Just wanted to update my story since I'm becoming a bit more active on the forums. That and I'm going through my biggest shed yet and I'd like others opinions. In retrospect, the pics I originally posted were terrible and didn't show my situation very well (denial).
Treatments:
Fin 1.25mg since April 17, 2012. No sides.
Minox 5% since June 6, 2012.
Nizoral 2% once-twice a week since April 17, 2012. 1% for a 2 months before that.
Important info: Age - 23 as of Jan this year. Dad - NW6 in 30s, not sure exactly when, could be 25. eek. Me - NW 2 hairline, NW 6 diffuse. Hairline has been this way since I cut off my long hair at 18. Diffuse since 21, maybe 20, not completely sure. First shed - June/July 2012.
Hair was pretty solid this past fall. Let the sides/back grow for a few months. Second shed(worst) - January/February/March 2013... the worst in March. Hopefully it tapers off soon. Its freaking me out. Currently losing probably 150-200 hairs a day just from the top of my head.
I've attached some pictures, that are complete shit obviously, but all I have. I use an iPhone 4 camera which isn't very good quality, and I didn't know (still don't it seems) how to take proper pictures I could replicate before hand. I've tried to take the pictures in as similar conditions as possible, hair length makes this impossible, but I don't want to cut my hair. First pic was especially hard to replicate, different locations.
The first picture in each set is February-March 2012. Length ~ 1.5-2 inches
The second picture in each set is today, March 18. Length ~ way longer.. 5-6 inches on vertex maybe
Future:
Hoping density increases following this shed, then maintenance.
Considering Dutasteride. Have some Dutas already. My balding is quite aggressive, so I'm going to try it, just don't know if I should start taking it too soon.
Anyone care to comment, would be really appreciated. Did I maintain? Do my pictures suck so much its not worth commenting about? Any periodic shedding stories? Dutasteride, yes/no?
EDIT: will get some better pics up when I have time, wet hair and all
Last edited by nick9278; 03-18-2013 at 09:24 AM.
Reason: -
Hey guys, having a pretty serious freak out, never been this concerned by my hair loss. I thought the finasteride/rogaine combo was working. Aside from my first shed, everything seemed to be going really well, but since January my shedding has continued to pick up.
It got really bad about in March, and continues to get worse. Yesterday after a shower around noon (combed my hair in the shower), I lost about 80 hairs applying rogaine, then 40-50 putting in product an hour later. Just took another shower, shampoo/condition and lost soooo much hair its crazy, hands covered. Combed out another 30 or so in the sink. Massaged rogaine in and got what the pic is showing (I know people usually say don't follow the "kitchen sink" approach, but I really need to talk about this) ... Its ****ing insane. How can an 10th-11th MONTH finasteride induced shed be this strong? Might it be that the fin hasn't worked at all I just wasn't shedding much this summer/fall.
Do you use 1 mg finasteride or 5 mg cut into pieces?
What is your dose every day?
Do you use generic or brand name?
Do you currently use ketoconazole shampoo & how often?
Have you ever been tested for DHT levels?
Also have you considered other possible causes for hair loss like telogen effluvium, excess or lack of certain vitamins, etc.?
Do you use 1 mg finasteride or 5 mg cut into pieces?
What is your dose every day?
Do you use generic or brand name?
5mg brand name proscar quartered everyday.
Do you currently use ketoconazole shampoo & how often?
Generic keto shampoo every 4 days for 5 min. Recently bumped up to this from once a week. Don't think it would cause a shed though because I've fluctuated how often I use keto (1-2/week) multiple times without causing shedding.
Have you ever been tested for DHT levels?
No... but I assume my follicles are really sensitive based on having my father's balding pattern and he lost it very early.
Also have you considered other possible causes for hair loss like telogen effluvium, excess or lack of certain vitamins, etc.?
Not really, my sides/back remain thick and aren't noticeably shedding comparatively.
I've been trying to follow the idea that finasteride synchronizes hair cycles so now its just my time and I heard the first 12-18 months are a rollercoaster, but I'm just shedding so much I don't understand. My other sheds have been noticeable, but lasted a matter of weeks to mayyyybbbeee a month and weren't this intense. So THIS is real shedding, I guess? I don't know. I just want it to slow down. Starting to think fin isn't effective for me.
Considering what I've started to lose in the shower, my daily loss must be conservatively 200-250 hairs from my NW6 region. That's probably being generous. Hell it seems like I lose that in a shampoo/rogaine application alone. Visually its becoming much more noticeable. This morning I was just looking at how much thinner its become... its too much. While I've been growing my hair out so its hard to say, I feel as though I didn't receive regrowth, so this shed is really throwing me off. End rant, thanks for listening.
Your hair looks good I wouldnt go on propcia for a while yet.. If it gets worse get a script
I'd wait.
I visited a hair loss doctor and, like you, didn't really get a straight answer. My doc said I could use Rogaine three days a week but it was "up to me."
Kinda made me question this doc's wisdom in general because I've never, ever heard of using Rogaine three days a week.
So I'm waiting and looking around for maybe another doc.
What do you mean by white bits? A white bulb at the end of the hairs or white dandruff looking bits?
Little bit on my shed hairs:
Both thick hairs and miniaturized. Mostly hairs that are my original hair thickness or a little thinner than my original hair width I'd say. Don't know if thats a good or bad thing. There's a white bulb at the end of all the shed hairs. The shed hairs maintain thickness throughout the strand as well, which I believe to be a good sign, since the follicles aren't thinning mid-strand. Sometimes the top end of the follicle is thinner than the middle and the root (tapered end), but I think thats just from wear and tear.
The white bits seem like dandruff. Guessing its either from the rogaine foam or I just have a tiny bit of dandruff. I never noticed it until I started combing my hair a lot more, which probably gets all the dead skin off my scalp. Hope I'm not drying it out or anything. Is using generic keto any different from the brand Nizoral?
I'd wait.
I visited a hair loss doctor and, like you, didn't really get a straight answer. My doc said I could use Rogaine three days a week but it was "up to me."
Kinda made me question this doc's wisdom in general because I've never, ever heard of using Rogaine three days a week.
So I'm waiting and looking around for maybe another doc.
My initial post was from Feb of last year. I've been on finasteride now for 11 months. My hair loss doc (IAHRS member) took microscopic photos of my thick donor region and my crown and showed me the difference in hair and evident hair loss.
Rogaine is most effective used twice a day, and almost as effective using once a day, or so I hear. Look into finasteride though, if you're experiencing hair loss. Only thing that has a good chance of stopping your loss.
White bulbs mean that the hair being shed were in the telogen phase. It's likely they're being forced out to make way for newer, stronger hairs.
I was under the impression that all shed hair is in the telogen phase and has a white bulb. It simply means the hair was shed from the root. Its been 11 months so I think its really up in the air what happens to the next follicles. Hopefully they'll be thicker.
Last edited by nick9278; 03-21-2013 at 12:09 PM.
Reason: -
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Originally Posted by 25 going on 65
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