Accutane, Hair Loss, Catching It Early

[CatchingItEarly]

Alright, so here's the back story -- I was put on Accutane for acne which in reality was a terrible decision by me and my derm for prescribing it. I know hair loss was a side going it but this has accelerated my hair loss. The hair loss while on the drug wasn't bad, but coming off of it has been the problem. I've been off of the drug for 3.5 months now and have noticed loss. My hairstylist even said that he can't really trim my nape (back of neck) because it would make the hair line in the back too high.

I can see slight temple recession and I wanted to get opinions on what I should start doing. I can tell the hair in my temples is thinning out and I am still shedding due to telogen effluvium I believe. I haven't had my scalp examined yet, but that is coming. I've heard of the big 3 as treatment and a lot of people say they wish they started earlier, which is why I am coming here for help. I've been a lurker for a very long time due to this being a fear of mine.

You can see in the pictures which are taken around 5 to 6 months apart that there is recession taking place. I've been told that Telogen Effluvium is a temporary shedding, but it can accelerate male pattern baldness. My father is a thin NW3 at 50, both grandfathers have hair at age 70. Dad's brother also has good hair at 50.

Should I start treatments now or should I wait for a few more months to see if this Telogen Effluvium ends?

 

[braptist]

no way mate! your hairline looks okay at this point. I didn't like the idea of counteracting the effects of a strong drug with another strong drug (propecia), plus I read a lot of male pattern baldness treatments don't really work for accutane sufferers. I accelerated to a NW2.5 within 6 months of coming off treatment! I however did 2 six month stints of the drug. I have however, managed to slow down my hairloss to a negligible point since then. My hairline isn't great now but no one can tell when styled. I started loads of different gimmicks and snake oils but on my current regimen I am sure I have slowed it down considerably.
- I invested in a good quality shampoo and conditioner. Something like american crew or tresemme, anything half decent infact.
- I use nizoral shampoo 1-2x a week. I used it at first, thought it was the best thing ever; then used it everyday as a result. Made my hair look like sh*t in a week. ALWAYS USE A GOOD CONDITIONER WITH NIZORAL.
-Don't overwash your hair. I do condition my hair everyday, but I try to avoid excessive washing as it just strips my hair (lower sebum levels due to accutane anyway)
-Don't pull your hair with styling products. I used to use a really thick wax and brush my hair back beckham-style, but I used to lose a LOT of hair. I now use a less stressful hair product (Vo5 texturising gum, and rub a little in).
-Get a good haircut that accent the temples. This is different for everyone. In my case, I shaved the sides and left it long on top, giving me plenty of hair to cover up.
-Best supplements: Saw Palmetto, Biotin and Hair-Vit. Not really sure how the science works, but saw palmetto definitely slowed down my hair loss, and biotin and hair-vit increased my hair strength, quality and growth speed considerably. Healthier hair has more volume hence more cover up.
-AVOID EXCESSIVE VITAMIN A. As in eating massive quantities of foods with vit A (peas, carrots, mangoes). I'm not saying give up, cause that's impossible and frankly ridiculous (rather be bald than not be able to eat!), just don't eat sh*tloads of these kind of foods. You can search for foods highest in vit A online.
-Exercise! I used to think this was the most ridiculous advice ever. How could exercise impact your chemical system at all? Well, it did. I noticed a great change as well when taking up regular exercise. No idea if this was due to lower stress levels or something? But taking your mind off it was great. Plus it always made me feel better that I'd not be a fat, bald guy if my hairloss were to continue.

As you can see, these aren't invasive, potent chemical solutions. They are mostly natural, mild and non-invasive. I HAVE maintained my hair for 30 months now and I feel great about it. Losing so much hair so young sucks, so much. But there are so many horror stories out there, and I felt I had to share my story to give some positive news.