Everyone here has a different story to tell, but there is one thing that connects us all -- we are losing hair. Most guys don't end up on these forums. They either don't care at all or don't care enough to obsess over their dying follicles. For some reason or another, however, we did end up here. In my case, I always loved my hair, it was my 'thing'. So, when I first noticed that my hair was thinning and hairline receding, my world suddenly fell apart. I know it didn't really fall apart, but we all have things that we love about ourselves and I happened to love my hair. No one likes to read stories that are long and boring, but I just want to get it off my chest. Whether anyone reads it or not, here's my story.
It was in February 2010 when I first noticed that something isn't quite right about my hair. I had just got my hair cut and somehow it felt awfully thin. I had always complained about having unmanageably thick hair, but now, suddenly, I could see the white pale skin that was peeking through my beautiful dark hair. It is strange how you don't really appreciate what you've got until it is taken away from you. After further inspecting, it became obvious that not only was my hair thinner, but also the hairline had receded. In fact, it had receded quite a bit. I could have easily starred in a McDonald's commercial using my hairline as a logo. Just awful!
The following months could be best described by panic and denial. Lots of denial and lots of googling. Even though I learned a lot about genetic hair loss, the irrational, wishful voice inside me was still whispering, "you are not losing hair". I wanted to believe that I was not losing hair. I wanted to believe that it was just a temporary loss. I wanted to believe that my hair had always been like that. Through all this time, I knew about male pattern baldness and I knew about finasteride. The rational voice inside me knew that I was losing hair and that I should react. Inspite of all that, I wanted to do it the other way. From March to May, it was all about alternative treatments -- all kinds of shampoos, creams, vitamines, etc. Heck, I even rubbed onions on my scalp and played around with the idea of experimenting with urine. Horrible times with a lot of self-deception and false hope.
In June 2010 I shaved my head for the first time in my life. It was at that time when I realised that it is indeed male pattern baldness. The pattern of thinning was obvious. What became also obvious was the fact that I didn't like being bald. I thought maybe it will just take some time to get used to with the new look, but I never got used to... In August 2010 I hopped on the Propecia wagon. After a year or so, I could tell that my hair density had significantly improved. However, I wanted to improve my hairline as well, so I started to use minoxidil. That was in May 2011. I hated it from the beginning. It made my hair look dirty and practically ruined my skin. However, I went on using it for the next 20 months or so. I slowly phased it out and stopped using it completely in the beginning of 2013. It was a very good choice. My skin improved significantly over the next months and even my hair quality around the hairline got better. However, damage had been done and I can't but blame it (at least partially) on minoxidil.
It is now August 2013. It is three and a half years from when I first noticed my hair loss and three years from when I first started to use Propecia. 0.5mg Propecia daily has been of excellent help. My overall hair quality has improved, however, the hairline has still somewhat deteriorated. I don't know what the future holds, but more than anything I want to do something about my hairline. I know that I don't have (m)any options. I don't consider hair transplant as a solution and I am already on Propecia. There have been a lot of scientific news about male pattern baldness in the past years, but there is still no clarity, no hope for better treatments. Everyone on these forums knows that a 'cure' will be released in 5 years, but everyone also know that this has been so for the past 20 years or so. It is always 5 years.
Over the years that I have followed different hair loss communities, I have noticed that there are distinct highs and lows. Some new drug enters the picture, everyone hopes that 'this is the one' just to be disappointed several months later. A new drug company makes a positive announcement to reassure the investors that everything is going well, but fastforward it a few years and you get yet again to be disappointed. Lots of scammers that make money on people who have nothing but mere hope. Do we really have hope or are we just fooling ourselves to feel better? Will there be a day when I can grow my beautiful dark hair back? Anyone?
It was in February 2010 when I first noticed that something isn't quite right about my hair. I had just got my hair cut and somehow it felt awfully thin. I had always complained about having unmanageably thick hair, but now, suddenly, I could see the white pale skin that was peeking through my beautiful dark hair. It is strange how you don't really appreciate what you've got until it is taken away from you. After further inspecting, it became obvious that not only was my hair thinner, but also the hairline had receded. In fact, it had receded quite a bit. I could have easily starred in a McDonald's commercial using my hairline as a logo. Just awful!
The following months could be best described by panic and denial. Lots of denial and lots of googling. Even though I learned a lot about genetic hair loss, the irrational, wishful voice inside me was still whispering, "you are not losing hair". I wanted to believe that I was not losing hair. I wanted to believe that it was just a temporary loss. I wanted to believe that my hair had always been like that. Through all this time, I knew about male pattern baldness and I knew about finasteride. The rational voice inside me knew that I was losing hair and that I should react. Inspite of all that, I wanted to do it the other way. From March to May, it was all about alternative treatments -- all kinds of shampoos, creams, vitamines, etc. Heck, I even rubbed onions on my scalp and played around with the idea of experimenting with urine. Horrible times with a lot of self-deception and false hope.
In June 2010 I shaved my head for the first time in my life. It was at that time when I realised that it is indeed male pattern baldness. The pattern of thinning was obvious. What became also obvious was the fact that I didn't like being bald. I thought maybe it will just take some time to get used to with the new look, but I never got used to... In August 2010 I hopped on the Propecia wagon. After a year or so, I could tell that my hair density had significantly improved. However, I wanted to improve my hairline as well, so I started to use minoxidil. That was in May 2011. I hated it from the beginning. It made my hair look dirty and practically ruined my skin. However, I went on using it for the next 20 months or so. I slowly phased it out and stopped using it completely in the beginning of 2013. It was a very good choice. My skin improved significantly over the next months and even my hair quality around the hairline got better. However, damage had been done and I can't but blame it (at least partially) on minoxidil.
It is now August 2013. It is three and a half years from when I first noticed my hair loss and three years from when I first started to use Propecia. 0.5mg Propecia daily has been of excellent help. My overall hair quality has improved, however, the hairline has still somewhat deteriorated. I don't know what the future holds, but more than anything I want to do something about my hairline. I know that I don't have (m)any options. I don't consider hair transplant as a solution and I am already on Propecia. There have been a lot of scientific news about male pattern baldness in the past years, but there is still no clarity, no hope for better treatments. Everyone on these forums knows that a 'cure' will be released in 5 years, but everyone also know that this has been so for the past 20 years or so. It is always 5 years.
Over the years that I have followed different hair loss communities, I have noticed that there are distinct highs and lows. Some new drug enters the picture, everyone hopes that 'this is the one' just to be disappointed several months later. A new drug company makes a positive announcement to reassure the investors that everything is going well, but fastforward it a few years and you get yet again to be disappointed. Lots of scammers that make money on people who have nothing but mere hope. Do we really have hope or are we just fooling ourselves to feel better? Will there be a day when I can grow my beautiful dark hair back? Anyone?