jimmyjames's story - (24 and losing hair (pics))

[jimmyjames]

Hello--

Just wanted to post some pictures, tell my story, and hopefully get some feedback.

I'm 24 and I first noticed my hair loss when I was around 19 or 20. I didn't do anything about it at first because I was either told there was nothing I could do about it, that Rogaine didn't work, or that it was normal to lose a bunch of hair in your early 20's and that it would eventually stop.

Now, however, after having watched my hairline recede slowly away, I've also noticed some thinning and more visible scalp around my crown. Here are the pictures:

I've ordered the Tricomin 3 pack and I'm hoping that will help slow things down until I decide on doing anything else. My hair isn't that bad yet, but I've had a lot more comments from people lately along the lines of: "You're losing a bit of hair, aren't you?"

So I'm trying not to panic about this yet, but if there's a way to keep my hair and not completely break the bank doing it, I'm all for it.

Please help me out!

 

[Guest]

This is getting old, but get on Finasteride and minoxidil asap. They're the only proven treatments and if they won't work, I'm afraid nothing will.

 

[jimmyjames]

Well, I've made my decision. I'm going to go with the tricomin 3 pack (shampoo, conditioner, spray), 2% minoxidil, and nizoral (2 or three times per week). Propecia kind of freaks me out, so I'll stick with the topicals for now.

Good luck to everyone and I'll post again in a month or two with (hopefully!) some results.

And remember --- there are much worse things in life than losing your hair. Fight it if you can, but don't let it change your life.....

 

[-Andrew-]

nah man, u need to get on propecia. do not be freaked out. whats the harm in trying it for 6 months? if u care bout ur hair enough, u wont mind the cost.

instead of 2% minoxidil, id def use 5% minoxidil. nizoral yes, i use that too.

My Regime:
1mg propecia
5% minoxidil twice a day
nizoral twice a week.

 

[Primex]

Don't be afraid of the Propecia man. The sides are rare if at all. I've never experienced anything except anxiety which was just me worrying about it, which nothing even happened. If it doesn't work, then you'll just be out of the money that you spent on it and that's it. Just my 2 cents.

 

[jimmyjames]

propecia

i don't know, man, propecia is crazy stuff. pregnant women aren't even supposed to touch the stuff with their hands or come in contact with semen of a dude who's taking the stuff because it could hurt their fetus. not that i'm hanging out with a lot of pregnant women, but that's crazy. i'm not sure i want something that can do that AND that's never been tested long term in my body.

each to his own, though.

 

[wangho75]

who told you that bit of information, jimmy? The tooth fairy? There hasnt been a single case that I know of where finasteride was responsible for any birth defects

 

[jimmyjames]

this is directly form propecia.com:

"Women who are or may potentially be pregnant must not use PROPECIA and should not handle crushed or broken PROPECIA tablets because the active ingredient may cause abnormalities of a male baby’s sex organs. If a woman who is pregnant comes into contact with the active ingredient in PROPECIA, a doctor should be consulted. PROPECIA tablets are coated and will prevent contact with the active ingredient during normal handling, provided that the tablets are not broken or crushed."

Check it out yourself at Propecia.com

And this on the PROSCAR website:

"A warning about PROSCAR and pregnancy.

PROSCAR is for use by MEN only. Women who are or may potentially be pregnant must not use PROSCAR. They should also not handle crushed or broken tablets of PROSCAR.

If a woman who is pregnant with a male baby absorbs the active ingredient in PROSCAR after oral use or through the skin, it may cause the male baby to be born with abnormalities of the sex organs.
PROSCAR tablets are coated and will prevent contact with the active ingredient during normal handling, provided that the tablets are not broken or crushed.

If a woman who is pregnant comes into contact with the active ingredient in PROSCAR, a doctor should be consulted.

Remember, these warnings apply only when the woman is pregnant or could potentially be pregnant."

Check it out at PROSCAR.COM

like i said, each to his own, but be careful. i know a lot of guys here are splitting Proscar.

 

[jimmyjames]

and this is from emc.medicines.org.uk/:

"Women should not handle crushed or broken tablets of 'Proscar' when they are or may potentially be pregnant because of the possibility of absorption of finasteride and the subsequent potential risk to a male foetus (see 'Pregnancy'). 'Proscar' tablets are coated and will prevent contact with the active ingredient during normal handling, provided that the tablets have not been broken or crushed.

Small amounts of finasteride have been recovered from the semen in subjects receiving 'Proscar' 5 mg/day. It is not known whether a male foetus may be adversely affected if his mother is exposed to the semen of a patient being treated with finasteride. Therefore, when the patient's sexual partner is or may potentially be pregnant, the patient should either avoid exposure of his partner to semen (e.g. by use of a condom) or discontinue 'Proscar'."

check out the link at: http://emc.medicines.org.uk/emc/assets/ ... #PREGNANCY

after you get to the page, click on "Pregnancy and Lactation" to see this. the whole thing, though, is an interesting read about the drug and the trials it went through.

and i do realize this study was from 5mg/day for prostate enlargement and not 1mg/day for hair loss, but it's still pretty crazy.

 

[Shielded]

Re: 24 and losing hair (pics)

My hair isn't that bad yet, but I've had a lot more comments from people lately along the lines of: "You're losing a bit of hair, aren't you?"

So I'm trying not to panic about this yet, but if there's a way to keep my hair and not completely break the bank doing it, I'm all for it.

Please help me out!

If people were so bold as to point it out to me, I would be freaking out.

 

[jimmyjames]

If people were so bold as to point it out to me, I would be freaking out.

Shielded: sure, it sucks and it can make me feel a little shitty (we're all human), but you've got to remember there are many health problems out there that are much worse then losing hair.

fight the hair loss, but always keep things in perspective. i think that's the best advice i can give.

 

[jimmyjames]

one month update

Just a one month update for anyone who's interested:

Although I said originally I was going to start using minoxidil, Tricomin, and Nizoral 2% all at the same time, I ended up only starting Tricomin and Nizoral. From what I've read, it's really important to have a healthy scalp to prevent hairloss, so I thought Tricomin and Nizoral would be a good start before I really tackle this thing full force.

So after one month, what can I say? I really recommend Tricomin (I use the shampoo, conditioner, and spray). It is REALLY expensive, but even after one month it's done a lot for the appearance of my hair. It looks thicker, healthier, and it's easier to style then it's been for quite some time. I'm also already losing a lot less hairs at night and in the shower. So that's good news.

Now I'm going to start start using minoxidil 2%. Hopefully the Walmart near me will have some cheap generic stuff kicking around. I'm starting with 2% instead of 5% because I heard the 5% can really irritate your scalp.

I'm also thinking of adding Zinc, Saw Palmetto, and/or a complex-B-Vitamin to my regimen. Does anyone have anything positive to say about these supplements or how much should be taken? I'm sceptical that they can do much, but if they're not too expensive I'm sure it can't hurt - besides, I know zinc has a lot of positive effects other than hair growth/retention.

Does anyone have any advice for someone new to minoxidil? I'm especially interested in what people have to say about applying it - as you can see from my pics, I still have a bunch of hair and I don't want it to be too much of a sticky mess.

Despite trying to be really positive about this hair loss thing, I had a bit of a panic attack today - got some pictures back from a wedding I went to and I look so much older than all the other guys. Kind of a shock. Seems like my friends (who I haven't seen for a while because I travel and move around a lot) have gained some weight and grown some beards, but I'm the only guy with hairloss.

I hope this is helpful to some of you guys and if you've got any answers to my questions, I'd really like to hear them.

 

[TAINTED-MEAT]

I use minoxidil 5%, no scalp irritations for me. The Nizoral really helps out with that.

When you apply the minoxidil, make just make sure that it gets on your scalp in the areas that are thin. If it doesn't touch your scalp, it can't work. Once you put it on your scalp, gently rub it in.

 

[Guest]

jimmy,

this sounds like not so clever spam for tricomin. i hope i'm wrong.

you come on sayinghow propecia sucks and how great you hear tricomin is, and how youre gonna try it. then you post one month updates haha of how great it is. oh man. i hope i am wrong.

 

[jimmyjames]

applying minoxidil

Hey Tainted - thanks for the post. I'll think about trying the 5% - it might depend on what the Walmart has in stock. I'm not even sure they sell it in Canada?

And did you get a big shed when you started using minoxidil? It says under your regimen that you mainly apply it to your temples - I want to apply it to my receding hairline at my forehead, but I heard minoxidil spreads across your scalp and I could end up with hairs on my forehead. Do you think I'm worrying about nothing there?

 

[jimmyjames]

Hey Jayman - I'm not sure what I can say to convince you this isn't spam. I'm not saying Propecia sucks and that no one should give it a go, but I just don't think it's for me. It's a personal choice.

As far as Tricomin goes, I'm not saying it's grown my hair back after a month. I'm just saying my hair looks better, that's it. To be honest, my hair could just be looking better because I'm actually shampooing everyday. I never used to do that. And I'm not even sure I'd recommend Tricomin to everyone - like I said, it's REALLY expensive and for all I know it's not any better than a bunch of other shampoos out there. BUT, from my personal experience, one month of Tricomin has made my hair look healthier.

Hope this makes you less sceptical.

 

[Guest]

thanks jim

good luck to you either way

 

[jimmyjames]

canadians

I did a quick search online and from what I can tell Minoxidil 5% isn't available in Canada. Are there any other Canadians around who have managed to side step this? I guess I could order from the US, but the shipping would probably cost a bundle.

 

[TAINTED-MEAT]

My forehead isn't any hairier than it was over a year ago when I started. I need to update my regimen; I started applying it all over the top of my head as well about a month ago.

Your forehead should be fine, if it starts to get hairy, just apply it more carefully. You should be fine though. However, minoxidil seems to have made my forehead wrinkles a little deeper so it may not be a bad idea to moisturize your forehead well. I use Strivectin-SD but it's VERY expensive. I'm just finishing up my mom's bottle because she said it wasn't working for her age wrinkles but it seems to work for me. (Maybe she's just too old haha).

As for shedding, I lose about 75 hairs in the sink when I apply it. However, I think it has a lot to do with my male pattern baldness, not just the minoxidil.

Ebay has some great deals on Rogaine and Kirkland Minoxidil.

I would highly recommend you using an antiandrogen such as Propecia (finasteride) or Avodart (dutasteride). If you want to go the finasteride route, you can get Proscar and cut it in 4ths and take 1.25mg finasteride each day.

 

[jimmyjames]

Tainted - thanks again for posting. It's good to hear from someone who's actually used the stuff before.

Looks like I can't buy the 5% over the counter in Canada, but I'll look around for deals on the Internet. I've never bought anything from Ebay (scared of getting ripped off), but considering that thousands of people use it everyday, it can't be all bad.

In the mean time, I'll probably at least start with a month on the 2%. The way I see, that's got to be better than nothing.

Also, can anyone answer my questions about supplements (B-complex, zinc, saw palmetto)? And are there any long time Tricomin users out there who can tell me whether I'm wasting my money or not? I'm not trying to sell Tricomin like Jayman thinks, but I am very curious about it.