ok....heres my story:
im 25, almost 26 yrs old...as far back as 2001, i remember a guy where i interned at telling me that it looked like i was going bald...i blew it off...i always gelled my hair and figured it was just normal to have the thin look when doing so.
2001-late last year, nothing to comment on. my hair, while not being able to do what it once did, still was fine, no problems. then i got pictures back from my friends wedding....i had started spiking my hair again, and WOW, talk about a shock. you could really start to see my scalp when i spiked. still, though, i blew it off for the most part, thinking it was my haircut, or some other excuse. mind you, i am not receding at all...i still have a full hairline. but everything from temple to temple is thinning.
around april or may though, i started to really freak out. my dad never lost a hair....my moms dad was bald, and so are all her brothers...but i looked at my cousins, and they are all fine. anyway, i decided it was time to see the dermatologist. i went, and he told me that rogaine and propecia were the only two things that would even work, and not to try anything else. i went so far as to buy rogaine, but then found out that not only was it a pain in the butt to take, but that (on the box) it says that it is not for frontal hair, just the crown and back. (forgive me if im not always using the proper terminology, im still new!)
i called back the dermatologist and decided to start propecia. even if i could just keep what i have, id be happy with that. my hair isnt to the point where people can notice a lot yet (some people tell me im nuts, but i know my own hair and what it used to be), so maintaining would be a fair trade off.
im about 6 weeks in on the propecia....got my hair cut last week (didnt mean to get it cut this short, trusted a friend who is a hair stylist and they cut it too short), and ive been freaking out more and more. i seem to be losing MORE hair right now, and it seems to be more noticable. everything seems very thin...i lose a decent amount of hair in the shower...most every time i scratch my head or run my hands through it, i lose at least one hair. not to mention the fact that before, i only thought i was thinning in front, but recently, im starting to see a bald spot on the top of my head which wasnt there 2-4 months ago.....thinking that this stuff wasnt working is what led me here.
ive been here one time in the past (july), and once i started the propecia i thought id be fine....but tonight i started reading up on other stuff, and i feel a little better, because (again, im new) i found out you usually shed quite a bit the first few weeks....and im on week 6 of propecia.
so i guess my questions are these: should i expect the shedding to stop soon? should i not expect propecia to work in the front at all? should i give propecia a good 6 months before deciding to use anything else?
if i should start using something else, does anyone recommend anything? right now i use t-gel as my shampoo...i dont know much about nizoral. is that better? should i be using that?
ive found some other products that looked promising....are any of the following any good? Provillus, curetage, tricomin, toppik? price is not an issue.
any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated....like i said, ive only been here twice, but ive noticed how courteous everyone is, and how willing people are to help you and give advice. this place is a great place for support, and im hoping that people who have had success with a certain combination of products will speak up.
i know that i wont get back everything i used to have, but i just want some confidence back! all ive done lately is been depressed about my hair...its all i think about, and i hate it! i cant even watch tribe games without looking at their hair. the last thing i want to be is late twenties, single, and bald!
sorry for the ridiculously long post, but typing that was somewhat therapeutic. i hope to hear from some of you soon.
im 25, almost 26 yrs old...as far back as 2001, i remember a guy where i interned at telling me that it looked like i was going bald...i blew it off...i always gelled my hair and figured it was just normal to have the thin look when doing so.
2001-late last year, nothing to comment on. my hair, while not being able to do what it once did, still was fine, no problems. then i got pictures back from my friends wedding....i had started spiking my hair again, and WOW, talk about a shock. you could really start to see my scalp when i spiked. still, though, i blew it off for the most part, thinking it was my haircut, or some other excuse. mind you, i am not receding at all...i still have a full hairline. but everything from temple to temple is thinning.
around april or may though, i started to really freak out. my dad never lost a hair....my moms dad was bald, and so are all her brothers...but i looked at my cousins, and they are all fine. anyway, i decided it was time to see the dermatologist. i went, and he told me that rogaine and propecia were the only two things that would even work, and not to try anything else. i went so far as to buy rogaine, but then found out that not only was it a pain in the butt to take, but that (on the box) it says that it is not for frontal hair, just the crown and back. (forgive me if im not always using the proper terminology, im still new!)
i called back the dermatologist and decided to start propecia. even if i could just keep what i have, id be happy with that. my hair isnt to the point where people can notice a lot yet (some people tell me im nuts, but i know my own hair and what it used to be), so maintaining would be a fair trade off.
im about 6 weeks in on the propecia....got my hair cut last week (didnt mean to get it cut this short, trusted a friend who is a hair stylist and they cut it too short), and ive been freaking out more and more. i seem to be losing MORE hair right now, and it seems to be more noticable. everything seems very thin...i lose a decent amount of hair in the shower...most every time i scratch my head or run my hands through it, i lose at least one hair. not to mention the fact that before, i only thought i was thinning in front, but recently, im starting to see a bald spot on the top of my head which wasnt there 2-4 months ago.....thinking that this stuff wasnt working is what led me here.
ive been here one time in the past (july), and once i started the propecia i thought id be fine....but tonight i started reading up on other stuff, and i feel a little better, because (again, im new) i found out you usually shed quite a bit the first few weeks....and im on week 6 of propecia.
so i guess my questions are these: should i expect the shedding to stop soon? should i not expect propecia to work in the front at all? should i give propecia a good 6 months before deciding to use anything else?
if i should start using something else, does anyone recommend anything? right now i use t-gel as my shampoo...i dont know much about nizoral. is that better? should i be using that?
ive found some other products that looked promising....are any of the following any good? Provillus, curetage, tricomin, toppik? price is not an issue.
any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated....like i said, ive only been here twice, but ive noticed how courteous everyone is, and how willing people are to help you and give advice. this place is a great place for support, and im hoping that people who have had success with a certain combination of products will speak up.
i know that i wont get back everything i used to have, but i just want some confidence back! all ive done lately is been depressed about my hair...its all i think about, and i hate it! i cant even watch tribe games without looking at their hair. the last thing i want to be is late twenties, single, and bald!
sorry for the ridiculously long post, but typing that was somewhat therapeutic. i hope to hear from some of you soon.
