omarrodriguez's story - (age 25th,Hair Loss!!!)

[omarrodriguez]

Alright guys, this is my first time on this site, hopefully I can get some good advice. I just recently turned 25 and I have been told from about age 22 that I have been losing my hair in the Vertex and frontal area now for years. I was initially in denial, saying that I was too young and that my gel just clumped in a weird way to give the appearance that I was balding and that stress from work was inevitably the root cause. However I have not been working now for 6 months and I have noticed more hair loss then ever before (regardless of stress).

I have come to the realization that I am progressively balding after taking these pics and am truly realizing how bad it has gotten, what a great bday present! Anyways check out the pics below and let me know what y'all think.

1). I have just purchased some Rogaine Foam 5% Minoxidil should I start using it? 2). Should I also start using any shampoos like Nioxin or Nizoral if so what is the frequency?
3). Also should I start taking pills like Propecia, Procerin, proviluus? My main concern is I dont want to have any side effects, especially sexual ones, my gf wouldnt be to happy about that Also I used to be a personal trainer, never took any hormones or anything, except for protein do you think that is an issue? Also would pills (like mentioned above) affect my testosterone development or hinder muscle growth in the gym?

Also im not sure what type of balding I have; my stats and pics are below, do you guys think it is male pattern baldness or something else, as you can see it begins in the vertex area.

Thanks for the help guys, I want to reverse the baldness and maintain as much as I can!!

Stats
25 yr old Male
Dad is completely bald, balding started around 30
Uncle from Dad's side is completey bald
Grandpa from mom's side started balding around 50, but not as bad as dad's side
Also notice alot of hair falls out in the shower or whenever I run my hand through it.

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/7978/img3090zp8.jpg
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/7726/img3091yd9.jpg
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1390/img3093ao7.jpg

 

[Ian Curtis]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Hey there,I looked at the pics and ur hair looks a bit scary :woot:
Ok, first of all, youre not too young to go bald, Im 18 and started last year and you can see that by looking at other ppl's stories.
So, on to your questions:

1). I have just purchased some Rogaine Foam 5% Minoxidil should I start using it?

Its not obligatory but it will help you regrow the finer hairs,but you have to keep using to get the results and maintain the gained hairs.Also, youll get initial shed and might as well get more sheds after using, cycling with shed/hair gain...something like that.

2). Should I also start using any shampoos like Nioxin or Nizoral if so what is the frequency?

Use Nizoral twice a week,reduces itchiness,dandruff and sebum.

3). Also should I start taking pills like Propecia, *********, proviluus? My main concern is I dont want to have any side effects, especially sexual ones, my gf wouldnt be to happy about that

Take Propecia, its a DHT inhibitor,DHT is the hormones that makes your hair thinner and kills eventually kills the hair follicle.
Buy 5mg pills, which you can take in the whole,you can also divide it in halfs or quarters, to reduce side effects.Taking 1mg or 5mg daily is almost the same concerning DHT inhibition.

Also I used to be a personal trainer, never took any hormones or anything, except for protein do you think that is an issue?

Nope.

Also would pills (like mentioned above) affect my testosterone development or hinder muscle growth in the gym?

I dont think so, but ppl say that reducing DHT increases Testosterone a little bit because DHT is formed from Testosterone,so theoretically,it would be good.

Also im not sure what type of balding I have; my stats and pics are below, do you guys think it is male pattern baldness or something else, as you can see it begins in the vertex area.

Post a few more pics,those you took are to close to your head :whistle:
It looks like diffuse thinning at the top of your head.

Also notice alot of hair falls out in the shower or whenever I run my hand through it.

Thats normal.

 

[RaginDemon]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

diffusive thinning, use finasteride.

 

[omarrodriguez]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Thanks for your advice Ian!
Does anyone else agree or disagree with Ian's regiment advice??

So I started Rogaine Foam yesterday and will be purchasing Nixoral shampoo instead of Nioxin. Ian has recommended that I start Propecia as well, but perusing through this forums it seems like there are some pretty bad sides that come from that. Are there any other pills that you guys are aware of that clinically work a good majority of the time without the the harsh sides (low semen count, development of more body hair, sexual sides, etc.)??

P.S. A few more pics below to check out my situation, this time without any gel, el natural!

 

[ripple-effect]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

I think you should give Revivogen a shot. Rogaine will not stop your hair loss..there is a chance it might make your hair loss even worse than before. I used finasteride for a year and it really didn't do much but make my hair look dry and thin. I did suffer from "sides", but they were only minor. I am also a diffuse thinner.

 

[omarrodriguez]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Someone says Nizoral and someone says Revivogen, arent they both shampoos that are supposed to do the same thing? What are the pros and cons of each? Should I invest in both or one or the other? And if so what is the recommended dosage for each?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ripple-effect]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Revivogen has a shampoo, but it really doesn't do anything for hair loss. It's a conjunction treatment to the scalp therapy formula they have. You're supposed to rub in into the scalp every day and let it sit for at least 3 hours before washing....but its better to leave it in for 8 hours or more. There is a study that shows it inhibts 90% of DHT vs 67%(?) which is inhibited by finasteride. Nizoral alone will not save your hair(no shampoo will)....it's also supposed to be a conjunction treatment to finasteride, minoxidil, or both. I use it as a conjuction treatment with Revivogen.

 

[malibujoe]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Thanks for your advice Ian!
Does anyone else agree or disagree with Ian's regiment advice??

So I started Rogaine Foam yesterday and will be purchasing Nixoral shampoo instead of Nioxin. Ian has recommended that I start Propecia as well, but perusing through this forums it seems like there are some pretty bad sides that come from that. Are there any other pills that you guys are aware of that clinically work a good majority of the time without the the harsh sides (low semen count, development of more body hair, sexual sides, etc.)??

P.S. A few more pics below to check out my situation, this time without any gel, el natural!

maybe time to give the head a good buzz...not because of the thinning rather it looks like a fro of pubes. no offense.

 

[lovemyhair]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Sides from finasteride aren't that bad for the majority of people. I believe a dht inhibitor is a must to fight male pattern baldness. Good luck thu, post some pics in 6 months.

 

[Ian Curtis]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Yeah,rogaine could ruin someones hair if it doent grow back and its annoying to go around applying it twice a day.But finasteride is a must, and not all the ppl get side effects,the percentage on the study was minimal,a lot of ppl on this forum get histerical when it comes to sides,maybe they just cant get it up because theyre nervous about the treatment.
Your hair looks kinda greasy on the pics, thats why I advised Nizoral,controls sebum and itciness big time.As your hair is curly and a bit long we cant really tell the extension of hairloss.
Maybe finasteride and being careful with what and how you wash your hair will do you good for now.
Try to get some in depth advice from the gurus.
GL with your treatment.

 

[RaginDemon]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Sides from finasteride aren't that bad for the majority of people. I believe a dht inhibitor is a must to fight male pattern baldness. Good luck thu, post some pics in 6 months.

lol

 

[omarrodriguez]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Hey guys, I wanted to say thank you to all of you that have posted regarding my story! Before reading this forum I had no clue of balding patterns, meds, etc. So thanks for all the input and hopefully to a successful regiment. [Ok enough of the gushy stuff lol ]

So as someone is so eloquently put it an earlier post, Im contemplating buzzing my head "of pubes," however I kid you not when it is gel downed, it is quite a ladies magnet they love the curls, fortunately to some degree Im somewhat tall 6'2" so they cant see the damage in the crown area all too often. Plus the long hair helped with the cheesy combover routine.

Anyways I really dont want to buzz my hair, and the woman in my life currently says she will disown me but whatever, they come and go lol, and sometimes you need to take a couple of steps back before you can progress forward. This is going to be painful, but Im thinking about buzzing the head this weekend so A). I can truly see how bad my balding is and B). I can easily apply Rogaine to the affected area. I figure that this is the best time to do it, since I am currently not working but will be interviewing in about 3 weeks for jobs and by then hopefully Ill have some hair that I can somewhat style so I dont look like some hoodlum. Oh so quick question about the buzzing, I have a fear that once I buzz it, the areas that are thin, wispy and potentially bald will not regrow, or be worse off after the buzz than they are now?? Is this a valid concern or am I just freaking out?

So once that is all said and down, I think this is the regiment that I will start on:
-Rogaine Foam 5%
-Nizoral 2%
-Revivogen

Note that I decided Reviogen instead of Propecia/finasteride because I honestly do not want to affect my sex life. Right now that is the only thing that is getting me through the weeks, and I definelty do not want to damage the goods in the time being (I know TMI) And from what you guys have said it has the same effect on DHT as Propecia/finasteride.

So guys what do you think of this regiment and my concerns so far? Yay/Nay? any modifications? I plan to see a derm before I do this just to get some initial bloodwork done and to get the prescription. But after that hopefully it is smooth sailing.

Oh one other thing, I know Im rambling, but what is up with this site?

http://www.trustmichael.com/rogaine/?gclid=CI7U6u7Q9ZECFQwcawodfCXpxA

He talks about two drugs that so far I have not seen mentioned anywhere that I have looked on this site, a discussion beteween Proccerinn and Provilluss and how everyone is praising the high heavens for Proccerrin, what do you guys think is this for real or this is a big load of BS??

Anyways thanks for the help and keep the input coming, Ill keep everyone posted once I grow the balls to buzz and start the regiment within the next couple of weeks (granted you guys dont propose some major changes to it).

 

[Ian Curtis]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

The buzz does not affect your hair loss, it will only help you apply the foam.
As for Finasteride,I advise you to take it.Side effects were only shown in like 1% of ppl who used it in the studies,and if you get serious side effects like total loss of libido just reduce the dose or stop taking it,theres nothing wrong about trying it,its only beneficial.If you get side effects,stop taking it will make those side effects disappear.
As for revivogen,it sounds good to use a dht blocking shampoo(its a shampoo right?),but keep in mind that finasteride lowers not only blood DHT but also scalp DHT.
I've heard the names procerrinn and provillus but dont know anything about them,just search this forum,i bet youll find some answers. You can use the search thing on the top of the page or even better use google to search within the forum,the results are more relevant.

 

[RaginDemon]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Hey guys, I wanted to say thank you to all of you that have posted regarding my story! Before reading this forum I had no clue of balding patterns, meds, etc. So thanks for all the input and hopefully to a successful regiment. [Ok enough of the gushy stuff lol ]

So as someone is so eloquently put it an earlier post, Im contemplating buzzing my head "of pubes," however I kid you not when it is gel downed, it is quite a ladies magnet they love the curls, fortunately to some degree Im somewhat tall 6'2" so they cant see the damage in the crown area all too often. Plus the long hair helped with the cheesy combover routine.

Anyways I really dont want to buzz my hair, and the woman in my life currently says she will disown me but whatever, they come and go lol, and sometimes you need to take a couple of steps back before you can progress forward. This is going to be painful, but Im thinking about buzzing the head this weekend so A). I can truly see how bad my balding is and B). I can easily apply Rogaine to the affected area. I figure that this is the best time to do it, since I am currently not working but will be interviewing in about 3 weeks for jobs and by then hopefully Ill have some hair that I can somewhat style so I dont look like some hoodlum. Oh so quick question about the buzzing, I have a fear that once I buzz it, the areas that are thin, wispy and potentially bald will not regrow, or be worse off after the buzz than they are now?? Is this a valid concern or am I just freaking out?

So once that is all said and down, I think this is the regiment that I will start on:
-Rogaine Foam 5%
-Nizoral 2%
-Revivogen

Note that I decided Reviogen instead of Propecia/finasteride because I honestly do not want to affect my sex life. Right now that is the only thing that is getting me through the weeks, and I definelty do not want to damage the goods in the time being (I know TMI) And from what you guys have said it has the same effect on DHT as Propecia/finasteride.

So guys what do you think of this regiment and my concerns so far? Yay/Nay? any modifications? I plan to see a derm before I do this just to get some initial bloodwork done and to get the prescription. But after that hopefully it is smooth sailing.

Oh one other thing, I know Im rambling, but what is up with this site?

http://www.trustmichael.com/rogaine/?gclid=CI7U6u7Q9ZECFQwcawodfCXpxA

He talks about two drugs that so far I have not seen mentioned anywhere that I have looked on this site, a discussion beteween Proccerinn and Provilluss and how everyone is praising the high heavens for Proccerrin, what do you guys think is this for real or this is a big load of BS??

Anyways thanks for the help and keep the input coming, Ill keep everyone posted once I grow the balls to buzz and start the regiment within the next couple of weeks (granted you guys dont propose some major changes to it).

That fool is a dumb ***, look at how bald he is, I mean if he wanted to lie, try lie a little properly.

 

[omarrodriguez]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Hey guys its been a couple of weeks but Im back and as I have stated in previous posts, I have finally buzzed my hair!!!

Holy Sh*t!!! The baldness is 10X worse then I thought. My long hair before was covering up most of the bald spots, this is sooo depressing!!! Anyways I wanted to post of the pics of my buzzed head to get your guys thoughts? It is in a weird pattern and wanted to see if you guys still think it is a diffusive pattern?

Here are pics with the flash on:




Here are pics with no flash:





In addition I finally was able to go to the derm today and he told me to start rogaine and he gave me a prescription for Propecia which I havent bought yet because first it cost $125 bucks for 60 tablets (is that normal?) and second Im still not sure if I want to head down the Propecia path, Im highly contemplating getting on the Reivivogen scalp therapy treatment...the study shows even better reduction in scalp dht then propecia plus none of the possibility of getting the harsh sides.

Anyways on my way to start the treatment finally, what do you guys think of the stage that I am at by looking at the pics of my buzzed head, and my regiement : Revivogen, Rogaine Foam 5%, and Nizoral every 3 days also thinking about using Toppik to try to cover up any thoughts?....thanks!!!

 

[Guest]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

that looks worse.
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=45057
Maybe you can help a young'n out. Did you hair look like this before? when you were younger.
I'm trying to save my head before it's to late.

 

[Norsk]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Looks like "normal" diffuse thinning to me. Looks like you're heading towards NW6 or worse (without treatments), like me.

If you want to buy finasteride at a lower price, try to get a prescription for Proscar (5 mg finasteride, as opposed to 1 mg in Propecia) instead, and cut the pills into 4 with a pill cutter (buy one at a pharmacy). Or if you want to be really careful, split the Propecia pills into 4 and take only 0.25 mg finasteride per day, which could still help your hair, but reduce side effects.

Opinions seem to be mixed on Revivogen. My impression is is not as likely as Propecia to save our hair, but still has a decent chance. It's obviously safer than Propecia, when it comes to the rest of the body. I'm going to try the same regimen myself, since I can't tolerate finasteride. Maybe add some other topical, like spironolactone or the new flutagel. Although I'm not sure those two are as safe as Revivogen, when it comes to side effects.

I suggest you try buzzing down further and see how you like it. My diffuse hair loss looks much less obvious when I buzz it down to guard 1 and almost unnoticeable at guard 0. If you really don't want to buzz any further, it could be a good idea to try some concealer. Possible alternatives to Toppik are Dermmatch or Prothik.

 

[symbolx]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Damn, man. I'm sorry youre going through that. I don't know much about hairloss patterns but I thought diffuse thinning kind of evenly affects the back to front. He seems like he's losing it in several different patches. It looks like a somewhat unusual pattern. Or maybe its just me.

 

[omarrodriguez]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

Looks like "normal" diffuse thinning to me. Looks like you're heading towards NW6 or worse (without treatments), like me.

If you want to buy finasteride at a lower price, try to get a prescription for Proscar (5 mg finasteride, as opposed to 1 mg in Propecia) instead, and cut the pills into 4 with a pill cutter (buy one at a pharmacy). Or if you want to be really careful, split the Propecia pills into 4 and take only 0.25 mg finasteride per day, which could still help your hair, but reduce side effects.

Opinions seem to be mixed on Revivogen. My impression is is not as likely as Propecia to save our hair, but still has a decent chance. It's obviously safer than Propecia, when it comes to the rest of the body. I'm going to try the same regimen myself, since I can't tolerate finasteride. Maybe add some other topical, like spironolactone or the new flutagel. Although I'm not sure those two are as safe as Revivogen, when it comes to side effects.

I suggest you try buzzing down further and see how you like it. My diffuse hair loss looks much less obvious when I buzz it down to guard 1 and almost unnoticeable at guard 0. If you really don't want to buzz any further, it could be a good idea to try some concealer. Possible alternatives to Toppik are Dermmatch or Prothik.

Norsk - Thanks for the comment, however I think im going to hold off on the finasteride products. This forum has really scared the sh*t out of me:
http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/index.php
...and knowing my body (I am always susceptible to viruses, allergies, blah blah) Im surely doomed to suffer from sides in the extreme cases as the individuals on the forum mentioned.

Im waiting to see if someone can really convince me to not use Revivogen as the DHT inhibitor or propose some other safer alternatives before I purchase it. If not I will be purchasing it in a couple of days and I will defineltley keep all of you guys posted on my progress.

As for buzzing down to 0, I would but I will interviewing for jobs soon and I think that I would look too much like a "hoodlum" so I think I will be buying some of the Toppik, any good feedback on that product or my regiment in general??? Thanks!

 

[Ian Curtis]

Re: Help! Need Advice - 25th Bday - Hair Loss!!!

I advise you once again to start on Finasteride,and paying $125 is ridiculous...buy some generic finasteride 5mg 60 tablets for $50 at the most.Cut it in 4ths and the sides are less.
Ive been on finasteride 5mg daily for 7 months, yesterday buzzed my head with a 7 razor,and I could definitely see improvements on my top area,where I used to have somewhat a diffuse thinning and my hairline remained more or less at the same level,and Ive been using rogaine to fill my temples and so far Ive seen little hairs growing along.
I think Revivogen DHT inhibiting shampoo would be a good idea but I dont actually have in-depth info about it, it is quiet expensive and I doubt I would find it easily here at Portugal.
So I use other shampoos to help my hair...i now use Nizoral once a week, H&S with pyrithione zinc once a week,ginger bodyshop shampoo like twice a week and ecophane(a shampoo to nourish my hair with vitamins and other things) and I tried to find TGel with Tar but turns out it is not sold here. I use these shampoos becuz I have seborrheic dermatitis with plaques on my scalp but it is disapearing.
You say you're susceptible to viruses and allergies,well,I have allergies along with allergic rinitis and some sinusitis and nasal polyps,which are inconvinient because these made my nose get larger(Im hoping to get under the knife to get rid of the sleeping and breathing problems and the large nose of course :thumbdown2: )...I also have a couple of colds and flu during the winter but I dont have sides from finasteride.
Allergies and predisposal to viruses have nothing to do with suffering from sides.
http://www.hairlosstalk.com/download/propecia.pdf
This is the study where you can see the percentage of sides on ppl.
Also,when starting rogaine you get an initial shed which can be very scary,especially bcuz you have to use rogaine on a large area...if your concerned about finasteride effects why arent you concerned about rogaine effects?
Whichever treatment you chose, good luck with your fight.