My 10 Years Of Alternative Treatments

[casperz]

I came here in October 2007 looking for ideas to stop/regrow my hair. I started finasteride/minoxidil/Keto and Retin A that same month in 2007. The last few pictures are where I am now. Still thin but so much better than 2007. It's been a struggle that I've had to stay on top of each day.

I've tried literally everything that has been discussed here. The big 3, spironolactone, Cet, Rolling, miconazole, coconut oil, retinA all come to mind and I'm sure others that I've forgotten. Some things worked, some did not. Some showed great promise and some were duds. I stopped finasteride about 3 or 4 years ago due to the side effects that I never believed at first until they happened to me.

Here is the thread I started in March 2008:

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/threads/success-on-ksr-with-pics.35120/

The last 3 or 4 years I've been doing minoxidil foam, derma-rolling, 50mg spironolactone (no side effects), keto cream, castor oil, tons of vitamins and a low carb diet. I'm around 12% body fat but I eat a lot of fat and that helps my hair look and feels thick. Most of my scalp hairs are as thick as I remember from my teens and my entire scalp has recovered including the front. I'm able to wear side swept bangs for the first time since my 30's. I'm wearing it a lot longer that I normally would because the length hides some of the remaining thinness. I'd rather be out of style than bald looking at this point. I've told people that I'm balding and they don't believe it. Looking back it's been a lot of work but worth it.

Best advise I can give is the hair you see today on your scalp was created 3-6 months ago. It's a slow process and you have to stick with what your doing for months before you evaluate any changes in regime. Think of your hair as a huge ocean going vessel not a speedboat, it responds slowly.

This first pic is where I started in 2007:

 

[Jk1]

nice results ! how often do you apply the keto cream ? do you leave in overnight or wash out ?

also what is your dermaroller regime ? how deep and how often ?

 

[ALightInTheDark]

That's a nice result dude.
You should add castor oil and azelaic acid to your regiment

 

[folfoxorack]

This is not the same hair. I’m really sceptical about this.

You had this ...

You have to wear a wig.

Dyed hair?

Its really weird ... 10 years between these pictures, and the last one should have been the first one. You had grey/white hair. Really weird.
It’s magical !

 

[casperz]

About once a week at night, just a small dab on the crown and I leave it on over night. I rinse my hair with water every morning, I shampoo and use a good conditioner about twice a month or sometimes less.

I've tried everything with the Dermaroller from making myself bleed to light passes. I was around when that rolling craze started around here and people were going crazy(myself included) with making themselves bleed. People/threads got censored (with good reason). My hair went to sh*t for a time. I have no way of knowing for sure but about a year after that craze (maybe 2012 or so?) I started getting really thick growth on the frontal areas that I never had before. I think there is something to rolling but I'm afraid of doing too much because there is a period (for about a year) that it makes your hair fall out and things look much worse. Now I do a light pass(no blood) every couple of weeks. At best I think it helps the minoxidil get absorbed better.

nice results ! how often do you apply the keto cream ? do you leave in overnight or wash out ?

also what is your dermaroller regime ? how deep and how often ?

 

[casperz]

That's a nice result dude.
You should add castor oil and azelaic acid to your regiment

Thanks. I do use Castor Oil, it's in my post. Not changing anything at this point.

 

[folfoxorack]

To summarize. What’s your exact regimen since you have such regrowth?
Thanks

 

[casperz]

This is not the same hair. I’m really sceptical about this.

You had this ...

View attachment 63123

You have to wear a wig.

View attachment 63124

Dyed hair?

Its really weird ... 10 years between these pictures, and the last one should have been the first one. You had grey/white hair. Really weird.
It’s magical !

I was about 50% gray in my early 30's (family genetics and stress) and my hair is totally gray at this point. I've used Just for Men for about 20 years now. When the first pictures were taken I was probably using a darker shade than I do now but camera lighting may play a role too. If you look back through my success thread you will see different shades. I use the JFM about once a month and I leave it on for 20 minutes.

 

[casperz]

What I'm doing now is in my first post. Like I said in that post I've changed and tried many things. Take a look at
this thread I started in 2008:

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/threads/success-on-ksr-with-pics.35120/

I've documented most of the things I tried in that thread.

To summarize. What’s your exact regimen since you have such regrowth?
Thanks

 

[folfoxorack]

Ok thanks

 

[casperz]

Just to clarify, all the pictures other that the shiny bald one were taken yesterday. The darker ones were in the shade and my hair looks black but the color is light brown.

This is not the same hair. I’m really sceptical about this.

You had this ...

View attachment 63123

You have to wear a wig.

View attachment 63124

Dyed hair?

Its really weird ... 10 years between these pictures, and the last one should have been the first one. You had grey/white hair. Really weird.
It’s magical !

 

[Trichosan]

You certainly have lived through a lot of applications of different stuff. What specifically do you attribute the success to? In other words, in your opinion, what really worked for you?

 

[abovedagame]

Hi casperz!

I remember you from when you first started posting. Looks like you've done well over the years, even without finasteride. Nice!

How often do u use minoxidil?
Do u apply minoxidil after the day you dermaroll?

Did I read correctly that u only shampoo about twice a month? Do u experience inflammation?

Also which supplements do u recommend? I've been using msm from the beginning and biotin here and there.

Thanks

 

[Medina]

You're a good guy casperz I've read lots of your stuff

Thanks for sticking around and fighting the good fight

 

[casperz]

minoxidil foam twice a day over entire scalp on wet hair about twice the recommended dosage.

Derma-roller twice a month lightly, no blood, no popping sound. My rollers have various lengths but since I'm doing it lightly it should not matter. I use alcohol to sterilize as best I can and rotate so they are dry.

25mg spironolactone oral morning and night.

Small dab of keto cream and few drops of castor mixed in on the crown and any other areas that seem
thin each night.

I take MSM/Multi/2gm C/500mcg Biotin.

I shower twice a day and only use cool water on my head. This may be BS but heat causes inflammation and it's funny that my old bald spot was in the exact spot my shower hits and I used to take really hot showers. Since I stopped it seems like it's helped. Like I said this may be total BS but I'm not risking it.

Diet is low carb(<50gm/day), adequate protein and good fat makes up the rest. Zero processed foods/flour/grain/sugar.

I do HIIT 2-3 week.

Make changes slowly an evaluate, evaluate, evaluate.

I also take highly magnified pictures and evaluate progress on thin areas. I'm watching
the small hairs here right now because I'm trying something different in that area:

Quite amazing results, especially considering you are not on finasteride/dutasteride. Could you give some more details about the regimen.
How many times a day and what amount of minoxidil do you use? Same for ketokonazol and the other things? What needle size dermaroller and how often?

 

[michel sapin]

this is minoxidil and oral spironolactone which gives you such regrowth?
while on fina you get regrowth?

No gynecomastia with the ora spironolactone?

 

[casperz]

I think you have to find what works for you. I think for me it's the combination of everything I put on my scalp, and diet, exercise, stress reduction, cool showers, commitment to keep treating it. There is not just one magic bullet. If you read some of my early threads here from 2008 I was putting a huge amount of stuff on my head and it did work and fairly quickly initially but it's been an up and down struggle as I tried different things.

You certainly have lived through a lot of applications of different stuff. What specifically do you attribute the success to? In other words, in your opinion, what really worked for you?

 

[casperz]

I responded to someone else above about minoxidil dose and I use it right after I roll usually.

Yes, only shampoo twice a month if that, rinse twice a day. The first few weeks that sucks but then your skin
gets used to it and your hair oils settle in. No bad smell at all. MSM and Biotin are good, other than that I don't take anything special.

Hi casperz!

I remember you from when you first started posting. Looks like you've done well over the years, even without finasteride. Nice!

How often do u use minoxidil?
Do u apply minoxidil after the day you dermaroll?

Did I read correctly that u only shampoo about twice a month? Do u experience inflammation?

Also which supplements do u recommend? I've been using msm from the beginning and biotin here and there.

Thanks

 

[casperz]

Thanks, seems like I've read a lot of your stuff too. It's a been a long journey.

You're a good guy casperz I've read lots of your stuff

Thanks for sticking around and fighting the good fight

 

[casperz]

this is minoxidil and oral spironolactone which gives you such regrowth?
while on fina you get regrowth?

No gynecomastia with the ora spironolactone?

I've been at this for ten years and my regime has changed so many times but I think the combo of everything over the years has made the difference. I used finasteride when I first started for several years, dropped about 4 years ago. No gyno at all but I don't have a lot of body fat anywhere.