Guys I put up a good fight... Can't win them all

[AussieExperiment]

Guys I have been on finasteride now for approx 7.5 months and minoxidil for 6months. From about month 3 to month 6 of finasteride my hair was looking really good. I was well above baseline. I thought I was winning the fight. But over the past 4 weeks I have literally been shedding between 150 and 250 hairs a day. Now I know it is normal to shed 50-100 hairs a day, but that is normal for someone with no thinning. So therefore, 150 hairs for me is like someone with a thick head of hair losing 300+ hairs a day.

Over the past month I have dropped well below baseline. It is diffuse loss. I have lost approx 40% density off the top and about 20% from the sides (all in the space of one month). I have very little miniaturization (a tiny, tiny bit around the temples but it has been like that for years). It just falls out and doesn't grow back.

I have decided I am going to have to shave. I refuse to walk around with hair you can see through. If people are going to see almost my entire scalp it may as well be shaved. I reckon I may be able to pull off the shaved athletic look.

Tomorrow I am seeing the doctor to get a referral to a Dermatologist. I want to get a scalp biopsy done. I want to know if my follicles are dead, scarred, miniaturized or just not growing. I am pretty sure there won’t be much miniaturization anywhere. If they are dead or scarred beyond repair than I can just move on and forget about the fight. However, if they are just not growing or are in a resting phase then I will continue to fight. A couple of doctors I have seen about it reckon it is Telogen Effluvium shed (I won’t go into the reasons why).

It is really crazy. This time last year I had a thick head of hair. Now it is so, so sparse. I have absolutely no history of male pattern baldness on either side of my family going back at least 3 generations (there are many, many males in my family tree). If this is male pattern baldness I am suffering from how could it be so Aggressive with no family history.

My friends keep asking me what I did in a previous life because they reckon I have the worst luck. I am now starting to wonder myself.

Thanks for listening to my rant. I will let you know how I go with the Derm.

 

[hellohello]

will be interesting to hear what the derm says. i hope your going to a derm that has a lot of hairloss experience.

 

[Knendell]

I saw the pics in your story and you do not need to shave yet. If you want to do it but you can still look fine the way you are. I have no temples at all and very thin hair. The trick it to put nothing in your hair and keep it washed so the hairs don't stick together. Then again there is something renewing about just getting rid of all of this stuff we stress over witha razor. I might be buzzing in the near future too. May give you more confidence. Check out slybaldguys.com. Great site.

 

[lain]

Hey buddy, I know how ure feeling. My hairline is continuing to worsen, seems that hair is falling out and not coming back. You would think with all the medication we are taking we would see positive results.

I'm considering a shave too if things continue like this. But I am still keeping hope in the medicine. Good luck. Keep up the fight bro!

 

[AussieExperiment]

thanks guys

Thanks for the support guys. It is really appreciated.

I saw my doctor today and got a referral to the Derm to get a biopsy done. She agreed with my strateg which is:

1. Get a scalp biopsy done.

2. If little or no scarring or damaged follicles (ie. they just aren't growing) then switch to dutasteride

She was really good actually. She said that she would support me switching to dutasteride as she didn't beleieve it could harm me (if I take the recommended dosage etc). She said that the fact I had good regrowth between months 3-6 sugguest that my hair does respond to these kinds of medications which is a good thing. She also said that at 7.5 months my crazy shed could still quite possible be a "finasteride shed". She said that if my hairs went into the resting phase at the end of month one due to the finasteride, then month 6 is about when they would probably start falling out.

All just theories but they at least give me some hope.

I make my appointment with the derm next week. I will let you know what he says.

Thanks again.

 

[k3nn7i]

Guys I have been on finasteride now for approx 7.5 months and minoxidil for 6months. From about month 3 to month 6 of finasteride my hair was looking really good. I was well above baseline. I thought I was winning the fight. But over the past 4 weeks I have literally been shedding between 150 and 250 hairs a day. Now I know it is normal to shed 50-100 hairs a day, but that is normal for someone with no thinning. So therefore, 150 hairs for me is like someone with a thick head of hair losing 300+ hairs a day.

Over the past month I have dropped well below baseline. It is diffuse loss. I have lost approx 40% density off the top and about 20% from the sides (all in the space of one month). I have very little miniaturization (a tiny, tiny bit around the temples but it has been like that for years). It just falls out and doesn't grow back.

I have decided I am going to have to shave. I refuse to walk around with hair you can see through. If people are going to see almost my entire scalp it may as well be shaved. I reckon I may be able to pull off the shaved athletic look.

Tomorrow I am seeing the doctor to get a referral to a Dermatologist. I want to get a scalp biopsy done. I want to know if my follicles are dead, scarred, miniaturized or just not growing. I am pretty sure there won’t be much miniaturization anywhere. If they are dead or scarred beyond repair than I can just move on and forget about the fight. However, if they are just not growing or are in a resting phase then I will continue to fight. A couple of doctors I have seen about it reckon it is Telogen Effluvium shed (I won’t go into the reasons why).

It is really crazy. This time last year I had a thick head of hair. Now it is so, so sparse. I have absolutely no history of male pattern baldness on either side of my family going back at least 3 generations (there are many, many males in my family tree). If this is male pattern baldness I am suffering from how could it be so Aggressive with no family history.

My friends keep asking me what I did in a previous life because they reckon I have the worst luck. I am now starting to wonder myself.

Thanks for listening to my rant. I will let you know how I go with the Derm.

dude...whats wrong with you? Seen your story and pics and a look just fine...why shld you decide to shave ?

 

[flimflam]

Your doctor sounds pretty cool.

Any pics of this horrible shed? No one ever shows any of a shed, i wonder why...

 

[sm1234]

Hey AussieExperiment.. I reckon your hair looks fine dude!

But anyway, where in Oz are you located? If you are in Sydney would love to know where your GP/derm is at.. all the docs i've been to don't know squat about hair loss.

 

[Linhgo]

Can we get an update? How did the meeting with the dermatologist go? What was the result of the scalp biopsy? I'm just curious.

 

[abcdefg]

So treatments made your hair worse then when you started? 1 month is a very short time to lose that much hair. You dont have before and after pictures?

 

[Tommyaz31]

RIDE IT!

Hang tight guys.. A few years back I did propecia and literally got worse for 8 months straight. Shed started about month 3 and didnt stop till about month 9. On month 10,my head did a 180! was growing more and coming out thicker. Was really weird how fast it turned around. Have to stick it out at least a year. I was living proof.. I started back again and now on month 6.. Shedding pretty bad right now too..A got better in first 4 months and just got worse the past 1. Have to go through these waves until you hit the 10 month mark. Whatver you do, DONT Stop taking finasteride!