My son's Tyler's story

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Wow you just shredded him, bubka. I have nothing else to add, but i bet it won't stop him from posting about it more.
 

Ray777

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Hey Angie I am in the same situation as your son. I am currently 17 years old and have had acne most my life. I was never so sure if the meds did anything to my hair but now since you mention it the acne meds dried out my face and my hair started getting really dry, probably due to the medication. Well to sum it up, I dropped out of highschool this year, I couldn't handle it anymore, the wierd looks and comments on my hair. It's the hardest thing I've been through in my whole life. The best thing I think you can do for your son is advise him to shave his head if its that notable, and wait till hes a little older to begin using propecia. Good luck with your son.
 

Holmes

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Derrmatch is a great concealer can he use that? if he has to shave his head til he's 18 then go on the "big 3" thats not to bad. I understand you don't want him to have problems with his guy stuff but not everyone has that side effect in fact very very few.
 

templemonk

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so then.. should i do illegal drugs and sleep like 3 hours a day without eating ameal? would that help my hairloss?
 
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templemonk said:
so then.. should i do illegal drugs and sleep like 3 hours a day without eating ameal? would that help my hairloss?

way to misrepresent what was said.
 

Angie #7

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Hey Ray 777

Were you on the acne drug Acccutane? I know people will disagree with me, but if you were it now states on the side effects page that comes with the medication that 14% of accutane users experience hair loss that could be permanent. When my son took it 2 years ago the only warning which was almost the last side effect to be listed stated that some people experienced hair loss which was a temporary effect, since then there have been enough complaints that they have changed the wording. I'm not saying my son would not have experienced male pattern baldness sometime in his life, but I do think that it is not a coincidence that the hairloss started as soon as he came off the meds. I think it just triggered the male pattern baldness since it kills the oil glands in the skin and changes the skin, well the skin continues on the head, also. But I think you've come to the right place to get started with some of the hairloss products out there, its time to fight, but never let it kill your confidence or set you back just because you have this problem. I 'm trying to make sure that no matter what happens, my son will stay confident and know that hair isn't everything, I truly believe if you put forth a air of I'm just as good as you or anyone else and let people truly see who you are, you will always have a good life full of friends and girl friends.
Let me know what you are on or going to try and if it is working.
 

Ray777

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hey angie

Well right now I'm not using anything as I really dont want to start using medications at such an early age, I just shave my head which helps my confidence a bit. I was on tetracycline but after reading your post I can totally say that this was the trigger to my male pattern baldness. My dad started balding in his 30's and I dont think I would've started so early if it wasn't for the acne medications. After using it I started noticing dry and flaky hair, when my hair once used to be very shiny. I'm no expert on hair loss but I wouldn't recommend your son going on rogaine or anything until later, I would only recommend he shave his head if the hair loss is obvious, it may make him feel better since its in style now. Well good luck angie and I wish the best for you and your son, I know its hard.
 

TAINTED-MEAT

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Tetracycline is an anti-bacterial medicine.

I doubt that tetracycline would have cause hair loss.

Isotretinoin is Accutane which can cause hair loss.
 

htownballa

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bubka said:
biglemoncoke said:
i am just saying the technological advances on science today has not proven 1% of the truth of the world yet. if it did, there would of been cure for hairloss already.yes? getting a healthier lifestyle does help metabolism and make you more healthy, yes? being healthy MAY help with your hairloss? sorry maybe i am wrong.
and i will say that being healthy is associated with male pattern baldness, producing enough testosterone and ar type2; thus, DHT will be OPTIMAL when you have a "healthier lifestyle"...

it goes both ways man

I think leading a generally healthy lifestyle(low stress, good food/sleep) will surely not accelerate male pattern baldness and may or may not help it. So overall, I think it is good advice to tell someone to strive for a healthier lifestyle.
 

TAINTED-MEAT

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I took 40mg daily accutane for a month, then was bumped up to 80mg a day for the next 3 months. I stopped a month early because my acne was clear and because it causes so much dryness.

BTW, did it make his hair curly? It did that to me.

Also, did he get monthly blood work done?
 

Angie #7

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Tylers hair was curly when he started to grow it long before the accutane, but what I did notice is that the texture of the hair especially in the area of his thinning the temples and vertex area changed in texture. It became really dry, and coarse and the curly were frizzy. You could almost tell the hair was dying. I also noticed when I went to give him a haircut that the entire top was not growing as fast. I have read on other sites that accutane changes the structure of your hair, it kills and shrinks follicles, along with the acne. If you ask my son would he rather have the acne or his hair, he will tell you his hair!!! I also let my son stop the accutane about 3 weeks early, he was graduating grade 8 and his lips were huge and he was suffering many nose bleeds, and I wanted him to feel better for his graduation party. He still has very dry skin, peeling around his fingers and nose bleeds, 2 years later. Tyler only had a blood test before he went on accutane, and 1 month after. He did not go to a dermatoligist since my f***'n family doctor told me that he could do everything that a dermatoligist would do. Later after the nightmare of his hair falling out began and I did my own research did I find out that a dermatoligist only gives accutane out by prescription in one month intervals after the patient has his blood work done each and every month. Also, the dermatoligist gives you an information booklet on the side effects that can occur on the drug and if you are willing to take it, you must sign a consent form no matter wether you are a man or woman. In this booklet it states that 14% of patients experience hairloss and that the hair loss can be permanent. Did I know? No, I can honestly say that if I was better educated on all the side effects that could happen, I would have never put him on the drug. Looking back now, I don't even think his acne warrrented accutane. He was never tried on anything other than tetrycylcline by my family doctor, surely you would try other topicals before resorting to something as powerful as accutane on a boy that is just entering puberty.
Anyways, now that I've vented all my anger, you obviously have experienced hairloss with the accutane, I would like to hear your experience and what you have found that works or doesn't. I was also wondering if you knew that accutane was in the news this week, they are saying that doctors are finding that the effects of the drug on the heart and liver and more alarming than first expected, Imagine that?
 

TAINTED-MEAT

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Towards the end of my treatment, my hair became really curly, unmanageble, and as you said, very dry. Anyways, I had been losing my hair for probably 3 years before starting medication. However, it has become very thin very quickly, but I cannot say 100% that the accutane did it. My hair is still a different texture than it was though. I've been off of it for almost 3 months, but I have heard that any hair that is lost usually, but not always grows back after you have been off the drug for a while. My hair is still really frizzy too.

I can say that I went to a dermatologist and he informed me that some temporary hair loss can occur, but it's not too common. He also gave me a booklet with all kinds of information (it's now required by the Ipledge program). I also had monthly blood work done and everything was always normal for me. I still seem to be thirsty a lot though. I drink tons of water still and stay away from those sodas.

If you look at my regimen, you will see what I am doing to try to reverse my hairloss. The Avodart (dutasteride) is a great DHT inhibitor, but I'd be a bit weary about taking it at that age.

If you have got money to spend, I would recommend getting Proxiphen from Dr. Proctor. It is $100 a month but Bryan (a poster who I have great respect for on this site, highly recommends it). However, you'd have to get a prescription for it and send it when you order it. Even then, I am not positive that it would help if the loss was due to accutane. In any case, these copper peptides are supposed to repair the follicle, so it may be possible to repair it even if it was due to accutane? I'm getting the AC revitalize spray and serum off ebay. If you go that route, make sure that the ingredients are alanine/histidine/lysine and not copper gluconate since they switched the new formula to copper gluconate. Also, get some spironolactone 5%.

Whenever his junk quits growing, he can get Propecia or Avodart.

You say many symptoms, such as nose bleeds and his fingers still being dry, that's rough. I never had any of those symptoms even while on accutane. I was just dry dry dry so I drank probably a gallon of water a day and used up many bottles of lotion on my face.

I read that article in the paper about the increased risks but I'm not really too worried about it, as my bloodwork was always normal. I think it will mainly hurt people who's bloodwork was not normal, but I could be wrong.

Anyways, Accutane is a Catch-22 for some. For me, it cleared my face up more than it had been in the last five years but the jury is still out on the hair situation.

Let your son know that losing hair at 16 is more common than he thinks. That's the age that I started noticing my receding hairline. I'm transferring to a big university this year and at orientation and at parties, I noticed that many people had thinning and receding hair. So just in case he does go bald, shave it and forget about it. I know it's easier said than done because I, too, struggle with the low self-esteem every single day.

Good luck with it all, we'll have to keep each other posted.
 

rkim

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No ones body is a clock. One person may be done maturing at 18 but someone else may take longer. I'd steer clear of finasteride for longer than that. It's extremely powerful stuff. One drug has already had bad effects on him and that's just his hair. I'm sure his sexual function is far more important to him.
 

Angie #7

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At this moment Tyler wants nothing to do with the propecia. He said he would shave his head first. He feels the hair loss is due to the accutane, and that is my fault. That was the route we took when the hair loss began, and as Tyler has said, as soon as I went off the drug my hair began shedding and it never stopped. The only reason we didn't get help earlier is because I felt if it was caused by the drug, when it left his body the shed would stop and at the time he had tons of hair so you didn't see what was going on for a long time. Other sites I have been on completely believe that it was accutane (men and women ) that took their hair. I do know that the high does of vitamin is toxic and it is a fat soluable vit, so it is not flushed out of your body, the liver can store it up.
I'm not so sure now that the accutane is completely the culprit, I know genetics play a big part and with all the balding and thinning people on both sides of the family I'm sure Tyler would have started sometime in his life, now the question is how to stop it .
I want to try some of the topicals on him but I was told that I need a prescription for the spironolactone 5% I am working on seeing how I can get it without going to my jerk of a family doctor, I might ask the naturopath if she is able to write it although she may try to talk my out of it.
The AC that I had been getting from my beauty supply store now sells the new formula revitalize, but I have a little bit left of the old revitalize serum, I'm going to get her to check for old stock on Monday.
I'm also going to order folligen, revivogen, and Tromin and get them on board along with the Nizoral to start and see what happens.
If anyone knows how I can get the spironolactone, let me know.
Thanks
 

beaner

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Angie #7 said:
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If anyone knows how I can get the spironolactone, let me know.
Thanks

Just go to http://www.minoxidil.com they sell spironolactone cream there without a prescription if you live outside of the US. If you are in the US you simply need to send an email to regrowth@minoxidil.com and they will email a questionaire, which needs to be completed, signed, and physically mailed back to his office. Once received, Dr Lee will email you an online consultation and you will be able to place orders for any of his products. A 20 dollar consutation fee will be added to the first order. The whole process takes about a week or less. You can also email Dr Lee with any questions you may have and he usually responds the same day....he is very helpful and knowledgeable regarding hair loss.
 
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Yeah but as Bryan said,

he disagrees with dr lee about the effectiveness of azelaic acid, and dr lee may try to steer you in that direction.
 

bubka

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Angie #7 said:
I know genetics play a big part and with all the balding and thinning people on both sides of the family I'm sure Tyler would have started sometime in his life, now the question is how to stop it .
yes, and he may just have early androgenic alopecia too, i don't think it is fair to blame it 100% on the accutane; however, if you want to stop it, you have propecia, thats it

you are wasting time with all these others in my opinion
 
G

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bubka,

or dutasteride. too early for him in this case but dutasteride should at least get the same respect as finasteride.
 
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