I've been on here a few times to read some of your stories and do some research on what products (if any) are worth the trouble. I've started a program, and thought I would do a thread to share my progress (or lack thereof).
First, a little about me. I'm 27, and live in the USA, in Missouri. Seems like this is mostly a European forum, hopefully you guys are welcome to people from the other side of the pond also.
I noticed my hair starting to thin about 5-7 years ago, and it wasn't unexpected, as I have 6 uncles on my mothers side (which is where I'm told the DHT genetic trait is usually passed), and they are all completely bald. Doesn't really matter which side it's passed down though, as my dad is also bald. So I knew from a pretty young age my hair wasn't going to last, and as such, just sort of accepted it. Now I'm getting to a point where I don't really want to accept it anymore, and I've decided to try to take some sort of stand. I come from a family where this sort of thing is considered a little frivolous, but times are changing, understanding of the condition is improving, as are treatments, so I decided to give it a shot.
My hair loss has not progressed rapidly. In fact, on a good day, it's hard to tell it's even thinning. My hairline has not receded at all, really all it has done is thinned. Affected areas are the dome and crown. I took a picture on my phone, I'll get up on here sooner or later.
So I started this whole thing out by calling Hair Club, and of course they wouldn't give me any info without me coming in and hearing their sales pitch in person. I didn't like the first impressions I got from them as a company (they seem deceiving and a bit shady) and their prices seemed a bit steep, although at that point I didn't really know what to expect. The program they suggested for me was their EXT program with LaserComb. I've since done a bit of research, and this is basically a routine of Minoxidil, vitamins, and the laser thing. For a one year supply of this program they wanted $3300 us dollars... although they offered a $300 discount if "you sign up today"! :woot: I bet they get a lot of people just on that gag. I went home and did some research, and found I can buy all of their crap myself for around $500-700, and half of that would just go to buying a higher end laser comb. So, Hair Club was out.
I did some research on Minoxidil, and then some on Propecia. As I said earlier, I'm sort of raised to believe that you are who you are and you shouldn't change yourself unnaturally if the intended purpose is just vanity, so taking chemical drugs with possible side effects doesn't really excite me much. I'm also not really interested in ingesting or applying this stuff for the rest of my life, nor am I excited about the prices. I ultimately decided to start out with a newer product that I really haven't been able to find too much information on, called "Trichology" by American Crew. The system seems to use mostly natural ingredients, and the stated method of it blocking the levels of DHT around the hair follicles makes sense to me. On top of this, I've started taking several vitamins that have shown to decrease or eliminate DHT levels (sort of a natural Propecia approach). These vitamins are- Biotin, Pygeum, Saw Palmetto, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Lysine, Zinc, Beta Sitosterol, Stinging Nettle, Green Tea, Pantothenic Acid (or B5), and Silica. (Actually, a few of those aren't really intended as DHT blockers, but do help hair health. Supposedly). On top of this stuff, I am still considering going ahead with buying a Hairmax Lasercomb. They seem like they are too expensive to be a sham, and while at first glance it seems like fools gold, the stuff they do with lasers anymore can be pretty amazing. They can cure types of blindness with them for chrissakes! It seems worth a shot, and I've read several people's testimony to their approval and success.
So, I'm gonna follow this for 4 months, and if I don't see any improvement, I'll reassess. Updates to follow!
First, a little about me. I'm 27, and live in the USA, in Missouri. Seems like this is mostly a European forum, hopefully you guys are welcome to people from the other side of the pond also.
I noticed my hair starting to thin about 5-7 years ago, and it wasn't unexpected, as I have 6 uncles on my mothers side (which is where I'm told the DHT genetic trait is usually passed), and they are all completely bald. Doesn't really matter which side it's passed down though, as my dad is also bald. So I knew from a pretty young age my hair wasn't going to last, and as such, just sort of accepted it. Now I'm getting to a point where I don't really want to accept it anymore, and I've decided to try to take some sort of stand. I come from a family where this sort of thing is considered a little frivolous, but times are changing, understanding of the condition is improving, as are treatments, so I decided to give it a shot.My hair loss has not progressed rapidly. In fact, on a good day, it's hard to tell it's even thinning. My hairline has not receded at all, really all it has done is thinned. Affected areas are the dome and crown. I took a picture on my phone, I'll get up on here sooner or later.
So I started this whole thing out by calling Hair Club, and of course they wouldn't give me any info without me coming in and hearing their sales pitch in person. I didn't like the first impressions I got from them as a company (they seem deceiving and a bit shady) and their prices seemed a bit steep, although at that point I didn't really know what to expect. The program they suggested for me was their EXT program with LaserComb. I've since done a bit of research, and this is basically a routine of Minoxidil, vitamins, and the laser thing. For a one year supply of this program they wanted $3300 us dollars... although they offered a $300 discount if "you sign up today"! :woot: I bet they get a lot of people just on that gag. I went home and did some research, and found I can buy all of their crap myself for around $500-700, and half of that would just go to buying a higher end laser comb. So, Hair Club was out.
I did some research on Minoxidil, and then some on Propecia. As I said earlier, I'm sort of raised to believe that you are who you are and you shouldn't change yourself unnaturally if the intended purpose is just vanity, so taking chemical drugs with possible side effects doesn't really excite me much. I'm also not really interested in ingesting or applying this stuff for the rest of my life, nor am I excited about the prices. I ultimately decided to start out with a newer product that I really haven't been able to find too much information on, called "Trichology" by American Crew. The system seems to use mostly natural ingredients, and the stated method of it blocking the levels of DHT around the hair follicles makes sense to me. On top of this, I've started taking several vitamins that have shown to decrease or eliminate DHT levels (sort of a natural Propecia approach). These vitamins are- Biotin, Pygeum, Saw Palmetto, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Lysine, Zinc, Beta Sitosterol, Stinging Nettle, Green Tea, Pantothenic Acid (or B5), and Silica. (Actually, a few of those aren't really intended as DHT blockers, but do help hair health. Supposedly). On top of this stuff, I am still considering going ahead with buying a Hairmax Lasercomb. They seem like they are too expensive to be a sham, and while at first glance it seems like fools gold, the stuff they do with lasers anymore can be pretty amazing. They can cure types of blindness with them for chrissakes! It seems worth a shot, and I've read several people's testimony to their approval and success.
So, I'm gonna follow this for 4 months, and if I don't see any improvement, I'll reassess. Updates to follow!