Hi all,
I have been lurking around these boards for the past few weeks trying to absorb as much as possible. Finally signed up and decided to post, here's my story in a nutshell.
Up until about a month and a half ago the possibility of losing my hair never really crossed my mind. My father has all his hair, granted it has become thinner as he has aged but no one would ever say he was balding. Also, Grandfather and all the men on my mother's side had full heads of hair. Grandfather and Uncle both on father's side did lose their hair however.
I am 27 and I suppose my temples have receeded slightly over the years however it was never that noticeable and never bothered me. About a month and a half ago the girl I was dating and I took a beach trip. One of the pictures she uploaded was of me, leaned over grabbing an adult beverage out of a cooler. Pretty much a direct shot of my crown in direct sunlight. I was taken back by how much scalp I could see. Saved the picture,zoomed in to confirm I wasnt seeing things, then furthermore ran into the bathroom with a mirror only to discover that yes my crown had gotten really thin. Overnight almost it seemed, I really had no idea. I was terrified and hit me like a brick wall as it apparently did quite a few of you by some of the stories I've read here... Over the next couple of days I scheduled an appointment with a family doctor for a physical (which I havent had in years and years). I went in, got a physical, he examined my hair when I asked and acknowledged the thinning. I asked him a few questions and he was, for the most part, almost completely useless. He, more or less, listed my options which I already knew within a few hours spent searching the internet. Basically said he would prescribe me propecia if I wanted and prescribed me 2% ketaconazole shampoo "in case it was something fungal related".
AFter that I continued researching, and then after being depressed for a few days, scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist (which I go to 8am tomorrow). I have been using the Ketaconazole about once every 3 days so far, and 4 days ago purchased Follicure shampoo and conditioner (which got pretty good reviews online) while I was in the store. I've been taking a daily multivitamin for years and just added Biotin, B-complex, Saw Palmetto oral, and Fish oil pills.
A couple of weeks ago (after a few days of deliberating because of the horror stories) I pulled the trigger on some Finpecia from UnitedPharmacies. I did a lot of research and it seemed like InHouse, UP, and 4rx were the most reputable sites. Outside of smoking I was a very health conscious person - going to the gym 3-4 times a week and eating healthy for years. If there's been one positive out of all of this so far as soon as I realized what was happening to my hair I quit smoking. I hadn't been more than 3 days in the past 9 years without a cigarette and its been weeks now and I'm not picking it back up.
I guess ultimately I wanted to believe at first it was something temporary, maybe 'stress related' (I did go through a stressful situation about 3 months ago), but I'm trying to be realistic in knowing it is very likely male pattern baldness since it does run in the family on my father's side, even though he looks to have missed it.
I guess I wanted to ask if you guys if there is anything in particular I should ask the Derm tomorrow? I know this is his job and likely not but if he finds miniaturization and confirms it is male pattern baldness, the plan is to start on Finasteride ASAP. The Finpecia from UP should be arriving any day now considering I ordered it on the 7th and it shipped on the 10th. I'll stop rambling for now - this ended up way longer than I intended.
One more question though - does anyone think I should try to get a script for Proscar instead of going the CIPLA route?
Can anyone verify they have been on Finpecia ordered from UP and have had good results? Just looking for a litlte more peace of mind here from those of you that have been in the fight longer than myself..
I have been lurking around these boards for the past few weeks trying to absorb as much as possible. Finally signed up and decided to post, here's my story in a nutshell.
Up until about a month and a half ago the possibility of losing my hair never really crossed my mind. My father has all his hair, granted it has become thinner as he has aged but no one would ever say he was balding. Also, Grandfather and all the men on my mother's side had full heads of hair. Grandfather and Uncle both on father's side did lose their hair however.
I am 27 and I suppose my temples have receeded slightly over the years however it was never that noticeable and never bothered me. About a month and a half ago the girl I was dating and I took a beach trip. One of the pictures she uploaded was of me, leaned over grabbing an adult beverage out of a cooler. Pretty much a direct shot of my crown in direct sunlight. I was taken back by how much scalp I could see. Saved the picture,zoomed in to confirm I wasnt seeing things, then furthermore ran into the bathroom with a mirror only to discover that yes my crown had gotten really thin. Overnight almost it seemed, I really had no idea. I was terrified and hit me like a brick wall as it apparently did quite a few of you by some of the stories I've read here... Over the next couple of days I scheduled an appointment with a family doctor for a physical (which I havent had in years and years). I went in, got a physical, he examined my hair when I asked and acknowledged the thinning. I asked him a few questions and he was, for the most part, almost completely useless. He, more or less, listed my options which I already knew within a few hours spent searching the internet. Basically said he would prescribe me propecia if I wanted and prescribed me 2% ketaconazole shampoo "in case it was something fungal related".
AFter that I continued researching, and then after being depressed for a few days, scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist (which I go to 8am tomorrow). I have been using the Ketaconazole about once every 3 days so far, and 4 days ago purchased Follicure shampoo and conditioner (which got pretty good reviews online) while I was in the store. I've been taking a daily multivitamin for years and just added Biotin, B-complex, Saw Palmetto oral, and Fish oil pills.
A couple of weeks ago (after a few days of deliberating because of the horror stories) I pulled the trigger on some Finpecia from UnitedPharmacies. I did a lot of research and it seemed like InHouse, UP, and 4rx were the most reputable sites. Outside of smoking I was a very health conscious person - going to the gym 3-4 times a week and eating healthy for years. If there's been one positive out of all of this so far as soon as I realized what was happening to my hair I quit smoking. I hadn't been more than 3 days in the past 9 years without a cigarette and its been weeks now and I'm not picking it back up.
I guess ultimately I wanted to believe at first it was something temporary, maybe 'stress related' (I did go through a stressful situation about 3 months ago), but I'm trying to be realistic in knowing it is very likely male pattern baldness since it does run in the family on my father's side, even though he looks to have missed it.
I guess I wanted to ask if you guys if there is anything in particular I should ask the Derm tomorrow? I know this is his job and likely not but if he finds miniaturization and confirms it is male pattern baldness, the plan is to start on Finasteride ASAP. The Finpecia from UP should be arriving any day now considering I ordered it on the 7th and it shipped on the 10th. I'll stop rambling for now - this ended up way longer than I intended.
One more question though - does anyone think I should try to get a script for Proscar instead of going the CIPLA route?
Can anyone verify they have been on Finpecia ordered from UP and have had good results? Just looking for a litlte more peace of mind here from those of you that have been in the fight longer than myself..
