Hi. My name’s Jim and I’m a relatively long-time (~1 year) lurker on both this and many other hairloss forums. I have, however, not been able to access the internet for a couple of months due to travelling, hence why I make this general post. It might seem like a bunch of questions that I could look up easily, but I am no longer uptodate on things and it has therapeutic importance to me too. To get started... Throughout my time I’ve read alot about the various forms of treatments and supposed cures, and nothing ever jumped to mind as something I ‘just had to try’ because I believed it in. This was probably coupled with the fact that I was in denial regarding my (supposedly) accelerating situation and had other committments that kept my mind somewhat off it, even though it’s more or less always on my mind.
Lately, however, it has been a cause for both stress, grief and anxiety which has affected my life profoundly. I keep looking into mirrors and mirrored surfaces to see if my hair’s alright, and as I am sure most of you know this kind of paranoia is stressing and will eventually lead/has lead to a depressing outlook on life. Anyway, a bit about me...
I am soon turning 25, I’m studying at a university in Denmark and I’ve got a wonderful girlfriend since half a year ago. She is mainly the reason why I will not consider Propecia; I love her far too much to even consider potentially making her (even more of) a victim of my condition. Arguably she already suffers by occasionally listening to my despair, but fact is that when I am with her I always do my very best to look my very best, and I feel great – with her I feel whole. Thus I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I physically started to become affected by a medication like Propecia. Decreased self-esteem is one very serious thing. Infertility, decreased libido, mood swings etc is something horrible that I feel is unfair to even just potentially expose her to. I know side-effects are uncommon, but I’ve talked with her about it and we both feel that it’s too risky.
Anyhow... Baldness runs in my family. My father’s completely bald in both frontal and crown area, my mother is thin haired and I’ve had slightly receded temples since about 17-18 years old. I’ve never minded it up until now since I’d grown fond of the slightly matured look which, I’ve always been told, suited me very well, probably due to the fact that they weren’t highly receded. They also weren’t continuously diffusing; it kinda happened and then settled. I still looked youthful, it just suited me very well.
Lately, however, they seem to grow further backwards (perhaps even slightly inwards?) towards the crown and my frontal areas are definitely getting thin and diffuse all over, and that is something I’d like to combat if possible, both for my own self-esteem and identity’s sake but also for those around me. Currently my despair and depressed feelings towards this subject is cause of much grief to me and prevents me from taking full enjoyment of life and often makes me reluctant to do stuff that I would previously do before without a second thought.
Note that the diffusion only seems to happen frontally and not in the back of the head, which kinda puzzles me as my dad has a full-blown Major Briggs from Twin Peaks haircut.
Premises:
- No side-effects that affects others for reasons stated above. Regaine’s effect on my desired area is dubious at best from what I’ve been able to gather and thus I’m not too psyched up on getting on it. Propecia’s side-effects are too severe for me to ever risk. I ardently want to fix my situation and would do close to anything to fix it, if only to alleviate my despairing feeling of helplessness... but I won’t risk something that could affect my relationship in ways like that drug can.
- Affordable unless it’s the holy grail. Currently I use Toppik concealers which is easily affordable. I could also afford Regaine currently, just to illustrate my current economical situation. However I can’t spend thousands on various products just to see if they are what they promise. I also believe such a thing would be unscientific as it would be close to impossible to determine what worked if I went on a binge and bought whatever kindled my hope. I am inherently somewhat skeptical. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to believe, I just find believing that much easier if someone can display irrefutable proof, science or similar. Don’t let that discourage any input from you guys though. If someone indeed has the holy grail (or something relatively close), I couldn’t care less about money, regardless of cost.
- “The danish situationâ€. By this I don’t refer to some calorie-heavy bakery but the mentality regarding this in Denmark; we’re a very small country (5 mio. People), we style ourselves “the happiest country in the world†and it’s quite a taboo to admit you’ve got a problem. Or rather that you’re affected by a problem. If you’re not one of those “happiest peopleâ€, you’d better get happy or you’d better change your outlook on life – not yourself in a cosmetic sense. As such the industry for HT’s and availability of medication is very limited. Regaine recently became available without perscription, but Finasteride (Propecia) requires a perscription and the majority of doctors would rather send you to psychologist than writing such a perscription. Most doctors wouldn’t even mention it as a possibility. HT’s are disregarded as an option. Here it’s Regaine which they admit rarely works as desired... or sucking it up.
These premises might seem unfair and greedy. Admittedly they possibly are. I want the results but apparently not enough to take the high risks. The reasons for this have been stated above and aren’t up for discussion. Please keep that in mind when/if you want to comment on this and help me.
And that is what I would appreciate most of all: Feedback, opinions, comments on my post. It gives me a feeling of taking action instead of waiting in apathy, and that feeling, even as I write this, is wonderful. I’d cherish every single reply.
List of what I have considered and why.
- Renokin: I’ve considered this recently since I read about it a couple of days ago. Basically the no side-effects coupled with a science somewhat resembling Histogen appeals to me. However, I have so far been unable to dig up any concrete evidence to its success as well as people having experience with it. I’ve always been unable to find the price for it. At any rate I’m not sure it’s worth the money and would like to know more about it. I am, however, skeptical; they make it out to be the holy grail on their website yet if it really was, it’d cause reverberations throughout the world in news and, most definitely, on forums such as these.
- Revivogen: Basically I’ve heard it to be crap. I’ve read alot of user feedback saying it’s crap. I have, however, also heard people praising it because it has no sides and that it actually works really well overall, including on the temples and frontal hair which is of my immediate concern. It also appeals to me because it’s natural. I’m in no way a tree-hugging hippie and I’ve always believed rigorously in science, but fact remains that in some racial groups like Indians, baldness is virtually non-existant. That might be genetically or it might be for other reasons. Whatever the case I won’t write natural treatments and/or ingredients off. Also... user feedback is great. It is, however, often as not made by people who aren’t being reasonable about it or have had high expectations crushed, despite some improvements actually taking place.
- LLLT: I’ve read we’re not plants. I’ve heard it’s crap. I know some people make the fact that it is FDA approved into gospel and proof that it’s JUST GREAT. However, I can’t help but question whether it’s possible or not. I know hairs can be removed by laser technology and I know biostimulation isn’t impossible, so while I am very skeptical I won’t just write it off. Especially not since a site like “Overmachogrande†apparently got some followers that adhere to it ardently. At any rate, if I was to jump on the bandwagon I’d definitely look into one of those “LaserMessiahsâ€. As always though... I’d love enlightenment and opinion. And knowledge about price to assemble such a LaserMessiah, if it does indeed work.
- Tom’s Scalp Excersise + Brewer’s Yeast/Minerals: A guy named Tom Hagarty (if memory serves) made these excersises a long time ago. I’ve considered it as a supplementary treatment on top of whatever else I decide to do because the guy seems rather honest and open about it and doesn’t make any wild promises. I’ve heard it recommended along with a mineral boost with B-vitamins, Brewer’s Yeast and other stuff.
- American Crew products: Got no idea about them, seems rather new. Stuff like what can be found on: http://www.amazon.com/American-Crew-Tri ... d_sim_bt_6
- Hair Transplant: Done properly I guess this would be a good permanent solution. However, I am doubt regarding the following aspects:
• am I eligible with my age and type of hairloss? If yes, what type of transplant would be best? How many grafts and price would be reasonable to expect? Can I expect to be forced to get several transplants later? I am aware that if I get the dad/Major Briggs hairloss I would simply lack donor area to cover my head. Hair cloning might alleviate that problem but is that possible in the future at a remotely affordable price?
• Are there any top-notch hair transplant doctors in Europe? If yes, who, where? Are they as good as abroad?
• Are HT’s “compatible†with reasonably long hair? Currently I’m having hair much like Josh Holloway, which I’d very much like to keep but which I find harder and harder due to the thinning frontal hair.
• How long does it generally take to recover after a hair transplant? I know you can walk about few days after, but I’m referring to when it becomes “invisibleâ€. Also, how dense can a hair transplant become? I’ve suspected guys like George Clooney for having one since he had receding temples in ER, but now he’s insanely densely packed with no signs of recession. Is such a result even attainable to mere mortals?
As for all these treatments I am also curious to know if:
- People have experienced any side-effects.
- What is the price for these from you people’s experience?
- What are the effects in your experience?
- Do you know how the availability is for a guy living in Denmark?
- Any tips to how they are applied?
And perhaps most importantly: What else should I consider besides the abovementioned? It’s a jungle out there and I am open towards anything as long as it fills my abovementioned criteria. So if you got any suggestions then let them out!
Alternatives to treatments:
As I mentioned earlier I am using Toppik which has helped me but of course isn’t a solution by any means. However, I am always keen to hear about alternatives to treatment. I have a pragmatic view towards this; if a hairpiece that would stick on perfectly 24/7, require little maintenance and looked 100% natural was available I’d jump on that bandwagon immediately with no second thoughts. In this regard I’m not too occupied with how I achieve my goal, as long as it is achieved.
So please, bring on your alternatives.
Ending comments:
First of all thanks if you’ve taken the time to read all this. I’ve written this as both a cry for help and a sort of therapy for myself in the – perhaps vain – hope that a solution presents itself. At any rate I have probably rambled quite a bit and given information that hasn’t been crucial or important, but it feels amazing letting it all out like this. Before I end, however, I have a few departing questions...
- What does the future realistically look like, and how far off is it? What is the worst/best/average case-scenario, if such a thing can be presented?
- What is your view on headgear? Hats and those warm, slightly fashionable woolen winter hats alot of people (and for some reason rastas) tend to wear? I’m not a fan of caps so if all else fails and I choose to shave it off, I’d probably pursue the road of hats. Might as well become eccentric and stand out than hide in the corner (even though I shiver at the thought as I write this
).
- What is your view on all this and my situation in particular?
Again, thanks for taking the time and, I hope, thanks for all the feedback.
P.S. Pictures will be up soon.
Lately, however, it has been a cause for both stress, grief and anxiety which has affected my life profoundly. I keep looking into mirrors and mirrored surfaces to see if my hair’s alright, and as I am sure most of you know this kind of paranoia is stressing and will eventually lead/has lead to a depressing outlook on life. Anyway, a bit about me...
I am soon turning 25, I’m studying at a university in Denmark and I’ve got a wonderful girlfriend since half a year ago. She is mainly the reason why I will not consider Propecia; I love her far too much to even consider potentially making her (even more of) a victim of my condition. Arguably she already suffers by occasionally listening to my despair, but fact is that when I am with her I always do my very best to look my very best, and I feel great – with her I feel whole. Thus I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I physically started to become affected by a medication like Propecia. Decreased self-esteem is one very serious thing. Infertility, decreased libido, mood swings etc is something horrible that I feel is unfair to even just potentially expose her to. I know side-effects are uncommon, but I’ve talked with her about it and we both feel that it’s too risky.
Anyhow... Baldness runs in my family. My father’s completely bald in both frontal and crown area, my mother is thin haired and I’ve had slightly receded temples since about 17-18 years old. I’ve never minded it up until now since I’d grown fond of the slightly matured look which, I’ve always been told, suited me very well, probably due to the fact that they weren’t highly receded. They also weren’t continuously diffusing; it kinda happened and then settled. I still looked youthful, it just suited me very well.
Lately, however, they seem to grow further backwards (perhaps even slightly inwards?) towards the crown and my frontal areas are definitely getting thin and diffuse all over, and that is something I’d like to combat if possible, both for my own self-esteem and identity’s sake but also for those around me. Currently my despair and depressed feelings towards this subject is cause of much grief to me and prevents me from taking full enjoyment of life and often makes me reluctant to do stuff that I would previously do before without a second thought.
Note that the diffusion only seems to happen frontally and not in the back of the head, which kinda puzzles me as my dad has a full-blown Major Briggs from Twin Peaks haircut.
Premises:
- No side-effects that affects others for reasons stated above. Regaine’s effect on my desired area is dubious at best from what I’ve been able to gather and thus I’m not too psyched up on getting on it. Propecia’s side-effects are too severe for me to ever risk. I ardently want to fix my situation and would do close to anything to fix it, if only to alleviate my despairing feeling of helplessness... but I won’t risk something that could affect my relationship in ways like that drug can.
- Affordable unless it’s the holy grail. Currently I use Toppik concealers which is easily affordable. I could also afford Regaine currently, just to illustrate my current economical situation. However I can’t spend thousands on various products just to see if they are what they promise. I also believe such a thing would be unscientific as it would be close to impossible to determine what worked if I went on a binge and bought whatever kindled my hope. I am inherently somewhat skeptical. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to believe, I just find believing that much easier if someone can display irrefutable proof, science or similar. Don’t let that discourage any input from you guys though. If someone indeed has the holy grail (or something relatively close), I couldn’t care less about money, regardless of cost.
- “The danish situationâ€. By this I don’t refer to some calorie-heavy bakery but the mentality regarding this in Denmark; we’re a very small country (5 mio. People), we style ourselves “the happiest country in the world†and it’s quite a taboo to admit you’ve got a problem. Or rather that you’re affected by a problem. If you’re not one of those “happiest peopleâ€, you’d better get happy or you’d better change your outlook on life – not yourself in a cosmetic sense. As such the industry for HT’s and availability of medication is very limited. Regaine recently became available without perscription, but Finasteride (Propecia) requires a perscription and the majority of doctors would rather send you to psychologist than writing such a perscription. Most doctors wouldn’t even mention it as a possibility. HT’s are disregarded as an option. Here it’s Regaine which they admit rarely works as desired... or sucking it up.
These premises might seem unfair and greedy. Admittedly they possibly are. I want the results but apparently not enough to take the high risks. The reasons for this have been stated above and aren’t up for discussion. Please keep that in mind when/if you want to comment on this and help me.
And that is what I would appreciate most of all: Feedback, opinions, comments on my post. It gives me a feeling of taking action instead of waiting in apathy, and that feeling, even as I write this, is wonderful. I’d cherish every single reply.
List of what I have considered and why.
- Renokin: I’ve considered this recently since I read about it a couple of days ago. Basically the no side-effects coupled with a science somewhat resembling Histogen appeals to me. However, I have so far been unable to dig up any concrete evidence to its success as well as people having experience with it. I’ve always been unable to find the price for it. At any rate I’m not sure it’s worth the money and would like to know more about it. I am, however, skeptical; they make it out to be the holy grail on their website yet if it really was, it’d cause reverberations throughout the world in news and, most definitely, on forums such as these.
- Revivogen: Basically I’ve heard it to be crap. I’ve read alot of user feedback saying it’s crap. I have, however, also heard people praising it because it has no sides and that it actually works really well overall, including on the temples and frontal hair which is of my immediate concern. It also appeals to me because it’s natural. I’m in no way a tree-hugging hippie and I’ve always believed rigorously in science, but fact remains that in some racial groups like Indians, baldness is virtually non-existant. That might be genetically or it might be for other reasons. Whatever the case I won’t write natural treatments and/or ingredients off. Also... user feedback is great. It is, however, often as not made by people who aren’t being reasonable about it or have had high expectations crushed, despite some improvements actually taking place.
- LLLT: I’ve read we’re not plants. I’ve heard it’s crap. I know some people make the fact that it is FDA approved into gospel and proof that it’s JUST GREAT. However, I can’t help but question whether it’s possible or not. I know hairs can be removed by laser technology and I know biostimulation isn’t impossible, so while I am very skeptical I won’t just write it off. Especially not since a site like “Overmachogrande†apparently got some followers that adhere to it ardently. At any rate, if I was to jump on the bandwagon I’d definitely look into one of those “LaserMessiahsâ€. As always though... I’d love enlightenment and opinion. And knowledge about price to assemble such a LaserMessiah, if it does indeed work.
- Tom’s Scalp Excersise + Brewer’s Yeast/Minerals: A guy named Tom Hagarty (if memory serves) made these excersises a long time ago. I’ve considered it as a supplementary treatment on top of whatever else I decide to do because the guy seems rather honest and open about it and doesn’t make any wild promises. I’ve heard it recommended along with a mineral boost with B-vitamins, Brewer’s Yeast and other stuff.
- American Crew products: Got no idea about them, seems rather new. Stuff like what can be found on: http://www.amazon.com/American-Crew-Tri ... d_sim_bt_6
- Hair Transplant: Done properly I guess this would be a good permanent solution. However, I am doubt regarding the following aspects:
• am I eligible with my age and type of hairloss? If yes, what type of transplant would be best? How many grafts and price would be reasonable to expect? Can I expect to be forced to get several transplants later? I am aware that if I get the dad/Major Briggs hairloss I would simply lack donor area to cover my head. Hair cloning might alleviate that problem but is that possible in the future at a remotely affordable price?
• Are there any top-notch hair transplant doctors in Europe? If yes, who, where? Are they as good as abroad?
• Are HT’s “compatible†with reasonably long hair? Currently I’m having hair much like Josh Holloway, which I’d very much like to keep but which I find harder and harder due to the thinning frontal hair.
• How long does it generally take to recover after a hair transplant? I know you can walk about few days after, but I’m referring to when it becomes “invisibleâ€. Also, how dense can a hair transplant become? I’ve suspected guys like George Clooney for having one since he had receding temples in ER, but now he’s insanely densely packed with no signs of recession. Is such a result even attainable to mere mortals?
As for all these treatments I am also curious to know if:
- People have experienced any side-effects.
- What is the price for these from you people’s experience?
- What are the effects in your experience?
- Do you know how the availability is for a guy living in Denmark?
- Any tips to how they are applied?
And perhaps most importantly: What else should I consider besides the abovementioned? It’s a jungle out there and I am open towards anything as long as it fills my abovementioned criteria. So if you got any suggestions then let them out!
Alternatives to treatments:
As I mentioned earlier I am using Toppik which has helped me but of course isn’t a solution by any means. However, I am always keen to hear about alternatives to treatment. I have a pragmatic view towards this; if a hairpiece that would stick on perfectly 24/7, require little maintenance and looked 100% natural was available I’d jump on that bandwagon immediately with no second thoughts. In this regard I’m not too occupied with how I achieve my goal, as long as it is achieved.
So please, bring on your alternatives.
Ending comments:
First of all thanks if you’ve taken the time to read all this. I’ve written this as both a cry for help and a sort of therapy for myself in the – perhaps vain – hope that a solution presents itself. At any rate I have probably rambled quite a bit and given information that hasn’t been crucial or important, but it feels amazing letting it all out like this. Before I end, however, I have a few departing questions...
- What does the future realistically look like, and how far off is it? What is the worst/best/average case-scenario, if such a thing can be presented?
- What is your view on headgear? Hats and those warm, slightly fashionable woolen winter hats alot of people (and for some reason rastas) tend to wear? I’m not a fan of caps so if all else fails and I choose to shave it off, I’d probably pursue the road of hats. Might as well become eccentric and stand out than hide in the corner (even though I shiver at the thought as I write this
). - What is your view on all this and my situation in particular?
Again, thanks for taking the time and, I hope, thanks for all the feedback.
P.S. Pictures will be up soon.