7 month difference - pics

[zcat]

Wondering if some other eyes could take a look at this. One set is May, one is December. I am not on anything but nizoral 1% twice a week (for about this whole time) - and I cut down on dairy/wheat and increased cardio/yoga. I use a coconut oil shampoo too.

There is some recession/thinning on the temples - and I have thought about finasteride or min - but from the looks of these pics - I don't think it is getting any worse (and may be better?). Maybe that's just how my hairline is supposed to be on the sides as a 34 yr old male. If I'm not worse - maybe I'll stay away from other drugs for awhile? My derm told me he woudn't prescribe anything "yet" and to use my brother's hair as a guide (slightly recessed but solid at 40) but a hair transplant Doctor said propecia about a year and a half ago.

Hoping some other eyes could confirm that it seems stable....

Thanks!

 

[lucas.renoh]

All I can see is lots of hair. Gimme some! unk:

 

[Fanjeera]

Perfect.

 

[s.a.f]

Unbelievable :shakehead: :roll:

 

[Fanjeera]

Hair...

 

[Ash]

Do you really have nothing better to do?

:jackit:

 

[zcat]

Listen, I was diagnosed by Dr. Bernstein in NYC with male pattern baldness a year and a half ago, and was told to immediately go on propecia, and he's supposed to be the expert. I have less hair than I did 3 years ago, certainly. But, I don't want to take drugs for as long as I can avoid it. I've been trying to maintain what I have through lifestyle and nizoral. I just want to monitor the hairline changes every few months - and this time I was looking for other eyes to say it is stable with my approach. Maybe the ones without the hair pulled back aren't the best way to see. Thanks for the input.

 

[OverMachoGrande]

Do you really have nothing better to do?

:jackit:

Hey everyone's hair loss starts somewhere and to catch it early is the best thing. That is all he is doing. I did not start loosing until I was 34 and caught it early and still have it now at almost 38.


Welcome to the boards zcat!

 

[treeshrew]

wow all that progress, and just with only nizoral 1%! you're cured! maybe it's the yoga?

 

[mj9]

Do you really have nothing better to do?

:jackit:

:agree:

 

[s.a.f]

Do you really have nothing better to do?

:jackit:

:agree:

How the hell does a guy like that end up on a hairloss website and having consults with hair transplant surgeons? :freaked:
He must have some serious inferiority complex.
I cant even think of a celebrity to compare that hair with, maybe a 21yr old Tom Cruise, a young George Lucas? This must be a piss take surely? :dunno:
If that guy has m.p.b then I'd like to see a picture of someone who does'nt. The before/after pictures are like a spot the difference contest.

 

[Deus_Ex_Lemur]

Is this guy serious or a really cruel troll?

My friend, you may be a tad wee bit delusional (don't take that the wrong way). "Some" loss and receeding is an overstatement. You need to check out other peoples pics, over half of them haven't seen a hair transplant specialist give me a break. Don't want to flame or sound like a wanker but I mean... 99.9% of the people here would kill for your hair. And at your age.

Anyways, I'd not worry, you are hardly losing anything. Mino may make it worse in your case, you have lots of hair still (or those pics show this anyways...).

 

[zcat]

I understand your points. About 2 years ago I noticed accelerated loss, hundreds of hairs a day and had insane painful inflammation with some recession, so I went to a derm and to bernstein to see what was happening. Not for a transplant at all - he was just the "expert". Bernstein looked at me for two seconds and said definitely male pattern baldness and gave me finasteride. I don't want to take it if I don't have to. So, I've tried other things - I have found lifestyle, cardio, no dairy, nizoral, coconut oil have really really helped the inflammation and maybe even grown a little hair.

I understand my situation isn't as bad as others. But hairloss isn't some relative thing. I'm not judging myself against others - I'm only judging my own hair vs the past. This isn't some schadenfreude thing - I'm not happier that I've lost less than someone else - I just want to look the same in the mirror, and if it is early loss, I don't want to lose any more too soon, and age has nothing to do with it. I hope you can understand that difference, I'm not here to compare to anyone else, we're all different. It's me vs. the past. I know the styled pics don't show the hairline or thinning status well but I don't have a ton of pics.

If I can check it every few months and make sure it isn't much worse despite not taking finasteride/min, isn't that the goal? That's what I was doing. And our minds play tricks on us and I was just looking for some others who have similar concerns and/or more knowledge to just objectively offer an opinion on any change.

Thanks for all the help - sorry if it came off otherwise.

 

[hhj1247]

Unbelievable :shakehead: :roll:

:agree:

I wish I was that bald.

 

[s.a.f]

I understand your points. About 2 years ago I noticed accelerated loss, hundreds of hairs a day and had insane painful inflammation with some recession, so I went to a derm and to bernstein to see what was happening. Not for a transplant at all - he was just the "expert". Bernstein looked at me for two seconds and said definitely male pattern baldness and gave me finasteride. I don't want to take it if I don't have to. So, I've tried other things - I have found lifestyle, cardio, no dairy, nizoral, coconut oil have really really helped the inflammation and maybe even grown a little hair.

It seems to me like you were just going through some temporary condition that was causing a shed. Maybe some allergy to a product you were using?
Seems to me like Bernstein knew he could'nt sell you a hair transplant so just wanted to sell you some finasteride.
The fact that your hair has improved without using any proven meds seems to back up my claims.
I dont believe that lifestyle changes would turnaround m.p.b.
And I dont believe that you really have m.p.b or will ever go bald, if I were you I'd just forget about it, theres no need to cause yourself stress over nothing.

Its bizarre to see someone with a perfect NW1 on here because I know many guys with diffuse or NW2.5 who if you suggested to them that they had hairloss would just laugh and think you're crazy.

 

[wantbackmyhairnow]

Too many hairs,you are not in my taste unk:

 

[screwdht]

If you were truly diagnosed with male pattern baldness then, if i were you, id wait a year or two to see how much it progresses. then if you feel it did a lot, then i would get on a LOW dose of finasteride. like .25mg-.5mg. but id still wait before jumpin on that type of committment

 

[Sean68]

id say youve got the start of a maturing hairline. if you dont want it to progress...well you know the score.

edit: : didnt realise you were 34! your hairs in better shape than most of your friends i bet.

 

[casperz]

Damn, I'd give a million bucks to have hair like that again.

LOL... knowing what I know now... I'd start the big three... because once it's gone it's
not coming back with present treatments. At least not to THAT quality.

 

[zcat]

thanks - yeah that's why I wanted some objective eyes to check the 7 mo difference - just to monitor where it is going and make sure it didn't get worse. The male pattern baldness diagnosis is scary - you start wondering how fast it'll go. If it does get noticeably worse - I think I'll hop on finasteride - I know when it is gone, it's gone, but if it hasn't gotten worse yet, I'll hold out, and endure some good ribbing on here.

Some of the shots are right after it is styled - so it isn't always that full! But yeah, at 34, most of my friends have some loss, and more friends do each year - some age into it pretty well though - but I still have some friends who haven't lost a single strand and won't. I'm one of the few single ones - maybe that makes me worried more. But, lately I have come to realize women (at least upper 20s to my age) don't really care all that much. They especially like the greys, go figure. I think guys notice thinning much more than women, or care more, since it is happening to us. My dad and all his brothers have perfect hair - but mom's dad, not so much, and I have a lot of his genes, and I'm hoping not to end up like looking like him anytime soon.

Guess I'll just monitor it, keep doing what I am doing, and take some more pics next year. In the meantime - Kiehl's amino acid shampoo w coconut oil is pretty great stuff on off nizoral days. Give it a try. Thanks for the help.