crayola
Member
- Reaction score
- 0
Hello. I've been reading this site since August of this year, searching for answers. I decided to finally sign up and tell my story not only for personal catharsis but because I feel I owe it to the community. I feel that I've gained a lot of knowledge and understanding from this site and would like to give back. So here is my story.
The first time hair loss ever entered my world was 3 1/2 years ago when I moved into my dorm room ready to begin my freshman year of college. As I sat at my desk after getting moved in my mom pointed out that my hairline was receding. It had never occurred to me before, and at the time didn't bother me at all. I had always kinda figured I would go bald; I had just kept a hope for the best and thought it would be a long time before it happened. See, my father, as were (they're all dead now) most/all of the males on his side of the family went bald. But on my mom's side they all keep their hair until death. It's a little early to tell yet, but I think that my brother escaped the hair loss genetics. He's 2 years my junior but has the hairline of a 12 year old. But I digress. I probably took a second to check out my hairline in the mirror and just shrugged it off. My hair at the time was in an under-cut style where my hair was about 8 inches long. I went through various short cuts after that and never noticed my hair line creep up over time.
The second semester of my sophomore year (1 1/2 years later) I looked in the mirror at my hair and noticed I could see through the first 1/2 inch at the front. I was in shock. I could have sworn it wasn't like that before! Oh by, am I really going bald? Panic. Got on the internet and after some hasty research ordered a 3 month supply of Rogain 2% (at the time 5% was still prescription). I must also say that the price of minoxidil has seriously dropped since then. But I got my stash in mail not too long after and applied it religiously at first. I was bummed to find out that it didn't work on the hairline, as that is where I needed it. I applied it there anyway. Not until I came here did I find out why they say it doesn't work on the hairline (the trials didn't study the effects there) and that it does actually work albeit usually to a lesser extent. Anyway, after a couple months I just kinda stopped using it and forgot or started ignoring my hair loss again, as I can't remember worrying about it too much after that. I did get my hair cut really short at this time and that might be why I stopped thinking about it.
Cut to 1 year later (or about a year ago). I really started noticing it then for some reason. Damn receding hairline, it looks like it's gotten worse. So I toy with the idea of shaving it all off. After some deliberation (I don't remember how much exactly) I got out the scissors and clippers and went at it. Shaved it as low as a clipper with no guard will take it. Egad! Never again...well, only with a tan and if it gets too thin up there. Plus, I had some body fat then and without that it would have looked better. So I sported that look for a while, reshaving it a couple times and then let it grow back in. When it was shaved my regular shampoo didn't seem to work well at all for me. It didn't lather and I had a hard time working it with the stubble. So I began washing my head with the body wash I use everywhere else. You see, when I shaved my head I had the tell tale signs of inflammation (probably male pattern baldness related) and they were kinda embarrassing with no hair to cover them up. But they cleared right up. I don't think my scalp has ever been in as good of shape as when I had no hair and washed my head with body wash instead of shampoo. Kinda weird. I even thought my temples started to fill in a little but it was probably just my hair growing back in that posed and optical illusion. At this time I finished off the year old portion of rogain I had in my medicine cabinet and continued to ignore/forget about my hair loss.
Well, until about 5 or 6 months ago. I was noticing it big time. Not only were my temples receded to maybe a Norwood 1.5 or 2, but the whole damn top of my head was thinning out! I started to complain about it to friends and family who passed it off. Well, except for one friend who himself is starting to show signs of hair loss and likes to point mine out once in a while so he doesn't feel alone. Peoples hairlines were the first thing I looked at/noticed about them. I started becoming obsessed. So I started checking out my options. I found this site and did a bunch of research, deciding this time to make a more informed and thoughtful decision. I hated applying minoxidil, though after words my hair felt thicker, and I even used it as my styling agent. So I decided on finasteride by means of 1/4 proscar a day. This seemed the easiest and most economical choice for me. One pill a day (9 pm). I figure I'll add more when more is needed. Maintenance is my goal, and with maintenance alone I would be happy. I got on proscar in September of this year. And since then hair loss has remained in the back of my head (bad pun). I'm always looking at my hair in the mirror, I still check out pretty much every dude’s hairline I see, but don't worry about it as much anymore. The fact that I'm doing something about it is easing my mind. I'm self conscious about my own hair but not too much. My hair is about 7 inches right now and the only way someone can see my problem is if there is a gust of wind. I know most guys around here don't like long hair--most guys don't sport the look anymore, but I've always loved it.
I look back at pictures now of myself and notice that as far as I can tell I've had a receding hairline since I was 16 or 17. I just never noticed it then. I may have always had one, I don't remember. Hell, I could live with some temporal recession; it's this diffuse business that's getting at me. But lately it seems my situation, at least mentally, has improved. I feel my hair is doing well, though all the hair I loose in the bath tub is between 1 and 4 inches long. I rarely loose one that is 7 inches long. I have a feeling these are the miniaturizing ones, though they look healthy enough. Might be breaking off, I dunno, but it's not good either way. I did notice an increase in loss after starting finasteride, but I never let it get to me, and it seems to be getting better. Though in the mirror I think my mop looks like crap it always looks great in pictures. I haven't taken any specifically to document my loss--which I may regret. I started this out as a personal battle, and it is kind of selfish of me when I owe this community so much for helping me out. I don't fight this fight so much out of the fear of never having sex again, or even so much for cosmetic purposes. It's a personal battle for me--I've always just liked my hair, I'm used to having it and ain't ready to give it up. It's mine, and I'll decide when it goes (sigh). I get lots of crap for having longer hair too, but I don't do it for other people. I just like it. I'm also having scalp inflammation/irritation at the moment that t-gel and nizoral aren't taking care of. I'm looking into aloe and emu oil for that as well as other medicated options.
Well, that’s my story. As of right now I’m pretty happy and content with my situation. I did initially have a drop in libido when starting finasteride. It was pretty noticeable and lasted about 3 weeks or so but went away and I’ve had no problems since. Finasteride doesn’t scare me. It’s the best thing out there right now. With minoxidil it’s even better, but I’m going to wait on that and see if I can get away without having to use that the rest of my life. I hold the hope that better things come out in the future. I hold the hope that all of you keep your hair. We will beat hair loss; it’s just a matter of time.
The first time hair loss ever entered my world was 3 1/2 years ago when I moved into my dorm room ready to begin my freshman year of college. As I sat at my desk after getting moved in my mom pointed out that my hairline was receding. It had never occurred to me before, and at the time didn't bother me at all. I had always kinda figured I would go bald; I had just kept a hope for the best and thought it would be a long time before it happened. See, my father, as were (they're all dead now) most/all of the males on his side of the family went bald. But on my mom's side they all keep their hair until death. It's a little early to tell yet, but I think that my brother escaped the hair loss genetics. He's 2 years my junior but has the hairline of a 12 year old. But I digress. I probably took a second to check out my hairline in the mirror and just shrugged it off. My hair at the time was in an under-cut style where my hair was about 8 inches long. I went through various short cuts after that and never noticed my hair line creep up over time.
The second semester of my sophomore year (1 1/2 years later) I looked in the mirror at my hair and noticed I could see through the first 1/2 inch at the front. I was in shock. I could have sworn it wasn't like that before! Oh by, am I really going bald? Panic. Got on the internet and after some hasty research ordered a 3 month supply of Rogain 2% (at the time 5% was still prescription). I must also say that the price of minoxidil has seriously dropped since then. But I got my stash in mail not too long after and applied it religiously at first. I was bummed to find out that it didn't work on the hairline, as that is where I needed it. I applied it there anyway. Not until I came here did I find out why they say it doesn't work on the hairline (the trials didn't study the effects there) and that it does actually work albeit usually to a lesser extent. Anyway, after a couple months I just kinda stopped using it and forgot or started ignoring my hair loss again, as I can't remember worrying about it too much after that. I did get my hair cut really short at this time and that might be why I stopped thinking about it.
Cut to 1 year later (or about a year ago). I really started noticing it then for some reason. Damn receding hairline, it looks like it's gotten worse. So I toy with the idea of shaving it all off. After some deliberation (I don't remember how much exactly) I got out the scissors and clippers and went at it. Shaved it as low as a clipper with no guard will take it. Egad! Never again...well, only with a tan and if it gets too thin up there. Plus, I had some body fat then and without that it would have looked better. So I sported that look for a while, reshaving it a couple times and then let it grow back in. When it was shaved my regular shampoo didn't seem to work well at all for me. It didn't lather and I had a hard time working it with the stubble. So I began washing my head with the body wash I use everywhere else. You see, when I shaved my head I had the tell tale signs of inflammation (probably male pattern baldness related) and they were kinda embarrassing with no hair to cover them up. But they cleared right up. I don't think my scalp has ever been in as good of shape as when I had no hair and washed my head with body wash instead of shampoo. Kinda weird. I even thought my temples started to fill in a little but it was probably just my hair growing back in that posed and optical illusion. At this time I finished off the year old portion of rogain I had in my medicine cabinet and continued to ignore/forget about my hair loss.
Well, until about 5 or 6 months ago. I was noticing it big time. Not only were my temples receded to maybe a Norwood 1.5 or 2, but the whole damn top of my head was thinning out! I started to complain about it to friends and family who passed it off. Well, except for one friend who himself is starting to show signs of hair loss and likes to point mine out once in a while so he doesn't feel alone. Peoples hairlines were the first thing I looked at/noticed about them. I started becoming obsessed. So I started checking out my options. I found this site and did a bunch of research, deciding this time to make a more informed and thoughtful decision. I hated applying minoxidil, though after words my hair felt thicker, and I even used it as my styling agent. So I decided on finasteride by means of 1/4 proscar a day. This seemed the easiest and most economical choice for me. One pill a day (9 pm). I figure I'll add more when more is needed. Maintenance is my goal, and with maintenance alone I would be happy. I got on proscar in September of this year. And since then hair loss has remained in the back of my head (bad pun). I'm always looking at my hair in the mirror, I still check out pretty much every dude’s hairline I see, but don't worry about it as much anymore. The fact that I'm doing something about it is easing my mind. I'm self conscious about my own hair but not too much. My hair is about 7 inches right now and the only way someone can see my problem is if there is a gust of wind. I know most guys around here don't like long hair--most guys don't sport the look anymore, but I've always loved it.
I look back at pictures now of myself and notice that as far as I can tell I've had a receding hairline since I was 16 or 17. I just never noticed it then. I may have always had one, I don't remember. Hell, I could live with some temporal recession; it's this diffuse business that's getting at me. But lately it seems my situation, at least mentally, has improved. I feel my hair is doing well, though all the hair I loose in the bath tub is between 1 and 4 inches long. I rarely loose one that is 7 inches long. I have a feeling these are the miniaturizing ones, though they look healthy enough. Might be breaking off, I dunno, but it's not good either way. I did notice an increase in loss after starting finasteride, but I never let it get to me, and it seems to be getting better. Though in the mirror I think my mop looks like crap it always looks great in pictures. I haven't taken any specifically to document my loss--which I may regret. I started this out as a personal battle, and it is kind of selfish of me when I owe this community so much for helping me out. I don't fight this fight so much out of the fear of never having sex again, or even so much for cosmetic purposes. It's a personal battle for me--I've always just liked my hair, I'm used to having it and ain't ready to give it up. It's mine, and I'll decide when it goes (sigh). I get lots of crap for having longer hair too, but I don't do it for other people. I just like it. I'm also having scalp inflammation/irritation at the moment that t-gel and nizoral aren't taking care of. I'm looking into aloe and emu oil for that as well as other medicated options.
Well, that’s my story. As of right now I’m pretty happy and content with my situation. I did initially have a drop in libido when starting finasteride. It was pretty noticeable and lasted about 3 weeks or so but went away and I’ve had no problems since. Finasteride doesn’t scare me. It’s the best thing out there right now. With minoxidil it’s even better, but I’m going to wait on that and see if I can get away without having to use that the rest of my life. I hold the hope that better things come out in the future. I hold the hope that all of you keep your hair. We will beat hair loss; it’s just a matter of time.
Check out the magazine rack at a store, the models' eyes aren't level. It ain't no thang.
