Have Propecia, Will travel!

[WiseJoeyD]

Well, went to my private appointment....and some worry as to how it would play out...
...came out smiling with a presecription for Propecia under my arm (though put it in pocket as it almost blew away.)

Now that I'm not far away from getting it I was now turning my attention to talk of "Nizoral" and various shampoos that help Propecia.

Could anyone give me a lowdown on their PERSONAL experience (ie, not posting links to hairlosstalk's .pdf's....I've read them. I'm eager to know personal experiences) using these shampoos?

On a similar note, I'm not keen to use Regaine or any similar topicals since it'd be too much hassle compared to simply shampooing and taking a pill.
However, would using Regaine for only 3 months at the beginning of using Propecia help?

My thinking was it'd stimulate them into "production", and once you stop, Propecia would stop the follicles shrinking down again, and you wouldn't have to keep using Regaine to keep the regrown hair.
It'd surely/hopefully kickstart the follicles??

 

[The Gardener]

WJD,

I think Propecia and Nizoral would be a good start.

Nizoral is a strong anti-dandruff shampoo, but its active ingredient is supposed to be helpful with male pattern baldness. I think it would be awfully hard to pinpoint any sort of male pattern baldness sucess on Nizoral alone as most of us use it in conjunction with other tools. One thing I can say is that it is a very strong shampoo, it really does a number on the hair and leaves it feeling quite stripped. I recommend a good conditioner with it, and you are only supposed to use it 3-4 times a week. (You probably already know all this, but just in case you don't, there you go.)

As for your other question... The initial application of Regaine/Minoxidil causes hairs in or close to telogen phase to shed in many people. After a shed, a follicle's resting cycle lasts about 100 days before it starts regrowing another hair to take its place. That being said, using Regaine for three months would probably be just long enough to initiate a Minoxidil shed, but not long enough to have any impact on the hairs that grow in place of the shed hairs. It is hard for me to give you a clear cut answer, but if you are asking my opinion, I don't think it's going to help much.

 

[Redbone]

Nizoral should be used every third day, I like to mix mine with T/sal and definately use a moistirzing conditioner when and leave it on for three minutes or more. Some people use it every other day, I guess what ever works for you.

 

[WiseJoeyD]

Thankyou Gardener (Samwise?!) and redbone (erm...pornstar...?!)

In truth, i'd probably try to get hold of "Nizorelle"(1%) that someone else from the UK mentioned.

Sold from 'Boot's, and thus easily availble, that'd probably be the one i'd use.

Is this version as efficient, and are there any particular usage tips any of yous have found using it?

By the by, Gardener/Redbone, have you dealt with your alopecia sucessfully over whatever period of time you've combatted it?

It seems mainly newbies send in photos of success/failure whilst more senior users have fewer pics or paragraphs detailing 'success' or failure.

 

[Redbone]

Fighting for one year good results almost back to original hairline of three years ago, cant beat the big three. Supplements help out a great deal too.

 

[The Gardener]

My PERSONAL opinion regarding Nizoral... I have heard many people claim that Nizoral has some anti-DHT properties but I personally discount them. From the research I have done, DHT has a short life span so-to-speak, in the bloodstream and in the scalp so any three times-a-week application of an anti-DHT shampoo leaves the scalp unprotected for all but, say, 12 hours in an entire week (3 applications of Nizoral, times 4 hours effectiveness per application = 12 hours of protection). This leaves the scalp undefended from DHT for the remaining 156 hours of each week.

HOWEVER, I do believe that the ingredient in Nizoral does have other properties that are beneficial for the scalp in fighting male pattern baldness. There are at least one solid study plus lots of anecdotal evidence saying that Nizoral is a good thing for a person suffering from male pattern baldness to be taking. Although I can't personally vouch for this I believe it and use it myself.

I currently use a 1% solution and have been thinking about upgrading to the 2% stuff. Why not?

 

[20something]

I find that every time I use Nizoral I shed like crazy in the shower. :freaked:

Since these are all telogen hairs anyway, it doesn't worry me *too* much. I use 2% (OTC in Canada), but restrict it to once every 3 days.