I am balding...

[stratofortress]

Yeah, this is definitely balding.

I pull my right temple back tightly and this is what I get. Clearly thinning, but the way my hair fell even when I pulled it back gently obscured this and allowed me to deny my loss for 2 years.

I'm getting on fin asap.

Not in a good place now. Way too young for this, just hope the meds will buy me some more time.

[m261978]

That was me at age 20. Just don't do what I did - waste 10 years of precious money on the snake oil known as Rogaine.

[Tracy C]

It is an unfortunate reality that the medications available for treating hair loss do not work for everyone. To call a medication snake oil because it didn’t work for you is just plain wrong. If Rogaine wasn’t working for you, why did you continue to use for it ten years?.. It only takes four months to determine if Rogaine will work for you. It takes a year to know how well Rogaine works for you. So why continue to use it beyond that one year if it wasn’t working for you?

[m261978]

There's a whole marketing stigma behind it - if you stop using it, it accelerates. I've had doctors tell me that. However, after you reach a certain point, you just notice that using it or not makes no difference. You're right though - personal opinion. However, I have never had a doctor say a good thing about it - they always recommend Propecia.

[Tracy C]

I am writing this for the benefit of anyone reading this. I'm not picking on you.

If you stop either of the two approved medications for treating hair loss, the hair loss will resume. It does not accelerate.

Propecia (1mg Finasteride) is not a growth stimulant, it "enables" any hair that can start growing again to start growing again - by blocking the hormone that causes hair loss. Rogaine (Minoxidil) is a growth stimulant, it stimulates hair that can grow again to start growing again - but it does not block the hormone that causes hair loss. It makes the most sense to use both Propecia to block the cause of hair loss and use Rogaine to stimulate hair to grow… If you can... Only men can take Propecia, women cannot. Both men and women can use Rogaine.