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  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    13

    Default Acquiring Propecia/General Questions/Concerns

    Hey all, new guy here. Therefore, I apologize in advance for any questions that may be seen often around here. I believe every case is different, so I had a few questions.

    A bit about me. I am 21 years old. Just started noticing thinning at the temples this year, but looking back at pictures, I see it's been happening for about the last year and a half. I am thinning towards a "NW2.5"..all my hair seems to be intact besides the temples, which are miniaturizing fairly rapidly. My central forelock is pretty much the same as it has always been; it grows longer and faster than either side of my forehead.

    My dad is 42 years old and is a NW3. He's had this hairline for at least a good 12 years now with no apparent further loss or thinning. He said he first noticed his hairline thinning when he had to buzz his hair down for the army at age 17, and his brothers (my uncles) say that he's had the same hairline since he was about 25. The only other balding on my paternal family is my paternal grandmother's brother, who (I have only heard, not seen) "has a horseshoe."
    My maternal grandfather is a NW3, with a high hairline and no balding on top or on the crown. My uncle (his son) has the same hairline as him. That's about the extent of MPB in my family, as far as I know.

    Initially, the reality of balding hit me hard. I went through the natural progression of denial to depression about it, and it has been a slow recovery process. I am thankful to still have a relatively full head of hair, and it looks like my prospects are pretty good from looking at my family. Of course, nobody has the magic "crystal ball", and I could stop at NW3, or go to NW7. Since my dad's loss seemed to stabilize by the time he was 30 and has stayed the same for 12 years, maybe I have high hopes.

    Anyway, since the loss is bothering me, and I am young, I was looking into treatment options. I believe I want to start Propecia in order to stabilize my loss and hopefully hold on to what I've got a bit better. I am a college student, and besides being a bit young for a transplant, I frankly don't have the money at this time. I have done quite a bit of research, and have been pleased with what I've read and seen from Dr. Glenn Charles. Since I am from MS, he is also one of the closest HT surgeons, so I would possibly be interested in a HT once I get further into my twenties and have an established career started.

    My questions are:
    1.) Can I get a prescription for Propecia from my family doctor, or is it a requirement to see a dermatologist? I know for a fact that I am experiencing MPB at this point.. the miniaturization and genetic history tells me this much, besides the obvious thinning at the front of my hair.

    2.) If I can't get a prescription from my family doctor, how easy is it to get on from dermatologists? MS isn't exactly known for being the smartest state, and I'm afraid many of the dermatologists in the area will laugh my case off or simply not know about finasteride.

    3.) Generally speaking, about how many grafts does it take to repair an average NW3 hairline (assuming this will be the extent of my recession, at least until I hit 40)? If I do go with the HT route, I simply want to establish a "mature" hairline, without any noticeable temple recession. I want my hair to grow evenly across the hairline. I always had long hair as a teenager, and although I don't want to have ridiculously long hair as I am getting older, it would be nice to grow my hair out and have it cover my forehead evenly again. My MPB is barely visible to others with my hair being a bit long at this point, as I can style it to cover up the recession. It is very noticeable to me, however.

    Sorry for the long post. I have been bottling this up for a few months now, and my family simply can't offer me any answers that I don't already know. They don't see the recession that I do, and they can't understand how hard this is for me and my confidence at a young age.

    Thanks for the read and your patience.
    -JS

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    3,125

    Default

    JS,

    One very important detail you need to be aware of and understand is that it is completely normal for males to thin out in the temples. This is called the normal mature male hairline. Males typically do not keep their adolescent hair line. This is one of the physical features that is different between males and a females. Unless you are transgendered, ethical doctors will not correct it with transplant surgery. If all you've got going on is the mature male hairline, you are not an appropriate candidate for hair transplant surgery. Ethical doctors are well aware of that. Hacks will do anything you are willing to pay for - but you can't be sure of getting acceptable rsults.

    Now for your questions...

    1 & 2) Any doctor can prescribe Propecia or generic Finasteride. Many men get a script for generic 5mg Finasteride and split the pills to make their daily dose. This saves a lot of money.

    3a) The mature male hair line is noticable recession in the temples.

    3b) How many grafts needed to restore your hair line from NW3 to NW2 depends on how thick or fine you hair is. A person with red hair, which is very fine, will need more grafts than a person with brown hair, which is very thick.

    3c)
    I want my hair to grow evenly across the hairline.
    This describes the adolescent hair line. This also describes the feminine hair line.

    My recommendations to you...

    Of course talk to your doctor about Propecia or generic Finasteride. Make sure you understand everything about that medication before you decide if it is right for you.

    Start using Nizoral A-D shampoo in place of your regular shampoo once or twice per week - but not more often than that. Use a good quality moisturizing conditioner almost daily. Take extraordinarily good care of your body and take extraordinarily good care of your hair. Be very gentile with your hair.

    If you can afford to buy a laser comb, get one and use it as directed - or every other day.

  3. #3
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    13

    Default

    Tracy,

    Thanks for your long in-depth reply.

    I am well aware of the "mature hairline". As of this very moment, I think I have a mature hairline. It's about an inch above where it was when I was younger. The problem is that my temples are miniaturizing into a NW 2.5/possible NW3 pattern much like my father's. My body is pretty much genetically a copy of his, as far as my entire skeletal structure, including my facial structure. I'm hoping I'll be as lucky with my recession, at least until I'm 40.

    I don't think my hair is going towards a mature hairline though. It seems to be going past that. I have my hair a bit grown out right now and the hair in the middle of my forehead is of noticeable better length and quality than the hair that comes from my temples. In fact, the hair that comes from my scalp above the temples is reaching down and doing more of a "cover-up" job of my forehead than the actual temple hair, which is miniaturizing fairly rapidly. I think it's safe to say at this point that I am headed towards my dad's hairline, which is definitely past the "mature hairline" point. There's a picture of him about 12 years ago with his head buzzed down, and he definitely has the "M" hairline. All hair above the temples and from the forelock up is in great shape. He has dark brown/black-ish hair; mine is a light to medium brown, and has always been of a fine quality. My crown seems to be fully intact at this point with no signs of miniaturization. I have a whorl where my part is, but no thinning outside of the whorl. It's seemed to stay the same as it was in my teen years.

    I do appreciate the suggestions though. I do want to get finasteride, and would love to get generic Proscar (5 mg) and cut up, as saving money would be crucial with me being in college. I'm just nervous about getting the appointment with my family doctor to ask him about it; I feel like he may reject it or not know enough about MPB to understand my valid concerns. If finasteride could save the NW2 hairline I have that is miniaturizing into the deeper temple recessions of NW3, I would love to try it out. I've researched the side effects.

    I work out 3-4x a week, as I have an ectomorph body type. I have been successful in putting on around 10 pounds across a 4 month time span. With finasteride being a DHT blocker, I've read that it could even possibly increase amounts of free testosterone, which would theoretically possibly help my work out. On the contrary, I've also read about getting "bitch tits" from it as well. What do you think the effects of finasteride on my working out would be?

    Thanks again for all your time and advice. I'm assuming the best way to order nizoral shampoo would be off of Amazon, correct?

    -JS

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    3,125

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jas714 View Post
    Thanks again for all your time and advice. I'm assuming the best way to order nizoral shampoo would be off of Amazon, correct?
    I buy it at Walmart or CVS. There was a shortage for a while but that seems to have been resolved. The last time I bought it there was a half a dozen bottles on the shelf at Walmart.

  5. #5
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    13

    Default

    Just got a propecia script from my doctor. I'm honestly a bit surprised at how easy it was. He seemed fairly knowledgable about it too, and I was relieved to hear him say "it's very safe." He was in a bit of a hurry though, so I'm glad I've done my own research the past couple of months.

    Now to find nizoral. My Walmart didn't have it, so I guess I'll check Walgreens. Mississippi sucks. And so my long road of maintenance begins!

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