Cmudave's Story (with pics) **UPDATE 1-20-08**

[cmudave]

Well...here it is boys. I started thinning about 2 years ago at the age of 21. I was slightly thinning in the crown area, other than that no other thinning anywhere else and had a perfect hairline. I waited about a year before I did anything about it and I started using Rogaine (liquid) at the crown, within a few months it filled in almost perfectly. After I got what I needed I quit rogaine and gradually started thinning out again in the crown, and then started diffuse thinning all over and getting scabs, bumps, sores and irritation all over the scalp.About 6 months ago is when things really started to get bad..especially these last 2 months. I started using nizoral about 2 months ago and rogaine foam about a month ago...I started shedding very heavily a little before I started foam and then it reached its peak around the second week into the foam. Shedding was BAD. Hair all over the walls, toilet and sink in the bathroom every day,
even when after cleaning it daily..it just keeps piling up...I'm shedding like crazy! Within the last 6 months I went from about a Norwood 2 to like a Norwood 4..maybe even 5 (diffuse) (Not sure..lemme know what you think on the norwood.) Well....i started finasteride a few days ago...and like I said before, I'm using nizoral (3-4 times a week in rotation with T-Gel) and rogaine foam also. Here are some pics.

This is me around a year ago..maybe even a little less than a year:

Around 4 months ago:

Now (4-22-07)

Front with flash:

Front no flash:

Crown with flash:

Crown no flash:

I have no idea how I lost that much hair in that little amount of time...thats gotta be some kind of world record. I'm glad I caught it somewhat earlier though, it could be worse. I'm tryin not to stress out about it too much...hair is an accessory not a necessity If i don't grow any back with in a year or so of treatment, I'm probably just gonna get buff and take a razor to the dome, no big deal. But I would definitely rather have hair than not so I'm gonna stick it out and see what happens. What would you all say my chance of success would be? Do you think my regimen will mainly produce maintenance or do you think I will experience regrowth? Also, what is my norwood? If you guys have any suggestions as to what to add or remove from my regimen, or any other suggestions let me know. Thanks for your help guys.

 

[cmudave]

Thanks Barca, got it to work..

 

[pologuy514]

I would suggest using propecia for the back of your head around the crown. This will help out a lot. Best of luck.

-Pologuy

 

[barcafan]

pics arent showing up because img tags only work when you provide a url to the JPG or BMP or W/e file type.

 

[shetdedo]

hey man, your story is eerily similar to mine. I too went on rogaine to fill in my crown, it filled, and i was looking great so i quit. then a few months later massive shedding and it looks to be the exact same texture as yours... is it crispy and thin? and even in the back ive developed that same exact pattern as you where the thinning goes pretty low towards the neck, where as before rogaine it wasnt even evident. overall everywhere where i applied rogaine my air looks like it is dying, so your thoughts? because i dont think u were expecting to be in ur current state and neither was i.

 

[shetdedo]

i forgot to mention that i also have had a very soar scalp with spots and bumps too.

 

[cmudave]

hey man, your story is eerily similar to mine. I too went on rogaine to fill in my crown, it filled, and i was looking great so i quit. then a few months later massive shedding and it looks to be the exact same texture as yours... is it crispy and thin? and even in the back ive developed that same exact pattern as you where the thinning goes pretty low towards the neck, where as before rogaine it wasnt even evident. overall everywhere where i applied rogaine my air looks like it is dying, so your thoughts? because i dont think u were expecting to be in ur current state and neither was i.

Yeah my hair had a very crispy texture and a seemed to be very brittle. It feels a little more healthy now and around the time that I started using t-gel, nizoral, and emu oil....and I'm not sure which one did the trick. I think the main problem for the condition of the hair and the diffuse thinning is the condition of my scalp. Since I started using nizoral the scalp and dandruff has cleared up quite a bit although I still have a few red bumps especially on the crown but its nowhere near as bad as it used to be. I have a theory that if I can maintain a healthy scalp while on the big 3 I will produce significant regrowth. I think I'm going to add copper peptides to the regimen to help the scalp out a little as well. I will keep you updated on the progress, so look for my story in the success section of this site in a few months! Also, lemme know if you find anything else out that works for you, hope all goes well for ya.

 

[BALD IS BEAUTIFUL]

I would suggest using propecia for the back of your head around the crown. This will help out a lot. Best of luck.

-Pologuy

yeah and also add some spironolactone cream at crown. :lol:

 

[klink]

My crown looked like that when I started, I have about 60% coverage now compared to 10% when I started the big3 around Xmas 2006. You need to give this stuff 4-6 months before you get anxious.

 

[cmudave]

edited

 

[Itsonlyinmyhead]

you are the poster child of "why not to use minoxidil in my eyes". That stuff is nasty

 

[RaginDemon]

Re: Cmudave's Story (with pics)

any updates dave?

 

[cmudave]

Re: Cmudave's Story (with pics)

any updates dave?

Well, this is the best I can do for now as far as an update goes, my digital camera broke so I had to use my cellphone, not a very fair comparison to the other pics because of lighting differences and the differences of length in hair. The only switch in my regimen has ben switching from rogaine foam to kirkland minoxidil about 3 months ago which seems to be working out a little better for me; I started using tricomin and i added PO and nano in rotation with the Nizoral. My shedding has seemed to come to just about a complete halt just a few months after I started finasteride.The crown has definitely filled in a little more, but still quite thin. My hair has seemed to thicken up quite a bit all over, but is still a little thin in the middle. I have gotten quite a few comments from people telling me how much thicker my hair looks, but then again, i think my hair being longer is a bit deceiving. Here are the pics about 9 months into the big 3. Hopefully I can get a new camera and take pics when my hair was the same length when i first started my regimen.

 

[lovemyhair]

Re: Cmudave's Story (with pics)

You need to get on internals like proscar ASAP. Good luck brother.

 

[metalheaddude]

Get some Prothik or Toppik for that crown and you wont even notice!

 

[RaginDemon]

the crown still needs some improvement but the hairline looks great.

 

[Sean68]

youre definitely getting results with a good, simple regimen. well done mate.

 

[RaginDemon]

finasteride is good at filling the crown, you have a good chance of getting regrowth there!