HELP! Hairline receding and baldspot creeping up(pics)!!

[Ilovemyhair80]

Hi,

New member here, and I'm really glad to have found this place. Misery sure loves company.

A little history: I'm a 28 yr old asian male. My father is a NW6, while my mother's side has no male pattern baldness. As for myself, I definitely have noticed some major, abit steady, regression of the hairline since 4 years ago (when I was 23). Now, after finally deciding to take some pictures to give my hair a closer inspection, I seem to be developing a bald spot. No one has mentioned me as being bald, although my hair dresser did comment on my hair thinning out considerably in the past year or two. Here are some pictures:

Also, can anyone tell me the best method of purchasing the big 3 as a Canadian resident? I'm thinking ebay for minoxidil, but have no idea as to where I can purchase Nizoral and Propecia. I plan on taking 0.2mg of finasteride as a daily dosage.

Thanks for reading. Any comments/suggestions/input will be greatly appreciated.

 

[bubka]

I don't know why anyone would take .2mg of finasteride vs 1, 1 grows more a hair, thats the point isn't it?

 

[Ilovemyhair80]

I don't know why anyone would take .2mg of finasteride vs 1, 1 grows more a hair, thats the point isn't it?

I read the FDA report which states that 0.2mg is almost as effective as 1mg dosage at blocking dht levels. I figure a lower dosage can possibly decrease the potential side effects as well as being economical. Anyone here taking a 0.2mg dosage?

 

[bubka]

I don't know why anyone would take .2mg of finasteride vs 1, 1 grows more a hair, thats the point isn't it?

I read the FDA report which states that 0.2mg is almost as effective as 1mg dosage at blocking dht levels. I figure a lower dosage can possibly decrease the potential side effects as well as being economical. Anyone here taking a 0.2mg dosage?

Serum levels, yes, it's close, but we are talking about blocking DHT formation in the scalp, and data shows you grow a lot more hair at 1mg vs 0.2mg, hell even 5mg grows more

 

[Ilovemyhair80]

Serum levels, yes, it's close, but we are talking about blocking DHT formation in the scalp, and data shows you grow a lot more hair at 1mg vs 0.2mg, hell even 5mg grows more

Serum and scalp skin dht levels. Which data shows that 1mg grows more hair in comparison to 0.2mg? I'd like to read this myself.

 

[bubka]

here is data for a single dose vs dht concentration:

here is the hair count vs dosage:
shoot, i can't find it... hold on

 

[Ilovemyhair80]

here is data for a single dose vs dht concentration:

here is the hair count vs dosage:
shoot, i can't find it... hold on

Your graph shows plasma dht levels graphed against time of a single dosage of various amount at time 0. It has absolutely nothing to do with hair count/growth rate.

 

[bubka]

I said, "hold on"

 

[Ilovemyhair80]

I said, "hold on"

So a 25% increase in hair count by increasing the dosage by 500%.

A mere 0.2mg dosage increase hair count by approx. 70. Upping this dosage by 5x only increases the hair count by 14. I'll stand by my 0.2mg.

 

[bubka]

fine man, do you have any clue how much 25% more hair is?

well good luck

 

[Ilovemyhair80]

fine man, do you have any clue how much 25% more hair is?

well good luck

It's not "25%" more hair. Geeze.

I despise being misquoted.

 

[RaginDemon]

bubka, the 25% less regrowth rate is definitely worth sacrificing if one can avoid sides from lowering the dosage to 20%.

I personaly don't think 1mg daily intake of finasteride is necessary. I would do 0.625mg daily if I am not that lazy to cut the pills. lol

I have heard enough stories of how people are able to avoid sides from taking a lower dosage. Hair count is important, but potential sides should always be taken into accounts when determining daily intake. Just my .02

 

[RaginDemon]

ILoveMyHair80, maybe you should start with a higher dose and see if you get sides first, and then gradually work your way down to the "ideal" dosage that works the best for you.

Mind you that you might experience sides at the beginning of your finasteride intake, and they might subsidize as your body adjusts to it.

GL!

 

[s.a.f]

25% of f*** all is still f*** all.

 

[metalheaddude]

Defintely a little crown hairloss. You're probably better off on Rogaine Foam (imo). The hairline looks ok.

How does one even measure out 0.2mg of finasteride? It would be very hard to measure out on a consistant basis. I find it annoying just cutting my proscar into 4th's every 4th day, sometimes i screw it up and have to break tiny peices off another section to try and balance it.

My advice is just pop the standard 1mg pill. Unless your a tight *** and wont spend the money and then split Proscar into 4's or 5's.

Side effects are incredibly exagerrated on this board.

 

[Pondle]

I agree with most of what metalheadude says, except that I wouldn't substitute Rogaine for Propecia. Use both if you want, but if you only want to use one treatment, use Propecia.

1mg/day is the approved dose for treating male pattern hair loss. Sure, it seems to have been a somewhat arbitrary choice, but it does strike a good balance between safety and effectiveness. There is no data on the long-term safety and efficacy of 0.2mg, only internet anecdotes. The most we can say is that 0.2mg is inferior to 1mg over 6 months. The 'benefit' for side effect risks is open to question. You already have only a small risk of sides on 1mg. As has been said, you shouldn't let the small, vocal army of assorted hypochondriacs, paranoiacs, Merck-bashers and conspiracy theorists - all too prominent on this site - put you off trying Propecia.

I pay £8 ($16) per month for a legitimate supply of Proscar. It's so cheap there seems little point in trying to economise further.

 

[Ilovemyhair80]

To me, the sample evidence indicating the lowered scalp-skin dht levels from 0.2mg dosage (compared to a 1mg) dosage is indicative enough of the former amount's effectiveness. My only concern is that this is a serious drug (any drug that f**ks around with one's hormones must be give due consideration), and if majority of finasteride's effectiveness can be realized through the smaller dosage, then this dosage point is where I feel most comfortable based on my personal risk preferences.

Of course, cutting a 5mg pill into 25 pieces is ridiculous. I'll most likely buy propecia instead of proscar.

Thanks for your inputs. This is an awesome site.

 

[metalheaddude]

You already have only a small risk of sides on 1mg. As has been said, you shouldn't let the small, vocal army of assorted hypochondriacs, paranoiacs, Merck-bashers and conspiracy theorists - all too prominent on this site - put you off trying Propecia.

I pay £8 ($16) per month for a legitimate supply of Proscar. It's so cheap there seems little point in trying to economise further.

I 100% agree with this.

I lovemyhair80. 0.2mg is fine. You will definitely gain some benefits from it, however there is no proof the sides will be any less at this dosage. Also I really think you have no idea how hard it is to cut Proscar Pills. If you have never done it before you're going to struggle to cut 0.2mg everytime and an inconsistant dosage can also be a dangerous thing. The only way you can do it is if you have those ultra expensive scales that can measure micrograms. Or alternatively I heard you can disolve Finasteride into alcohol (water will not disolve finasteride) then you can measure it out more accurately into the quantities you want. (Obviously you have to drink the small amount of alcohol along with the finasteride disolved in it).