Hair loss on Crown, permanent?

[graymonkey44]

A little background, I'm currently 22 years old.

I took a pretty heavy cycle of Protodrol, a DHT based compound for a workout supplement. I was very cautious about having side effects and took some cycle support supplements like Fish Oils, Multivitamins, Joint supplement, and a life support supplement which contained things like red yeast rice, saw palmetto, milk thistle, hawthorne berries.

I took the Protodrol for 6 weeks and made sure I had a proper PCT lined up which was Tamoxifen Citrate, a SERM. Two weeks into the SERM, my mom noticed that I had same very noticeable thinning on the crown of my scalp. I examined it and it was pretty significant.

I was pretty distraught about it and someone recommended Nioxin system cleaner, so I tried using it for 2 weeks and although I thought it was a good volumizing shampoo, I didn't think it was that great at lowering DHT and regrowth. I just recently purchased Regenepure which contains ketoconazole, which has been proven to inhibit DHT and I feel like it may be making some difference, but it's too early to tell.

I also just purchased some Aziderm's azelaic acid 10% cream and a microderm needle roller and I plan on using this too. I'm just unsure of when to apply and how many times a day. Do I rub it in and leave it or do I have to wash it out after using?

I don't believe I suffer from MPB because my dad is 62 years old and still has a full head of hair. We also have pretty similar hair styles. My hair is a little bit more curly and wavy, while his is just wavy. Also, my mom's grandfather is not bald either. My hair line has not receded either.

I was wondering if it would be all right to temporarily use minoxidil at a low dosage just to help stimulate some growth in the crown and then stop. I hear hair becomes minoxidil dependant after a period of time and I sure don't want that. I would appreciate any input you guys have.

Here's some pictures of it as well. In the one picture my scalp definitely look irritated.

[Tracy C]

You need to stop what you have been doing and talk to a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss.

There are only products that are proven to treat hereditary hair loss and are FDA approved for that purpose are Propecia (Finasteride) and Rogaine (Minoxidil). Nioxin and all similar products do absolutely nothing to treat hereditary hair loss.

[graymonkey44]

You need to stop what you have been doing and talk to a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss.

There are only products that are proven to treat hereditary hair loss and are FDA approved for that purpose are Propecia (Finasteride) and Rogaine (Minoxidil). Nioxin and all similar products do absolutely nothing to treat hereditary hair loss.

I have stopped taking both things for about 2 weeks now. I realized what I did was stupid. It was pretty much a legal steroid which made my DHT levels go extremely high. I think my DHT levels have lowered, now though, but I'm wondering if the damage I did to the crown is reversible. I am aware that those products are for hereditary hair loss due to the scalp storing the DHT which prevents the hair follicles from getting nutrients and growing healthy.

Minoxidil acts as a vasodilator, among other things, which should stimulate hair growth so I'm wondering if this would help with regrowth on the crown.

[Tracy C]

...so I'm wondering if this would help with regrowth on the crown.

Only time will tell if you did permanent damage by triggering MPB earlier in life than it would have on it's own. If not your hair should grow back on its own, but again this will take a long time.

If you are going to use Minoxidil temporarily, you need to understand more about it and how best to use it. If you know you do not have hereditary hair loss, you would not need to keep using it for life. If you know you do have hereditary hair loss, you will need to keep using it for life. It may best to wait until you know for sure. The best thing for you to do is talk to a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss.

[graymonkey44]

Only time will tell if you did permanent damage by triggering MPB earlier in life than it would have on it's own. If not your hair should grow back on its own, but again this will take a long time.

If you are going to use Minoxidil temporarily, you need to understand more about it and how best to use it. If you know you do not have hereditary hair loss, you would not need to keep using it for life. If you know you do have hereditary hair loss, you will need to keep using it for life. It may best to wait until you know for sure. The best thing for you to do is talk to a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss.

I don't think going to a doctor is a possibility. I understand that minoxidil does have side effects and that's what I'm worried about. How long exactly would I have to wait to see regrowth? I'm willing to wait as long as I know the hair will regrow. I'm sure that the doctor would tell me the same thing you're telling me anyways.

Also, as far as I'm aware, Ketoconazole does in fact inhibit DHT: there was a study done on it. Also Azelaic acid had a study that said it inhibited DHT as well.

[Tracy C]

How long exactly would I have to wait to see regrowth? I'm willing to wait as long as I know the hair will regrow.

There is no way to know how long for sure but a year is reasonable. There is no way to know if it will regrow at all except just to wait and see. Treating hair loss takes a painfully long time and there is nothing anyone can do to speed it up.

The only medications that are proven and FDA approved to treat hereditary hair loss in males are Propecia (Finasteride) and Rogaine (Minoxidil). There is sufficient evidence to suggest that using Nizoral (Ketoconazole) shampoo once or twice a week can help as an adjunct to proven treatments, especially for women. However, Ketoconazole is not a stand alone treatment. Azelaic acid can do more harm than good, so it's best to stay away from that.

There is no harm in starting to use Nizoral shampoo once a week, as long as you don't over use it. Over using any form of Ketoconazole can cause your hair loss to worsen. It would also be a good idea to replace your regular shampoo and conditioner with sulfate free shampoo and conditioner.

If you insist on trying Minoxidil now, take it slow. Don't jump onto the twice a day dose right away. Taper up slowly over time. When you decide to stop using Minoxidil, do the same thing in reverse. Never stop Minoxidil abruptly. Stopping abruptly can trigger a massive shed that might not recover.

[graymonkey44]

Uh oh. I've been using the regenepure twice a day for about a week now. You suggest I should only use it once a week? Is there any reason why it makes it worse? I'm also curious as to why azelaic acid would cause more harm? There's a lot of minoxidil formulas that include azelaic acid as one of the main ingredients. Thanks again for your input.

[Tracy C]

Uh oh. I've been using the regenepure twice a day for about a week now. You suggest I should only use it once a week?

The makers of Regenepure do not list how much Ketoconazole is actually in their shampoo. No one knows if the amount of Ketoconazole in Regenepure is even enough to do any good. One thing we do know for sure is that it cannot be more than 1%. So just stop using it twice a day and use it only once or twice a week. Regenepure is grossly over priced for what you get. Using it twice a day is quite a waste of money.

For your regular washing, especially if you intend to wash twice a day, switch to sulfate free shampoo and conditioner.

[mpb47]

Be careful of taking hormones as they will speed up MPB you would eventually would have experienced at some point.

Back in March my dr put me on a low dosage of T and shortly afterwords my inactive mpb became active again on crown.

If you stop using, your mbp might stop. Good luck

[graymonkey44]

The makers of Regenepure do not list how much Ketoconazole is actually in their shampoo. No one knows if the amount of Ketoconazole in Regenepure is even enough to do any good. One thing we do know for sure is that it cannot be more than 1%. So just stop using it twice a day and use it only once or twice a week. Regenepure is grossly over priced for what you get. Using it twice a day is quite a waste of money.

For your regular washing, especially if you intend to wash twice a day, switch to sulfate free shampoo and conditioner.

I mean no disrespect, but do you have a link to any of these studies? I would really appreciate knowing why using ketoconazole too much would be detrimental to hair and also why azelaic acid does not help in hair regrowth. Regenepure is a sulfate free shampoo and I think it has some pretty good ingredients like Linolenic acid, Emu Oil, B vitamins and even Saw Palmetto. If it does really contain less than 1% ketoconazole, couldn't that mean I could take it more than once or twice a week compared to Nizoral or something with 2%?

Also, what types or brands of sulfate free shampoos and conditioners would you recommend. Nioxin is supposed to be pretty good, but it does contain SLS. Thanks.