Fab4fan's Story (45 /with pics.)

[fab4fan]

Why is somebody changing the name of my post on a daily basis? With misspellings to boot!

I started Rogaine foam and nizoral early April 2010. No start photo. Had a positively evil shed. Here is a photo from the top with flash. It didn't look quite so thin in natural light as anybody who has taken a photo like this knows. It still looked awful and it was too long. May 3, 2010.

[attachment=3:1tfhlp34]5-3-10 Pic 1 Resize.jpg[/attachment:1tfhlp34]

Added Biotin and Saw Palmetto to regimen. Looks the same to me. I hadn't had a haircut so still far too long. June 5, 2010.

[attachment=2:1tfhlp34]6-5-10 Pic 3 Resize.jpg[/attachment:1tfhlp34]

I got it cut short just after that last photo. It looked much better. Also got better color on my pate from the summer sun. Here is a photo from just a few days ago when I added finasteride to the mix. I see improvement. I had it cut about a month ago so I need another. FYI, it is much much, much, shorter than in last two photos but that might be hard to tell. The first three photos are the unforgiving full flash, from a distance of about 18 inches. September 22, 2010.

[attachment=1:1tfhlp34]9-22-10 Resize.jpg[/attachment:1tfhlp34]

Here is another from September 22, 2020 from about four feet to soften the flash a bit. Natural light photos, even full sunlight, only show a hint of scalp but I figure I'll use the very worst photos from each shoot for comparison.

[attachment=0:1tfhlp34]9-22-10 Four Feet Flas Start finasteride.JPG[/attachment:1tfhlp34]

To summarize. Everything above is Rogaine foam, nizoral, Saw P extract, and Biotin only. I added finasteride a few days before the 9/22 photos on 9/17. I think I am making progress and I am not going to photograph my hair until 12/16 which will be three months on finasteride, nine months give or take on Rogaine and supps.

That's it for now. Your comments (be kind) appreciated. Thanks for looking.

 

[TheGrayMan2001]

Re: My story (45 M) with pics.

If you keep up the Rogaine, I bet you'll see a lot of improvement come 6 months or so on finasteride (though some people say as long as a year)

looking good though!!!! keep it up.

 

[fab4fan]

Re: fab4fan's story (45 M) with pics.

Not exactly looking good but it is looking better and I am pretty pleased with myself for sticking with it. In 6 months I've missed a few applications here and there. Never two in one day. I'm gonna keep going with it sure. It's a pretty easy and inexpensive routine. I can practically do it in my sleep now. My entire routine is about 30 minutes and I'm including light exercise in that. Get up, pills with big glass of water, pushups, crunches, shower (nizoral on Wed and Sat), Rogaine, coffee and a smoke (my reward.) Forget about hair for next 14 hours. Before bed Rogaine again. Easy-peasy.

I must quit smoking. It's just too expensive. I think I heard someplace it's bad for you too. (Bad for your hair I read too.)

Thanks for the encouragement. I am still too embarrassed to discuss my hairloss face to face with anybody. Not even the woman I love, but we're sort of on the outs anyway. From time to time I do get a boy is your hair getting thin comment, usually from a casual aquaintance not familiar with what my reaction to such and idiotic statement will probably be. (It's usually not pretty.) Not exactly encouraging so I find this place fills that void.

Thanks again!

f4f

 

[malo]

Re: fab4fan's story (45 M) with pics.

I have to say from the pictures it's a great improvement. It looks like
you are responding very well to the Rogaine.
Congratulations!!!

 

[fab4fan]

Re: fab4fan's story (45 M) with pics.

I had a wicked shed the first month or two. Not sure how much of the new hair is actually new (I think some of it is) but what came back is not the thin, wispy, stuff that fell out. Thanks for the encouragement, friend!

f4f

 

[skelll]

Re: fab4fan's story (45 M) with pics.

Yes it looks like you have made a big improvement since May!! I hope the finasteride works for ya, I have been on the finasteride for over 2 months and experienced the side effects but I rode it through so now Im back to normal. So just a warning on that.

 

[fab4fan]

Re: fab4fan's story (45 M) with pics.

Thanks Skell. I have been looking for sides but haven't spotted any yet. My sleep pattern changed a little. That's all I see.

How is the finasteride working out for you? Seen anything yet?

Good luck to you.

f4f

 

[skelll]

Re: fab4fan's story (45 M) with pics.

Its still to early to tell, but I have not experienced any massive sheds yet from it. I am actually in the very very early phase of male pattern baldness so it will be hard to tell, just wanna maintain. So just try to ride out the side effects if you experience them and try not to think to much about them.

I see you also use Biotin and Saw Palmetto, is that a topical product or oral? Also if it is topical what order do apply it in??

 

[fab4fan]

Re: fab4fan's story (45 M) with pics.

Biotin is a B vitamin that is supposed to be good for hair and nail health. When I started this journey, I did a lot of reading about what vitamins I should be taking. I found a multivitamin that met my requirements and contained some Biotin, a while later I added an extra pill (Biotin) to my morning routine. I've since found a good supplement that's labeld Hair, Skin and Nail. $7.00 at Wal-Mart. It has Biotin plus some extra zinc and Vtitamin C, plus just about everything my multivitamin contains in varying amounts. I take MV in the morning and the H,S,N vitamin and night to spread it out.

Saw Palmetto extract is supposed to be a DHT blocker or inhibitor. I've read that it works, that it doesn't work, that it works but you have to take huge doses to be effective. I started it when I thought it would be difficult to get finasteride. I was trying to avoid seeing my doctor which is expensive.

What I do now is take 1.25mg of finasteride EOD and on the off day take two Saw Palmetto gels. Extract not simple Saw P. It's not terribly expensive at $7.00 for 100 gels. It will be the first thing I drop from my routine, though.

I had to go to Walmart for work this morning and slipped over to the supplement isle. I bought a years (more like 400 days) worth of supps (multivitamin, hair skin, and nails multivitamin (Biotin), omega 3 fish oil (I take this because it's supposed to be good for your joints), and Saw P) which cost me $81.00. 20.5 cents per day. Also bought more foam to take me to my 12 month point. FWIW, as near as I can figure my entire regimen costs roughly $341/year. If I used generic finasteride it would be much less.

No more skiving off today, back to work!

f4f