Moonbase's Story (22)

[moonbase]

Hello all. I have made a few posts but haven't introduced myself.

I finally got over my awful acne and somewhat repaired all the damage done. I was finally starting to feel better about myself and BAM.. I am now balding. It's on both sides, so I guess I could expect it.

Well... this is my story.

I will start off with pics (with flash):

Baseline:
[attachment=3:2ffue6dw]Baseline_1_FEB18.jpg[/attachment:2ffue6dw]
[attachment=2:2ffue6dw]Baseline_2_FEB18.jpg[/attachment:2ffue6dw]
[attachment=1:2ffue6dw]Baseline_4_FEB18.jpg[/attachment:2ffue6dw]
[attachment=0:2ffue6dw]Baseline_5_FEB18.jpg[/attachment:2ffue6dw]

This is just after massaging my scalp with Grape seed oil mixed with tea tree and lavender essential oils. It gives a good representation of the density of my frontal hair. I have always had a high forehead but things are really starting to thin.

I have just started taking Propecia 1mg. I plan on adding nizoral 2% and 5% Minoxidil when they arrive.

What do you guys think... I am fairly comfortable with my hairline.. it could be better but I am used to a high forehead. I really want to increase my density and hair thickness.Is this a feasible goal for my current hair or am I fooling myself?

I am going to be keeping a well maintained log of my success (or failure). I am going to do Propecia and nizoral 2% for the first month then after I will be on the big three. You can expect monthly pictures in the beginning to document any shedding that occurs and afterwords ever 3-6 months. Stay Tuned!

 

[blink]

looks like youre doing everything you can so far, plus you caught it early. keep us updated 6-12months down the road.

 

[moonbase]

Update: Started Nizoral 2% as of yesterday.

It's been 9 days on Propecia and my shedding has already increased by at least 10x. It's hard to know how many hairs are being shed because my hair is so light and blonde but I can see a lot more in my hands when I shower. I hope this is a good sign! :shakehead:

 

[Draco88]

^^Shedding 10x more than before after 9 days?? Are you sure?
I've been on Propecia for 17 days and i shed my usual amount of hair each morning and in the shower..

 

[moonbase]

Absolutely sure. It's hard to count my hairs but I see a lot more in my hands when I shower... A LOT more. Maybe not 10x more but it is a drastically larger amount of shed. When I rub my head 3 seem to fall each time I do it.. without fail. When I used to do this it would take substantial rubbing to see a few.

EDIT: It may be that I am thinking about this more.. but I am not worried. Just want to keep a good log of what's going on!!

unk:

 

[moonbase]

Still seem to be shedding a large amount. Can anyone explain the mechanism behind shedding hairs after starting treatment (propecia)? Does this mean the Telogen phase is shortening so hairs are being pushed out by new hairs? Or does this mean that normal hairs are being forced into the telogen phase to strengthen? Thanks!

 

[Draco88]

^^I'm not very familiar myself. I've always seen people shed from using Minoxidil, and that always meant that new hairs are preparing to come through. I'm guessing the same reasoning can be used for Propecia?

I've been on Propecia for 20 days now plus Nizoral 2% and i haven't seen any increase (nor decrease) in my usual shedding of hair every day. Wait for a month and see how it looks then.

 

[moonbase]

Thanks for the reply draco! I have heard it's common but I don't quite understand "why" it happens or what it really means. I have heard the hairs that shed are just hairs that were going to shed anyways but it quickens the pace. I just dont know what exactly is quickening. If anyone can shed any light on the situation i'm all ears. Thanks!

 

[A1e]

Thanks for the reply draco! I have heard it's common but I don't quite understand "why" it happens or what it really means. I have heard the hairs that shed are just hairs that were going to shed anyways but it quickens the pace. I just dont know what exactly is quickening. If anyone can shed any light on the situation i'm all ears. Thanks!

hi, i am 6 weeks into big 3 as well although i have started nizoral just recently and i also have massive shed, it is more concerning when hairs fall from hairline. i really hope to see them grow back just like you.

good luck to us all...

 

[moonbase]

I trust that people on the big three aren't giving out bad advice so I am sure if we all stick to the plan we'll be better than we ever thought possible. I do however think that if nizoral is causing a big shed.. maybe ease into treatment start with once a week and down the road add in more per week as you see fit.

 

[Draco88]

moonbase, how is it now?

I've been on propecia for 28 days now, and i'm suspecting that i'm starting to shed myself.

 

[moonbase]

It completely stopped after a few days. I now shed very little.. It seemed to just be a storm of shedding. I'm not sure if I can attribute it to the Nizoral (I now use it once a week instead of every other day) or the Propecia but whatever it was it has stopped. It's like my head kicked it all out all at once.

minoxidil Q:
I was wondering if you guys think i should start Minoxidil... It has just arrived. I know its a fundamental of the big three but I am worried about dependency. I am 22 y/o and I will need to apply it for... life. How important are daily applications? I can foresee for the next 3-4 months I will be able to apply it religiously twice every day but I can't guarantee I will be able to do that for life. How fast do you loose ground.. if you miss a day or two once and awhile?

Thanks!

 

[Draco88]

^^Great to hear!
Would you be able to check out some of my photos, does it look like i'm shedding? viewtopic.php?f=44&t=57868

About minoxidil, i know that many guys here owe their regrowth to it. However like you said, you'll need to apply it religiously and i don't think that missing a day or two is a good idea. Keep in mind that there is also a high chance of shedding even more due to using Minoxidil, and most success stories i've read, there has been a lot of shedding. Apparently it's a pain to apply, so i'd suggest to just apply it before you go to sleep. But many guys seem to get regrowth far quicker if they apply it twice a day.

Btw you were after info about shedding due to Propecia, this topic has some good information (as well as for Minoxidil) viewtopic.php?f=44&t=12865

 

[moonbase]

Small update: I have not started minoxidil. I decided to wait for the 6 month mark and see where I am at with finasteride. Things seem to be going okay. I have actually noticed a slight increase in libido and acne. I had my acne pretty much to a non existent state prior treatment however after a bout a month or two of finasteride my forehead has been breaking out a lot (oily hair and face). Anyone else experience this or have any insight? BTW As for the condition of my hair its hard to judge.. the length of it isn't the same as my reference however I will post some pictures tomorrow for comparison.

 

[moonbase]

Well 6 months has come and gone and I am about to stop taking finasteride. I am not here to bash the drug because it has clearly helped many many people on these forums. I cant say finasteride has hurt my hair (aside from the increase in oilyness) but it is destroying my skin. I used to have quite bad acne all through out my teens and now it seems like it is all happening over again. My forehead breaks out on a daily basis.. and i'm talking deep inflamed lesions which last weeks. I feel less confident than ever before and i've taken steps that have worked int he past to control my acne but it seems nothing will work. Does anyone have any advice for me? If I quit finasteride now will I loose faster than ever before given the reaction it has caused? I'm well.. kind of scared.

I am speculating that my acne is getting worse due to the alteration of my hormones (likely extremely high T).

What options do I have to prevent my hair from thinning further but also prevent my T levels from raising so high...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[moonbase]

Well 6 months has come and gone and I am about to stop taking finasteride. I am not here to bash the drug because it has clearly helped many many people on these forums. I cant say finasteride has hurt my hair (aside from the increase in oilyness) but it is destroying my skin. I used to have quite bad acne all through out my teens and now it seems like it is all happening over again. My forehead breaks out on a daily basis.. and i'm talking deep inflamed lesions which last weeks. I feel less confident than ever before and i've taken steps that have worked int he past to control my acne but it seems nothing will work. Does anyone have any advice for me? If I quit finasteride now will I loose faster than ever before given the reaction it has caused? I'm well.. kind of scared.

I am speculating that my acne is getting worse due to the alteration of my hormones (likely extremely high T).

What options do I have to prevent my hair from thinning further but also prevent my T levels from raising so high...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[ivangennaro]

Why don't you update us with your photos taken in natural sunlight instead of flash and without any gel on your hair? That would show the true state of your hair and the improvement

 

[moonbase]

I am unfortunately im away from home without access to a camera for the next few months. I can tell you that it is very much the same.. I meant to post pictures before but I didn't find the time.. life has its way of getting in the way. To be honest my hair isn't bad... Its thinning sure but styled or not I dont look as if i'm balding..

Should I give accutane a go? low dose? with finasteride or without.. anyone have any experience?

 

[moonbase]

.

 

[moonbase]

UPDATE:

So it's been a little while since i've bumped this. I am no longer on propecia for reasons stated above. My hairloss is at about the same place as my photo's demonstrate. It got a little worse when I dropped propecia but I have been using folligen mixed with Hair signals on and off since shortly after I quit propecia (which slowly got me back to baseline). I have just added 5% minoxidil + 5% AA (NO PG).

I just completed my first application today, and I like the way it makes my hair look... very matte and somewhat thicker than usual. If everything goes well with minoxidil (no sides) i'll be updating with pictures in a month or two. I only half expect a shed coming because my hair has been incredibly shed proof since starting folligen/HS.. I loose maybe 20-30 hairs a day, and that's being generous. I have high hopes. If I can just keep my hairline, but thicken it up, i'll be over the moon!!

Wish me luck!

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If anyone has any suggestions on a good quality shampoo that doesn't overly strip the hair and may help hairloss with additional ingredients, i'm all ears!

Currently looking at the following:
Regenepure:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...17145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B0032FSDOA
Revita:
http://www.amazon.com/DS-Laboratori...sr_1_5?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1310941155&sr=1-5
Revivogen:
http://www.amazon.com/Revivogen-Bio...sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1310941220&sr=1-1