My hair loss story and what you can do about yours (PICS)

[Skirrel]

how are you guys cutting your proscar tablets? into 4s or 5s? I looked online and this is what i found lol:

[xRedStaRx]

Does Minox foam and/or S5 cream cause acne? I've been acne prone my whole life but last few months my forehead and temples have been breaking out pretty bad and I have these tiny little bumps on my skin. Can't really see them but can feel them touching my skin. I only apply Rogaine and S5 cream at night so is it possible that it can cause acne? Since it's not all over my face I feel like it might be due to the topicals.

And if so, what should I do to stop/limit it?

Minoxidil should have no effect.

Spiro should actually reduce acne on paper, since it is an androgen antagonist. It's also used to treat acne besides androgenic hair loss.

You might be suffering from reflex hyperandrogenicity, but that only explains why acne increased in your case, and I find this is a highly unlikely reason for the cause.

how are you guys cutting your proscar tablets? into 4s or 5s? I looked online and this is what i found lol:

I used to cut them in 5s like the picture, then cut each fifth into quarters (imagine the hassle) to get 0.25mg doses.

Now I just cut into 4s and half of each for 8 doses of 0.625mg taken roughly every 3 days.

[Amillion]

I decided to post progress pics of my 6 month hair bulk. Both pics are of the same side (one is a mirror image).









You can see how ****ing bad my temple was and my hair on top was super thin and see through. My hair on top is waaaay thicker and before I would not have been able to have my hair that long because it was so thin and the texture was horrible.

Stack:
Morning
- tocomin SupraBio 50mg
- Head&Shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo
- Nizoral 1% (only 5 days a week)
- Minoxidil foam 5%
Night
- tocomin SupraBio 50mg
- Head&Shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo
- Nizoral 1% (only 5 days a week)
- Minoxidil foam 5% (I switched to the liquid whenever I do not go out to save some money)

is this the best progress ITT? however it seems like the way the hair is styled in the second picture hides the recession in the temples.

[xRedStaRx]

is this the best progress ITT? however it seems like the way the hair is styled in the second picture hides the recession in the temples.

Probably one of the best, considering no DHT inhibitors were used and it only took him 6 months.

We generally consider maintaining or significantly slowing down hair loss a success.

Regrowth should be very fortunate.

[Skirrel]

Probably one of the best, considering no DHT inhibitors were used and it only took him 6 months.

We generally consider maintaining or significantly slowing down hair loss a success.

Regrowth should be very fortunate.

the hair does seem thicker/bulkier. but we cant really see the temples in teh second pic (it looks like his side hair is brushed forward)

[xRedStaRx]

the hair does seem thicker/bulkier. but we cant really see the temples in teh second pic (it looks like his side hair is brushed forward)

Temple regrowth is the holy grail of hair revival, since it is the first to go, and hardest to regrow.

It's still quite a success how much overall volume he maintained. Regardless of the hairline.

[Market_Pantry]

ive been using rogaine along with the regenpure without the moisturizer and im losing hair. anyone have any tips on what else to do? im not always consistant with my rogaine use though. often only once a day. sometimes in rare cases ive skipped a day. also ive done 2 days in a row without showering before

[Family_Guy]

I don't even know why people bother with this crap. Who wants to apply foam to their head twice a day or take
medication everyday for the rest of your life ?

Well when you think about it, you hopefully brush your teeth twice a day without even thinking about it, so why treat this any different? Just make it part of your routine. I'm not one for taking things that have side effects though which is why I haven't touched any of this stuff but nizoral shampoo.

[Gainzzz]

ive been using rogaine along with the regenpure without the moisturizer and im losing hair. anyone have any tips on what else to do? im not always consistant with my rogaine use though. often only once a day. sometimes in rare cases ive skipped a day. also ive done 2 days in a row without showering before

I'm obviously no expert as I've just started but how long have you been doing it for? There's a minoxidil shedding phase which most people get before it starts to hopefully regrow. You could just be experiencing this.

[brettf2]

Pictures at 2, 4, and 6 months in order - the last two are less than ideal in quality but you can still see the regrowth. Did this all on minoxidil and ketoconazole.

-minoxidil 5% 1-2x/day (only missed a few applications over 6 months)
-1% ketoconazole shampoo 3-4x/week
-incorporated lipogaine around month 3 although the formula with AA no longer exists so I have since discontinued
-did NOT take finasteride


I'm pretty stable right now, around where I was at the 6 month mark and it's been over a year. Going to get a derma roller and see how that works and possibly RU when I find a reliable source to try and get some more regrowth.

[Gainzzz]

I've been slowly trying to read through the thread but 194 pages is a lot. Anyway, I was just wondering how many people on the misc do actually use fin? And how many noticed side effects and stopped taking it, or did you continue?

I've been an idiot and started reading other forums about it and people are basically claiming it to be the devil, now I'm paranoid and looking out for any sides.. which will probably end up causing me to have them.

[xRedStaRx]

I've been slowly trying to read through the thread but 194 pages is a lot. Anyway, I was just wondering how many people on the misc do actually use fin? And how many noticed side effects and stopped taking it, or did you continue?

I've been an idiot and started reading other forums about it and people are basically claiming it to be the devil, now I'm paranoid and looking out for any sides.. which will probably end up causing me to have them.

Side effects are overblown.

Unhappy people are often the loudest.

Science confirms the relative safety and efficacy of finasteride.

No complaints for me 4 months in, if you don't count a higher sex drive.

[Ace Thedics]

Pictures at 2, 4, and 6 months in order - the last two are less than ideal in quality but you can still see the regrowth. Did this all on minoxidil and ketoconazole.

-minoxidil 5% 1-2x/day (only missed a few applications over 6 months)
-1% ketoconazole shampoo 3-4x/week
-incorporated lipogaine around month 3 although the formula with AA no longer exists so I have since discontinued
-did NOT take finasteride


I'm pretty stable right now, around where I was at the 6 month mark and it's been over a year. Going to get a derma roller and see how that works and possibly RU when I find a reliable source to try and get some more regrowth.


[img]http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i458/brettf2/2months1.jpg/img]

[img]http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i458/brettf2/6months1.jpg/img]

Mirin gains dude

Side effects are overblown.

Unhappy people are often the loudest.

Science confirms the relative safety and efficacy of finasteride.

No complaints for me 4 months in, if you don't count a higher sex drive.

How long before you saw any difference?

[xRedStaRx]

How long before you saw any difference?

Finasteride takes a significantly long time to realize the full benefits.

In laymen terms, this is because you tend to block all DHT molecules that was bound to the hair follicles, thus hair needs to start repairing and regrowing after taking a new breath of fresh air, which should last a couple of hair cycles to see the final results.

A typical timeframe would be slowing or stopping of hair loss starting from 3-6 months, some visible miniaturized regrowth from 6-9 months, and the final saturated hair condition in the 12-24 month mark.

Although regrowth is actually uncommon, depending on the severity of hair tissue expression to damage, especially in the temporal region.

a) Hair counts: Finasteride treatment produced progressive increase in hair counts at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months [Table - 3], whereas the placebo treated patients continued to lose hairs at 6, 9 and 12 months (all p values, <0.05 vis a vis baseline). At month 12, the study demonstrated an increase of 20.56±4.73 hairs (mean±SE) for finasteride and decrease of 9.56±5.53 hairs for placebo, with a net difference of 30.12±7.31 hairs between the two groups. At month 12, 87.5% of the patients treated with placebo had decreased hair counts in comparison to only 21.74% of the patients treated with finasteride. Thus, finasteride was significantly superior to placebo in increasing the hair counts, the improvement starting as early as 3 months.

l Appearance of hair: Finasteride treated patients had statistically significant superior rating at 6,9 and 12 months (p value, <0.05) but at 3 months, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (p value, >0.05).

l Hair fall: Finasteride treated patients were significantly better rated at each point of follow-up (all p values, < 0.05).

l Hair growth: Finasteride treated patients had significantly better hair growth at 6, 9 and 12 months (p value, <0.05); however the difference in rating between the two groups was not statistically significant at 3 months (p value, >0.05).

l Bald areas: Reduction of the bald areas in finasteride treated patients was rated as significantly better at 6 and 12 months (p value, <0.05) while at 9 months, the response to the drug was not significantly superior to placebo. At 3 months, placebo was rated superior to finasteride, however it was not statistically significant.

At 12 months, the percentage of patients assessing themselves as improved for hair appearance were 60.86% in finasteride group and 18.75% in the placebo group. For hair fall, it was 73.9 1% versus 43.75%, for hair growth, it was 52.17% versus 12.5% and for bald area, it was 39.13% versus 18.75%, in the finasteride and placebo groups, respectively.

d) Clinical assessment: The clinical assessment of hair growth also revealed that finasteride was superior to placebo. The finasteride treated patients were rated superior to placebo at each point of follow-up, but it was significant only at 6, 9 and 12 months (p value, <0.05). At 12 months, 56.52% of patients in the finasteride group were assessed as improved, whereas in the placebo group only 18.75% were rated as improved.

With that said, I will not try to asses the efficacy of finasteride based on the 3 month mark just yet.

I do have to say though, the hairline and mid-anterior region shows at least some signs of improvement.

Baseline:




3 months:



I will hopefully update on at least the 6, 12 months mark, assuming I do not go off for any reason.

[VanillaFaceBrah]

I don't even know why people bother with this crap. Who wants to apply foam to their head twice a day or take
medication everyday for the rest of your life ?

I would feel more confident being bald rather than taking medication to keep hair on my head. All it
shows is insecurity which would make me feel even more insecure, almost because I'm living a lie.

Sure life looks good on the outside but its pretty sad on the inside, much like those people who are
broke as f*ck but still roll around in BMW's living a lie and taking credit for something they don't deserve.

Hate to sound like a broken record but its a hell of a lot easier just to buzz it and move along. I'm sure
within the decade they will be offering hair cloning at some point but until then..

Some people hate how it looks, losing your hair affects your looks dramatically. Pretending they don't care about it and shaving it instead of doing something about it would be living a lie, not actively fighting against it.

[P51]

Pictures at 2, 4, and 6 months in order - the last two are less than ideal in quality but you can still see the regrowth. Did this all on minoxidil and ketoconazole.

-minoxidil 5% 1-2x/day (only missed a few applications over 6 months)
-1% ketoconazole shampoo 3-4x/week
-incorporated lipogaine around month 3 although the formula with AA no longer exists so I have since discontinued
-did NOT take finasteride


I'm pretty stable right now, around where I was at the 6 month mark and it's been over a year. Going to get a derma roller and see how that works and possibly RU when I find a reliable source to try and get some more regrowth.

Eh, hard to tell how much better. Your 4th and 6th month pics are worse quality and have dry hair.

[Glutamine1]

Eh, hard to tell how much better. Your 4th and 6th month pics are worse quality and have dry hair.

Nice job with the fin redstar, and werd to what this guy says. Why did your pictures go to crap quality compared to the first? Retake the pictures with better quality, just like your first pic. Also, not sure if you're using flash or not, but don't use flash in your pictures.

[MeatbawlSamich]

Some people hate how it looks, losing your hair affects your looks dramatically. Pretending they don't care about it and shaving it instead of doing something about it would be living a lie, not actively fighting against it.

You don't pretend NOT to care, you just man up and accept your fate. Usually when you fight, you have an even chance of winning or losing. Unfortunately you cant win against genetics, the best you can absolutely do is buy yourself some time. That's it. I love my hair just like anyone else, but its a battle that cant be won.

If propecia didn't have the potential to f*ck up my life, I would jump on it and not look back. I value my mental health and well being
too much to even think about risking it for hair. Then you got Rogaine, something you have to apply everyday for the rest of
your life.. Well actually it loses its effectiveness after a year or two so never mind that, we're back to square one. Its also been
shown to inhibit collagen production, many people report premature aging to their face, bloating, and dark circles under their eyes
that take a very long time to disappear.

These "treatments" are from the stone age and should be forgotten about. You can educate yourself all you want on Propecia, but
the bottom line is that there's more to this drug than we know. I don't care to see some graphs and guys wearing white coats saying
its safe. Finasteride hinders various neuro steroids such as Allopregnanolone which plays a role in the human brain.
Allopregnolone is a part of the body's natural defense against cognitive deficits. There is still a lot we have to learn
about Finasterides effects on the human body and brain.

[xRedStaRx]

You don't pretend NOT to care, you just man up and accept your fate. Usually when you fight, you have an even chance of winning or losing. Unfortunately you cant win against genetics, the best you can absolutely do is buy yourself some time. That's it. I love my hair just like anyone else, but its a battle that cant be won.

If propecia didn't have the potential to f*ck up my life, I would jump on it and not look back. I value my mental health and well being
too much to even think about risking it for hair. Then you got Rogaine, something you have to apply everyday for the rest of
your life.. Well actually it loses its effectiveness after a year or two so never mind that, we're back to square one. Its also been
shown to inhibit collagen production, many people report premature aging to their face, bloating, and dark circles under their eyes
that take a very long time to disappear.

These "treatments" are from the stone age and should be forgotten about. You can educate yourself all you want on Propecia, but
the bottom line is that there's more to this drug than we know. I don't care to see some graphs and guys wearing white coats saying
its safe. Finasteride hinders various neuro steroids such as Allopregnanolone which plays a role in the human brain.
Allopregnolone is a part of the body's natural defense against cognitive deficits. There is still a lot we have to learn
about Finasterides effects on the human body and brain.

I feel fine.

Many people who have been on it for ten to fifteen years have nothing to report except a full head of hair.

You can't debase science on finasteride with the notion that science still didn't find out the potential effects of finasteride.

[MeatbawlSamich]

I'm glad you feel fine but give it some time and I'm sure you'll be posting on Propeciahelp.

Not sure why you promote this 20 year old poison.

[RagingClue]

I'm glad you feel fine but give it some time and I'm sure you'll be posting on Propeciahelp.

Not sure why you promote this 20 year old poison.

judging from your AVI you have bigger issues to worry about then fin side effects

[xRedStaRx]

I'm glad you feel fine but give it some time and I'm sure you'll be posting on Propeciahelp.

Not sure why you promote this 20 year old poison.

Generally, I would have been glad to discuss this with you and try to prove to you otherwise.

But now you come off as a butthurt kid who is too scared to take any life decisions and projects this fear and anger at his own handicap by ripping on people who have the ability to take full responsibility for their own actions and have full control over their lives.

[MeatbawlSamich]

Generally, I would have been glad to discuss this with you and try to prove to you otherwise.

But now you come off as a butthurt kid who is too scared to take any life decisions and projects this fear and anger at his own handicap by ripping on people who have the ability to take full responsibility for their own actions and have full control over their lives.

Generally, I wouldn't give a sh!t to hear you promote this treatment that cavemen used anyway.

You put your health and well being in harms way to save your hair. Does that really sound like a smart life decision to you ?

This has nothing to do with being scared, its just simply illogical to take the drug, the benefits don't outweigh the risks.

[Amillion]

Generally, I wouldn't give a sh!t to hear you promote this treatment that cavemen used anyway.

You put your health and well being in harms way to save your hair. Does that really sound like a smart life decision to you ?

This has nothing to do with being scared, its just simply illogical to take the drug, the benefits don't outweigh the risks.

Yeah i'll give it a shot. Might do propecia too. Heard if you take .25mg every 3 days you can maintain your hair.

Taking .25mg of propecia twice a week will maintain and possibly regrow your hair. Although minox is the safer route, you have to apply it topically twice a day everyday. Taking a tic tac twice a week is a lot easier. Not to mention minox only really stimulates some hair growth while propecia actually gets to the root of the problem. Some people experience sides from propecia but keep in mind they were also probably taking the recommended dose of 1mg everyday when its been proven that .25 every 3 days is all you need.

You would be wasting your time with anything else. Its never an easy decision to make, but its best to make it sooner
than later as you cant regrow dead follicles. Even with transplants, your advised to stick to some sort of medication
to keep your DHT low so your hair behind the transplanted area doesn't shed. Even if you want to chase your hair loss
with transplants, you risk running out of donor hair. The best result you can get is a thin head of hair that you would
probably end up shaving anyway.

brb, never taken propecia - talks out of his ass

[xRedStaRx]

Generally, I wouldn't give a sh!t to hear you promote this treatment that cavemen used anyway.

You put your health and well being in harms way to save your hair. Does that really sound like a smart life decision to you ?

This has nothing to do with being scared, its just simply illogical to take the drug, the benefits don't outweigh the risks.

Risks?

lol, idiot.

[MeatbawlSamich]

brb, never taken propecia - talks out of his ass

You don't need to experience something to know that its bad dumbass.

[BetaThanU]

Generally, I wouldn't give a sh!t to hear you promote this treatment that cavemen used anyway.

You put your health and well being in harms way to save your hair. Does that really sound like a smart life decision to you ?

This has nothing to do with being scared, its just simply illogical to take the drug, the benefits don't outweigh the risks.

why are you so irate? sounds like there's an issue deeper than hair here srs

[MeatbawlSamich]

Risks?

lol, idiot.

•Decreased libido
•Erectile dysfunction
•Ejaculation disorder
•Breast enlargement and tenderness
•Depression
•Testicular pain
•Male infertility or poor quality of semen
•Male breast cancer

In June 2011, the FDA released a safety announcement warning that Propecia and other 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors may increase the risk for a serious form of prostate cancer. Known as high-grade prostate cancer, this is the most deadly kind.

High-grade prostate cancer is highly aggressive and grows rapidly, often spreading to other areas like the lymph nodes and bones. Further, high-grade prostate cancer cells are large, difficult to treat and reappear more frequently than low- and intermediate-grade prostate cancers.

Although the cancer risk appears to be low, the FDA distributed the announcement to inform doctors and patients of safety revisions to the warning and precaution labels for this class of drugs. Evidence of the increased risk comes from two large clinical trials: the seven-year Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) and the four-year Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE) trial.

[Amillion]

You don't need to experience something to know that its bad dumbass.

brb, advising people to take propecia before using it
brb, now say it's poison when he hasn't even used it

no one should take you seriously ITT

[VANISM]

Totally not worth it imo.

Receeding crew brb shaved head looks awesome