- Reaction score
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I'll try to keep this short so people don't get too bored reading it. I started losing my hair in the widow's peak area at around age 25 and tried using minoxidil off and on a few times but never used it long enough to see a difference. By the time I was 31 I had pretty significant loss in my temples and began thinning around my crown. I considered finasteride briefly but didn't want to risk the sides so I began razor shaving my head at 32 and have done so for 5 years but in that time my hair loss hasn't gotten much worse (I still have a decent amount of hair to work with). Around 7-8 months ago my doctor recommended I start taking a natural DHT blocker to help prevent future prostate issues and about 2 months ago I noticed vellus hairs sprouting from the temple area which had been shiny bald for a while. Now, I should mention that growing my hair back is more or less an experiment than anything else as I'm completely comfortable with my bald look. However, if I can grow my hair back I'd be pretty happy about it. I began researching different products used for treating male pattern baldness and of course the traditional treatments like minoxidil, finasteride and hair transplants came up and newer treatments such as LLLT were mentioned. I'm still not keen on the idea of using a chemically based systemic DHT blocker due to potential sides and because I've been pumping chemicals into my body my entire life to manage my asthma so for now (unless I see some incredibly compelling reason to start) finasteride and dutasteride are out. Instead I've opted for natural DHT blockers and topical treatments instead. My regimen is as follows:
DHT Inhibitors (systemic):
Saw Palmetto/Pygeum/Pumpkin Seed Extract
Beta Sitosterol
Flaxseed oil capsules
Stinging nettle capsules
Fenugreek capsules
Anti-inflammatories (systemic):
Green tea extract
Grape seed extract
Krill oil
Turmeric capsules
L-Lysine tablets
Acai berry extract
General health (systemic):
High potency multivitamin
Biotin
Men's Collagen Supplement
B vitamin complex
Bee pollen capsules
Royal Jelly
Cinnamon capsules
Shampoo:
Switching between Hair Surge (0.2 % ketoconazole, caffeine and Saw Palmetto) and generic 1% ketoconazole
Topical treatments:
5% minoxidil 2x daily
.025% tretinoin cream 1x EOD after shower and
30 minutes prior to minoxidil
Recently purchased S5 Plus but haven't
received it yet
Alternative treatments:
272 diode Laser Cap EOD for 30 minutes
Recently began using .5mm puncture depth
dermaroller
Before anyone remarks on the number of supplements I take I DO understand that it's a lot of pills to pop every day but for now I'd rather take this many natural supplements than immediately jump onto the Propecia roller coaster and I worked it out to only costing around $2.45 a day.
I guess what I'm wondering is if anyone in this forum has had any success with natural DHT blockers and/or topical treatments. It seems as though a lot of what I've read sort of leans toward nothing else really being effective unless I'm willing to take Propecia. Hopefully my S5 will ship soon and I can add that into my regimen and see if anything improves. I will say though that I've only been at this for 2 months now and not only have the vellus hairs at my temples exploded in number but they're getting much thicker at the hairline. Any constructive comments or advice would be great!
DHT Inhibitors (systemic):
Saw Palmetto/Pygeum/Pumpkin Seed Extract
Beta Sitosterol
Flaxseed oil capsules
Stinging nettle capsules
Fenugreek capsules
Anti-inflammatories (systemic):
Green tea extract
Grape seed extract
Krill oil
Turmeric capsules
L-Lysine tablets
Acai berry extract
General health (systemic):
High potency multivitamin
Biotin
Men's Collagen Supplement
B vitamin complex
Bee pollen capsules
Royal Jelly
Cinnamon capsules
Shampoo:
Switching between Hair Surge (0.2 % ketoconazole, caffeine and Saw Palmetto) and generic 1% ketoconazole
Topical treatments:
5% minoxidil 2x daily
.025% tretinoin cream 1x EOD after shower and
30 minutes prior to minoxidil
Recently purchased S5 Plus but haven't
received it yet
Alternative treatments:
272 diode Laser Cap EOD for 30 minutes
Recently began using .5mm puncture depth
dermaroller
Before anyone remarks on the number of supplements I take I DO understand that it's a lot of pills to pop every day but for now I'd rather take this many natural supplements than immediately jump onto the Propecia roller coaster and I worked it out to only costing around $2.45 a day.
I guess what I'm wondering is if anyone in this forum has had any success with natural DHT blockers and/or topical treatments. It seems as though a lot of what I've read sort of leans toward nothing else really being effective unless I'm willing to take Propecia. Hopefully my S5 will ship soon and I can add that into my regimen and see if anything improves. I will say though that I've only been at this for 2 months now and not only have the vellus hairs at my temples exploded in number but they're getting much thicker at the hairline. Any constructive comments or advice would be great!
