This is a story of rise at highlands of success and subsequent fall back into pits of despair. It is divided into timeframes marked by significant changes in my struggle with hair-loss.
From it, you may be able to learn something useful. Who knows, maybe you will even discover something that will help you succeed the way I did.
I ask for one thing – please, try to help me succeed again.
Colours symbolise my mood at the time:
despair, anxiety,indifference,ecstasy
* * *
Summer 2001, age 19-20
I first become aware of the problem of receding hair on my templates. I never noticed it before because by nature I have high hairline with well outlined temples. I become depressed for the better part of the summer. Few visits at dermatologists supply me with useless tonic (Neril) which in time I use more and more scarcely. Eventually, I stop treatment hoping it will stop by itself.
Winter 2004/5, age 23
The temple hair progress to recede but it still makes me look more manly than balding. The real problem is, I start seeing through my hair in the frontal area. I stop using light in the bathroom and comb only in dim places so that I do not see my scalp through my thinning hair. I skip classes if I have “bad-hair dayâ€. Eventually, I dye my hair to light-hay colour which made all the difference for 1-2 months. I still take nothing apart from occasional herbal tea.
Late summer 2005 - winter 2005/6, age 24
I start applying Loxon lotion (minoxidil 5% on glycerine) onto my scalp once per day. I am too afraid to view the situation on my crown. I saw it once with a mirror and was not happy about what I saw so (I think) I pushed it out of my conscience.
I read somewhere that adding capsaicin can be beneficial, so I start mixing it with Cayenne pepper. I keep using it for few months but added pepper makes everything total mess. My hair started shedding when I started using minoxidil. After few months, the shedding did not stop and I can see no positive effects. In January 2006 I quit Loxon.
May-June 2006, age 24
The situation is worse than ever as my hair is getting thinner and thinner. Even in a cloudy day you can see through my hair on the front. Obviously, other prone areas are no better but at least I don’t see them in the mirror.
I decide to take the last chance and hit it with well-researched regimen which consist of 1/10th of Proscar pill every day + atomic minoxidil (Loxon 5% 60ml + 3ml of capsaicin “Pure Cap†+ 3pills of MSN + 3 pills of L-Arginine – all mixed togerher) applied ONCE every two days. I also wash my hair with Nizoral every few days.
As it later turned out, this was one of the best decisions of my life.
Summer 2006, age 24
My hair gets thicker quickly. By the mid summer, I can use bathroom light again with no fear of seeing through my hair.
Winter 2006/2007, age 25
I become king of the world reaching apogeum of success. Except of poping 1/10th Proscar pill every day and applying my minoxidil mix every two days, I live in serenity like never before. The treatment allowed me to forget about balding almost entirely.
I think my hairline did not improve by much and I still have receded templates BUT the jump in density is making it irrelevant. Hence, even with half-decent haircut very few people could tell male pattern baldness was ever my problem. I still am too chicken-sh*t to check out the crown area but since I have such great results in front, I conclude it cannot be much worse.
My hair bothers me only if a girl plays with it pulling it back or in strong wind. But it is nothing few strokes fingers can’t fix.
March 2007
By sheer accident I go into a fitting room to try some clothes and discovered overhead mirrors. There is no way of avoiding it so I take a chance and examine it briefly. It is better, than I imagined. There is some thinning and to some extent I can see the skin but considering direct strong lights, I feel good about it.
August - October 2007
No problems so far. On some pictures my hair look so damn thick it still amazes me what will happen in the few months.
November 2007, age 26
I lean over my laptop sitting on my girlfriend’s bed and then she suddenly says “You are balding†and points at the top of my head. We’ve been together for 10 months (in all kinds of situations) and it was the first time she associated this problem with my person. This makes me feel kind’a nice in this overall crappy situation.
Since then, it goes pretty much downhill. Even my family is starting to make annoying comments once in a while.
February 2008
I take this picture and I am shuttered:
I up my Proscar intake to 1/4th pill per day and start applying said minoxidil mix daily. I also improved the mix by adding 4 smashed pills of Flutamide to each 60ml bottle.
Entire ordeal is much more bothersome but I persevere hoping stronger doses will bring me back on track. I use Nizoral less and less.
June-August 2009, age 27
(do NOT be too hasty to say its better than before - lighting)
This is the picture I took 1,5 year after upgrading my treatment. The crown area is terrible and screws my life royally (due to the kind of life I'm leading). I also see no positive effect of upgrading the treatment. Thickness of hair in the frontal area has been fluctuating over the last 18 months, however, I think now it is somewhat thinner. Nonetheless, still better then when I was starting in 2006.
Also, I cannot confirm it for sure, but it feels like my temples receded by 4-10mm.
Since months I haven’t been using Nizoral (2% ketoconazole) but I just started using another shampoo containing 1% of ketoconazole which, I read, works better for both hair-loss and dandruff than 2%. However, if I do not wash my hair for longer than one, to days and my hair are longer than 1cm, in some places I get dandruff carapace which actually, after scraping it, looks somewhat like crusta lacteal.
* * *
So, this is my story. I ask, even beg you for any suggestions you might have that can help me bring back the life I had. Obviously, my main concern is the crown area which was never really hit with the nail on its head (so to speak) because my treatment worked mostly on the front.
What else can I do? I want to believe there still are working treatments I can try but I am out of ideas.
From it, you may be able to learn something useful. Who knows, maybe you will even discover something that will help you succeed the way I did.
I ask for one thing – please, try to help me succeed again.
Colours symbolise my mood at the time:
despair, anxiety,indifference,ecstasy
* * *
Summer 2001, age 19-20
I first become aware of the problem of receding hair on my templates. I never noticed it before because by nature I have high hairline with well outlined temples. I become depressed for the better part of the summer. Few visits at dermatologists supply me with useless tonic (Neril) which in time I use more and more scarcely. Eventually, I stop treatment hoping it will stop by itself.
Winter 2004/5, age 23
The temple hair progress to recede but it still makes me look more manly than balding. The real problem is, I start seeing through my hair in the frontal area. I stop using light in the bathroom and comb only in dim places so that I do not see my scalp through my thinning hair. I skip classes if I have “bad-hair dayâ€. Eventually, I dye my hair to light-hay colour which made all the difference for 1-2 months. I still take nothing apart from occasional herbal tea.
Late summer 2005 - winter 2005/6, age 24
I start applying Loxon lotion (minoxidil 5% on glycerine) onto my scalp once per day. I am too afraid to view the situation on my crown. I saw it once with a mirror and was not happy about what I saw so (I think) I pushed it out of my conscience.
I read somewhere that adding capsaicin can be beneficial, so I start mixing it with Cayenne pepper. I keep using it for few months but added pepper makes everything total mess. My hair started shedding when I started using minoxidil. After few months, the shedding did not stop and I can see no positive effects. In January 2006 I quit Loxon.
May-June 2006, age 24
The situation is worse than ever as my hair is getting thinner and thinner. Even in a cloudy day you can see through my hair on the front. Obviously, other prone areas are no better but at least I don’t see them in the mirror.
I decide to take the last chance and hit it with well-researched regimen which consist of 1/10th of Proscar pill every day + atomic minoxidil (Loxon 5% 60ml + 3ml of capsaicin “Pure Cap†+ 3pills of MSN + 3 pills of L-Arginine – all mixed togerher) applied ONCE every two days. I also wash my hair with Nizoral every few days.
As it later turned out, this was one of the best decisions of my life.
Summer 2006, age 24
My hair gets thicker quickly. By the mid summer, I can use bathroom light again with no fear of seeing through my hair.
Winter 2006/2007, age 25
I become king of the world reaching apogeum of success. Except of poping 1/10th Proscar pill every day and applying my minoxidil mix every two days, I live in serenity like never before. The treatment allowed me to forget about balding almost entirely.
I think my hairline did not improve by much and I still have receded templates BUT the jump in density is making it irrelevant. Hence, even with half-decent haircut very few people could tell male pattern baldness was ever my problem. I still am too chicken-sh*t to check out the crown area but since I have such great results in front, I conclude it cannot be much worse.
My hair bothers me only if a girl plays with it pulling it back or in strong wind. But it is nothing few strokes fingers can’t fix.
March 2007
By sheer accident I go into a fitting room to try some clothes and discovered overhead mirrors. There is no way of avoiding it so I take a chance and examine it briefly. It is better, than I imagined. There is some thinning and to some extent I can see the skin but considering direct strong lights, I feel good about it.
August - October 2007
No problems so far. On some pictures my hair look so damn thick it still amazes me what will happen in the few months.
November 2007, age 26
I lean over my laptop sitting on my girlfriend’s bed and then she suddenly says “You are balding†and points at the top of my head. We’ve been together for 10 months (in all kinds of situations) and it was the first time she associated this problem with my person. This makes me feel kind’a nice in this overall crappy situation.
Since then, it goes pretty much downhill. Even my family is starting to make annoying comments once in a while.
February 2008
I take this picture and I am shuttered:
I up my Proscar intake to 1/4th pill per day and start applying said minoxidil mix daily. I also improved the mix by adding 4 smashed pills of Flutamide to each 60ml bottle.
Entire ordeal is much more bothersome but I persevere hoping stronger doses will bring me back on track. I use Nizoral less and less.
June-August 2009, age 27
(do NOT be too hasty to say its better than before - lighting)
This is the picture I took 1,5 year after upgrading my treatment. The crown area is terrible and screws my life royally (due to the kind of life I'm leading). I also see no positive effect of upgrading the treatment. Thickness of hair in the frontal area has been fluctuating over the last 18 months, however, I think now it is somewhat thinner. Nonetheless, still better then when I was starting in 2006.
Also, I cannot confirm it for sure, but it feels like my temples receded by 4-10mm.
Since months I haven’t been using Nizoral (2% ketoconazole) but I just started using another shampoo containing 1% of ketoconazole which, I read, works better for both hair-loss and dandruff than 2%. However, if I do not wash my hair for longer than one, to days and my hair are longer than 1cm, in some places I get dandruff carapace which actually, after scraping it, looks somewhat like crusta lacteal.
* * *
So, this is my story. I ask, even beg you for any suggestions you might have that can help me bring back the life I had. Obviously, my main concern is the crown area which was never really hit with the nail on its head (so to speak) because my treatment worked mostly on the front.
What else can I do? I want to believe there still are working treatments I can try but I am out of ideas.
