I feel like these introductions should be somewhat formatted as an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting: Hi everyone, my name's -name-, and I've been losing my hair for about 5 years now. *Holds back sniffle, wipes at tears of relief, and looks around nervously...* "Hi -name-," the crowd murmurs. An awkward shifting of seated positions amongst the audience temporarily blinds me as the light from the ceiling is reflected off the crowd's various-sized bald spots and directly into my eyes. I pause, take a deep breath, and continue....
All jokes aside, I find myself somewhat relieved and extremely confused by my decision to join this community. A myriad of emotions, primarily doubt and frustration, have led me down this path (a path I'm sure many of you have walked). I'm pretty sure it was the last gal who casually pointed out that my hair loss "really wasn't that bad" that convinced me I needed a more solid support network. A group of people who wouldn't just casually excuse my anxiety over hair loss as "no big deal", like it would miraculously cure my increasingly bald head.
If hair loss was ranked on a ten point scale of emotional defeat, then I'd be somewhere around the 5 mark these days. I'm an optimist.
I'm 25 years old and finishing my senior year of a Bio degree, and hoping to get into medical school soon after. Surely the route I chose in school has done nothing to slow down my hair loss. My alternating stress levels have been astronomical, and it doesn't get any better from here on out. Which is why I've finally decided to do something about my hair loss. I'll be damned if I don't at least try to maintain what I have, and I curse myself for not being more proactive about it earlier. Who doesn't? As far as my level of hair loss, it's accelerated the last six months from a break up, extreme stress from aiding sick family members, and a diet comparable to Cookie Monster's - without the apples. I'm hoping that a good amount of the loss is reversible for that reason. Like i said, I'm an optimist.
I first noticed my hair loss in 2012 - a whole lot more shedding, mostly on my school books, should have been my first main clue. But I had a mop on my head and my father has a full head of hair, so I excused it. It wasn't until 2013 that I saw the bald spot on the back of my head. It was pretty shocking. I took rogaine for a week and saw my hair shedding like mad, and quit like a baby. It was then that I got into a serious relationship with a gal who completely distracted me from my hair loss. Hell, I pretty much forgot about it for a couple years.
She was a witch.
After tossing her in the oven and fleeing, I caught the first good look of myself in the mirror. I was barely recognizable. I had gained roughly 70 pounds, and my hair was beyond recognition. I felt like crying.
So I did. I floated in the river of self doubt and hatred for a few months before remembering that I'm an optimist, and that brings us pretty much to a couple months ago.
As far as my regime, I don't have much of one. That's the reason I'm here. I'm currently on the 5% Rogaine foam (2 weeks in so far), and soon to see a derm for recommendations on Propecia and the like. I care a whole lot more about maintaining what I have than growing it back, as advances in medicine will almost definitely provide a far more effective treatment in the near future. I can be patient.
"Before" / During
Dramatic After Photos
All jokes aside, I find myself somewhat relieved and extremely confused by my decision to join this community. A myriad of emotions, primarily doubt and frustration, have led me down this path (a path I'm sure many of you have walked). I'm pretty sure it was the last gal who casually pointed out that my hair loss "really wasn't that bad" that convinced me I needed a more solid support network. A group of people who wouldn't just casually excuse my anxiety over hair loss as "no big deal", like it would miraculously cure my increasingly bald head.
If hair loss was ranked on a ten point scale of emotional defeat, then I'd be somewhere around the 5 mark these days. I'm an optimist.
I'm 25 years old and finishing my senior year of a Bio degree, and hoping to get into medical school soon after. Surely the route I chose in school has done nothing to slow down my hair loss. My alternating stress levels have been astronomical, and it doesn't get any better from here on out. Which is why I've finally decided to do something about my hair loss. I'll be damned if I don't at least try to maintain what I have, and I curse myself for not being more proactive about it earlier. Who doesn't? As far as my level of hair loss, it's accelerated the last six months from a break up, extreme stress from aiding sick family members, and a diet comparable to Cookie Monster's - without the apples. I'm hoping that a good amount of the loss is reversible for that reason. Like i said, I'm an optimist.
I first noticed my hair loss in 2012 - a whole lot more shedding, mostly on my school books, should have been my first main clue. But I had a mop on my head and my father has a full head of hair, so I excused it. It wasn't until 2013 that I saw the bald spot on the back of my head. It was pretty shocking. I took rogaine for a week and saw my hair shedding like mad, and quit like a baby. It was then that I got into a serious relationship with a gal who completely distracted me from my hair loss. Hell, I pretty much forgot about it for a couple years.
She was a witch.
After tossing her in the oven and fleeing, I caught the first good look of myself in the mirror. I was barely recognizable. I had gained roughly 70 pounds, and my hair was beyond recognition. I felt like crying.
So I did. I floated in the river of self doubt and hatred for a few months before remembering that I'm an optimist, and that brings us pretty much to a couple months ago.
As far as my regime, I don't have much of one. That's the reason I'm here. I'm currently on the 5% Rogaine foam (2 weeks in so far), and soon to see a derm for recommendations on Propecia and the like. I care a whole lot more about maintaining what I have than growing it back, as advances in medicine will almost definitely provide a far more effective treatment in the near future. I can be patient.
"Before" / During
Dramatic After Photos
You're doing all you can with finasteride and min. Keep your head up and hopefully you will have some positive gains. Some respond and some don't. So be emotionally prepared for the worst, but remain optimistic and hope for the best. In regards to being hopeful for a more effective treatment, remain so. Like anything, it may or may not happen and if it does it's still years and years away.