UTVulcan83's Story (mucho pics)

[utvulcan83]

Hello, all.

I noticed decreased thickness of my hair around the age of 19-20, but I was in college and times were good, and I generally ignored it. At the risk of seeming crass it didn't (and still doesn't) affect the frequency with which I get laid.

Now I'm 23.

But recently i saw a picture of myself on Christmas morning that indicated the thinning is getting much worse. So, I waited two months between haircuts and took the following pics. Remember, these pics represent TWO MONTHS of hair growth.

AND THE MOST DEPRESSING...

It seems that I am a diffuse thinner, but would like everyone's opinions. Right now my regimine is NOTHING, which needs to change.

Thing I refuse to consider:

1) Propecia (finasteride) - No thanks. Killing my sex drive, ability to achieve an erection, and growing fatty pecs (man boobs) is MUCH WORSE than being a total Q-BALL. If it works you some and you're okay with the sides, or don't have any sides, than great. I am not willing to risk it. I've heard anecdotal evidence that some people have PERMANANT side effects from Propecia....F*** that.

Okay, bring it on.

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

damn man, you are 23? That is some harsh hairloss. Looks like you will be a Norwood 7 in a few years.

Find some pictures of people who are Norwood 7s, and take a good hard look at them before you decide not to give a DHT stopper a try.

 

[dietcola]

you are a diffuse thinner, don't wait on treating it. i would say at the rate you mentioned you would not have much hair to cover your head in 2 or 3 years (that's a guess, not a fact).

i recommend getting nizoral shampoo and using that a few times a week, as well as consider minoxidil. i like the rogaine foam if you care about how i feel at all. ha.

just remember about finasteride (and dutasteride for that matter) there are many success stories, it's the people in distress that are running to their computer looking for answers, not the people who it's working for. in no way am i trying to change your mind on anything. i agree that there very well may be people with bad side effects, but alot of the side effect stories i've read have been total crap. others have taken these drugs for only 3 or 4 months, they attributed it to future hair loss, quit the drug and went around on the internet badmouthing it because it's a crutch for them. getting to blame their hairloss on a product. consider human psyche before you BELIEVE ANYTHING on the internet.

 

[Guest]

I should really sticky one of my posts like this to the top of the forum haha.

Anyway, hi bud, welcome to the site.

You're definitely a diffuser, there is no question about that. You are diffusing to a Norwood 6 pattern, see here:

Basically, I think that you will end up a 6, 5 absolute minimum unless you talk to a doctor about getting on finasteride(Propecia/Proscar) ASAP. Ask your Doctor to write you a script for Proscar because it is the 5 mg form of finasteride, while Propecia is 1 mg. But Proscar tablets only cost twice as much as Propecia tablets so you can save money by cutting your Proscar tablets into fourths or fifths with a pillcutter and taking either 1.25 mg or 1 mg of finasteride a day. Doesn't really make much difference.

I also recommend going to your local supermarket and buying Nizoral shampoo with ketoconazole. Use this shampoo every 3 days and leave it in your hair for 5 minutes. Follow up with a good conditioner.

I also recommend adding minoxidil(Rogaine) to your regimen because I don't think that finasteride will be able to grow all of that back for you. You can hold off on the minoxidil if you like but definitely talk to your doctor about getting on finasteride(Proscar) as soon as possible. It's much easier to maintain hair than it is to regrow it and Proscar should hold your hair in place for a few years.

Minoxidil(Rogaine) is more of a growth stimulant than a maintainer so it is best combined with the Proscar rather than used alone.

If you are interested in using the minoxidil now because you want your hair back now and don't want to wait to see what Proscar will do for you, then you have a couple options. You can buy the brand name 5% extra strength Rogaine liquid that is available in like any pharmacy or supermarket. Or you can buy the generic Rogaine from a store like Sams Club or Wal-Mart or CostCo which is just as good. OR, and what I think is a better option if you're interested in adding minoxidil, try the new Rogaine Foam. It's cheap when you buy at a place like Sams Club or Wal-Mart and it dries much faster and is less irritating than the liquid version because it contains no propylene gylcol.

So to sum up, here's what I think you need:

And don't forget to take pictures at least every 3 months so you can accurately assess your progress. And don't be scared if the minoxidil(Rogaine) or finasteride(Proscar) makes you start to shed. It's perfectly normal and you should continue with the treatment so the hair can come back in thicker and fuller.

Good luck to you.

 

[Guest]

I just saw that you are refusing to consider Propecia. Now I'm upset that I just spent all that time making that nice post for you. Hopefully another newbie will read it and take my advice though.

Well no offense, but you will regret that decision. I agree with WorldofWarcraft and see you being very bald in a few years. If you're smart you'll reconsider. If you're not, then you'll be bald I guess. :shock:

 

[utvulcan83]

Okay, so here's the issue. I'm going to get on nizoral/Rogaine asap. The reading I'm doing says those are good options to get on right away.

Maybe Propecia isn't totally out of the picture, but I'm worried. I need to be very frank and if people get offended, well, too bad. Sex with women, one woman for the last 2 years in particular, is VERY important to me and my woman. Something that destroys my ability to perform, frankly, would be HORRIBLE.

The side effects that I'm most worried about are the sexual ones. The fatty pecs one would seem to be able to be overcome with exercise. How prevalent are the sexual aide effects, and DO THEY GO AWAY if you stop taking the product?

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[Guest]

The side effects that I'm most worried about are the sexual ones.

3% for sexual sides(and that's what the rate is) is really nothing to worry about. Less than one in thirty in the Propecia studies got these sides.

The fatty pecs one would seem to be able to be overcome with exercise.

you're referring to gynecomastia, and it's even rarer, but if you think that it can be overcome with exercise, you'd be wrong.

How prevalent are the sexual aide effects, and DO THEY GO AWAY if you stop taking the product?

Thanks in advance for any info.

3% and YES THEY ARE REVERSIBLE UPON DISCONTINUATION. Finasteride(Propecia/Proscar) has a very short half-life and the drug will be completely out of your system within a couple of weeks. The drug does alter hormone levels which causes sexual sides in a very FEW people. This is why the sides reverse when the drug exits your system.

Just talk to your doctor. This is not some whack dangerous product. It is the only FDA approved pill to treat hair loss and it WORKS. 83% of men given Propecia in the studies maintained their hair count 2 years later. I do believe that every man given a placebo lost hair. Like I said, you'll regret not giving it a try, because your balding looks to be very aggressive.

 

[utvulcan83]

damn man, you are 23? That is some harsh hairloss. Looks like you will be a Norwood 7 in a few years.

Find some pictures of people who are Norwood 7s, and take a good hard look at them before you decide not to give a DHT stopper a try.

See my last post, I guess I haven't written it off, but I have real concerns.

AND YES, I'm F***ING 23. Yes, I get laid a minimum of twice a day. And YES, I'd rather be completely bald and be able to F*** then have a thick head of hair WITH a spongy, limp, useless wang knocking around in my pants.

I came here for advice and council, if sarcasm is your aim, pitch it somewhere else.

Thanks.

 

[utvulcan83]

JayMan, thank you for the info. I'll be uninsured until March 1st, when my health coverage begins. So a trip to the doctor/getting on propecia will have to wait until then.

Also, could you give me an idea as to the cost of Propecia. I'm paying off student loans and have yet to get hired in a real job in my field, so money is tight.

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

If you look at my original post in this thread, you will see where I discuss Proscar. There is a generic out in US pharmacies for Proscar which makes it even cheaper. If you cut the pills in fourths, it can be had for $250 a year. This is in comparison to brand name Proscar which would run you $300 a year and Propecia would run you $700+. So it's really a no-brainer to ask your doctor for a Proscar script and ask him to okay a generic substitution on the script. Usually has to check a box or something like that I think.

If he doesn't know what Proscar is, print out a couple sheets from google on Proscar and Propecia so he can see that it's just a 5 mg finasteride pill compared to 1 mg for Propecia. Then he should have no problem prescribing it.

And WorldofWarcraft wasn't being sarcastic btw. He is a bit rough around the edges but he's only trying to help you. He's telling you the truth when he tells you that you will be sporting a shiny bald pate with a horseshoe around your head in only a few years- IF you don't get on proscar. I'm no relationship expert but if you and your current girl ever break up, it would suck to look back and think "Damn, why didn't I just man up and take that pill? Now I have a bald head with accompanying horseshoe and no girls will look at me. And damn, this all could have been avoided had I just talked to my doctor and gotten on it."

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

damn man, you are 23? That is some harsh hairloss. Looks like you will be a Norwood 7 in a few years.

Find some pictures of people who are Norwood 7s, and take a good hard look at them before you decide not to give a DHT stopper a try.

See my last post, I guess I haven't written it off, but I have real concerns.

AND YES, I'm F***ING 23. Yes, I get laid a minimum of twice a day. And YES, I'd rather be completely bald and be able to F*** then have a thick head of hair WITH a spongy, limp, useless wang knocking around in my pants.

I came here for advice and council, if sarcasm is your aim, pitch it somewhere else.

Thanks.

I was trying to help you out by having you re-think a major life-long decision of chosing to go bald by forgoing DHT blockers considering your facts were not straight.

And all you do in return is act like a fuckin moron with a typical "finastride makes ya grow tits and shrinks your dick forever after the first pill!" idiocy that makes me want to cry becuase its hard to believe people human beings can be as moronic as you.


1. I don't give two shits if and how often you get laid.

2. Considering how your head looks, you must be with a fugly girl. I mean, its very obvious by this post that she isn't into you because you are intelligent.

3. Grow a second braincell and use your extra brain capacity to understand that finastride sides are not permanent and you won't have a "limp spongy dick"

 

[utvulcan83]

Well, here’s what I’m going to do.

1) Tomorrow. Purchase Rogaine foam and Nizoral shampoo. Start using products.

2) Sunday, my day off. Get a haircut before Superbowl. Take “starting pointâ€￾ pics.

3) Early March. Make a dermatologist appointment as soon as my insurance kicks in, talk about Propecia/Proscar. I can afford $25-30 bucks a month, and if I ever get in a state where I can’t, hairloss will be the least of my problems.

Thanks all.

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

Well, here’s what I’m going to do.

1) Tomorrow. Purchase Rogaine foam and Nizoral shampoo. Start using products.

2) Sunday, my day off. Get a haircut before Superbowl. Take “starting pointâ€￾ pics.

3) Early March. Make a dermatologist appointment as soon as my insurance kicks in, talk about Propecia/Proscar. I can afford $25-30 bucks a month, and if I ever get in a state where I can’t, hairloss will be the least of my problems.

Thanks all.

Great idea.

Now you can apologize for coming on these forums acting like a retarded monkey screaming how finastride permanently shrinks your dick and gives you tits and pissing your pants over people suggesting you might want to rethink going bald.

 

[utvulcan83]

First of all, please leave my thread. I’d did not come hear to swap insults with puerile idiots who have nothing better to do then sling insults anonymously over an internet connection.

As intelligence goes, I’ll not debate you on that point because your command of the English language clearly leaves something to be desired. I’ll avoid the obvious crack about your “World of Warcraftâ€￾ handle.

I found this site from a Google search, and have only heard anecdotal stories about what finasteride can do to a person. Notably, the “permanent side effectsâ€￾ yahoo newsgroup. People’s seemingly positive opinion of finasteride on this forum is encouraging, and talking to a doctor will help as well.

Now, please leave my thread. Others have been helpful, you have not.

Thanks.

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

I’d did not come hear to swap insults with puerile idiots who have nothing better to do then sling insults anonymously over an internet connection.

As intelligence goes, I’ll not debate you on that point because your command of the English language clearly leaves something to be desired. I’ll avoid the obvious crack about your “World of Warcraftâ€￾ handle.

Ok moron, I'll go. Sorry I tried to make you rethink a decision that I saw you made on false information because I was trying to save your hair. How dare I try to help you fight baldness and save your hair. I am a true *** for doing that aren't I?

p.s. Re-read the above quote, focusing on the bold. Maybe you aren't as f*****g smart as you think you are?

 

[roki]

some people deserve to lose there hair
and that's all im gonna say here

 

[utvulcan83]

Listen, man. It's late, we're not in middle school anymore, and I'll take your first post for what it was, a cautionary one for my benefit.

It sucks to be this young and going bald, obviously you know something about it because otherwise you wouldn't be on a website like this. If my info was bad, then it was bad. This isn't something you sit down and discuss with friends over a beer, if you catch my drift.

Anyhow, I've got to work tomorrow, so I'll call it quits tonight.

And I did laugh when you called me on the homophone.

Peace.

 

[kalbo]

damn man, you are 23? That is some harsh hairloss. Looks like you will be a Norwood 7 in a few years.

Find some pictures of people who are Norwood 7s, and take a good hard look at them before you decide not to give a DHT stopper a try.

I don't see how you think you're helping anyone out by making comments like this. I'm pretty sure he knows how severe his hair loss is at his age, so comments like that will only bring some unnecessary hostility. Judging from your other posts, it seems like you think you're giving off the impression that you're some tough nosed guy with your no-sugarcoating-tell-it-how-it-is responses, but you're really just coming across as some insecure prick who feels the need to insult to make himself feel better (and your username doesn't help your image either).


utvulcan, you do have aggressive male pattern baldness but I've still seen worse at your age and it's also not the end of the world (like some ppl maybe making it out to be). You're right about how finasteride can produce permanent side effects but cases like those, from what I can tell, are VERY rare. Most side effects either go away after your body adjusts to the treatments or after you stop using treatments all together. The sexual side effects issue has been blown way out of proportion so don't worry too much about going on the meds. And if money is an issue, then do what a lot ppl are doing and go for the generic stuff. I myself am on Fincar and generic minoxidil (both are working pretty well I may add) and compared to the brand name counterparts, they come ridiculously cheap.

Good luck!

 

[sphlanx2006]

utvulcan83, the big3 (minoxidil, finasteride and nizoral) is your way to go. I will back up what most posters here have said, minoxidil can give you nice regrowth and finasteride can stop or dramatically slow down hairloss. Dont worry about the sides because they DO go away when you stop the drug that is a fact.

Now you can apologize for coming on these forums acting like a retarded monkey screaming how finastride permanently shrinks your dick and gives you tits and pissing your pants over people suggesting you might want to rethink going bald.

WOW, if i didnt think you are retarded, i would say you work for Merck.

 

[Jojje]

utvulcan 83 im close to youre situasion on the hairloss, very agressive.
i got on finasterid over 2 months ago and im seeing new growth.
im also using rogain and keteconzale 2% shampo.
I dont have a prescription from a dr because in my country they have not started treating hairloss with finasterid... we are at the minoxidil stona age.
So i get my finasterid from evopharmacy.com
ordered 100 tabl off fincar for 90 $ generic finasterid.
cut it in 4 and u have 1.25mg and 400 days off treatment.
Its very cost effective if you where having $ problem.
Im a student and doesnt have that much cash, and its working great for me.
Good luck and sorry for my bad writing. :hairy: