My hair loss story, with some succes (I think)

[Koseu]

Hi everyone

I have been wanting to post my story on this forum for a while, since I think that a lot of the stories here have inspired me.

My hairloss began when I was 22 (I'm 24 now) and it was very mild. Just a little temple loss which wasn't noticeable the way I styled my hair.
When I was 23 I noticed losing a little more hair in the shower, but i didn't take it too seriously.
However, when i reached 24 I noticed that I was thinning a on my crown and thats when i started to look for help!

I started reading this forum and I was motivated to fight my hairloss.

My regimen so far has been:


15 January 2014
Finasteride "Stada" 1.25 mg pr day
ketoconazol 2-3 times a week


04 April 2014
Finasteride "Stada" 1.25 mg pr day
Regaine foam 5%: twice daily
ketoconazol 2-3 times a week


04 May 2014
Finasteride "Stada" 1.25 mg pr day
Regaine foam 5% from: Morning
Regaine liquid 5%: Evening
ketoconazol 2-3 times a week


This means that I have been on finasteride for 4 months and minoxidil for 1.5 months.

Pictures:
I have put pictures up of my temples, however, I haven't put pictures up of my diffuse thinning, as i haven't gotten a hair cut since i started my regimen, and the new pictures, therefore, look better than they should. Perhaps when I cut my hair, I'll post those kind of pictures.

My baseline pictures are from 26 feb 2014, however, I started my regimen 15 jan 2014. The reason for this was pure laziness I don't think I had any kind of regrowth by being on finasteride for almost 1.5 months alone though.

Right temple:
I think that I have some regrowth. If you look at my right temple (I made a blue and green circle so its easier to compare the two pictures. The blue circle is a red birthmark, and the green circle was a stray survivor)

Left temple:
It was harder for me to compare these two, but I also have a brown birth mark which makes it a little easier to compare. I think I might have a little regrowth here as well, but it is hard for me to compare them.


Shedding:

I don't understand how people know when they are shedding and not. It is so hard for me to tell. One thing is for sure: If i did shed, it didn't change the density of my hair to the extent that it was noticeable.


Side effects:

finasteride: Slighty more watery semen, which is almost not noticeable. I didn't even notice it until i read that it is a possible side effect. Other than that I have had no problems at all.

minoxidil Foam: No sides

minoxidil Liquid: After starting liquid in the evenings my scalp is pretty sensitive, meaning it burns slightly, when using my daily shampoo (head and shoulders) in the morning, and also when i apply minoxidil foam. And the itching in the morning can also be quite insane. I'm thinking about going back to minoxidil foam again, but I think im getting more scalp contact with the liquid. It's really hard to tell. If it doesn't get better, i'll try going back to only using the foam.

Anyways, so far it has been a succes in my eyes and I'm happy about it, that's why im posting it here

If you have any questions or anything on your mind in general, feel free to ask

I will keep this thread updated for a while.

- - - Updated - - -

I just noticed that it's a lot harder to see because the quality of the pictures went way down when I uploaded them. It is really hard to see any regrowth on these pictures. It wasn't much you could notice and the quality has definitely made it difficult to see the regrowth :/

It is only so far minor regrowth I have had. If you zoom in on the original photos it is easily seen that a lot of small hairs have gotten thicker. Maybe future photo updates will be more visible

 

[I.D WALKER]

Thanx for sharing and including a pic update. Good news! First upon close inspection,I think your comparisons favorably demonstrate that your hair line has been maintained. Secondly, It appears there is either a more bit density in your hair line or some minimal regrowth, or both. I'm happy for you and I wish you continued and complete success. Merely in my estimation, and moreover to your advantage, you had a preexisting strong hair line before you began treatment. Therefore I think there's a reasonable chance to conclude you may well be on your way to a full recovery.:sun:

 

[CliffLee]

Thanks for letting us know how you're getting on!

I had a similar issue with liquid minoxidil, although I also had a minor breakout/rash on my forehead and so switched to foam twice a day. To be fair, I was using quite a lot of minoxidil as I was worried that it wasn't reaching my scalp since my hair is quite long. Also, I was using retin-a which I've read amps up the absorbtion!

I'm still on the foam, although I apply the minoxidil foam in the cap and then melt this in a sink of hot water (it melts in seconds). I then use the dropper that comes with the liquid to apply to my scalp. I think it reaches my scalp better that way - as you also mentioned. You could try that.

 

[Koseu]

Thanks for the comments and advice, I.D walker and Clifflee, it is very appreciated

Melting the foam sounds like a good idea, I think I will try that.

 

[CliffLee]

No worries. Just so you know, 1/2 cap equals approx. 1ml of minoxidil so you can measure out your desired amount.

 

[Koseu]

Hi everyone
I just want to give a short update

I am no native english speaker and therefore, I have always thought that the crown was the name of the top of the head and not the same as the vertex. The reason I'm telling you guys this is because I wrote that I have diffuse thinning in my crown, however, I meant on the top of my head My crown is normal, no loss pretty much.

Anyways, heres my regimen so far.

finasteride: 4.5 months
minoxidil: 1 week away from 2 months

As far as scalp burning goes it stopped as soon as I stopped itching my head like a retard all day.. So i never tried melting the foam as the problem solved itself

Pictures:
I have only taken pictures of my right temple as both temples pretty much are equal. I hope these pictures are more clear than the previous ones.
As far as I can see, I now have small hairs everywhere in my temple which weren't visible to the naked eye in the beginning. I am pleased so far The green dot indicates the same position on the pictures.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't understand why i only can upload thumbnails. Giving it another try. This time it's jpegs and not pngs.

 

[I.D WALKER]

Congratulations and thanks for the clarification. I don't know but I always thought the crown was an approximate 3" inches out from the central point of the "spiral" approximately located on top of our heads. All the best and continued success.

 

[Koseu]

Ahh, I see. So the vertex is the spiral?