil will have a long lasting effect.

 

4. If you get side effects on Propecia then take it seriously. I had to quit Propecia because I did have side effects. I promise you that the sides in the studies are very under reported. This does not mean that there aren't plenty of people who are without sides. But if you see the drug is having an affect on your libido, I would get off of it. Remember, you are altering your hormonal balance.

 

5. Don't stress about having to take the stuff for "life." You also need to brush your teeth everyday or you'll lose them. Many people have serious conditions where they need to pop a pill for the rest of their lives -- be happy you aren't suffering from something life threatening. Take the stuff and move on with your life.

 

6. You will not care less about your hair in your thirties. Trust me. I thought my early thirties was a million miles away when I was your age -- it goes very quick. You feel the same way at thirty as you do now. I believe most guys would agree with me.

 

7. Do not let any doctor tell you what you want to hear instead of what you need to hear. If someone tells you they have a cure -- they're lying to take your money. If you have a consult with a transplant doctor make sure it is someone in the coalition on this site and that you've researched them to death.

 

8. Believe it or not a transplant is (in some ways) an easier and better procedure than you might think. Results have really started looking undetectable and incredible. For me, money is the biggest issue.

 

9. I promise you -- there is hope. Send me a private message if you need anything. I know how you feel, I've been there, and I want to help you.

 

Best of luck.

[xxy]

Originally posted by Ceasar08:

3. Propecia may work alone, but Minoxidil will only help temporarily. You need to go with the combo or with Propecia -- do not expect Minoxidil will have a long lasting effect.

Seriously?

 

Can you elaborate? I'm a Rogaine-only user, just started. That would be pretty disheartening to know.

 

I got sides from Proscar so I really don't want to try it again, but I guess I might have to.

[Ceasar08]

Minoxidil will help for a few years, but it doesn't stop the root problem, which is DHT. Eventually, Minoxidil will diminish in its effectiveness.

 

Minoxidil alone typically works very well for a couple of years before the benefits level off. I think I can safely say that no one on this forum, doctor or patient, will disagree with me on this.

 

I know it's disheartening. It's precisely the reason why I got super depressed when I got sides from Propecia and had to quit. Minoxidil continued to "hold the fort" for me for about three years or so, and then things started going downhill pretty quick.

 

If you really want to prevent the progression of your hair loss, you need a DHT blocker. It's way too aggressive a condition to be held off by Minoxidil alone. I'm sorry to be the bearer of that news.

 

At the same time, there is always someone who might be the exception, and that person is able to benefit from Minoxidil for longer. This would be especially true if the genes in your family are for less severe hair loss, and you are destined to only progress to a minor extent.

 

I would be lying to you though if I told you that Minoxidil will solve the problem long term.

[xxy]

If I felt that Minoxidil effects were lessening, would it help to increase the strength to 15%?

 

So what did you do in the end if you got Finasteride sides?

 

I'm starting to reconsider and thinking about taking Finasteride again. I went straight into 1.25gm Proscar last time, so maybe I'll try to halve them again into .6gm pieces or something and see how that goes. Or maybe take them with milk to dull the effects...?

[Ceasar08]

Most people find that 15% minoxidil did nothing more for them than 5%. I tried it myself with no greater success. If higher concentrations than 5% worked then Johnson and Johnson would have released the product after all of these years. There is a significant difference between 2% and 5% though, but after that jump it seems to just level off.

 

I'll be honest with you... I was not able to find anything to replace the Propecia. I eventually had to go the transplant route.

 

In terms of going back on it... it's probably worth a shot to try a lower dose. I'm convinced that just .5mg a day can work for many people. I tried different doses, but had no luck in combating the sides. I do not think that taking milk with the drug will make any difference.

[xxy]

Just curious, is this your own personal experience, or is the Minox effective lifespan stuff universal and unavoidable?

Because I know some people grow resistant to Propecia, too. That doesn't mean that it's only a temporary fix.

 

I guess I'll give the fin another shot. I'm just a little concerned because my H levels have always been on the lower end of normal to begin with.

 

About the milk - my father is on about 8 different medicines for a number of conditions (he has parkinsons and a bunch of complications, and had cancer, too) and his doctor was telling me that milk drastically reduces the effectiveness of almost all kinds of medication.

[Ceasar08]

xxy --

 

1. I'd never heard of the milk thing before. Very interesting piece of info.

 

2. The minoxidil thing is universal. Feel free to pose the question to doctors and patients on the forum and I assure you that everyone will agree with me.

 

3. You're correct that Propecia can also decrease in effectiveness for many people. The difference is that it does seem to continue to work long term for a lot of people. I haven't really come across anyone who has really kept the problem at bay using Minoxidil alone. There are lots of people who have held off the progression of their hairloss for over a decade (and counting) on Propecia.

 

4. I know how desperate you are (believe me) but please be careful about the Propecia if you already had a bad experience. I know what the drug did to me, and it was the only thing that frightened me more than hairloss. At the same time, I realize there are more people who do not seem to get the sides.

[xxy]

Yeah, I've been to propeciahelp and heard the horror stories.

 

I took it, got some sides. I didn't wait around to see if I could ride it out, but I recovered just fine. I could give it another shot at a lower dose. What I'm most concerned about, really is the cases I've read about of guys who were on it for 8 years with no sides and awesome hair, then their junk just stopped working completely.

I guess you could question whether it was the finasteride after such a long time, but if they're getting bloodwork done and know that fin DOES affect hormones and stuff, it makes me reluctant to mess around with it.

 

I might try saw palmetto, too. I know it has the same effects, but I understand that it's a lot weaker.