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Hi all,
I have been reading these forums for quite some time and thought that I would join to share my experience with hair loss and see if anyone can offer me any guidance or advice. It would be much appreciated!
I am 27 years old this year. Started noticing hairs shedding on the pillow in 2006 and then commenced with medications, serums, multi-vitamins, shampoos, and lasers shortly after.
I cannot explain the emotional distress that this experience has caused me. I'm not quite sure why it has snowballed the way that it has in terms of its effect on my self image. I have sought help through some councelling and covered the self-esteem issues I'm facing which have largely stemmed from hair loss. However, I found these sessions had little effect on calming my woes or altering my perspective. I look back on old photos (pre noticeable loss) and remember how simple and easy my life was when I wasn't thinking about this issue. I even find myself looking at other guys (of all ages) with full heads of hair, wishing I could trade places. I'm so embarrassed by this and wish that it didn't have such control over my happiness. I'm angry at myself because I realise how blessed I am in all other facets of life (house/home/job/great friends and family and a great partner). The issue of hair loss is consuming me, possibly because it's just something I have such little control over. Perhaps that's the part I hate. I am a very disciplined guy and adopt a healthy lifestyle with a strict diet. I'm also a gym junkie which does help allievate some of the stress.
My regime is as follows (granted some of these things probably don't work at all, but I'm still giving them a go out of desperation and at a considerable monthly expense).
* Proscar 5mg (1 quarter tablet per day)
* Minoxidil 5% (Applying with a dropper over my scalp once per day. Unfortunately I can only use it once a day, as it's horrible stuff and would be impossible to conceal during the workday if I were to apply it in the morning as well)
* Nizoral shampoo 2% - I leave this on my scalp for 5-10 minutes prior to a shower few times per week
* Leimo laser (10 minutes a day over the scalp. Not FDA approved like the Hairmax Laser comb but a popular brand in Australia. I actually believe this helped initially and my scalp felt quite healthy after using it). I no longer use the Lemio conditioner or scalp spray, as I feel that these were not of significant benefit and were greatly over-priced.
* Vitamins - Hair/Skin/Nails tabs with silica (2x per day), Saw Palmetto (2x per day), Brahmi & Gingko (2x per day), Cod Liver Oil. I'm also taking quite a few other vitamins but those are the ones rumoured to assist with hair.
* I have tried a couple of different kinds of thickening shampoos and also use Toppik on my hair now and again to improve the thickness.
I have consulted with two surgeons regarding a hair transplant. The cost to have a procedure performed in Australia is astronomical. For front loss and the receeding hairline, I have been recommended 800 grafts for approximately AUD $9000 (This is hugely expensive for me). This would be for a standard strip procedure. I cannot afford FUE and the surgeon does not specialise in this. My biggest concern is actually about the scar on the back of my head. I'm nervous as I cannot predict where my hair loss will be in another few years time, and if I'm ever forced to clipper it, I'll have an 8cm scar at the back.
So I feel rather stuck. So much of the reading that I'm doing has been anti HT. Many guys have been writing in about how deeply they regret doing it at a young age. I've been patiently awaiting some kind of magical advancement in the field. There seem to be so many trials but these could obviously take up to 10 years to come to fruition or be approved/popularised enough to make the costs universally accessible to sufferers (eg. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/h...ow/8236671.cms). Hair loss is such a profittable industry for many as well.. I really hope that this doesn't slow down interest in finding a cure.
I'm struggling just to get through every week at the moment. Getting out of bed in the morning is terrible, as I know I'll have to spend up to fourty minutes washing all of the awful minox out in the shower and then trying to blow dry and style my hair to conceal what's occuring.
I wish I knew what to do or how to stress less about this!
Thanks for sharing your stories. I find comfort in hearing about other people's experiences and know I'm not alone in this
I have been reading these forums for quite some time and thought that I would join to share my experience with hair loss and see if anyone can offer me any guidance or advice. It would be much appreciated!
I am 27 years old this year. Started noticing hairs shedding on the pillow in 2006 and then commenced with medications, serums, multi-vitamins, shampoos, and lasers shortly after.
I cannot explain the emotional distress that this experience has caused me. I'm not quite sure why it has snowballed the way that it has in terms of its effect on my self image. I have sought help through some councelling and covered the self-esteem issues I'm facing which have largely stemmed from hair loss. However, I found these sessions had little effect on calming my woes or altering my perspective. I look back on old photos (pre noticeable loss) and remember how simple and easy my life was when I wasn't thinking about this issue. I even find myself looking at other guys (of all ages) with full heads of hair, wishing I could trade places. I'm so embarrassed by this and wish that it didn't have such control over my happiness. I'm angry at myself because I realise how blessed I am in all other facets of life (house/home/job/great friends and family and a great partner). The issue of hair loss is consuming me, possibly because it's just something I have such little control over. Perhaps that's the part I hate. I am a very disciplined guy and adopt a healthy lifestyle with a strict diet. I'm also a gym junkie which does help allievate some of the stress.
My regime is as follows (granted some of these things probably don't work at all, but I'm still giving them a go out of desperation and at a considerable monthly expense).
* Proscar 5mg (1 quarter tablet per day)
* Minoxidil 5% (Applying with a dropper over my scalp once per day. Unfortunately I can only use it once a day, as it's horrible stuff and would be impossible to conceal during the workday if I were to apply it in the morning as well)
* Nizoral shampoo 2% - I leave this on my scalp for 5-10 minutes prior to a shower few times per week
* Leimo laser (10 minutes a day over the scalp. Not FDA approved like the Hairmax Laser comb but a popular brand in Australia. I actually believe this helped initially and my scalp felt quite healthy after using it). I no longer use the Lemio conditioner or scalp spray, as I feel that these were not of significant benefit and were greatly over-priced.
* Vitamins - Hair/Skin/Nails tabs with silica (2x per day), Saw Palmetto (2x per day), Brahmi & Gingko (2x per day), Cod Liver Oil. I'm also taking quite a few other vitamins but those are the ones rumoured to assist with hair.
* I have tried a couple of different kinds of thickening shampoos and also use Toppik on my hair now and again to improve the thickness.
I have consulted with two surgeons regarding a hair transplant. The cost to have a procedure performed in Australia is astronomical. For front loss and the receeding hairline, I have been recommended 800 grafts for approximately AUD $9000 (This is hugely expensive for me). This would be for a standard strip procedure. I cannot afford FUE and the surgeon does not specialise in this. My biggest concern is actually about the scar on the back of my head. I'm nervous as I cannot predict where my hair loss will be in another few years time, and if I'm ever forced to clipper it, I'll have an 8cm scar at the back.
So I feel rather stuck. So much of the reading that I'm doing has been anti HT. Many guys have been writing in about how deeply they regret doing it at a young age. I've been patiently awaiting some kind of magical advancement in the field. There seem to be so many trials but these could obviously take up to 10 years to come to fruition or be approved/popularised enough to make the costs universally accessible to sufferers (eg. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/h...ow/8236671.cms). Hair loss is such a profittable industry for many as well.. I really hope that this doesn't slow down interest in finding a cure.
I'm struggling just to get through every week at the moment. Getting out of bed in the morning is terrible, as I know I'll have to spend up to fourty minutes washing all of the awful minox out in the shower and then trying to blow dry and style my hair to conceal what's occuring.
I wish I knew what to do or how to stress less about this!
Thanks for sharing your stories. I find comfort in hearing about other people's experiences and know I'm not alone in this
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