26 and balding.. seriously depressed

[tc87]

Hi All,

Yes i'm losing hair!

I just turned 26, and started noticing hair loss second year of uni, when i was 20. I found this website back in 2009 and started using rogain and finasteride, but never really followed any sort of regime, and was on and off (i.e. couple of months on finasteride and rogaine). How i wish i atleast stayed on finasteride back then!

Recently i went for a haircut and well my hair is terrible. I can no longer style it like i use to (spikes). Just a couple of months back, i could spike it, but no longer can; i'm not too sure if it because i decided to go back on rogaine (once daily) a month back (have been shedding quite a bit). I have also ordered finasteride so will go back on it.

I have attached pictures, what are your thoughts? can i regrow hair? I'm totally depressed and feel seriously hopeless..




First three under bright light..

 

[9tfrizzco]

yeah you might regrow a bit. if i was you right now i would start taking dutasteride, just saying

 

[hairlossat21]

Hi bud,

Check my thread out. Keep your chin up, I'm 21 man. I'm balding faster than you for sure. Well was, till I decided to fight it.

Don't listen to all the naysayers- long as you're determined, there's always hope.

 

[DinoSpumoni]

hairlossat21, how are you fighting

 

[tc87]

Thanks all.

I know that most of us are grown men here but this has really got me down and hit my confidence, so really want to do something.

What is the difference between dutasteride and finasteride?

Also, I'm only applying rogaine once at night (but twice the amount), has anyone had results with once a day?

 

[GoldenMane]

Yeah once a day is fine, the hair transplant surgeon I went for my consultation told me and it's working pretty good for me. Dutasteride is like a stronger version of finasteride. It blocks two types of DHT, finasteride blocks one. dutasteride hasn't yet been approved for treatment of hairloss though, so getting a perscription would be tricky. Good luck man, It's not great, but you aren't slick bald, just thinning in the middle strip, I think you'll probably have a good result.

 

[ChrisW1980uk]

It looks more like how ladies lose their hair, Ludwig pattern I think it is called. I would look into concealers if I were you. How is your hairline doing?

 

[KANGA]

Yes, it looks like female hair loss. Have you been to your doctor to get blood work?

 

[tc87]

i think the earlier picture may be over exaggerated the hair loss due to extreme uneven light and the fact that i parted my hair. I have attached pictures under normal light and of my hair line:





I think i have diffused hair loss, as the hair is still kind of in tact. My older brother has similar patter on hair loss, and my dad has hair, but is thin. I also tend to focus my rogaine application on the centre, is this the reason why maybe it lookers thinner? though there is no denying i'm steadily thinning.

I have also recently bought alpecin, has anyone had good results with this?

thanks

 

[GoldenMane]

Hmm... You still have a good, if a bit thin hairline. If you have been focusing on the centre, maybe you've been shedding mainly on the centre? How long ahave you been on rogaine/finasteride for this time?

 

[tc87]

I have been applying rogaine daily for the past month and have noticed heavy shedding. I'm not on finasteride yet, but have ordered generic proscar from united pharmacies, so will start as soon as I get it. What do you think my best course of action is? Stay on my current regime (rogaine once a day, 1.25 finasteride, Generic nizoral 2 times a week, alcipen shampoo 3 times a week) for the next year or so? I'm considering hair transplant, or is it too early?

cheers.

 

[ChrisW1980uk]

You need to give finasteride at least a year before thinking of a hair transplant. You may well get regrowth if you have miniturised hairs left, well thickening at least. That's what happened with my temple points. I don't know much about alpecin, is that the caffeine shampoo?

 

[rerun]

Why don't you use Rogaine twice daily as recommended?

 

[tc87]

Chris: I have been using rogaine foam on and off for the past few years, and i dont believe i have seen regrowth. This time around i will atleast try my regime for a year. My hair is still shedding: everytime i apply rogaine i see hairs on my hand. I really do believe my hair is worse off than two months back due to rogaine, but i will keep applying. Yes, Alpecin is the caffeine shampoo, apparently caffeine has an adverse affect on DHT. There are very good reviews on the internet, but i doubt it prompts new hair growth!

Rerun: i cant apply rogaine in the morning because a) i style my hair (which is becoming difficult by the day due to hair density diminishing, especially over the past two or so months) b) if i go apply my hair, my hair looks wet, and my scalp is clearly visible! also i read somewhere people have had success with once a day? does rogaine work on diffused partner baldness?

 

[GoldenMane]

I use rogaine once a day, and have since mid September, and I've seen some significant improvement/regrowth after an initial shed (nothing drastic, but noticable to me). I spoke to a hair transplant surgeon who's done a couple of celebrities and he said once a day is enough, but twice a day is a little bit better.

I'm a diffuse thinner so I need 3-4 ml everytime I apply. If I used it twice a day then my 3 month supply would only last bee 3 weeks as opposed to the 6 weeks I get from it now

 

[tc87]

is there any difference in terms of effectiveness between liquid and foam min? i'm using foam rogaine and may switch to liquid as i have read it is more effective, especially given i only apply once a day. Also, how can one tell if hair follicles have miniaturized or just dead? where my hair is thin, i dont see any small hair, does this indicate i have no chance of regrowth?

 

[tc87]

Just quick update on my progress; i'm approaching the two month mark of rogaine foam application once a day and TBH I have yet to see any result. In fact i'm confident my hair looks worse off than when I started as now when I "spike" my hair, you can clearly see the scalp. How long do sheds last? I'm still seeing hair fall when I apply shampoo/ rogaine. I have literally been soaking my hair in rogaine foam, any chance i'm applying too much? I started on generic proscar (approx. 1.25mg) two days back, so here is hoping I see results soon! Anyone tried Dr Reddy's genric proscar? It seems awfully small to me... Is it legit?

 

[iFunny]

Hi there, give finasteride a try. For most I have seen on this forum, those with diffused hair loss tend to get better results. But then again, I'm not sure what pattern of hair loss you have. Losing hair since 20, I feel you buddy. We all here do. Give the big 3 a try and ride the shedding. The way I look at it is we would lose it anyways. best of luck!

 

[tc87]

Hi all, I thought I would give you a quick update; I have been on Min 5%, once a day, for about two and a half months, and on finasteride 1.25 for about a month. I cant see any re-growth, but hair loss has definitely stopped as when I shampoo my hair, I see no hair, or one to two hairs max. I also think my hair looks slightly thicker (may be due to existing hair looking blacker?). However, I'm having some serious side effects from the finasteride (close to zero libido, erectile problems), should I ride this out and hope that my body adjusts in a few months? I have also read that finasteride causes serious depression in people. Now, I have been feeling quite "down" lately, can this be due to finasteride? thanks

 

[The Far Side]

Personally I would come off it completely until the sides disappear then come at it again with a lower dosage. I know some people talk about "powering through" the sides such as in zeroheat's success story, but personally I'd take a more cautious approach. Hopefully you're just a bit down because of the setback with finasteride rather than sides?