Acne medicine cause... NEED help

[hopeful08]

Well... a few months ago I began thinning in the corners of my hair and I was starting to get really nervous, especially since I'm only 18. I had real bad acne about a year ago and I went to a dermatologist and what he gave me cleared it all up, but after a couple months or so I'd say is when i started to notice the thinning. So I stopped taking the oral medication thinking that the topical gels would be fine to continue. I ate super healthy and began natural vitamins to hopefully stop and regrow my lost hair. However it continued to fall out really easily. I had pretty much come to the conclusion that I was simply balding, since my dad is bald. But I found multiple forums that had lots of people in my same situation claiming that this acne cream called differin caused their hair loss. Since reading this I am very hopeful but now I'm seeking help for what I should do to ensure that I grow my hair back. It supposedly grows back in 6 months to a year but I want the best results possible. I've been using ds laboratories revita shampoo for a month and half now, I have been taking saw palmetto, biotin, vitamin b, and vitamin c. I'm wondering if I should simply continue my regimen or if there is something you guys would recommend. I'm thinking about stopping ds laboratories shampoo because it's expensive and if my hair would supposedly come back by itself why not just use like a above average shampoo like a biotin b complex shampoo that I can get for $8 at a local health shop. btw I hate my dermatologist

[Follicle Death Row]

Only a few things work and when I say work they'll only maintain or slow down hair loss in the long run.

Minoxidil or Rogaine (topical) is somewhat effective for some. It doesn't tackle the DHT problem but supposedly increases the length of time a hair stays in the growing phase (anagen) and therefore shortens the length of time that the hair stays in the dormant (telogen) phase. This results in more hair follicles in the growing phase at any given time and thus might give a fuller look. Supposedly speeds up growth and may work by a potassium ion channel mechanism. It can somewhat stabilise hairloss or slow it down for some people. It's available over the counter.

Finasteride or Propecia is a once a day oral treatment of 1mg. Alternatively Proscar which is a generic form of finasteride can be used. This reduces serum dihydrotestosterone levels by about 65% by inhibiting the type 2 5 alpha reductase enzyme which converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. This results in less DHT in the scalp to bind to the androgen receptors. As a result the signal in the pathway is weaker and hairloss can be stabilised over time. Baseline hormonal levels should be taken before hand. This drug can have some serious side effects so do your research. It's prescription only.

Ketoconazole in Nizoral shampoo is also a weak anti androgen which may tackle the DHT problem in the scalp to a small degree. It also tackles inflammation which contributes to hairloss when the immune system attacks the follicle due to the DHT at the androgen receptor sending the signal to attack the hair follicle.

That's basically it. Vitamins might improve the sheen or appearance of the hair strands but they'll do little or anything to tackle hairloss. Some people use Saw Palmetto to tackle the DHT problem but it actually doesn't seem to much affect the 5 alpha reductase levels in the scalp.

1. Minoxidil (OTC)
2. Finasteride (Prescription)
3. Ketoconazole Shampoo

Hope that helps.