Big3nme's Story - 14 month update (new regimen/pics)

[big3nme]

EDIT: 14 Month update with new regimen and pics on page 4

Hey,

I never got around to starting a log when I actually started treatment so I am doing it now so I have something to compare to. I have pretty aggressive diffuse thinning and just finished my first month on minoxidil+nizoral. I was hesitant to start finasteride but I already bought 3 month supply of 1mg pills from inhouse. I think I will start taking 0.5mg a day as of today.

Here are pics after my 1 month min+nizoral, sorry for no day 0 pics but I dont think there has been much change in the first month (as expected). I do see a bunch of tiny white hairs if I look in the mirror at the right angle.. not sure if it means anything but it seems promising.

Ive had that red patch for over 6 years now. Had a biopsy done on it and they claim its lichen planus polaris (LPP). There is no real known causes or cures or even treatments for it so its something I've learned to live with. I definitely think it has impacted my hair loss but Im pretty sure I would be losing my hair otherwise (my father is bald) and Im losing all over my head.

Im not sure the standard big 3 will help my hair if most of my loss is due to the LPP but I want to at least try. I've been buzzing my head with a #1 or even a 0 (no clip) for months now so Im already used to pretty much being bald, it can only get better.

Anyone seen anyone with hair similar to mine and have success? Do I have a chance?

I probably wont take another pic until 3 month mark. wish me luck.

Got rid of my pics, here is a timeline I will update:

[attachment=0:3d36dn3i]hairtransformation.PNG[/attachment:3d36dn3i]

 

[SunOfABeach]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /1 month min+nizoral starting finasteride)

The big 3 works best for diffuse thinners afaik, so i think you are likely to get results. Also, your hairline seems to be pretty intact and you should be happy about it. The hardest thing to pull off when fighting hairloss is winning a receded hairline back.

Keep us updated!

Good luck!

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /1 month min+nizoral starting finasteride)

The big 3 works best for diffuse thinners afaik

Is there any real evidence of this? I think I read this at some point on this forum as well but I took it with a grain of salt. I guess it could make sense that having hair all over the place could be easier to regrow than having slick bald spots?

Also, your hairline seems to be pretty intact and you should be happy about it.

Yea, for the most part its there. My right temple has receded much farther than my left. (Sleeping on that side have anything to do with it?)

 

[blink]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /1 month min+nizoral starting finasteride)

i dont know why people say the big 3 is good for diffuse thinners.... i dont really see many diffuse thinners regrowing back to acceptable thickness... though there are some in the success section. highly overrated.

 

[pwnien00b]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /1 month min+nizoral starting finasteride)

my hairs like yours i think bro. ive been on finasteride for 3 months, just constant shedding

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /1 month min+nizoral starting finasteride)

my hairs like yours i think bro. ive been on finasteride for 3 months, just constant shedding

Sorry to hear that man, hopefully it will turn around for you. April 15th will be my 3rd month on minoxidil and 1 month mark on finasteride and I want to say Im seeing some great regrowth/thickening.

I even got a comment the other day when I wasn't wearing a hat asking what I did to my hair, they were so sure I dyed it or something, said I looked like a different person, felt good. I'll throw up pics to compare (its also a bit longer now (buzz it to a 2 now) instead of a 1 or 0.

I don't think Ive experienced shedding but my hair is so short its hard to tell if any hair is really falling out or not. Hopefully my success will only continue though im still waiting for a shed to happen, i haven't been on finasteride very long at all yet.

Im not sure if minoxidil/finasteride is supposed to do this but Ive also been taking multivitamin, fish oil, and MSM daily and my hair feels sooo soft and healthy I love it. My hair used to be so hard/bristly and almost hurt to touch, might be possible vitamin deficiency was partly to blame for my hair loss?

Stay tuned for the pics later this week.

 

[TA45]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /1 month min+nizoral starting finasteride)

Good news!!

are you using the minoxidil liquid or foam?

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /1 month min+nizoral starting finasteride)

Good news!!
are you using the minoxidil liquid or foam?

Im using Kirkland minoxidil 5% Liquid twice a day. I use 1ml on the back of my head and 1ml on front/temples each application.

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /1 month min+nizoral starting finasteride)

post some pics

wanted to wait until 15th (3 months minoxidil/nizoral, 1 month finasteride) but since you asked here is a pic.

Just a note, these are taken at my work bathroom where the lighting for some reason makes my hair look a million times better than the mirror at my house. I don't really get it, it pisses me off because at work it literally almost looks like I have a full head of hair and I get home and it looks awful. How can lighting change it SO drastically.. how can I tell how people 'see' my hair? I dont understand.


But anyways here is a comparison shot for you until I buzz my hair on the 15th and take real photos.

http://jamespeerless.com/hair/diff.html

 

[rrayy]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /3 months min+nizoral, 1 month finasteride)

wow looks like its starting to come in. how does your crown look? Is there a reason you are starting with a 0.5mg of finasteride?

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /3 months min+nizoral, 1 month finasteride)

wow looks like its starting to come in. how does your crown look? Is there a reason you are starting with a 0.5mg of finasteride?

Thanks, I hope it really is coming back. just buzzed my head to a 2 last night so I can take more accurate pictures later.

I actually take a full 1mg of finasteride daily, I originally thought Id just start with 0.5mg because I was scared of sides but then I read that its kind of hard to cut the 1mg finpecia pills in half and that even if I made a good cut it might not be evenly distributed so I said f it and just take the whole pill. Don't think I'm experiencing any sides? Do sides ever show up later into treatment or are they usually right away? Maybe its fake? I dunno.

Edit: Just took a picture of the hair buzzed down to a 2 and attached it

 

[rrayy]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /3 months min+nizoral, 1 month finasteride)

Well you're on finasteride for a month now, and you should have seen sides by now according to the doctor. If you don't that's great.

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /3 months min+nizoral, 1 month finasteride)

Well you're on finasteride for a month now, and you should have seen sides by now according to the doctor. If you don't that's great.

Great, hopefully I wont see any sides then. Been very lucky it seems, don't seem to have sides from any of the big3.

I still feel like most peoples' sides are completely psychological. The combination of being concerned about your hair loss (how people see you with it) and people's claims on this site about finasteride I think are enough for people to actually cause lower libido etc.

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /3 months min+nizoral, 1 month finasteride)

looks good ... stick out the sheds you will go through some more... i know i feel like i say this to everyone here... but you might want to think of adding spironolactone or ru58841 as well

thanks, don't think I went through any sheds but its hard to tell because I keep my hair so short. I have noticed after reading a ton of stories on here that lots of people will see success for the first 3-5 months and then they begin to lose ground again.

As far as RU goes, I think Im going to stick with the big 3 for at least a year before I try anything different. Im hopeful I can be one of the lucky ones and have success with big3.

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /3 months min+nizoral, 1 month finasteride)

Ok so a quick update before I buzz my head again for my 4 month update. I haven't buzzed my hair since my 3 month update (pictures of buzz length 2 at 3 month are above).

My hair hasn't been this long in probably almost a year. I think I remember why, it looks awful once it starts getting longer. I'm not sure if I am just going through a shed or if this is just how it looks when its a bit longer but it is what it is.

So this is almost 4 months on minoxidil and 2 months on finasteride. I am going to buzz my head back down to a 2 tomorrow so I can get a better comparison with my other pictures.

What do you guys think?

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /4 months min+nizoral, 2 month finasteride)

Ok here is my 4 month min/nizoral + 2 month finasteride update.

The longer hair pic posted above scared me, but after the buzz and comparing to my month 3 picture I calmed down a bit. It sucks the picture qualities aren't exactly the same (took them in same bathroom.. not sure what happened) but I dont think its gotten worse.

I do think I might finally be experiencing a bit of a shed. I went the first 4min/2fin months without really seeing a single hair fall but I'm finally starting to see a few drop if I rub my head a bit (nothing too alarming, maybe only 10-20 a day at work on my desk).

As far as sides go, I used to think the finasteride sides were 100% in peoples' heads but I definitely experienced something. About two weeks ago I had some serious libido trouble, couldn't get hard easily at all, almost quit finasteride on the spot (thank god I didn't). Not sure what it was but Ive been back to normal for over a week now.

On the minoxidil side, Im not sure if its the lack of sleep or minoxidil (probably both) but the bags under my eyes have gotten worse / darker. It's actually really annoying and I'm not sure what to do about it. I have some 'eye reviving cream' but not sure it really helps. I think the best thing I can do is try to actually get a good nights sleep. Any tips on this front?

I am considering getting some Retin-A from inhouse for both my face + scalp. My skin could use some help and Ive heard good things from using Retin-A with minoxidil on the scalp. If I do pull the trigger on the Retin-A, how do I apply it on my scalp? Before/After the minoxidil? How long? How much? Where ? Do I leave it on or wash off?

Here is the pic of month 4 min / month 2 finasteride with buzz 2 last night.
[attachment=0:sft8ap3d]4months_buzz2.jpg[/attachment:sft8ap3d]
Be back in a month for another update!

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /4 months min+nizoral, 2 month finasteride)

So just a random post, I think I might be going through my first shed.. not entirely sure though. I usually run my hands back and forth over my head to see how many hairs fall out and for a while I was getting very few to almost none. I just tried it today at work and there seems to be a significant amount..

I took a picture to get some opinions. If this is a shed I'd guess its due to finasteride because I've already been on minoxidil for little over 4 months with no real signs of a shed and I thought minoxidil sheds tend to happen very early in treatment. I just rounded the 2nd month on finasteride and that seems to be when those tend to occur? Who knows, all I can do is ignore it and continue my treatment..

Oh another update, yesterday I ordered Retin-A and some proscar from inhouse. I decided Retin-A sounded useful in fighting my hairloss. The added bonus is it also helps with ant-aging /acne so I will be using it on my face as well. Who knows, maybe it will even help with my red spot on my scalp.

I also ordered 2% nizoral, been using 1% from CVS decided I wanted the full 2%.

Lastly, what do you guys use to cut proscar into 4/5 pieces?

Thanks.


[attachment=0:1l61omt2]photo (1).jpg[/attachment:1l61omt2]

 

[infamous]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /4 months min+nizoral, 2 month finasteride)

Stop counting your falling hairs. It will just make you dissapointed.

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /4 months min+nizoral, 2 month finasteride)

Stop counting your falling hairs. It will just make you dissapointed.

Truth.

 

[big3nme]

Re: Big3nme's Story - ( 22/ PICS /4 months min+nizoral, 2 month finasteride)

I have recently made a few changes to my regimen, might as well document them so I know when they were made.

As of June 3rd I started using Nizoral 2% (instead of 1%) and Retin-A .05% Cream.

I am applying the Retin-A cream to both my face and scalp (temples, top, crown) every day about 30mins/hour before applying minoxidil. I might start doing it the other way around because I want to apply minoxidil directly after my shower for better absorption.

I have not experienced any drying, redness, irritation from the Retin-A so far, which is kind of strange to me. I think i've read the .05% cream is fairly 'light', maybe my next order I'll switch to the gel or increase the dosage. Either way, it seems to be working already (on my face at least).

I also bought Fincar instead of Finpecia this time when I made this recent order from inhouse (was cheaper). I still haven't started taking it yet because my finpecia hasn't run out, but it will soon. I'll need to go buy a pill cutter.