I have my hair, I like it, but apparently it isn't a cowlick

[FormerEgo]

On the back of my head last year I noticed on a security camera at work I had a white spot on the back of my head, I had myself pretty well convinced it was a cowlick since the hair on each side was nice and thick, it was more of a line than circle.

I mentioned it to my doctor since it looked a bit bigger and I am starting to get self-conscious. He said yep, I'm one of the lucky ones, male pattern baldness for me. That really sucks considering I'm hairy as hell elsewhere LOL. So he recommended Rogaine. I gave it a shot the week before school started (I'm 20) about three weeks ago. Now I look at the back of my head, holy hell man, now I'm noticeably balding. Before it was just a minor problem.

I am thinking of stopping Rogaine. What is everyones thoughts on this?

I've been reading a lot of posts on here and haven't found anything that appears similar to my situation, I had a pretty thick head of hair until I started this.

I guess I'm in a decent position to start shaving my head, I'm in the AFROTC so it isn't out of the norm. I just hope I have the confidence to pull it off in the future after being somewhat known for having a good head of hair by the female cadets.

 

[KrazyK]

There were many in your case on this board. But I have to say, you MUST continue using the Rogaine. Because most people go through an initial shed from the 1 week - 2 month mark. I went through the same thing back in December and January... but it does subside. I feel my hair is thicker and looks better then when I just started it. (I just use Rogaine like you) The most important thing is that you stick with your treatment on a consistent basis, that is 1mL twice a day on the effected area. I know it's a bit of blind faith, but you have to give the treatment at least a few months to materialize. You do go through some periods even after those initial months of "damn my hair looks shittier then it did a couple weeks ago" but trust me it does get better, and even better then before. Atleast it did for me. So I say, stick with the treatment, at least give it 12 months.

Karch

 

[misterium]

Yo

AFROTC? Cool man.

I'm ex-Air Force myself.

I worked as a Boeing C-17 Crew Chief at Charleston A.F.B. from 1996 - 2000 .. great job.

Now I'm working on my A&P certification for the civilian world of maintenance.

I was at the Air Guard base today at Ellington Field here in Houston, checking out some F-16's. .. pretty good day.

Are you going to be a pilot?

Don't stress your hair especially if you're going to be military man!
.. it's NORMAL to have a shaved head in the Air Force.. sh*t I used to shave mine a LOT during those days... not always, but a lot.

Female cadets like dick more than they like hair.

Don't stress.

Aim High

 

[FormerEgo]

Karch, thanks for the information, I suppose I'll get back on it.

IwantMyhair, really cool, what made you decide to get out? Just better pay outside?

Not planning on being a pilot, but things are going well for me, so I might try to get that categorization. I imagine I'll probably become a PAO because of my major, although I see a lot of us becoming Air Combat Controllers.

I am starting to come to terms with losing hair, I think I'll deal with it okay, just got to keep it all together in my head. I see a lot of guys going crazy on here blaming everything wrong on their hair, I want to avoid that.

Being military helps fit in though. I see a couple guys in the detachment farther along than myself with shaved heads that don't seem out of place.

My dilemma is this: I can deal with a small growing bald spot, I can't deal with a product making the entire crown of my head thinner. Before it was just a minor problem, now it's an issue.

I guess it boils down to this, if I stay on, will everything it made fall out come back plus more? Otherwise, I might as well quit now and buy some clippers.

 

[silkeysmooth]

Listen, Rogaine isnt going to screw with the hair that it doesnt come in contact with. What you need to do when applying is be very careful its only going on the crown area. It isnt that complicated, just dont squeeze the dropper all at once. And if by chance the rogaine has affected other hairs not related to male pattern baldness, well they'll grow back normally once you stop aplying rogaine to them.

 

[misterium]

Hi again,

Well I got out because 4 years was enough

And I wanted to stop working because of political disgust in the current administration, I didn't want to work under this current admin, because I feel they misuse our troops and are dishonest leaders.

Enough about that.. Combat Controller man? whoah that's tough stuff!

Enjoy!

 

[youngguy_uk]

hey

how long have you been applying the minoxidil for?

ive been reading this site for not far off a year. ive read a lot of posts on rogaine/minoxidil, because for me one day i might need to get on it too.

what i would say to you is this. STICK ON TREATMENT.

i know its turned what seems like a little problem into a big issue. for the majority of people, hairloss treatments, especially minoxidil, mean it gets worse before it gets better. but trust me, put up with this minor discomfort and you probably wont have to worry about hairloss for a LONG time to come. youre 20, and only have problems in the crown area.

it would probably have been better for you to start on propecia though. minoxidil doesnt STOP balding, it only provides an offset of extra hair growth to cosmetically disguise the balding process. but in reality, youre still losing your hair, itll just take more time to get noticeable. propecia (finasteride) combats the root cause of balding (dht). also, a lot of people think it works better on the crown.

so what i would advise you is this...IF youve not been on minoxidil for long, slowly taper it out of your regimen, go from 2ml 2x a day, or whatever you use. to 1ml 2x a day, then 1ml 2x a day, etc, over the course of 2 or 3 months. but get on propecia right away. IF youve been on minoxidil for quite a long time, look into getting on finasteride and sure as hell stick on minoxidil.

some more info please, but i really think if you follow these suggestions youll be fine for a long time to come. there is some initial discomfort on treatments, especially minoxidil, but put up with it. the sheds should get less bad each time, and should stabilise. your crown should fill in nicely/maintain and you shouldnt have to worry for a long time.

good luck.

 

[FormerEgo]

I think that does sound like some sound advice. I've been using .5 ML on my bald spot for about three weeks, but it's gone from what looked like a cowlick to a visibly thin patch. I'd preferably like to do the drug way, I've been reading about Proscar, my questions are this:

1) Generally if prescribed a drug like that is covered by insurance if its good insurance right?
2) How do you get your Doctor to do it?

Thanks guys.


Combat Controller would be pretty sick, those guys are bad mothers. I could dig Air Battle Management pretty well too.

 

[youngguy_uk]

only 3 weeks? i wouldnt worry about getting off it then. just be prepared for a little shed maybe, and you should eventually resort to pretty much your old situation. but remember, finasteride will likely cause sheds too. youll probably have an up and down year. trust me, itll be worth it, the sheds should level out. any sexual side effects should be brief and level out. then you should be able to maintain your hair for a long time to come just popping this one pill when you wake up every morning. simple! from the sounds of your situation at 21, you should be able to hold it off for long.

go to your doctor. explain your situation, ask him to prescribe you propecia/proscar. the latter is a lot cheaper - but your doctor has to agree to it. propecia is 1mg finasteride, proscar is 5mg, but you can quarter the pills into 1.25mg finasteride (almost exactly same effect as 1mg). alternatively, go to a derm and get it prescribed. or, if neither work, or you dont want to try either, buy proscar off the net, its not v expensive, and buy a pill cutter. youll be sorted. stick it through, ride out any obstacles and have faith.