Hi all. Found this forum in a moment of desperation today and decided to share my story.
I've been on a losing battle against hair loss for about six years.
In hindsight, i probably started losing at the corner of my temples around 18. but i was completely oblivious, and to be honest i can't even remember what my hairline looked like at full growth anymore.
So i decided to get dreads at 25 because i wanted to. At the time i was still oblivious and wanted to look awesome. I had them for six glorious years and they were amazing, but they were a death sentence to my follicles. On top of that it was impossible to notice shedding due to any shed hair staying trapped in the dreads. i in fact usually rocked the dreads with a flat cap or bandana so my scalp usually wasn't visible.
My mom kept warning me that my hair looked thin which i ignored, i just thought it was a tactic to get me to get rid of them. But after six years I finally decided they became too much of a hassle and i heard that they can accelerate hair loss timeframes from years to months, so i finally got rid of them. That was when i was 31.
After the initial cut, i discovered to my horror that my bangs had become a patchy mess, with most of them gone but a few survivors existing in patches waaay in front of the rest of my hairline. i frequently wore my dreads in a ponytail but the ponytail had pulled too tightly on many of the bangs causing them to fall out while some that weren't getting pulled on survived. The top was also noticably thinner than the sides back.
So i immediately went on a 5% minoxodil regimen that i've been on ever since. Initially i saw a lot of regrowth of baby hairs especially in the left temple area but not as much on the right, while there was still a bald spot right in the center surrounded by a few extremely resilient, fully thick strands. I actually wish those few hadn't survived because it makes the hair loss extremely noticable. But anyway i was seeing regrowth so i was optimistic and told myself i needed to be patient and wait for the other bald areas to regrow. I went through shedding and each time i told myself it was a necessary process for my hair to grow in even thicker.
Fast forward to today. It has been like 5-6 years since i started my minoxodil regimen. today I found an old pic from when i first started the treatment, and although the photo quality is bad and my hairstyle is different, i think i can say with much confidence that the top has thinned considerably more. While i still have hair up there i can clearly see to my scalp on the top of my head. Meanwhile the hairline in the center has receded even further from the surviving patches, and the areas in the temples with baby hair is expanding. And by expanding i mean not new growth where there was once baby hair, but baby hair where there was once fully grown hair! The new regrowth that i initially got has not gone away, but in general there seems to be a lot of thinning and thick healthy hair turning into thinner and thinner hair. Meanwhile the survivor patches on my forehead are as thick and resilient as ever.
So these are patterns which i have been suspecting for a few years now but have been in denial over. But i'm facing facts and gonna give the regimen an overhaul. I've been the hat guy ever since i got my dreads and don't want to be hat guy any longer. (Btw are hats bad for regrowth? Too much rubbing, not enough breathing etc with a hat on?) I am still reluctant to try propecia due to cost and possible side effects but i am open to almost anything now. Bottom line my regimen has not cut it.
I've been on a losing battle against hair loss for about six years.
In hindsight, i probably started losing at the corner of my temples around 18. but i was completely oblivious, and to be honest i can't even remember what my hairline looked like at full growth anymore.
So i decided to get dreads at 25 because i wanted to. At the time i was still oblivious and wanted to look awesome. I had them for six glorious years and they were amazing, but they were a death sentence to my follicles. On top of that it was impossible to notice shedding due to any shed hair staying trapped in the dreads. i in fact usually rocked the dreads with a flat cap or bandana so my scalp usually wasn't visible.
My mom kept warning me that my hair looked thin which i ignored, i just thought it was a tactic to get me to get rid of them. But after six years I finally decided they became too much of a hassle and i heard that they can accelerate hair loss timeframes from years to months, so i finally got rid of them. That was when i was 31.
After the initial cut, i discovered to my horror that my bangs had become a patchy mess, with most of them gone but a few survivors existing in patches waaay in front of the rest of my hairline. i frequently wore my dreads in a ponytail but the ponytail had pulled too tightly on many of the bangs causing them to fall out while some that weren't getting pulled on survived. The top was also noticably thinner than the sides back.
So i immediately went on a 5% minoxodil regimen that i've been on ever since. Initially i saw a lot of regrowth of baby hairs especially in the left temple area but not as much on the right, while there was still a bald spot right in the center surrounded by a few extremely resilient, fully thick strands. I actually wish those few hadn't survived because it makes the hair loss extremely noticable. But anyway i was seeing regrowth so i was optimistic and told myself i needed to be patient and wait for the other bald areas to regrow. I went through shedding and each time i told myself it was a necessary process for my hair to grow in even thicker.
Fast forward to today. It has been like 5-6 years since i started my minoxodil regimen. today I found an old pic from when i first started the treatment, and although the photo quality is bad and my hairstyle is different, i think i can say with much confidence that the top has thinned considerably more. While i still have hair up there i can clearly see to my scalp on the top of my head. Meanwhile the hairline in the center has receded even further from the surviving patches, and the areas in the temples with baby hair is expanding. And by expanding i mean not new growth where there was once baby hair, but baby hair where there was once fully grown hair! The new regrowth that i initially got has not gone away, but in general there seems to be a lot of thinning and thick healthy hair turning into thinner and thinner hair. Meanwhile the survivor patches on my forehead are as thick and resilient as ever.
So these are patterns which i have been suspecting for a few years now but have been in denial over. But i'm facing facts and gonna give the regimen an overhaul. I've been the hat guy ever since i got my dreads and don't want to be hat guy any longer. (Btw are hats bad for regrowth? Too much rubbing, not enough breathing etc with a hat on?) I am still reluctant to try propecia due to cost and possible side effects but i am open to almost anything now. Bottom line my regimen has not cut it.
