Another Guy with Same Issues - Need Advice and Encouragement
Done putting it off! Got my first 30-day prescription filled today. Details are here.
Hello people,
I've been cruising these forums for years. I am 27 years old and I've been slowly losing my hair around my temples and my crown area since I was about 22.
My temple hair loss has been progressing, but slower than the hair loss on the crown/top of the head. The past 1 1/2 years (approximately) have been particularly 'bad' and I am at the point now (for the first time) that people are actually openly noticing my hair loss. The weird thing is, although the loss around my temples is definitely noticeable (especially because of the fact that 7 years ago I was in a car accident and hurt my scalp badly which caused me to end up with a ~2.5inch scar in circumference...yeah it's a big bald patch an inch behind my hairline but you cant see it in this picture) but it isn't bothering me nearly as much as the crown thinning.
I spoke to my doctor briefly about two months ago about Propecia and he mentioned that he has several patients who are successfully using this treatment. However, we didn't end up proceeding with the prescription because my appointment that day was regarding something unrelated and I was in a rush. Now I need to go back there and do the doings...
If anyone is from the Detroit area, and you can recommend a local doctor that has experience with treating/prescribing hair loss meds, please let me know.
I've spent countless hours research the Internet with regards to Propecia, as well as most other treatments. Within my group of friends, I'm the 'hair loss expert'. As you may have guessed, I wish I didn't have to be one.
Now, I'm not a bitter guy and hair loss won't halt my life in any way, but my hair is very important to me, as many of you will agree.
I am attaching a photo that I just took of my crown area. When I saw it on my DSLR camera, I was, once again, shocked.
So, my plan is to go back to my doctor, do some blood work and liver tests and hopefully get prescribed with Propecia. My fear is that I will have shedding issues and that I'll be one of those few people whose situation got worse with Propecia. I don't want to be a skeptic, I will give it a try...I just need to get back to the Doctor's office.
I feel like every day that I wait, my hair gets worse.
Any comments, suggestions, and good advice appreciated.
Although I certainly don't think your loss looks significant based on your photo, I think that sounds like a good plan of action. It's best to be proactive and get on Propecia while you are young and early on in the stages of hair loss- this is when it has proven to be most effective.
CIT_Girl, thank you for the kind words. I do realize that my hair loss is still not "advanced", but it has advanced over the past year or two, and that's a scary fact
I wish I would have done something about it 1-2 years ago, instead of now (Visit to the Doctor and Propecia prescription still pending, though.)
I will also try the Nizoral shampoo twice a week for my dry and itchy scalp (always had it, and usually gets worse in the fall and winter months).
Over the next day or two, I will try taking some more pictures of my entire hair situation (front, sides, back).
I certainly don't mean to minimize the distress your hair loss has caused you because, clearly, any amount can feel like way too much to the one dealing with it! Don't stress about not doing something sooner- you're doing what you need to do now and will hopefully see some success (at least in preventing further hair loss) by beginning a well-researched regime. Incorporating Nizoral shampoo is also a good idea. Although it works well as an anti-fungal and to treat dandruff, it also has androgen blocking properties which can help stop further hair loss. Dr. Cole usually advises patients to leave it on for 5 minutes to allow it to really penetrate the scalp and do its job.
It's always a good idea to post more photos and hopefully some other posters will jump in with their own first-hand advise/experiences. Good luck!
Update (more for myself, but also for any other guy who's looking to start on Propecia)
1. Propecia - Just got back from the Doctor's office. Got my first month's prescription filled ($76!!!) and my doctor wants to see me back in his office in one month. They also took my blood today and will probably do it again at the one month mark. Next step: Research how to save a few bucks by filling a prescription for more than one month at a time.
2. Nizoral - Today was my first day with Nizoral shampoo. I will initially use it on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (from what I've read, most people use it in this fashion, although the bottle says to use it 'every 3-4 days').
Any suggestions and comments are more than welcome! I am looking forward to this, and I'm hoping for the best. After a couple of years of putting this off (luckily, my hair loss is not too fast/aggressive), it was finally time to take charge and try to save what I have on my head for a little while.
Propecia - 1 pill daily before going to sleep. Missed 2 nights over the 6 week period.
Nizoral - Monday, Wednesday, Friday - seems to have helped with the itch, and definitely has helped with dandruff - and greatly so. Normally, at this time of the year, my skin gets drier and my dandruff worsens, but that't not the case right now. My scalp feels better already.
Side effects: NONE.
Random observation: Got a haircut a few days ago and cut and styled my hair as always. Not sure if it's just the 'placebo confidence', but I feel like my hair is healthier on top/crown area. Either way, I like it.
its one of many online canadian pharmacies. The generic finasteride (propecia) they sell on there comes from an indian pharamaceutical company...I think its called Cipla. They sell them for dirt cheap (90 pills for $35) I talked to my dermatologist (a self-proclaimed hair-loss expert) about what he thought about getting drugs off the internet and he said that if I could get it from an indian company, its probably fine. Also, that website requires you to give them a script.
I've been using the generic stuff for 6-7 months now and haven't had any side effects, and my hair has definitely stopped falling out...so I don't think they're just sugar pills haha
I'm 54, grafted by legendary C P Chambers, early 80's, was almost completed, Brandy sold me, proceeded with 2 reductions with him, excessive bleeding, from Advil, not in the preops, oh well, stopped him from doing a lift, had maybe seven reductions, Stough, Marzola, two graft sessions with Hitzig, 1999-2000. Ge3tting growth was tough post reductions, but Hitzig was amazing with follicular units, elimination a mid line scar that looked like I'd been hit with a meat cleaver, In September, 2009, get hit with a scalp boil, picked it, head swelled, had an open ulcer in midline, an inch wide, have found a good dermatologist in Columbus, I'm in cincy, but topical steroids are working amazingly well, and after two years, now that the plaque is dissolving, the thing may6 actually fill in completely with hair. Totally off rogaine, plastic surgeon said he won't write fin, did maybe 1mg dose every 5 days , worked well, but a risk, the doc said, I use Pickerts copper, in thinning areas, the strong stuff, 95 bucks? for two ounces, I think in the crown, and wound area, been a month, seems to being making the hair stronger, doc said stress was a factor, and prescribed an otc vitamin, and stressed I NEEDED IT. the doc who wouldn't write fin is a plastic surgeon, used it a year, glad I'm off it, says forget tissue expansion, or serial reduction, now that cortisone has thinned the skin, a desirable side effect in this case, and is safe on the scalp, maybe transplants, but that is still a ways off, mostly concentrating on healing, and saving as much hair as possible. he is a good doc, offered me the eye brow stuff, latresse? maybe buy it overseas since its for scalp, small area. Glad I found Allied Dermatology in Columbus, two hour drive, had me on Olux e and the clobest? shampoo every other day, thanks for allowing me to share. 18 grand over several years to look like this, if I had done two more sessions with C P who stopped visiting Cincy after he and the Thomas Hair and Scalp Clinic and he had a falling out. Oh well. Bought Brandy's spiel, least he got sued and humiliated, C P warned me.
Last edited by godd186; 10-16-2011 at 10:09 AM.
Reason: bad pic
also, had been using a laser max 90 or 120, for a year since June 2008-June2009, had recently modded it El Mucho Grande style by removing the lenses, one doc is using the pic as an example of a laser burn, infections gone could gave a great result yet, and a current photo shows strong regrowth throughout the region, now that the infection is gone, use tea tree oil also.
Another Guy with Same Issues - Need Advice and Encouragement
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Ćelo
Bookmarks