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  1. #1
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    Angry Propecia accelerates frontal loss?

    Im very upset at the moment. Im 26 years of age, always had a full thick head of hair. Recently, I even posted pictures of my NW1 hairline with thick dense hair. However, It seems that while propecia has slowed stopped loss in the vertex, it has killed my hairline, which I REPEAT, was NEVER a problem to begin with!

    I discovered my hair loss last november after a fungal infection thinned out my crown compared to the rest of my scalp, but seeing as how i do have some MPB in the family, my derm started me on propecia to prevent matters from getting worse. Ive been on proscar/propecia for 9 months now. 3 weeks ago, I checked my hairline and it was still a NW1. However, 2 weeks ago my hairline started to resemble a NW2..and it was going fast! Im talking about thick hairs, literally falling off the hairline. I was forced to shave my head, and now as its growing back, I can see the thinning where its starting to shape a NW2 hairline.

    Can someone clear this up please? So this means that propecia does nothing to maintain or slow down frontal loss, except it only makes you lose hair at an abnormal rate in the hairline? Am I correct? So how is propecia maintaining your hair count when it does nothing for the front, except accelerates the loss due to raised testosterone levels?

    After discovering this, i researched on the internet and it seems like alot of people had there hairlines destroyed by taking propecia. If thats the case, Im getting off this useless drug that only maintains your vertex hair, but destroys your hairline at a fast rate. To my understanding, the hairline is more sensitive to testosterone (which propecia raises) and less sensitive to DHT which propecia reduces.

    So much for taking this drug, I would have been better off without it. I rather keep my frontal hairline, my slight crown thinning wasnt that big of a deal anyway. You literally had to examine it in the bright lights to even see that its not as thick as the rest of the hair. Looks like I made a mistake. Now I have to explain to the rest of the world that sees me on a daily basis how I went bald overnight.

  2. #2
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    I dont mean to sound so upset, just tired of all the talk about how propecia accelerates hairloss in the front, and then having it happen to me. Ofcourse Im going to start to believe that propecia is killing my hairline. Just wish someone would set the record straight so I can make a decision to either just let nature do its job and possibly go completely bald gradually, or stay on propecia and take a chance at losing more hair in the hairline fast. I think my hairline matters more to me right now, since I am face to face with people all the time.

    I never lost hair at the hairline untill starting propecia, hell I never lost hair ever before my fungal infection. But seeing all these thick hairs at the hairline fall, never to grow again, makes me suspect propecia for doing the damage, since its raising my testosterone levels.

  3. #3
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    I totally feel for you bro. I've read some of your other posts and I feel like we have the same feelings when it comes to baldness: that it's totally destroying our lives, we'd give anything to have our hair back, and we cannot accept this baldness curse. I've been on Propecia for over a year now, and I'm experiencing crazy shedding right now, and it's really making me depressed and angry. With regards to your situation, I think that baldness may just be happening and Propecia is just not stopping it effectively, rather than Propecia causing it. I mean, I've been on Propecia for over a year now and I'm experiencing crazy shedding (well over 100 strands per day). I just don't think that Rogaine and Propecia are that effective in stopping hair loss, and downright ineffective with regards to hair regrowth. It really just makes me so mad when guys like you and me are so extremely devoted to regrowing our hair, yet we're given such shitty options like Rogaine and Propecia. Like I said before, I feel for you cus we're all in the same boat. I really hope to God that something comes along that is a hell of a lot more effective than the shit we've got out there now, for all of our sake.

  4. #4
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    Thanks Depressedbyhairloss. It is the worst feeling in the world. I could not take it anymore, I went to see a doctor today and had her do several tests on me including testosterone, iron, thyroid, etc. I want to be sure that i tried everything I could to try to save my hair before it is completely gone in the near future.

    I would do anything to get my hair back, nothing in this life would make me more happy than that. Till then, everyday is just a day passing by of misery, pain, suffering, etc. Ive said it before and ill say it again, its not a matter of going bald that is the worst feeling. its going bald if you dont have the right head shape or features to go with it. Several bald people look just fine because they have the head shapes to pull it off. unfortunately, i am not one of those even though my head shape is fine, I just dont have the features to go well with it.

    I too my friend, await the day that there is a cure to this horrific disease..but deep down even i know that we might not see it in our lifetime. Ive said it before, I would never wish this curse upon my worst enemies. I hope there is a miracle in the near future..but one thing I do know is that nothing can ever replace the years I lost and will lose ruining my life over hair.

  5. #5
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    Man, you are totally right, it IS the worst feeling in the world. I've had tons of shit happen in my life, but all of that does not even begin to compare to the feeling of going bald. You and I obviously understand the pain and misery that go along with going bald, but it's really sad how people who have never experienced this curse cannot even begin to understand how devastating this is for us. I've heard all kinds of garbage advice on how to deal with hair loss like "accept it and adapt to it", "stop complaining", and "hair doesn't make the man". Incidentally, all of this absolutely shitty and garbage advice came to me from people who aren't losing their hair, and have the fullest heads of hair.
    Some people say that I could pull off the shaved head look well, since I'm 240pounds and have lifted weights for my entire adult life. I mean, I surely wouldn't look like some one who people thought had cancer or something. But I am scared to death of shaving my head for fear that it will look like shit. Plus, everyone that knows me, knows me for having a full head of long hair, and I don't want people to start making comments. You say that some people can pull off the shaved head look, and I somewhat agree with you. I agree that some people can (UFC fighters Anderson Silva, Keith Jardine, and special agent Jay Dobyns www.jaydobyns.com), but I think that it looks like shit on most people. And then I could never stand people making fun of me for losing my hair. I've never experienced that kind of heckling, but maybe I would if I shaved my head. I wouldn't be able to passively ignore their insults; I would fire back and possibly violently.
    What really kills me too with hair loss is that I've also been a die-hard metalhead my entire life and a local rock musician for a few years (nothing at all big, just bar bands). I've always loved those big-haired bands like Motley Crue, Poison, Whitesnake, etc. and I always wanted to look like those guys. And now with this hair loss, that can't happen. It's like one of my major dreams has been ripped away from me in the worst possible ways.
    Anyway, I really have to think that we'll find a cure for this hair loss disease very soon. I really have no choice but to think that; that's the only thing that really keeps me alive: that they'll find a cure for this shit soon. But I've got so many beefs with the hair loss industry that it isn't even funny. I don't think that curing hair loss is that complicated, and it sure as shit isn't as complicated as cloning other organs like a heart and lungs, or curing cancer, despite what these researchers or doctors want us to think. If we just had more people/companies working to cure hair loss, then it probably would be cured by now. Hell, there are so many chemicals that have the potential to regrow a lot of hair, but none of these are tested beyond the mouse stage. Or if these hair transplant surgeons would try alternative ways to regrow hair instead of keeping on making money off of the same old hair transplants that scar a person's head for life and statistically most people don't even want anyway. They're making loads of money so it doesn't seem like they care too much, while those so-called researchers keep on raking in money for their labs without doing a damn thing to benefit humans. Meanwhile we're left with trying to stop a Mack truck (hair loss) with a bunch of matchbox cars (Rogaine and Propecia). Anyway, sorry dude, I didn't mean to go off on a tangent there!! It's just that I believe if we had more than 4 companies trying to solve baldness, then we would end up with a cure a helluva lot sooner.
    Anyway, as you can tell, I totally understand what you're going through. And there is reason for some optimism. Companies like Histogen and Replicel are really developing some very innovative potential solutions for hair loss. And now that these new companies are out there, existing companies like Aderans and Follica have no choice but to kick their efforts into high gear and develop a hair loss solution before Histogen and Replicel release theirs. Also, keep an eye on treatments outside of the U.S. and Canada. Although a lot of those treatments look sketchy, those countries don't have their hands tied by the corrupt FDA, and have a lot more leeway to use stem cells (embryonic and autologous) to develop effective hair loss treatments.
    Anyway, keep your head up brother; hopefully there will be a method for us to restore our hair really soon.

  6. #6
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    If you feel propecia is doing nothing for your hairloss you're probably better off not taking it I think as it's hardly ideal taking it in the first. Maintain regular exercise for both the body and mind and keep the faith that one of the companies will come up trumps in the not too distant future.

  7. #7
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    As far as i know, propecia only helps with crown and mid hair loss but has no effect on temple and frontal region, so maybe the reason why the front is accelerating and the back isn't.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by scar85 View Post
    Im very upset at the moment. Im 26 years of age, always had a full thick head of hair. Recently, I even posted pictures of my NW1 hairline with thick dense hair. However, It seems that while propecia has slowed stopped loss in the vertex, it has killed my hairline, which I REPEAT, was NEVER a problem to begin with!
    I have to say that I absolutely do not believe Propecia is causing your hairline to recede... If you have weak hair follicles in that area, I could believe that hairs from those weak follicles are shedding to allow thicker and stronger hairs to grow in their place as the follicles in that area regain strength. This after all is how hair loss medications work. You cannot treat hair loss without shedding. Shedding is a part of the process of treating hair loss – and there is no way to avoid it. It just is what it is… Even future treatments are likely to cause shedding - because shedding is part of the process… Once weaker follicles have regained strength, the shedding stops. It’s that simple. Stopping a treatment because of shedding is almost always a mistake.

    Something puzzles me though... If you are a NW1, why the heck did you go on Propecia?

  9. #9
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    I don't think propecia is causing your hairline to be thinner. Maybe you're at the stage where your hair loss is just starting and those hairs (in the front) would've been lost with or without propecia. You probably know it already but propecia doesn't work for the hairline or temples and maybe that's why you feel it's thickening your hair elsewhere but not the front but I don't know.

  10. #10
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    Neither Propecia nor Rogaine are selective about where on the scalp they will work. Propecia simply blocks the conversion of testosterone into DHT. Rogaine simply stimulates hair follicles that can grow hair to grow hair.

    Think of it this way...

    Propecia is an "enabler". It enables hair follicles that can grow hair to grow hair - but it is not a "stimulator". Propecia enables hair follicles to grow hair by blocking the hormone that is preventing hair follicles from growing hair.

    Rogaine is a "stimulator". It stimulates hair follicles that can grow hair to grow hair - but it is not an "enabler".

    When DHT has caused hair follicles to miniaturize to a certain point, those hair follicles become dormant hair follicles that do not produce hair. If those dormant hair follicles are left untreated for too long, they will die. Dead hair follicles can never grow hair again - no matter what medication or treatment is used. Dormant hair follicles might grow hair again with stimulation. An enabler helps the process - if treatment is started before those hair follicles die.

    In males, the first hair follicles to go dormant are in the area of the hair line - "The mature male hairline". It is reasonable to conclude that by the time a typical male realizes he has a problem, those hair follicles in the hair line are already on their way out of commission. Propecia does not accelerate hair loss in the area of the hair line.

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