frontal loss

[jon0]

Hi Im new to the forum and if anybody could give me some advice it will be really well appreciated.

I am 22 and for the last 4 years I have noticed my hair falling out. This started mainly at the front of the head and later a general thinning all over the head. My hair used to be so thick that I could brush my hair up off my face, like young people do now adays, and I even wore it long for a period of time.

Over the last few years I had been passing through the education system and just graduated from university last june. When I finished my final dissertation for university I was so stressed that i went home for a few days and my hair was just falling out from all over my head, so I cut it short 8cmish ( it was previously long to my shoulders nearly).
I thought my hair would grow back due to not being stressed anymore, due to finishing university but I was wrong it got worse. Then an even worse fate than the education system was enforced on me... unemployment.

But now its gotten so thin at the front that I had to wear it flat on my face with a fringe (thus covering up my frontal loss), and eventually now due to excessive loss, last week I shaved my head so its all 4mm long.

Basically I went to see a trichologist and she said that she didnt think I suffered from male pattern baldness, as my hair wasnt thining at the crown and I have no family history of severe baldness. She did say I had suffered some loss and she thought it could be down to stress and a kind of dermatitus on my scalp (that had been worrying me for a while).
She gave me some shampoo to combat the dermatitus and told me to not be stressed (easier said than done) and sent me on my way.
I used the shampoo she gave me and it had cleared up the dermatitus the first time I used it, or so I thought. The second time I used it, it seemed to come back. And so I thought the dermatitus problem in my hair was just dried bits of shampoo that I had neglected to wash out properly. I was right I washed my hair again in front of a mirror, washing out and rinsing well and my scalp is clear, but my hair is thinner.

I believe that stress does quicken the cycle of shedding hair, but my hair started to fall before any stressfull situations entered my life. And even when im not going through stress my hair would thin.
I dont look totally bald ( cojack style ), and im not suffering from alopecia of any kind. When I had my hair flat on my face as a fringe and you met me you would have thought I was mad if I told you i thought I had a hair loss problem, but that was just me cunningly concealing my follicle shame.

Ive desceided that cutting my hair to 4mm was a bad idea as it really shows how thin my hair is now, the only reason I did it was to be able to wash my hair easier to get rid of the dermatitus on the scalp that was meant to be causing my hairloss.
So as my hair grows back now over the coming months, and I grow my hair into a fringe again ( to hide my loss ), I wont be able to brush it up off my face due to the amount my hair that has receded and thined over the last 4 years.

So my question is what can I do about the thickness of hair at the front of my head, my hair line is okish its just the density that is really thin now. Can i use minoxodil, will that work? I really dont want to use Propecia, I am going to try Toppik but just as a temporary measure. What can I do?

I am just 22 years old and this is meant to be the peak of my life. This is the time that I am meant to look the best and feel the best that I ever will, and I really dont.

Thanks for any help and sorry if this is a little longwinded.

Jon0

 

[ugem12]

Minoxidil will give you regrowth and you will keep them only if the only cause was stress. But in case of mbp you got to add some Anti-Dht stuff in your regime, but important is to first identify the right cause. Get on Nizoral straight away though.

 

[jon0]

thanks for the advice. Are there any side effects to minoxidil? I read some where that its not for use on the front part of the head is this true? Anyone tried it on the front?

 

[ugem12]

Some people go with itching in the scalpt while on minoxidil but it can be handled with Nizoral or/and TGel shampoos. As for effects of minoxo on frontal part kindly go through following article.

By: PATRICIA REIMAN
Dermatology Times

Durham, N.C. -- Objective evidence now shows that topical minoxidil (Rogaine) is effective in frontal areas of the scalp, and not just in the vertex area in male-pattern hair loss (MPHL).

"This drug works in all areas of the balding scalp," said Elise Olsen, M.D., professor of medicine, division of dermatology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.

Dr. Olsen and colleagues have gathered data from a review of global photographs of men with MPHL treated with two different concentrations of topical minoxidil.

Dr. Olsen explained that previous research using target area hair counts had shown minoxidil to be effective in the vertex area of the scalp. Now the use of global photographs shows minoxidil's effectiveness in treating frontal-area hair loss as well.

"Using global photographs to look at the frontal area treated with minoxidil had not been done previously," she said.

The researchers set out to document hair growth with minoxidil applied in the frontal region of the scalp -- the area where men are keenly aware of their hair loss every time they look in the mirror.

Of note are the visible improvements seen in the frontal areas after just 16 weeks of treatment.

"As early as 16 weeks, you could separate out each of the treatment groups [from placebo]. Most hair growth promoters don't work that quickly to see a response so early on," she said.

The multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated a total of 252 balding men. All had Hamilton-Norwood patterns III-V hair loss. Each man's hair loss was documented and classified at baseline by global photographs of the frontal and vertex scalp areas.

The three treatment arms of the study consisted of 139 men using a 5 percent topical minoxidil solution, 142 using a 2 percent topical minoxidil solution, and 71 on vehicle alone (placebo). The men applied 1 mL of solution twice daily to the entire top of the scalp, including the vertex and frontal areas.

Polaroid photographs were taken at baseline and again at weeks 16, 32, and 48. Electronic images of the photographs were evaluated by an independent panel of three blinded, board-certified dermatologists experienced in doing photographic reviews.

The panel members compared each man's photos from weeks 16, 32, and 48 to his baseline photo. They then independently classified the hair growth as "no change," "slight increase," "moderate increase," "great increase," or "slight decrease," "moderate decrease," or "great decrease." At the study's end, the three judges' scores were combined into a final classification for each patient.

Results at 48 weeks (study conclusion) show that visible, photographically evident improvements were seen in the frontal scalp regions of 51 percent of men using 5 percent minoxidil, 42 percent using 2 percent minoxidil, and 13 percent of placebo users. Among these men, moderate to great increases in hair growth were seen in the frontal scalp regions of 19 percent of men using 5 percent minoxidil, 10 percent using 2 percent minoxidil, and 3 percent of placebo users.

"Most patients might think topical minoxidil only works in one part of the scalp," Dr. Olsen said, adding that the current package insert states minoxidil's effectiveness in the vertex region but does not address the frontal region.

"Limitations in terms of claims of efficacy are related to the research methods used." She said patients must understand that the FDA will not allow package-insert claims of hair growth in scalp areas not specifically targeted from the outset of the study. So it may help to explain to men that although minoxidil's efficacy in MPHL was previously shown by hair counts done only in the vertex region, global photographic evidence now proves minoxidil's effectiveness in the frontal region as well.

"Now we have objective evidence that shows minoxidil indeed works in other parts of the scalp, including the frontal area, as shown on global photographs," Dr. Olsen said.

Dr. Olsen has no financial interest in minoxidil, but has been a principal investigator on topical minoxidil-related MPHL trials in the past and is a consultant for Pharmacia.

 

[juststarting]

I am just 22 years old and this is meant to be the peak of my life.
Jon0

As an FYI, the top male models are actually in the 26-35 age range . So don't think you've passed your peak, you're peak is still to come! The mature male face is generally considered more attractive...:lol:

 

[rapidfrontal]

That is a very interesting article, especially to people like me who have real problems developing in the front. The only thing I wish they had included in the article was the complete breakdown of what percentage of men experienced moderate frontal growth, minimal growth, no growth, moderate loss, etc. Anyway it looks like I'll start using Rogaine today.

 

[ugem12]

Anyway it looks like I'll start using Rogaine today.

Thats good, if you don't act you hv already loosed.

 

[rapidfrontal]

I agree with you. My brother lost his hair and did fight for a while with Rogaine and then later with Propecia, but his dedication was questionable. I will not make the same mistake.