Hello everyone. I would like to share my experience so far with combatting genetic hair loss. To be clear, I’ve only been battling hair loss for a little over 2 years, but my research has come a very long way in that duration. I write this just to share what works (if anything) for me and what hasn’t. I get no benefit in sharing, and am compelled to do this only because I too understand the extreme emotional toll hair loss can bring to a male.
Those of you who want to just s*** talk or poke holes into my findings, go f*** yourself. I get no compensation from this and will avoid listing brands of anything I use when possible. Those of you who want to laugh and belittle anything I use or my findings because they don’t have official FDA approval or studies and solid evidence to prove it, go f*** yourself too. Im like everyone else here. Praying for a cure. I’ve done extensive research into everything I’ve tried with the hope that it would work for me. Everything I’ve used, I’ve tried because the logic behind it’s mechanism is sound and worth a shot. Most will say I barely had hair loss and I should be lucky with what I had. I say to you, screw you. Most who successfully stabilize their hair loss echo that their biggest mistake was starting too late. I did not want to make the same. I am very sensitive about my hair loss, and I pay close attention to details and changes.
Let me preface with the following quick points:
-Im writing this after a long day of work, so please excuse any misspellings or grammatical errors
-I am 27 years old, started noticing thinning at 25.
-I still have a decent amount of hair. Hairline is intact (for now) but if you run a hand through my hair, you will feel the obvious difference in density in the typical male pattern baldness areas (crown, temples, and everything in between)
-Tested for hyperactive thyroid which came back negative
-Never tested my hormone levels
-Extremely poor dieting on my part, but still pretty fit
-Blood pressure is normal likely due to genetics and active lifestyle
-I have taken Accutane in my early twenties and it was successful with no permanent sides that I am aware of. Hair loss on Accutane was not present.
-I am prescribed Adderall daily, but use max 3 times a week
-I am a vain person, so I will spend whatever is necessary to keep my hair.
-I have never experienced a “shed” like most people talk about here. I consistently lose anywhere between 30-60 hairs in the shower daily. Obviously more hair fall out through out the day that I cant account for.
-No I cant do a transplant yet, because my hair loss is still in the early stages, thus has yet to stabilize
-In my opinion, hair density on my top scalp has dropped roughly 50 percent in the past 2 years(at least). The quality of my hair has dropped significantly.
What I have tried:
Finasteride(duration 1.5 years total) :I bought generic 5mg pills from India and just cut them into quarters. I don’t think it ever worked for me. Hair loss stayed the same for the most part. After the first year and no results, I got off for a few months. Went back on for the hell of it this time with real prescription from the Doctor, but I only took 1mg Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I maintained this for 6 months.
I have always felt those who complain about brain fog and how finasteride is such a horrible drug, were just a bunch of pussies. Boy was I wrong. After switching to real prescription finasteride at the start of this year, my opinion definitely changed. Around June I began noticing my short term memory began to significantly drop, my ability to rebut quickly dropped, I found myself at times having issues articulating my thoughts, I would forget so many things, etc. I never once blamed it on finasteride, until I FINALLY read what the symptoms of “brain fog” are. My jaw dropped because and I was off finasteride the very next day. All my cognitive issues I been suffering were verbatim the reported side effects they call brain fog. Although I would do MOST things in the name of keeping my hair, I cant afford diminished cognitive abilities as I am an attorney, and those functions are obviously intangible.
Conclusion: finasteride did not work for me. Hair loss rate remained the same as pre finasteride.
Side effects: I got everything….. Gyno in both nips which I will get cut out in a few months after hormones stabilize, “brain Fog”, watery semen, weaker erections, lowered libido. I stuck with it through all the side effects until the brain fog happened.
spironolactone Cream: I used this before finasteride or dutasteride and experienced puffy nipples and weak erections within the 2nd day of use! Stuck it out for 2 weeks and quit.
Dutasteride: Tried for 2 weeks and my existing gyno from finasteride got worse and my already weaker erection got even weaker. F that
Minoxidil: Ive used this from the beginning of my hair loss fight(over 2 years). Never experienced any side effects, nor beneficial effects. I just keep it just in case its doing something even in the slightest. I use 2 bottles of generic 5% Kirkland brand a month, twice a day as instructed. Hair loss rate was the same before it, and remained the same through out.
Conclusion: minoxidil did not work for me, but Im still using it because its cheap and doesn’t hurt me.
RU58841- Bought all the stuff for it at about 150 bucks a few months ago but never got around to using it. Probably wont considering finasteride brain fog has scared me sh**less. Who ever wants it just let me know and ill ship it to you. Just paypal me 5 bucks for shipping and its yours. First one to call dibs.
Bimatoprost: I purchased a bunch from India and tried consistently for 1.5 months and ran out so never bought more. Obsvioulsy that was not enough time to judge it, so I have resumed use of it now, going on 2 weeks now. I will stick it out for 6 months to give it a fair assessment.
Nizoral: I used for an entire year with finasteride and minoxidil and saw no benefit. Made my hair feel really weak and never saw benefit, so I stopped.
Adenovital Scalp Essence: I have been using for 4 months now with no noticeable difference. I use this twice a day before applying minoxidil. The guy on hairloss2020 recommends it which prompted me to try. Looking back, I don’t know why he would recommend it if he hasn’t seen positive results for himself. Maybe Shiseido pays him to mention it. Reading through his blog, I do notice some nut hugging towards that company. Just my personal observation. . I do appreciate his updates and discussions though.
Conclusion: Probably isn’t going to work, but I have no sides and its pretty cheap so Im just going to stick with it.
PRP+ Acell Injections- Had this done by local plastic surgeon for 2500.00 in May 2016. Probably too short to tell but no noticeable difference what so ever.
Conclusion: The science behind it is plausible, which is why I don’t want to rule out whether it works or not, but for me, after 3 months, nothing has changed in the rate of my hair loss or quality of hair. Therefore, so far, this has failed as well.
Dermarolling: I bought a derma roller and tried maybe 8 times total. It was very difficult because My hair is long and I have no slick bald spots so the needles tangle with my hair. So I bought I derma stamp instead and tried another 8 sessions, 4 days apart. This was in conjunction with the next product I used below.
Conclusion: Rate of hair loss dropped to about 15in the shower, and 7-10 in the morning when putting product in my hair. (in conjunction with product below)
Follistem : I know, don’t laugh. I know this may hurt my credibility, but this MAY have helped. My colleague represents a Saudi Prince who asked him to buy this specific product for him and ship it over seas. The prince swears by it and so he bought 24 bottles per his request. My friend knows my struggles so he bought 2 for me on the princes tab
. I laughed at the idea but Im not going to say no to a free product that could help my hair. I used for 1 month, in conjunction with derma stamping, and my hair loss slowed to about 20 daily. Got me pretty excited until I realized I use too much of the product and ran out in a month. Needless to say, my hair loss returned to about 30-40 a day. I may start this over but I have some other planned treatment experiments (read below), so not sure if I have space to throw this in as well.
Laser Cap with 272 diodes: Another colleague’s mom swore by her results with her theradome helmet. I looked at it and they weren’t even laser diodes, but instead LEDs. I wasn’t going to buy that. Looked into making my own by following User Overgrandemacho’s instructions but failed miserably at the soldering stage. (My opinion of him is that he can be annoying, overbearing, and obnoxious. Sounds like a used car salesman most the time, and in my opinion, probably makes fake posts on his own forum criticizing lasers, just so he can rebut with a bunch of mumbo jumbo to further sell himself as an expert.) After my failed project, I went searching for the best deal on a helmet that had a bunch of diodes and eventually bought from the manufacturer of the Cappilus 272, unbranded. Who would have known the Chinese company who makes it for them would be willing to undercut the 3k hat for MUCH cheaper. Anyways, I figured I try this after reading the science behind it. Seemed plausible. Started using it in Feb 2016 and still am. Initially after 2 weeks use, my hair loss accelerated to about 40-60 hairs a day in the shower! I started to freak out but after more and more reading about why it’s shedding, I stuck it out. Eventually it stopped the rapid “shed” to about 20-30 strands in the shower again around month 3.
Conclusion: I had high hopes for this, but after 7 months, I have seen no difference in hair quality, density, or hair loss rate. Only thing I ever observed was the initial 3 months of “shedding” (to my standards) I will continue to use it since I have nothing to lose, I already bought the damn thing. But my opinion so far is it does not work.
NOTE: Initially for the first 3 months with the Laser cap, I had this regiment as well:
-10000 MCG Biotin Daily
-Prenatal Vitamin Daily
-Beef collagen Twice Daily
-Organic fresh Aloe vera Gel Daily in the AM (I use this as my styling gel and its awesome! I wish I discovered this at the start of my journey)
-Polysorbate 80 in shower leave in hair for 10 min Daily. May mix with lavender oil at 1:1 ratio
-Regenpure daily as a quick shampoo to clean off the Polysorbate 80
-My own mixed concoction of coconut oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, emu oil, vitamin e oil, and almond oil. This is applied to my hair 3-4 days a week at the end of the day, and left in my hair overnight. This is always freshly applied prior to any laser helmet session. I use a very loose microfiber wrap to cover my hair overnight. Emphasis loose because I do not want any possible restriction on blood flow to my precious hair follicles.
The oils undoubtedly made my hair feel stronger, but it was such a hassle. The aloe vera has always helped my hair feel good and I think I will be resuming its use.
I think that wraps up all that I have used so far. Now for what I am about to start using, and I would like to hear from yall your thoughts.
Somatropin (HGH)- I have acquired it on the black market because no doctor I know will prescribe it to me without a legit reason(apparently hair loss isn’t good enough). I will be dosing under the category of “anti aging” for 6 months and report back. Science behind the potential positive effects on hair are plausible in my opinion. Plus I am sure this will help my cognitive function and libido bounce back from finasteride. Those of you who want to criticize me on the risks, please don’t bother, rather I suggest you educate yourself first. Just think of all the other experimental s*** people are willing to try for their hair. I am excited for this trial run.
Brotzu Lotion: It hasn’t been released yet but I got the list of how they made it from the patent study and gave it to a buddy that owns a pharmacy. He in turn asked around at compounding pharmacies he has worked with in the past but so far no one wants to make it for me. Im going to search harder, as I know there will be someone willing. Cost isn’t an issue, I just want to hurry up and try it and likely scratch that off the list of potential treatments/cures. No I am not interested in buying for anyone else, but I AM interested if yall know any credible group buys currently out.
Dermapen + Centrifuige + PRP kits + adipose Stem Cell: Call me crazy, because I am for the sake of my hair. I bought an electronic dermapen to continue with wounding. I’m in the process of procuring my own centrifuge for 5-600 bucks along with PRP kits to draw blood from myself. My best friend is a nurse, whom will draw the blood for me. Im going to also purchase some adipose stem cell products to add to my PRP. Im going to dermapen my scalp once every 2 weeks, and then apply the PRP and Adipose stem cells to my scalp and leave in over night.
This whole project is probably going to cost 1000.00 bucks but it seems so worth it to me, considering my prp + Acell treatment cost over twice that and this way I can pretty much do it an unlimited amount of times.
Fix my diet: there’s a strict diet someone posted on a body building forum which allegedly can halt hair loss in its tracks(genetic or not). I figure its worth a shot, and worst thing that could happen is I get healthier as a whole.
Human Embryonic Stem Cell + PRP injections – A medical provider my firm works with started using this in their orthopedic department and offered it to me to try and a decent price. I may try it. Probably not.
That sums up my journey. I hope my experience shed some light for those who are curious of treatment options available. I also welcome criticism, I have thick skin. I apologize if my post isn’t clear or concise. This took 2 hours of my life to write, and I had a long day at work. PLUS I’m a recovering finasteride user. That brain fog is no joke lol…. Seriously…..
Those of you who want to just s*** talk or poke holes into my findings, go f*** yourself. I get no compensation from this and will avoid listing brands of anything I use when possible. Those of you who want to laugh and belittle anything I use or my findings because they don’t have official FDA approval or studies and solid evidence to prove it, go f*** yourself too. Im like everyone else here. Praying for a cure. I’ve done extensive research into everything I’ve tried with the hope that it would work for me. Everything I’ve used, I’ve tried because the logic behind it’s mechanism is sound and worth a shot. Most will say I barely had hair loss and I should be lucky with what I had. I say to you, screw you. Most who successfully stabilize their hair loss echo that their biggest mistake was starting too late. I did not want to make the same. I am very sensitive about my hair loss, and I pay close attention to details and changes.
Let me preface with the following quick points:
-Im writing this after a long day of work, so please excuse any misspellings or grammatical errors
-I am 27 years old, started noticing thinning at 25.
-I still have a decent amount of hair. Hairline is intact (for now) but if you run a hand through my hair, you will feel the obvious difference in density in the typical male pattern baldness areas (crown, temples, and everything in between)
-Tested for hyperactive thyroid which came back negative
-Never tested my hormone levels
-Extremely poor dieting on my part, but still pretty fit
-Blood pressure is normal likely due to genetics and active lifestyle
-I have taken Accutane in my early twenties and it was successful with no permanent sides that I am aware of. Hair loss on Accutane was not present.
-I am prescribed Adderall daily, but use max 3 times a week
-I am a vain person, so I will spend whatever is necessary to keep my hair.
-I have never experienced a “shed” like most people talk about here. I consistently lose anywhere between 30-60 hairs in the shower daily. Obviously more hair fall out through out the day that I cant account for.
-No I cant do a transplant yet, because my hair loss is still in the early stages, thus has yet to stabilize
-In my opinion, hair density on my top scalp has dropped roughly 50 percent in the past 2 years(at least). The quality of my hair has dropped significantly.
What I have tried:
Finasteride(duration 1.5 years total) :I bought generic 5mg pills from India and just cut them into quarters. I don’t think it ever worked for me. Hair loss stayed the same for the most part. After the first year and no results, I got off for a few months. Went back on for the hell of it this time with real prescription from the Doctor, but I only took 1mg Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I maintained this for 6 months.
I have always felt those who complain about brain fog and how finasteride is such a horrible drug, were just a bunch of pussies. Boy was I wrong. After switching to real prescription finasteride at the start of this year, my opinion definitely changed. Around June I began noticing my short term memory began to significantly drop, my ability to rebut quickly dropped, I found myself at times having issues articulating my thoughts, I would forget so many things, etc. I never once blamed it on finasteride, until I FINALLY read what the symptoms of “brain fog” are. My jaw dropped because and I was off finasteride the very next day. All my cognitive issues I been suffering were verbatim the reported side effects they call brain fog. Although I would do MOST things in the name of keeping my hair, I cant afford diminished cognitive abilities as I am an attorney, and those functions are obviously intangible.
Conclusion: finasteride did not work for me. Hair loss rate remained the same as pre finasteride.
Side effects: I got everything….. Gyno in both nips which I will get cut out in a few months after hormones stabilize, “brain Fog”, watery semen, weaker erections, lowered libido. I stuck with it through all the side effects until the brain fog happened.
spironolactone Cream: I used this before finasteride or dutasteride and experienced puffy nipples and weak erections within the 2nd day of use! Stuck it out for 2 weeks and quit.
Dutasteride: Tried for 2 weeks and my existing gyno from finasteride got worse and my already weaker erection got even weaker. F that
Minoxidil: Ive used this from the beginning of my hair loss fight(over 2 years). Never experienced any side effects, nor beneficial effects. I just keep it just in case its doing something even in the slightest. I use 2 bottles of generic 5% Kirkland brand a month, twice a day as instructed. Hair loss rate was the same before it, and remained the same through out.
Conclusion: minoxidil did not work for me, but Im still using it because its cheap and doesn’t hurt me.
RU58841- Bought all the stuff for it at about 150 bucks a few months ago but never got around to using it. Probably wont considering finasteride brain fog has scared me sh**less. Who ever wants it just let me know and ill ship it to you. Just paypal me 5 bucks for shipping and its yours. First one to call dibs.
Bimatoprost: I purchased a bunch from India and tried consistently for 1.5 months and ran out so never bought more. Obsvioulsy that was not enough time to judge it, so I have resumed use of it now, going on 2 weeks now. I will stick it out for 6 months to give it a fair assessment.
Nizoral: I used for an entire year with finasteride and minoxidil and saw no benefit. Made my hair feel really weak and never saw benefit, so I stopped.
Adenovital Scalp Essence: I have been using for 4 months now with no noticeable difference. I use this twice a day before applying minoxidil. The guy on hairloss2020 recommends it which prompted me to try. Looking back, I don’t know why he would recommend it if he hasn’t seen positive results for himself. Maybe Shiseido pays him to mention it. Reading through his blog, I do notice some nut hugging towards that company. Just my personal observation. . I do appreciate his updates and discussions though.
Conclusion: Probably isn’t going to work, but I have no sides and its pretty cheap so Im just going to stick with it.
PRP+ Acell Injections- Had this done by local plastic surgeon for 2500.00 in May 2016. Probably too short to tell but no noticeable difference what so ever.
Conclusion: The science behind it is plausible, which is why I don’t want to rule out whether it works or not, but for me, after 3 months, nothing has changed in the rate of my hair loss or quality of hair. Therefore, so far, this has failed as well.
Dermarolling: I bought a derma roller and tried maybe 8 times total. It was very difficult because My hair is long and I have no slick bald spots so the needles tangle with my hair. So I bought I derma stamp instead and tried another 8 sessions, 4 days apart. This was in conjunction with the next product I used below.
Conclusion: Rate of hair loss dropped to about 15in the shower, and 7-10 in the morning when putting product in my hair. (in conjunction with product below)
Follistem : I know, don’t laugh. I know this may hurt my credibility, but this MAY have helped. My colleague represents a Saudi Prince who asked him to buy this specific product for him and ship it over seas. The prince swears by it and so he bought 24 bottles per his request. My friend knows my struggles so he bought 2 for me on the princes tab
. I laughed at the idea but Im not going to say no to a free product that could help my hair. I used for 1 month, in conjunction with derma stamping, and my hair loss slowed to about 20 daily. Got me pretty excited until I realized I use too much of the product and ran out in a month. Needless to say, my hair loss returned to about 30-40 a day. I may start this over but I have some other planned treatment experiments (read below), so not sure if I have space to throw this in as well.Laser Cap with 272 diodes: Another colleague’s mom swore by her results with her theradome helmet. I looked at it and they weren’t even laser diodes, but instead LEDs. I wasn’t going to buy that. Looked into making my own by following User Overgrandemacho’s instructions but failed miserably at the soldering stage. (My opinion of him is that he can be annoying, overbearing, and obnoxious. Sounds like a used car salesman most the time, and in my opinion, probably makes fake posts on his own forum criticizing lasers, just so he can rebut with a bunch of mumbo jumbo to further sell himself as an expert.) After my failed project, I went searching for the best deal on a helmet that had a bunch of diodes and eventually bought from the manufacturer of the Cappilus 272, unbranded. Who would have known the Chinese company who makes it for them would be willing to undercut the 3k hat for MUCH cheaper. Anyways, I figured I try this after reading the science behind it. Seemed plausible. Started using it in Feb 2016 and still am. Initially after 2 weeks use, my hair loss accelerated to about 40-60 hairs a day in the shower! I started to freak out but after more and more reading about why it’s shedding, I stuck it out. Eventually it stopped the rapid “shed” to about 20-30 strands in the shower again around month 3.
Conclusion: I had high hopes for this, but after 7 months, I have seen no difference in hair quality, density, or hair loss rate. Only thing I ever observed was the initial 3 months of “shedding” (to my standards) I will continue to use it since I have nothing to lose, I already bought the damn thing. But my opinion so far is it does not work.
NOTE: Initially for the first 3 months with the Laser cap, I had this regiment as well:
-10000 MCG Biotin Daily
-Prenatal Vitamin Daily
-Beef collagen Twice Daily
-Organic fresh Aloe vera Gel Daily in the AM (I use this as my styling gel and its awesome! I wish I discovered this at the start of my journey)
-Polysorbate 80 in shower leave in hair for 10 min Daily. May mix with lavender oil at 1:1 ratio
-Regenpure daily as a quick shampoo to clean off the Polysorbate 80
-My own mixed concoction of coconut oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, emu oil, vitamin e oil, and almond oil. This is applied to my hair 3-4 days a week at the end of the day, and left in my hair overnight. This is always freshly applied prior to any laser helmet session. I use a very loose microfiber wrap to cover my hair overnight. Emphasis loose because I do not want any possible restriction on blood flow to my precious hair follicles
.The oils undoubtedly made my hair feel stronger, but it was such a hassle. The aloe vera has always helped my hair feel good and I think I will be resuming its use.
I think that wraps up all that I have used so far. Now for what I am about to start using, and I would like to hear from yall your thoughts.
Somatropin (HGH)- I have acquired it on the black market because no doctor I know will prescribe it to me without a legit reason(apparently hair loss isn’t good enough). I will be dosing under the category of “anti aging” for 6 months and report back. Science behind the potential positive effects on hair are plausible in my opinion. Plus I am sure this will help my cognitive function and libido bounce back from finasteride. Those of you who want to criticize me on the risks, please don’t bother, rather I suggest you educate yourself first. Just think of all the other experimental s*** people are willing to try for their hair. I am excited for this trial run.
Brotzu Lotion: It hasn’t been released yet but I got the list of how they made it from the patent study and gave it to a buddy that owns a pharmacy. He in turn asked around at compounding pharmacies he has worked with in the past but so far no one wants to make it for me. Im going to search harder, as I know there will be someone willing. Cost isn’t an issue, I just want to hurry up and try it and likely scratch that off the list of potential treatments/cures. No I am not interested in buying for anyone else, but I AM interested if yall know any credible group buys currently out.
Dermapen + Centrifuige + PRP kits + adipose Stem Cell: Call me crazy, because I am for the sake of my hair. I bought an electronic dermapen to continue with wounding. I’m in the process of procuring my own centrifuge for 5-600 bucks along with PRP kits to draw blood from myself. My best friend is a nurse, whom will draw the blood for me. Im going to also purchase some adipose stem cell products to add to my PRP. Im going to dermapen my scalp once every 2 weeks, and then apply the PRP and Adipose stem cells to my scalp and leave in over night.
This whole project is probably going to cost 1000.00 bucks but it seems so worth it to me, considering my prp + Acell treatment cost over twice that and this way I can pretty much do it an unlimited amount of times.
Fix my diet: there’s a strict diet someone posted on a body building forum which allegedly can halt hair loss in its tracks(genetic or not). I figure its worth a shot, and worst thing that could happen is I get healthier as a whole.
Human Embryonic Stem Cell + PRP injections – A medical provider my firm works with started using this in their orthopedic department and offered it to me to try and a decent price. I may try it. Probably not.
That sums up my journey. I hope my experience shed some light for those who are curious of treatment options available. I also welcome criticism, I have thick skin. I apologize if my post isn’t clear or concise. This took 2 hours of my life to write, and I had a long day at work. PLUS I’m a recovering finasteride user. That brain fog is no joke lol…. Seriously…..
