Todd's Story - ( 40 / been losing hair for years now)

[thetodd]

I'm forty years old and have been losing my hair for many years now. The process seemed to be slow and I'd already accepted the inevitibility of it since most men in my family lose their hair at some point. However, I didn't realize just how bald I was getting until I got my hair cut short recently.
I have thick hair on the sides, but it's very thin from my forehead to the back. I'd say I'm between a 4 and 5 on the norwood scale. Now I'm determined to save what's left of my hair and get some of it back if possible. Since I've been shedding my hair for over ten years now, will minoxidil do any good? I've started using it and will begin shampooing with nizoral a couple of times a week. I'm going to see if my doctor will prescribe generic proscar the next time I see her. I don't know if she'll go for it, though. That means I'd have to get regular propecia, which is a lot more expensive.
I've also ordered Toppik to help add some "hair" while I'm trying to get the real stuff to grow back. I've heard it works good if you don't get carried away.
Any advice anyone can give me would be welcomed.

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

Re: Todd: My hair loss story.

if your GP doctor wont prescribe you proscar

you should see a derm, usually derms are more familiar with hair loss remedies than the average Doctor

although i was just informed about an oversea company that sells generic finasteride under the name fincar and finpecia

I buy from inhousepharmacy.com. They do not require a perscription.

http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/hair-loss/fincar.html

Yes, they are legitimate. Someone will undoubtably follow this post with a claim that they could be fake. And they could be. Mine aren't (have hair now where there wasn't before), and I haven't heard of anyone buying from inhousepharmacy who recieved fakes.

its hard to say how well you will do with minoxidil, everyone is different

but its worth a shot

i suggest the big 3 and like 1 year of use before you evaluate

good luck with your treatments

 

[thetodd]

Re: Todd: My hair loss story.

Thanks for the advice.
I'll been using minoxidil for over a month and will begin using nizoral today.
My first bottle of Toppik arrived in the mail just now and I can't wait to try it out. I'm trying to keep my expectations low, however. I'd love to hear from people about how they go about using it.
What I can't get over is how much more expensive proscar is than propecia since they are the same thing. That's just ridiculous.

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

Re: Todd: My hair loss story.

proscar is usually cheaper than propecia

generic proscar is even cheaper

you need to take in account that you will be splitting them down into 4ths

i did my math and using generic finasteride cost me approx 22 cents a day

i order from http://www.northwestpharmacy.com/

they require a prescription

they changed the prices since my last order of 100 pills gen proscar

its $77 usd for 100 pills

roughly 19 cents per 4th pill

not tooo hard on the pocket

 

[thetodd]

I tried the Toppik and had good results with the back of my head, but the front was a different story. I had to keep wiping it off because it looked goofy. A lot of it seemed to settle on my scalp instead of clinging to my hair. Maybe it just takes practice to apply it right.

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

you need to cover your scalp and forehead with your hand or something else when applying toppik to the hairline

i think you will get used to "fading it in"

the stuff works great although i wish i didn't feel like i need to use it

 

[thetodd]

One problem I can see is the color of the Toppik I got.
My hair is reddish brown, so I got medium brown. It's way too dark. I hear the auburn is fire red, though, so that wouldn't work, either. Maybe light brown?
I'd also like to know how people who use Toppik go about doing that and applying minoxidil. Do you have to wash the Toppik out first before using minoxidil?

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

well i use the foam during the day

this is what i do

i apply the foam and let dry maybe 4 min

then i apply the topical spironolactone to hairline and let dry maybe 3-4 min

lastly i apply the toppik to crown and temple regions

i set it in with hairspray

done

hope this helps

as for the color issue i think you might need to try blending two colors but i dont know how easy that will be

 

[thetodd]

Thanks.
Your advice definitely helps.
Do you use minoxidil once a day or twice?
I did the same thing you did when I applied it last night.
After washing my hair, I put on the minoxidil and waited a few minutes. Then I used a blow drier to dry my hair. After that, I used Toppik. The color difference isn't that noticiable in back, but towards the front it is. I might try light brown next time. I can't believe the results I got on the back of my head with it, though. There's no longer a hole in my hat. That's huge for me. I might experiment with other products like nanogen or megathick, but I'd like to hear other peoples opinions about them first. I only wish I hadn't waited so long to do something about this. If I'd began using minoxidil ten years ago, I would probably have a lot more hair to work with right now. How much does Propecia cost monthy, though? I'm guessing around thirty bucks.

 

[Administrator]

Todd,

You should copy and paste your story over into a profile. We've got a URL set up for you already and everything: http://www.hairlosstalk.com/profiles/thetodd

Just go through the signup process and it will guide you through the rest:
http://www.hairlosstalk.com/profiles/signup.php

Admin

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

i guess i enjoy giving advice :gay:

but you need to read my previous post LOOK UP about how much Propecia/Proscar will cost you

but i think name brand propecia cost more like 50 a month or soo
but that depends on if you get it in the states or online oversea somewhere

Proscar and generic proscar is wayyyy cheaper .........look into it

i use min twice a day, liquid at night and foam during day

blow dryers are kind of a no no ....... it can be harsh on your hair and scalp if you can i would suggest you let your hair air dry if possible

 

[thetodd]

Todd,

You should copy and paste your story over into a profile. We've got a URL set up for you already and everything: http://www.hairlosstalk.com/profiles/thetodd

Just go through the signup process and it will guide you through the rest:
http://www.hairlosstalk.com/profiles/signup.php

Admin

Thanks.
Consider it done.

i guess i enjoy giving advice :gay:

but you need to read my previous post LOOK UP about how much Propecia/Proscar will cost you

but i think name brand propecia cost more like 50 a month or soo
but that depends on if you get it in the states or online oversea somewhere

Proscar and generic proscar is wayyyy cheaper .........look into it

i use min twice a day, liquid at night and foam during day

blow dryers are kind of a no no ....... it can be harsh on your hair and scalp if you can i would suggest you let your hair air dry if possible

I did look it up. Propecia will cost around forty bucks a month.
Generic proscar would be a mere fraction of that. Hopefully my doctor will give me a prescription for proscar. If not, I'll have to pay more until propecia goes generic in a couple of years.

 

[casperz]

Since I've been shedding my hair for over ten years now, will minoxidil do any good?

I think minoxidil has worked better on more recently lost hair for me. But my
crown has been thinning for at least 10 years and a lot of it is coming back.

I think gen proscar costs me about $6 a month.

 

[thetodd]

I'm going to beg my doctor to give me a prescription for generic proscar, then. How did you approach your doctor about it?

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

well i told (my derm actually) that i would like to save some money and propecia is marketed differently than proscar however the main ingredient is the same "finasteride"

i told him i had done some research and found that i would save a substantial amount of money using quartered proscar instead of the very expensive propecia

i would also make it clear that proscar is what you are seeking for

the drug is not regulated or anything i dont see why your doctor would not prescribe it too you, unless he or she knows nothing about finasteride

you may need to inform your doctor about it

however if the GP wont prescribe it i bet a derm would as they usually know more about hair loss drugs

 

[thetodd]

Well, I can always try with my regular doctor.
All she can do is say no.

 

[thetodd]

One thing I've already noticed after using minoxidil for over a month now is that my hair isn't coming out like it had been.
In fact, I'm not seeing much in the drain now at all.
I actually grabbed a handfull of my hair and tugged a little to see how much came out. Nothing...at all. Granted, I didn't yank, but I did pull hard enough that a few hairs should have come out. I remember no so long ago that the drain would be nearly filled with my hair after a shower. I'd have to clean it out so the water could down. And my brush, don't get me started. It was always full of my hair. I got a new one over a week ago and there are hardly any hairs in it at all. I don't know if minoxidol can have that kind of effect so quickly, but something certainly is. I'm going to assume the best and keep hoping.

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

well minoxidil increases the anagen (growing) phase of the follicle

so in essence you can probably look forward to longer less miniaturized hair

but minoxidil alone doest cure the cause of male pattern baldness

it's very important to have an anti-androgen in the regiment

 

[thetodd]

What anti-androgen products are out there besides propecia?

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

well when you say "propecia" im sure you mean finasteride

and yes

keto the main ingredient in nizoral is an mild anti-androgen

finasteride is a good anti-androgen

dutasteride is an extreme anti-androgen (Avodart)

topical spironolactone is an topical cream or liquid that is an anti-androgen

flut gel in an anti-androgen