takenick (22/N2/diffuse)

[takenick]

A detailed story for anyone who cares:

March 2010: I was a 20 year old N1 and noticed the first signs of hairloss. It was right after I started doing serious weight training. My scalp would itch like crazy and I would see all the hairs that had fallen out onto my desk. I researched it a little and bought some Nioxin shampoo. It definitely reduced the itch and hairloss 90%. I kept my hair about 3" on top and shorter on the sides and dyed my hair dark brown monthly. I thought it looked ok but hated my hairline. It was an N2 but I was in denial and kept telling myself it was normal.

March 2011: My hair was looking a little more diffuse in the front. I found myself obsessively staring at peoples' hairlines. I could not stay in denial any longer. Luckily I was prescribed Proscar. I took my first 1mg in June. I noticed sexual side effects the next day and was really paranoid, and got a bad acne breakout. I started reading stories online, and decided to stop taking it. In July this girl I was hanging out with asked me what was up with my hair. It looked pretty thin and wirey in front I guess, about 3" long. The next day I gave myself a brohawk, about 3/4" in the middle and 1/8" everywhere else. I was horrified at how diffuse my hair got within a year. Hairloss really creeps up on you and kicks you in the balls hard.

August 2011: I decided to start finasteride again, this time 1/4mg every other day, gradually increasing to 1/2mg everyday. I'm a little less horny than I used to be. It's not that serious. I may end up taking 1mg a day if I don't notice any improvement in 3 months. If it fails I'll buzz my head and add Rogaine.

To anyone in the earliest balding stage, don't wait over a year like I did. Start treatment immediately. If you think you're losing your hair, you are. My current regimen is Nioxin 5 days/week, Nizoral 2 days/week. 1/2mg finasteride every other day.

I'll post pics if the finasteride works. Hang in there bros.

 

[twhacker888]

Why aren't you using Minoxidil also?

 

[takenick]

I want to see if the finasteride works alone. I'd be happy as a N1 with average thickness. If it doesn't work I'll add minoxidil. I'm just scared of shedding from it.

 

[twhacker888]

I want to see if the finasteride works alone. I'd be happy as a N1 with average thickness. If it doesn't work I'll add minoxidil. I'm just scared of shedding from it.

Yeah I'm scared of the side effects from all the drugs. I battle with to use or not to use daily. I feel like once I start that there is no going back since if you quit you lose even more.

 

[fodandahalf]

Just curious, when you say you'd be happy as a norwood 1 with average thickness, do you think a norwood 1 hairline is a sign of balding? Norwood 1 is a juvenile hairline showing no recession whatsoever. A norwood 2 hairline is a perfect mature hairline, sported by the majority of non balding adult men, so is still considered a great head of hair. Ifyou really are norwood 2, I wouldn't worry about your hairline, but focus on thickening your hair up.

 

[takenick]

Just curious, when you say you'd be happy as a norwood 1 with average thickness, do you think a norwood 1 hairline is a sign of balding? Norwood 1 is a juvenile hairline showing no recession whatsoever. A norwood 2 hairline is a perfect mature hairline, sported by the majority of non balding adult men, so is still considered a great head of hair. Ifyou really are norwood 2, I wouldn't worry about your hairline, but focus on thickening your hair up.

I agree with you that an N2 hairline looks normal for a 40 year old, but I look like a balding teen. N0 is what I would call juvenile. It's what I had until I was 18. The hair at the temples goes straight up or forward. N1 temples go back a little.

 

[fodandahalf]

Just curious, when you say you'd be happy as a norwood 1 with average thickness, do you think a norwood 1 hairline is a sign of balding? Norwood 1 is a juvenile hairline showing no recession whatsoever. A norwood 2 hairline is a perfect mature hairline, sported by the majority of non balding adult men, so is still considered a great head of hair. Ifyou really are norwood 2, I wouldn't worry about your hairline, but focus on thickening your hair up.

I agree with you that an N2 hairline looks normal for a 40 year old, but I look like a balding teen. N0 is what I would call juvenile. It's what I had until I was 18. The hair at the temples goes straight up or forward. N1 temples go back a little.

N0 is actually what is used to describe an unusually low hairline. My hairline all my life has been about as high as a norwood 2 and even with a little recession at 18 I can pull off a non-balding look. I don't even have thick hair and it's about 2/3 inches long. I'm sure if anybody notices any balding going on, it'll be in reference to the diffuse and not the hairline, very few people will actually see norwood 2 as a balding stage.

 

[takenick]

Fair enough. I don't think N0 is so unusual. Although I go a very ethnic school so I see a lot of teletubby hairlines.

 

[fodandahalf]

Fair enough. I don't think N0 is so unusual. Although I go a very ethnic school so I see a lot of teletubby hairlines.

Yeah I don't mean unusual in a negative way whatsoever, it's just lower than the average hairline, which I guess is a great thing.

 

[takenick]

The sexual sides went away after using .5mg every other day for a month. When I started taking .5mg everyday the sides came back, maybe worse. I may also be experiencing lethargy as a side.

My scalp doesn't itch like it used to and I don't have sheds. The itching has not stopped 100% though. I see no regrowth yet.

 

[takenick]

Recently it seems the sides from daily dosing have faded. But it feels like my hair is itching more and possibly shedding a little. Maybe my scalp got sunburned though and is peeling. It's been about 2 months since I started. I really hope this works and I'll post pics.

 

[takenick]

My hair looks thicker on top because of the huge reduction of pre-treatment shedding. There is no improvement at the temples. No more side effects except possibly watery jizz.

I hung out with one of my old best friends recently. We were drunk and talking about some deep personal sh*t. I mentioned my "receding hairline." He said, "You have a receding hairline?..." My hair is only <1" so the temples aren't covered.

So to all the people stressing about your N1/N2, stop worrying and just use treatment. N0 people aren't walking around thinking, "LOL That poor guy has an N2!"

 

[takenick]

I previously said that my hair looked thicker but that was because of the bathroom lighting in the new place I moved into.

So to sum it up, my hair looks the same as when I started. Today I shedded a lot but it might be because I ran out of Nizoral a week ago. So Nizoral definitely helps reduce shedding.

I need some advice. Am I still going through a finasteride shed and it hasn't kicked in yet? Is .5mg/day of finasteride ineffective and should I up the dose to 1mg/day? Or should I start minoxidil? Is minoxidil effective around the hairline/temples?

 

[takenick]

I feel like .5mg finasteride/day is not effective. I see no difference since I started and I still itch and shed a little. I really want to start minoxidil. I wish I looked good with a buzzed head. I wish my facial hair wasn't so weak.

 

[takenick]

I started taking .625mg (1/8 5mg pill) of finasteride almost a couple weeks ago, and started taking it in the morning.

The sexual side effects are still here. They come and go.

 

[antman]

Have u tried minoxidil yet? I don't c why it wouldn't help the hair line.
if u c no difference in your hair since propecia, some would call that success. as for the sides; hopefully your body works out how to function with less DHT

for scale itching (i assume from irritation) i use sesame oil which costs me $2 from the supermarket. my skin seems to like the stuff. other people use coconut oil and other stuff; oils might help with the inflammation.

keep up fighting hair loss

 

[takenick]

Thanks. Still using finasteride although I raised the dose to .625mg and now to .83mg. Hair still sheds a little daily but I guess my hair looks the same as since I started. Actually what caused me to raise the dosages was it felt like my hair shedding got worse like my body was getting immune to finasteride. I hope that doesn't keep happening. Sides are 99% reduced but I know my dick and it's not like before I started.

I'm thinking about using minoxidil but it's not a good time to start right now. Thanks for the tip.