dimitar_berbagod
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 2
Hi
First of all let me introduce myself. I am dimitar_berbagod, a poster from the UK who has been posting on here for around 4.5 years. I realise this post long but I would appreciate you reading and perhaps offering any advice.
I started noticing hairloss in September 2003, one month after my 19th birthday. This was in the form of very slight hairline recession and was initially happening at a snail's pace. By September 2004, I was still a good Norwood 1, but decided to try to treat my hair loss. I got in touch with a clinic in North west London who prescribed me a year's worth of tablets, topical solutions, shampoos and conditioners for £500. These were all natural supplements: I began using these and did notice an improvement in the general thickness and condition of my hair, though saw no regrowth.
Fast forward one year to October 2005 and I made a decision, which was the wrong one in hindsight but seemed right at the time. I signed up to a 6 month course of laser at Advanced Hair Studios. This cost me £3000 and consisted of weekly use of their laser, twice daily application of minoxidil 5% and saw palmetto tablets. Around the time I started the course I would say I was still a good Norwood 1 (my hair loss was thankfully progressing slowly) with a slightly higher hairline.
Barely a few weeks after beginning the course my hair felt thicker and seemed easier to style. Furthermore, in December 2005 I started noticing tiny hairs growing on my hairline. In the months remaining of the course (up to April 2006) my hairline filled in with terminal hairs and I was very happy with how things were. At the end of the 6 months I left AHS with instructions of continuing on minoxidil and the tablets to maintain the result.
Now, what I can say is, that despite still using the topicals and pills, my hair completely regressed in the following weeks (around early May to late May 2006). My hair felt thinner again and all the hair that had grown on my hairline began to disappear. I was very concerned and after being convinced by the salesman at AHS to go on a stronger machine (apparently there are stronger lasers) I shelled out an additional £2000 for just over six more months of laser (around June 2006 to Jan 2007). On the second six months however, although there were times when the hair felt better, I was never able to regrow the lost hair, nor did I get the same thickening I had previously.
In May 2007 I began using propecia and stronger minoxidil (12% plus azaelic acid) and although this stabilised my loss for 4 or 5 months, I gradually began to recede again. Around April 2008 I stopped taking it daily and just began to take it intermittently. Since then, I have been on and off propecia, minoxidil, plus natural supplements and although I do get short periods of seemingly thicker hair, I have never been able to regrow any significant amount.
I guess my conundrum is....can anyone explain why I was initially such a good responder to laser/minoxidil/herbal supplements and yet after going back on them so soon after losing my initial gains, wasn't able to replicate the result. I am not advocating the efficacy of lasers as a viable option, on the contrary I am against them as their results are mixed and they cost a fortune. People have said that any gains I did get at AHS were due to the minoxidil, but it does seem a bizarre coincidence that my hair started deteriorating once I came off the laser. Surely I would have maintained any gains by using minoxidil.
Would anyone be able to shed (please excuse the pun) any light on why I only had a temporary result and perhaps offer any solutions on a best course of action to take. After 9 years I am still around a Norwood 1.5/2 (on some good days I can almost push a Norwood 1 when the hair feels thicker and grows longer) and have very strong hair on top, so i suppose that is relative success in itself. However, my temple and frontal loss frustrates me as I cannot style it how I like (I look rubbish with a high hair line and like to comb it forward). I have been weighing up a hairline transplant but I am terrified of thinning behind it.
Any advice most welcome...
First of all let me introduce myself. I am dimitar_berbagod, a poster from the UK who has been posting on here for around 4.5 years. I realise this post long but I would appreciate you reading and perhaps offering any advice.
I started noticing hairloss in September 2003, one month after my 19th birthday. This was in the form of very slight hairline recession and was initially happening at a snail's pace. By September 2004, I was still a good Norwood 1, but decided to try to treat my hair loss. I got in touch with a clinic in North west London who prescribed me a year's worth of tablets, topical solutions, shampoos and conditioners for £500. These were all natural supplements: I began using these and did notice an improvement in the general thickness and condition of my hair, though saw no regrowth.
Fast forward one year to October 2005 and I made a decision, which was the wrong one in hindsight but seemed right at the time. I signed up to a 6 month course of laser at Advanced Hair Studios. This cost me £3000 and consisted of weekly use of their laser, twice daily application of minoxidil 5% and saw palmetto tablets. Around the time I started the course I would say I was still a good Norwood 1 (my hair loss was thankfully progressing slowly) with a slightly higher hairline.
Barely a few weeks after beginning the course my hair felt thicker and seemed easier to style. Furthermore, in December 2005 I started noticing tiny hairs growing on my hairline. In the months remaining of the course (up to April 2006) my hairline filled in with terminal hairs and I was very happy with how things were. At the end of the 6 months I left AHS with instructions of continuing on minoxidil and the tablets to maintain the result.
Now, what I can say is, that despite still using the topicals and pills, my hair completely regressed in the following weeks (around early May to late May 2006). My hair felt thinner again and all the hair that had grown on my hairline began to disappear. I was very concerned and after being convinced by the salesman at AHS to go on a stronger machine (apparently there are stronger lasers) I shelled out an additional £2000 for just over six more months of laser (around June 2006 to Jan 2007). On the second six months however, although there were times when the hair felt better, I was never able to regrow the lost hair, nor did I get the same thickening I had previously.
In May 2007 I began using propecia and stronger minoxidil (12% plus azaelic acid) and although this stabilised my loss for 4 or 5 months, I gradually began to recede again. Around April 2008 I stopped taking it daily and just began to take it intermittently. Since then, I have been on and off propecia, minoxidil, plus natural supplements and although I do get short periods of seemingly thicker hair, I have never been able to regrow any significant amount.
I guess my conundrum is....can anyone explain why I was initially such a good responder to laser/minoxidil/herbal supplements and yet after going back on them so soon after losing my initial gains, wasn't able to replicate the result. I am not advocating the efficacy of lasers as a viable option, on the contrary I am against them as their results are mixed and they cost a fortune. People have said that any gains I did get at AHS were due to the minoxidil, but it does seem a bizarre coincidence that my hair started deteriorating once I came off the laser. Surely I would have maintained any gains by using minoxidil.
Would anyone be able to shed (please excuse the pun) any light on why I only had a temporary result and perhaps offer any solutions on a best course of action to take. After 9 years I am still around a Norwood 1.5/2 (on some good days I can almost push a Norwood 1 when the hair feels thicker and grows longer) and have very strong hair on top, so i suppose that is relative success in itself. However, my temple and frontal loss frustrates me as I cannot style it how I like (I look rubbish with a high hair line and like to comb it forward). I have been weighing up a hairline transplant but I am terrified of thinning behind it.
Any advice most welcome...