Looking for Some Thoughts

[Prometheus]

Hello, I am twenty-five. I've been growing out my hair long, and I have recently noticed my part, the line that divides sections of hair-flow on the scalp. I think it might be widening (showing more of the scalp), but I have nothing to compare it to... And I am not sure if its in the normal range of things. Just wanted to have others give their opinions on the matter...

[Winston]

Hello, I am twenty-five. I've been growing out my hair long, and I have recently noticed my part, the line that divides sections of hair-flow on the scalp. I think it might be widening (showing more of the scalp), but I have nothing to compare it to... And I am not sure if its in the normal range of things. Just wanted to have others give their opinions on the matter...

Welcome to the forum! From the photo, it does look like you are losing some hair, but for the most part your hair looks relatively strong and healthy. The fact that you have blond hair actually works to your advantage since there is less contrast between your scalp and your hair, which can give the illusion of much more fullness if you continue to thin.

If you have a family history of male pattern baldness you should consider speaking to your doctor about your treatment options. Catching it early can really hold things off for many years and if it doesn't really concern you, you can just cut your hair short and let nature take its course. It is possible that it will stabilize even without treatment.

[Tracy C]

Hi Prometheus,

You are thinning in your anterior region. If this bothers you, you need to book an appointment with a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss.

For now, until you can consult with the doctor, it would be a good idea to start using Nizoral A-D shampoo in place of your regular shampoo once or twice per week, but not more often than that. It would also be a good idea to switch your regular shampoo and conditioner out for sulfate free shampoo and conditioner.

[kanyon]

I would suggest dabbing some Rogaine on that spot once a day.

[dex89]

I would suggest dabbing some Rogaine on that spot once a day.

and start taking proscar of propecia.

[Tracy C]

I would suggest dabbing some Rogaine on that spot once a day.

Though I do agree that Rogaine (or generic Minoxidil) would help him, and I also agree that he should start slow and work up to the full twice per day dose, but Rogaine is not going to give him as much help as he needs. Rogaine isn't going to stop the loss. I also feel that using the laser comb every other day would help this specific poster, but that isn't going to stop the loss either. The OP needs to talk to a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss about Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar). If the OP is unwilling or unable to take the medication that can stop the loss, there is not much point in doing anything else.

[kanyon]

I know this isn't a widely held or popular opinion, but I kinda disagree with battling hair loss with both Minoxidil and Finasteride to start. I feel like, if you do this, once the efficacy of both wears away, you're left with nothing to combat hairloss. I know this will surprise some people, but I battled it with Minoxidil first and this helped me for 6-7 years big time. Then hairloss overpowered it, and I got on Finasteride which I believe may help me for 5 years (I'm 18 months into it) until hopefully something better arrives. I feel that if you attack it at once with everything you've got than you're left with no solutions at the end.

[kanyon]

Are you saying that in 30 years I will definitely still be responding well to Finasteride? Excellent!

[Tracy C]

I feel like, if you do this, once the efficacy of both wears away, you're left with nothing to combat hairloss.

The idea that these treatments have a time limit is a myth generated and perpetuated by widespread misinterpretation of the available data. There is no set time limit. Sure the effectiveness can seem to fade away sooner for others than for most - but that does not always happen and the time until it happens, if it does happen, is not carved in stone. I know males who have been treating their hair loss with these two treatments for over 15 years and these treatments are still working for them.

Finasteride and Minoxidil do two completely different things. Finasteride slows down or prevents further loss, Minoxidil stimulates regrowth. Between the two, Finasteride is more effective at it's job than Minoxidil is at it's job. However, when used together, that gives a male the best chances possible to arrest the loss and regrow some hair. If a man were to choose only one of those two treatments, the best choice is to start with is Finasteride, not Minoxidil. This is because Minoxidil does not do anything to slow down or arrest the loss.

We are very close to more effective treatments and possibly an outright cure. Closer than we have ever been before. It does not matter how long a person thinks that time will come, the current treatments are very likely to help a male hold on until they do become available - with time to spare.

[mpb47]

The idea that these treatments have a time limit is a myth generated and perpetuated by widespread misinterpretation of the available data. There is no set time limit. Sure the effectiveness can seem to fade away sooner for others than for most - but that does not always happen and the time until it happens, if it does happen, is not carved in stone. I know males who have been treating their hair loss with these two treatments for over 15 years and these treatments are still working for them.

Finasteride and Minoxidil do two completely different things. Finasteride slows down or prevents further loss, Minoxidil stimulates regrowth. Between the two, Finasteride is more effective at it's job than Minoxidil is at it's job. However, when used together, that gives a male the best chances possible to arrest the loss and regrow some hair. If a man were to choose only one of those two treatments, the best choice is to start with is Finasteride, not Minoxidil. This is because Minoxidil does not do anything to slow down or arrest the loss.

We are very close to more effective treatments and possibly an outright cure. Closer than we have ever been before. It does not matter how long a person thinks that time will come, the current treatments are very likely to help a male hold on until they do become available - with time to spare.

I agree with you in theory, but sometimes minox alone does slow down loss, it seems to depend on how aggressive your mpb is. Minox is not supposed to stop the mpb process but it can buy you a lot of time -least for me and some of the others here.

I have always heard 10 years as the average for Fin but like you mentioned I have heard from others (on ************) who have stopped recession and had their vertex fill in and stay that way for 15 years . And just on Fin.
Guess what I am saying is your results may vary depending on your mpb....

[Tracy C]

Guess what I am saying is your results may vary depending on your mpb....

The results of any medication can vary from person to person - and often does. There is no such thing as "one size fits all" in medicine. We can guesstimate the average response, but that is the best medical science can do. The human body is a very complicated thing. That's one of the reasons why studies take so dang long.

[WarLord]

Are you saying that in 30 years I will definitely still be responding well to Finasteride? Excellent!

Have you ever heard that some men never go bald? Why would it be "inevitable"? It only depends on, how much the medication increases the resistance of follicles to DHT. And two effective medications - minoxidil and dutasteride - are dose-dependent, so in theory, losing hair is no longer possible, once you react positively and you apply a certain "optimal" dosage. Unfortunately, minoxidil is routinely available only in the 5% version that is apparently sub-optimal for many people.

[WarLord]

I agree with you in theory, but sometimes minox alone does slow down loss, it seems to depend on how aggressive your mpb is. Minox is not supposed to stop the mpb process but it can buy you a lot of time -least for me and some of the others here.

I have always heard 10 years as the average for Fin but like you mentioned I have heard from others (on ************) who have stopped recession and had their vertex fill in and stay that way for 15 years . And just on Fin.
Guess what I am saying is your results may vary depending on your mpb....

I am amazed, how easily you are pulling all these numbers out of your asses. When I started my anti-hairloss treatment in 1997, I didn't care about any numbers. I hoped that it would work forever, if I apply it disciplinedly. And so far it has worked, as I supposed. Why should it stop working, after all? People take some medications for decades. Why should anti-hairloss medications be an exception? Have you ever heard doctors saying that some medication will work for only a certain number of years? How silly it is!

It was only after I found the first hairloss forum in 2007, when I started to read all those stories about "the loss of efficiacy".

[WarLord]

The idea that these treatments have a time limit is a myth generated and perpetuated by widespread misinterpretation of the available data. There is no set time limit. Sure the effectiveness can seem to fade away sooner for others than for most - but that does not always happen and the time until it happens, if it does happen, is not carved in stone. I know males who have been treating their hair loss with these two treatments for over 15 years and these treatments are still working for them.

Finasteride and Minoxidil do two completely different things. Finasteride slows down or prevents further loss, Minoxidil stimulates regrowth. Between the two, Finasteride is more effective at it's job than Minoxidil is at it's job. However, when used together, that gives a male the best chances possible to arrest the loss and regrow some hair. If a man were to choose only one of those two treatments, the best choice is to start with is Finasteride, not Minoxidil. This is because Minoxidil does not do anything to slow down or arrest the loss.

We are very close to more effective treatments and possibly an outright cure. Closer than we have ever been before. It does not matter how long a person thinks that time will come, the current treatments are very likely to help a male hold on until they do become available - with time to spare.

Tracy, this is probably the only your post, with which I agree 90%. Those remaining 10% concern the silly myth perpetuated over and over again about minoxidil.

[WarLord]

Yes, that's what I'm saying.

Anecdotally there are reports of it losing some efficacy, but in that situation people usually up the dose to "compensate".

You also need to take into account that in thirty years time there WILL be a far more effective treatment for MPB, so you probably wouldn't even need it to last that long.

In theory, a dual 5-AR blocker like dutasteride should work infinitely. However, with finasteride, you will quickly hit a wall that is almost impossible to overcome, and this limit of the DHT suppression is not a long-term guarantee of success (in a minority of users, though).