The Gardener
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 25
I started thinning in the temples in High School. By my freshman year of college, I was an NW2. No loss in the crown, no bald spot at all, just a receeding hairline. I basically did nothing about it at this point. I was upset about it, but way back in the dark ages of TheGardener's youth the only weapon that was available was 2% Minoxidil and by prescription only. By my sophomore year of college I actually visited my doctor to see if I could get some. My Doctor said, basically, that 2% minoxidil is crap and doesn't work for frontal hair loss. (Oh, if I only knew then what I know now..) I actually did not really mind my hairloss that much, I still looked good and my existing hair was still thick and styleable so I just went with it.
By my Junior year of college, my hair went through another period of recession. My temples were gone. Way gone. I was being compared to Bruce Willis, although I still think I had a much better hairline than him. Nevertheless, it was receeded to the point where I did not look like someone with a 'high forehead', I looked like someone who was just plain bound to lose his hair. And after a breakup with a girlfriend I got a wild hair and decided to try out a hair system.
Worst mistake of my life. Well, when I first got it on, I was overjoyed! It looked fantastic and it really did a number for my self confidence. The problems started cropping up slowly. First, the maintenance required to keep a hair system is quite rigorous. It is very time consuming, and got in the way of an on the go lifestyle. After three or four months of haircuts, there were other problems. I realized that people who know me could tell that one part of my hair was real, and another part fake. This is because while real hair pumps out a continuous stream of keratin at a steady and consistent color, the hairpiece had to be dyed each month. So, it would start off dark right after my servicing, and then slowly fade to a very light brown when it was time for another haircut. People noticed, and I developed a real defensiveness about it. The initial confidence was lost.
Then came the bombs. Now people were flat out asking me if I wore a rug. People at work. Whenever I would come into the office or now that I think about it anywhere I went where people I knew well and saw often, people would always look at my hair first. Then I started dating, and there came that fateful moment where she wanted to run her fingers through my hair and I had to flinch my head away. She said, why are you doing that? I said, because I wear a hairpiece. That look on her face said it all. All of these factors, in addition to many more scenarios that I don't have the time to go into made me decide to get rid of it after 5 months.
My first piece-free day was wonderful. Everyone around me was so supportive and nice, and I finally realized by their reactions that despite my best efforts (HOURS every morning) I was fooling no one. I actually did not lose any more hair over that period, and actually kept a respectable NW2.5 through age 34.
At 34, last year, I went through another shed. I knew what was happening, because I felt that same itching and had that same shedding when I was going through my first round in high school, and the second round in college. My center-forehead hair, my 'widows peak' was thinning. I could now see a little scalp. I immediately started some web research to see what modern science had to offer. I also came across this website which was invaluable to me. I got on some minoxidil 5%, hoping to save my hair from the coming Phil Collins look.
It has been somewhat successful so far. It has been 4 months on minoxidil and spironolactone, and can give the following report:
Well, one thing I can definitely claim is that my existing hair recession has been halted. My entire center forehead area of existing hair is now growing long and strong, to the point where I could technically part it which would have been impossible before because the thinning area hair was short, curly, and brittle before treatment. In short, definite, tangible, and visible improvement to existing hair. The proof of it is in the feedback I got yesterday from my a**h** hairstylist (who is actually a good friend of mine, but he always had the habit of bugging me about my hairloss... eh, it's a complicated relationship but he does my hair well) actually told me he thinks my hair is thicker and was impressed. I told him a few months ago I started minoxidil and he himself was curious to its efficacy... well, it was nice to hear him say that.
As for regrowth, here is the situation. My temples are responding, but unevenly. I have a stronger, lower, left temple that has always been a bit less receeded than the right one. This temple is responding very well to the minoxidil/spironolactone. I have actual hairs there, not a lot, but actual hairs over a half inch long that are pigmented and not curly. There are a lot of them in the upper corner of my temple, and as you move down my temple from the corner for about another inch or so there the effect sort of tails off from what looks like actual new baby hair, to what looks to be just stimulated vellous hair. The weaker right temple is showing similar effects, but it seems to be lagging the left by about a month.
Of course, none of this is really making any cosmetic impact in hairline reduction... well, at least YET I hope. The haircount of the new hairs is not enough to actually stand up on its own and are kind of buried under the older, non-receeded hair that falls on top of it when I style my hair. It is not dense enough to actually make a visual impact, at all.
So, at month four, I think I have definitely achieved my goal so far of maintaining my existing NW2.5 for now. As for any norwood improvement, I suppose I will have to wait to see if the regrowth continues and the temple hair haircount gets thick enough for cosmetic improvement. We'll see. I am not holding my breath on that, but I could not be happier about the new thickness of my center forehead area!
Just thought I would share. Cheers gents.
The Gardener
By my Junior year of college, my hair went through another period of recession. My temples were gone. Way gone. I was being compared to Bruce Willis, although I still think I had a much better hairline than him. Nevertheless, it was receeded to the point where I did not look like someone with a 'high forehead', I looked like someone who was just plain bound to lose his hair. And after a breakup with a girlfriend I got a wild hair and decided to try out a hair system.
Worst mistake of my life. Well, when I first got it on, I was overjoyed! It looked fantastic and it really did a number for my self confidence. The problems started cropping up slowly. First, the maintenance required to keep a hair system is quite rigorous. It is very time consuming, and got in the way of an on the go lifestyle. After three or four months of haircuts, there were other problems. I realized that people who know me could tell that one part of my hair was real, and another part fake. This is because while real hair pumps out a continuous stream of keratin at a steady and consistent color, the hairpiece had to be dyed each month. So, it would start off dark right after my servicing, and then slowly fade to a very light brown when it was time for another haircut. People noticed, and I developed a real defensiveness about it. The initial confidence was lost.
Then came the bombs. Now people were flat out asking me if I wore a rug. People at work. Whenever I would come into the office or now that I think about it anywhere I went where people I knew well and saw often, people would always look at my hair first. Then I started dating, and there came that fateful moment where she wanted to run her fingers through my hair and I had to flinch my head away. She said, why are you doing that? I said, because I wear a hairpiece. That look on her face said it all. All of these factors, in addition to many more scenarios that I don't have the time to go into made me decide to get rid of it after 5 months.
My first piece-free day was wonderful. Everyone around me was so supportive and nice, and I finally realized by their reactions that despite my best efforts (HOURS every morning) I was fooling no one. I actually did not lose any more hair over that period, and actually kept a respectable NW2.5 through age 34.
At 34, last year, I went through another shed. I knew what was happening, because I felt that same itching and had that same shedding when I was going through my first round in high school, and the second round in college. My center-forehead hair, my 'widows peak' was thinning. I could now see a little scalp. I immediately started some web research to see what modern science had to offer. I also came across this website which was invaluable to me. I got on some minoxidil 5%, hoping to save my hair from the coming Phil Collins look.
It has been somewhat successful so far. It has been 4 months on minoxidil and spironolactone, and can give the following report:
Well, one thing I can definitely claim is that my existing hair recession has been halted. My entire center forehead area of existing hair is now growing long and strong, to the point where I could technically part it which would have been impossible before because the thinning area hair was short, curly, and brittle before treatment. In short, definite, tangible, and visible improvement to existing hair. The proof of it is in the feedback I got yesterday from my a**h** hairstylist (who is actually a good friend of mine, but he always had the habit of bugging me about my hairloss... eh, it's a complicated relationship but he does my hair well) actually told me he thinks my hair is thicker and was impressed. I told him a few months ago I started minoxidil and he himself was curious to its efficacy... well, it was nice to hear him say that.
As for regrowth, here is the situation. My temples are responding, but unevenly. I have a stronger, lower, left temple that has always been a bit less receeded than the right one. This temple is responding very well to the minoxidil/spironolactone. I have actual hairs there, not a lot, but actual hairs over a half inch long that are pigmented and not curly. There are a lot of them in the upper corner of my temple, and as you move down my temple from the corner for about another inch or so there the effect sort of tails off from what looks like actual new baby hair, to what looks to be just stimulated vellous hair. The weaker right temple is showing similar effects, but it seems to be lagging the left by about a month.
Of course, none of this is really making any cosmetic impact in hairline reduction... well, at least YET I hope. The haircount of the new hairs is not enough to actually stand up on its own and are kind of buried under the older, non-receeded hair that falls on top of it when I style my hair. It is not dense enough to actually make a visual impact, at all.
So, at month four, I think I have definitely achieved my goal so far of maintaining my existing NW2.5 for now. As for any norwood improvement, I suppose I will have to wait to see if the regrowth continues and the temple hair haircount gets thick enough for cosmetic improvement. We'll see. I am not holding my breath on that, but I could not be happier about the new thickness of my center forehead area!
Just thought I would share. Cheers gents.
The Gardener
