Hi!
I've drawn up a potential regime that I plan to adopt within the next 1-2 months. Any feedback is very welcome and highly appreciated.
First a little background on me. I'm 22, nearly 23 and I first noticed my hair loss round about 9 months ago. In truth though, looking back at some of my older photos I believe I have been loosing hair since I was 20/21 or so. My father started to loose his hair in his mid-to-late 20's I think. On my mother's side, my grandfather was completely bald by his early 30's according to an old photo; but I have no idea what age it started for him, finished for him or how quick his loss went. My maternal uncle first noticed his hair loss when he was 24 and claims that within half-year to a year (!) it was all over. Presumbly he started to loose hair at about my age, or earlier, only noticed it when a lot of it was gone already and when it began to speed up for him. The most advice I have gotten from him is to break eggs on the head in the morning, use some special shampoo and ultimately to become more mature and move past this. Perhaps with that last one he is right, but nontheless I would very much not like to follow in my uncles footsteps if I can avoid it
I do running 3-4x a week, still have a few extra kilos but quite physically fit, and very much healthy; never had to take meds for anything other than anti-biotics for the odd flu or so. I have an abundance of chest, back and shoulder hair; I really am quite hairy indeed as all my friends point out. I have a deep voice and I suspect my pancreas is a little enlarged; whenever I drink (beer especially) I end up going to the toilet a hell of a lot. I have a very slight case of tititus - i.e. got a little more breast fat than most men; but still well-within the norm and nothing like gyno or anything - and in any case I'm pretty sure it's just the result of the genetic pattern in which fat is stored in my body and probably has little to do with estrogen (which I believe causes male breast fat to be stored in a somewhat different pattern). My metabolic system is on the slow-side probably, as I gain weight when I don't do excersise or watch what I eat (does this have any relation to the thyroid gland?).
I don't know whether all of these attributes of my body + the premature hair loss is a result of overproduction of DHT, an imbalance between DHT and Estrogen or if in fact everything is absolutely normal and its just a case of my hair follicles being very sensitive to DHT. Due to everything I mentioned I'm eering towards one of the two earlier options, but who knows.. different literature has different explanations for the same symptoms.
Right now I gotta say, it ain't so bad at all - with my regime I am not looking for regrowth, but rather just maintance of what I have. My hairline is receeded; more to the right than to the left, but I actually like the V look when my hair is longer and covers it a little, and when my hair is short and the recession is more visible I still look cool anyway, so it's not a concern. Of course if it gets worse I might be in for some trouble looks-wise, can't really tell how i'd look yet.
What really kills me though is the possibility of my crown thinning; I really ain't digging the friar tuck look at my age. Over the past 6-9 months since I noticed my hair loss I believe my hair on the frontal fringe has thinned a bit, and this thinning seems to extend somewhat towards my crown. It's only noticeable if I look carefully in front of a mirror with lights directly overhead, or if my hair is wet. If it was diffuse thinning it would be better - it responds good to treatments, sometimes has causes other than genetic-induced factors and what's more even when you've lost a lot you can still shave off the sides and back and rock out a decent buzz-cut. Certainly whenever I go for a haircut I usually get a number 3 or 4 anyway, granted I let it grow longer over a period of a few months but keeping it that short all the time or shorter probably won't be such a huge loss for me. I do however dread a bald spot appearing on the crown - that's something you can do little with, although it still responds well to treatments. I have tried to take photos and videos to ascertain a few more specifics about this whole deal with my hair; but I only took the first ones 3 months back or so, during which time my hair has gone from very short to longer - it's not possible to do a fair comparison just yet.
So now onto my regimen; I've been doing a lot of research on many forums, scientific papers/research, other web-sites, etc... over the past few months. After a lot of contradictory advice/results, different things working for different people and various theorirised causes, I believe the best approach as suggested on these forums (or perhaps another) is just to judge products and approaches based on their ingredients and the amount of scientific evidence there is for backing them:
-Revita shampoo
-Hair cycle shampoo + conditioner
-S5 cream
-multivitamin supplements (A, E, K, B6)
-all-in one supplement for Zinc/Iron/Chromium/Selenium if possible
-keeping hair short so as to maximise absorption of topical ingredients
-4-5 per/week running and other excersise
-high-protein, low-carb, and whenever possible gluten-free diet. Cut out sugar and foods high in saturated fats.
-focus on foods that reduce DHT or increase effectiveness of the liver to break-down DHT such as soy, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, evening primrose oil, garlic, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower and berry fruits
So perhaps I should explain my choices. Between the 2 shampoos and conditioner there are a hell of a lot of ingredients with at least some scientific literature pointing as to their effectiveness in lab conditions or on mice. Naturally only one of these ingredients is FDA-approved to treat hair-loss in humans (Ketoconazole) but with this many ingredients with at least some backing behind them; I'm fairly sure that I will see some extra benefit between them.
S5 cream - perhaps spironolactone is not the most powerful anti-androgen topical but this iteration of it seems to be simple, not too expensive, not that messy (or is it?) smells nice and seems to have a lot of people buying it which is always a good sign.
Multivitamins and other supplements - deficiency in a lot of these have been linked to at least hair/scalp health if not hair loss, and extra amounts has likewise been linked to beneficial effects on hair growth. I figure that as these things are fairly cheap and could have other beneficial effects, they couldn't do any harm. I have heard however that vitamins are better absorbed naturally rather than through supplaments. Would a multi-vitamin fruit drink be more effective? And does anyone know of a supplement which contains zinc/chromium/iron/etc... all in one?
And the running and dieting are fairly self-explanatory I believe - I don't know if for example a gluten-free diet will help but at least some people have claimed it helps and it never hurts to try anyway; I'm willing to sacrifice more than just some food if it means keeping my hair.
I've taken a look at the immortalhair forums, various specific and unorthodox remedies that worked for some people, etc... all very fascinating - but without a complete analysis and diagnosis of my body, a degree perhaps in medicine or molecular biochemistry and a lot of spare time and money (none of which I have); I fear I will only lose ground by attempting to experiment, figure out possible specific causes, etc...
Speaking of which, are there any blood or body tests that you guys could recommend that I could ask the doctor for? Thinking of things like zinc/iron deficiency, DHT & Estrogen levels, and what's the one that shows how you would respond to a gluten-free diet??
I have considered Finasteride/Propecia too and have been on the fence for a while. I have decided to say no for now. Although I am concerned about possible side-effects; I am still young, healthy and still with a nice head of hair which means that I would likely be a good responder, my body will be resilient and probably my sides won't be so bad if i get them at all; so that's not a deal-breaker for me. However, I'm planning to go back to my country and do national service in a couple of months - it will only be for a year but I am not sure how suitable taking medical drugs is in the military - certainly finasteride has a short half-life in the body, I would have to take it at the same time each day and never fail to take it; also I would be worried about supply - if I run out its not like I can just skip over to the local pharmacy or to the internet cafe to order some in whenever I want to - and in all probability finasteride would only be sold in the big cities anyway which means I would almost certainly have to order it in - again logistical issues. Of course that goes for the other stuff in my regime as well; but with finasteride it's like a potemkin effect - stop taking it and the truth doesn't fail to come out so in all likelyhood I will hold off on finasteride for now, see how this regime goes and perhaps start on it once i finish my service. Cutting pills in the barracks or what not would also not likely be an option - which means that finasteride would be expensive.
Looking forward to replies!
I've drawn up a potential regime that I plan to adopt within the next 1-2 months. Any feedback is very welcome and highly appreciated.
First a little background on me. I'm 22, nearly 23 and I first noticed my hair loss round about 9 months ago. In truth though, looking back at some of my older photos I believe I have been loosing hair since I was 20/21 or so. My father started to loose his hair in his mid-to-late 20's I think. On my mother's side, my grandfather was completely bald by his early 30's according to an old photo; but I have no idea what age it started for him, finished for him or how quick his loss went. My maternal uncle first noticed his hair loss when he was 24 and claims that within half-year to a year (!) it was all over. Presumbly he started to loose hair at about my age, or earlier, only noticed it when a lot of it was gone already and when it began to speed up for him. The most advice I have gotten from him is to break eggs on the head in the morning, use some special shampoo and ultimately to become more mature and move past this. Perhaps with that last one he is right, but nontheless I would very much not like to follow in my uncles footsteps if I can avoid it
I do running 3-4x a week, still have a few extra kilos but quite physically fit, and very much healthy; never had to take meds for anything other than anti-biotics for the odd flu or so. I have an abundance of chest, back and shoulder hair; I really am quite hairy indeed as all my friends point out. I have a deep voice and I suspect my pancreas is a little enlarged; whenever I drink (beer especially) I end up going to the toilet a hell of a lot. I have a very slight case of tititus - i.e. got a little more breast fat than most men; but still well-within the norm and nothing like gyno or anything - and in any case I'm pretty sure it's just the result of the genetic pattern in which fat is stored in my body and probably has little to do with estrogen (which I believe causes male breast fat to be stored in a somewhat different pattern). My metabolic system is on the slow-side probably, as I gain weight when I don't do excersise or watch what I eat (does this have any relation to the thyroid gland?).
I don't know whether all of these attributes of my body + the premature hair loss is a result of overproduction of DHT, an imbalance between DHT and Estrogen or if in fact everything is absolutely normal and its just a case of my hair follicles being very sensitive to DHT. Due to everything I mentioned I'm eering towards one of the two earlier options, but who knows.. different literature has different explanations for the same symptoms.
Right now I gotta say, it ain't so bad at all - with my regime I am not looking for regrowth, but rather just maintance of what I have. My hairline is receeded; more to the right than to the left, but I actually like the V look when my hair is longer and covers it a little, and when my hair is short and the recession is more visible I still look cool anyway, so it's not a concern. Of course if it gets worse I might be in for some trouble looks-wise, can't really tell how i'd look yet.
What really kills me though is the possibility of my crown thinning; I really ain't digging the friar tuck look at my age. Over the past 6-9 months since I noticed my hair loss I believe my hair on the frontal fringe has thinned a bit, and this thinning seems to extend somewhat towards my crown. It's only noticeable if I look carefully in front of a mirror with lights directly overhead, or if my hair is wet. If it was diffuse thinning it would be better - it responds good to treatments, sometimes has causes other than genetic-induced factors and what's more even when you've lost a lot you can still shave off the sides and back and rock out a decent buzz-cut. Certainly whenever I go for a haircut I usually get a number 3 or 4 anyway, granted I let it grow longer over a period of a few months but keeping it that short all the time or shorter probably won't be such a huge loss for me. I do however dread a bald spot appearing on the crown - that's something you can do little with, although it still responds well to treatments. I have tried to take photos and videos to ascertain a few more specifics about this whole deal with my hair; but I only took the first ones 3 months back or so, during which time my hair has gone from very short to longer - it's not possible to do a fair comparison just yet.
So now onto my regimen; I've been doing a lot of research on many forums, scientific papers/research, other web-sites, etc... over the past few months. After a lot of contradictory advice/results, different things working for different people and various theorirised causes, I believe the best approach as suggested on these forums (or perhaps another) is just to judge products and approaches based on their ingredients and the amount of scientific evidence there is for backing them:
-Revita shampoo
-Hair cycle shampoo + conditioner
-S5 cream
-multivitamin supplements (A, E, K, B6)
-all-in one supplement for Zinc/Iron/Chromium/Selenium if possible
-keeping hair short so as to maximise absorption of topical ingredients
-4-5 per/week running and other excersise
-high-protein, low-carb, and whenever possible gluten-free diet. Cut out sugar and foods high in saturated fats.
-focus on foods that reduce DHT or increase effectiveness of the liver to break-down DHT such as soy, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, evening primrose oil, garlic, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower and berry fruits
So perhaps I should explain my choices. Between the 2 shampoos and conditioner there are a hell of a lot of ingredients with at least some scientific literature pointing as to their effectiveness in lab conditions or on mice. Naturally only one of these ingredients is FDA-approved to treat hair-loss in humans (Ketoconazole) but with this many ingredients with at least some backing behind them; I'm fairly sure that I will see some extra benefit between them.
S5 cream - perhaps spironolactone is not the most powerful anti-androgen topical but this iteration of it seems to be simple, not too expensive, not that messy (or is it?) smells nice and seems to have a lot of people buying it which is always a good sign.
Multivitamins and other supplements - deficiency in a lot of these have been linked to at least hair/scalp health if not hair loss, and extra amounts has likewise been linked to beneficial effects on hair growth. I figure that as these things are fairly cheap and could have other beneficial effects, they couldn't do any harm. I have heard however that vitamins are better absorbed naturally rather than through supplaments. Would a multi-vitamin fruit drink be more effective? And does anyone know of a supplement which contains zinc/chromium/iron/etc... all in one?
And the running and dieting are fairly self-explanatory I believe - I don't know if for example a gluten-free diet will help but at least some people have claimed it helps and it never hurts to try anyway; I'm willing to sacrifice more than just some food if it means keeping my hair.
I've taken a look at the immortalhair forums, various specific and unorthodox remedies that worked for some people, etc... all very fascinating - but without a complete analysis and diagnosis of my body, a degree perhaps in medicine or molecular biochemistry and a lot of spare time and money (none of which I have); I fear I will only lose ground by attempting to experiment, figure out possible specific causes, etc...
Speaking of which, are there any blood or body tests that you guys could recommend that I could ask the doctor for? Thinking of things like zinc/iron deficiency, DHT & Estrogen levels, and what's the one that shows how you would respond to a gluten-free diet??
I have considered Finasteride/Propecia too and have been on the fence for a while. I have decided to say no for now. Although I am concerned about possible side-effects; I am still young, healthy and still with a nice head of hair which means that I would likely be a good responder, my body will be resilient and probably my sides won't be so bad if i get them at all; so that's not a deal-breaker for me. However, I'm planning to go back to my country and do national service in a couple of months - it will only be for a year but I am not sure how suitable taking medical drugs is in the military - certainly finasteride has a short half-life in the body, I would have to take it at the same time each day and never fail to take it; also I would be worried about supply - if I run out its not like I can just skip over to the local pharmacy or to the internet cafe to order some in whenever I want to - and in all probability finasteride would only be sold in the big cities anyway which means I would almost certainly have to order it in - again logistical issues. Of course that goes for the other stuff in my regime as well; but with finasteride it's like a potemkin effect - stop taking it and the truth doesn't fail to come out
so in all likelyhood I will hold off on finasteride for now, see how this regime goes and perhaps start on it once i finish my service. Cutting pills in the barracks or what not would also not likely be an option - which means that finasteride would be expensive.Looking forward to replies!
