TriNitroToluene's story - ( Early Hair Loss Treatment)

[TriNitroToluene]

Ok, so it was inevitable. The only people in my entire extended family that haven't shown signs of hair loss are my parents and my only brother. They must be adopted. Aunts and uncles and grandparents on both sides of my family had varying degrees of hair troubles, so I knew it was coming. The only problem is I didn't know how soon.

It started near my senior year of high school, I noticed a good bit of hair in my sink in the mornings after doing my hair. I've always had great, shiny strong, but fine hair. I took care of it like it was my own mother. Never colored it, never used any products on it, and here it is trying to start a revolution on my head. Anyway, I put it aside and when I was about 20, I noticed the thinning and receding hairline. Now I'm 21 and people have started to notice the crown of my head thinning. My girlfriend keeps being nice about it and suggests I do something about it, while my friends just make fun of my comb-over. Needless to say, I saw got a haircut yesterday and I mentioned the thinning to my stylist/barberette/whatever, and she helped me with cutting and styling tips. She also convinced me to try the Nioxin system. With my noticeably thinning hair and being naturally fine, I'm using the #2 system. It's got a cleansing shampoo, weightless conditioner, and a scalp treatment with SPF 15.

As this is my first treatment, I've taken some pictures to help me chart my progress. So if anyone has any tips/suggestions I'd love to hear them. I'd love to get this thing to a halt so at the least I won't be completely bald by the time I get married. :freaked2:

Here's my starting point:

and a video:

 

[deck28]

I'm 28 and have pretty much the same hairline as you; the only thing that helps me is that my hair is very thick and I don’t have thinning in the back. I saw a dermatologist and started propecia about a week and half ago so hopefully this will halt the recession.

 

[bubka]

get on the propecia man, you are just going to waste more time on the Nioxin, if you want to have the same hair or more when you get married, get on it!

although i thought i read this once, but maybe not, but I think lighter hair people are better responders to propecia... again, there may be no evidence to back that up

 

[CCS]

nioxin will do nothing for you. i guess it is too late to get a refund. but at the bare minimum, get on propecia. since you lost your hair so recently, you have a chance of regrowth. i think you should add some SOD's. you have the same amount of hair I do in front, but you have lost more in back. I have grafts covering my front now. take a look at my regimen.

 

[TriNitroToluene]

I'm planning to talk to my doctor within the next couple of weeks about propecia.

I read your myspace page about treatment stuff collegechem... and it seemed like you're pretty welll-versed in Hairloss. That being said, I'm pretty new to the whole discussion and have no idea what SOD's are or whether it's a good idea to get rogaine or equivalent.

Is there an inexpensive [sic] shampoo and conditioner that works well with these treatments, what does everyone use? And is it bad to wash and condition more than once a day? I pretty much need advice on the basics on up, but from what I hear, finasteride-whatever (propecia, right?) is the best thing to get started on, but you need to keep on it as long as you want it to work, right?

I also hear that getting active is one of the easiest ways to combat the production of DHT. Guess it's time to get back to the gym. Anyone know of any certain foods that one should avoid?

BTW, thanks for all the help and support :hairy:

 

[techprof]

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/discussions ... hp?t=12638

TNT, welcome to the forum. Read the above link written by our admin.
Also, add nizoral shampoo.

 

[Guest]

I also hear that getting active is one of the easiest ways to combat the production of DHT. Guess it's time to get back to the gym. Anyone know of any certain foods that one should avoid?

That's a myth in my opinion. Eating healthy or avoiding certain foods won't help you combat the production of DHT. You have to use drugs to combat it.

Some people think that weight lifting actually bolsters DHT, but I'm not one of them.

Just get on Propecia ASAP to suppress the DHT and if you want to regrow hair then add minoxidil(Rogaine). You can get the Wal-Mart brand or another generic for much cheaper. Make sure to get the 5% and not the 2%. The 5% is extra strength and will help you regrow hair if that's what you want. Use Nizoral shampoo once every 3 days. The ketoconazole in it helps with eneral scalp health and it has some minor regrowth potential. You can find it in your local supermarket/pharmacy: 7 oz bottle for 15 bucks.

Just start with those 3 now(Propecia, Rogaine, Nizoral) and they should do the trick. If they don't then you can branch out to other things. But those are the big three. Give them at least a year to work.

If you just want to maintain what you have then all you really need for now is Propecia and the Nizoral. The minoxidil is a pain because you have to apply it twice a day to your head but if you want to regrow hair then it's your best bet in tandem with the propecia.

 

[TriNitroToluene]

thanks for the insights. I'll be sure to get on the meds as soon as possible.

 

[Guest]

thanks for the insights. I'll be sure to get on the meds as soon as possible.

sure

take pics monthly and post them on here so your progress can be assessed. make sure the pics are from the same angles and settings(lighting, wet hair vs dry hair, etc) so that we can accurately compare them to baseline shots.

 

[Follically Challenged]

Just go to a walk-in clinic and get a script after work tomorrow. Either your doctor would agree with you needing Propecia, or he's an idiot and won't agree.

If you want to know what the side effects are it's been discussed to death here.

 

[bubka]

got my hair cut today at Regis, I saw the Nioxin for sale...