13 year Finasteride veteran here. Last time I posted my story and my progress was about 11 years ago (I was 2 years into being on Finasteride/Proscar). I think now is the time for an update.
I first realized that I was beginning to bald when I was around 18 or 19 years old when I noticed that my temples started looking more adult-like (the fuzz was lost, the corners sharpened and moved up, creating a v-shape). Once the realization fully dawned on me, it was a moment of sheer panic. I knew that my condition was hereditary and since my father's temples were non-existent (he always had a very narrow ridge of hair remaining and shrinking) I knew what was in store for me. I looked for a solution in the public library (this was before I had a computer or internet). I even went so far as applying urine to my temples (I read about it in a book)! Nothing worked and I just resigned to covering my temples up with my hair.
Back in the day my father always used to cut my hair (and I his). When I was between 20 and 21 years of age, during one of my regular haircuts, my father said to me matter-of-factly looking at my crown (he's a very blunt person) “You're balding here in the backâ€. I wanted to die right there – I couldn't believe it! My worst fears came true. My father has only been greatly receding in the front, Phil Collins style, but his crown was pretty much all filled in. Then I realized that I must have inherited not my father's genes, but those from my mother's side (my grandfather is Norwood 6-7 and so is my uncle!).
For the first time I started examining my whole scalp and realized that I was indeed thinning all over - front, top and back. My temple loss also accelerated and it was beginning to be harder and harder to hide anything. Needless to say, I stopped asking my father to cut my hair (I didn't want to hear any more of his “You're balding†remarks†and found myself a barber. (Note: I am actually quite glad my Dad said something to me back then so early in the game!)
During this time I finally got online and started to learn everything I could about hairloss treatments. I even ordered free Bosley video tapes where they promoted their hair transplants (it was too expensive for me at the time to even think about them and I am glad I was in college and penniless at the time anyway and that I never went with hair transplant at my young age.) I saw Rogain ads, but I didn't want to deal with the mess and the results didn't impress me.
It was around 1997 – 1998, just the time when Propecia finally got approved by FDA. I went in the forums and sites, read everything I could about it (including materials by Spencer Kobren, whose story inspired me and his advise to take Proscar instead of Propecia really helped me financially). I was really frequenting the forums around that time. The forums were filled with people going with the kitchen sink approach. Just as you have today, there were people who were scaring everyone with their side-effect horror stories. However, I realized that balding at my young age (it would be almost another decade until I got married) would be more horrible to me than any small chance of a side-effect. I decided to go strictly the Finasteride way and take nothing else for my hair.
So, I took the plunge and ordered brand-name 30 tablets of Proscar at some online pharmacy (they were giving out prescriptions back then over the internet so I never had to see a doctor) along with a pill cutter. I still remember that that particular batch of Merk Proscar was made in Spain. When the pills arrived, I cut them into fours and I started taking them. Within a month I saw stoppage of loss and thickening of my hair. Each month was getting better and better. The temples were filling in too! I was around 22 y.o. and my new girlfriend would comment how great my hair is and that she wished she had hair like mine! My father never gave me a “balding†remark ever again. Around a year later I came back to the forums and updated everyone on my great progress. After that, I stopped going to hairloss forums, stopped “researching†future hairloss cures and moved on with my life. I also started to skipping Proscar every 5th day.
Well, 13 years since starting on Proscar/Finasteride, I am reporting that I still have most of the hair I regrew on the drug when I was around 22 year of age, in the front, top and back. The drug never lost its effectiveness and my hair was and is thick as ever. There may have been some months in the 13 year time period where I felt my hair was thinner or temples more receded, but it always came back. Also, my body hair was pleasantly reduced but far from eliminated.
Around four months ago I, for the first time in 13 years (I took only Proscar), went on a super cheap generic Finasteride that I bought in Walmart (made by Teva in Israel and approved by FDA – I think it worked just fine, although I was still concerned about it not being Proscar) . When I ran out of it I had a few weeks where I couldn't get to the Doctor to update my proscription, was barely taking any Finasteride (I had to ration pills into smaller pieces and skip many days). When I finally got a new prescription, this time Walmart gave me pills made in India (by Intas). I was unpleasantly surprised, but took that stuff for a week. It was then that I noticed that my crown swirl (which I never really paid attention to much before) MAY HAVE enlarged/thinned a bit. I didn't want to risk further loss and went back to Walmart and asked them for the name-brand Proscar Finasteride. It was much more expensive than their Indian generic (which I kept as a backup) - $135 for Proscar vs $10 for Indian generic, but at least it gave me a peace of mind. We'll see how that goes in a month or two.
What do you guys think? Thanks for reading.
PHOTOS (click to enlarge)
Front (normal)
Front - hairline slicked back
Right-side View:
Left-side View:
Crown swirl:
Crown swirl (harsh light) - may have enlarged in the last month, but I always had a rather large swirl even as a kid:
I first realized that I was beginning to bald when I was around 18 or 19 years old when I noticed that my temples started looking more adult-like (the fuzz was lost, the corners sharpened and moved up, creating a v-shape). Once the realization fully dawned on me, it was a moment of sheer panic. I knew that my condition was hereditary and since my father's temples were non-existent (he always had a very narrow ridge of hair remaining and shrinking) I knew what was in store for me. I looked for a solution in the public library (this was before I had a computer or internet). I even went so far as applying urine to my temples (I read about it in a book)! Nothing worked and I just resigned to covering my temples up with my hair.
Back in the day my father always used to cut my hair (and I his). When I was between 20 and 21 years of age, during one of my regular haircuts, my father said to me matter-of-factly looking at my crown (he's a very blunt person) “You're balding here in the backâ€. I wanted to die right there – I couldn't believe it! My worst fears came true. My father has only been greatly receding in the front, Phil Collins style, but his crown was pretty much all filled in. Then I realized that I must have inherited not my father's genes, but those from my mother's side (my grandfather is Norwood 6-7 and so is my uncle!).
For the first time I started examining my whole scalp and realized that I was indeed thinning all over - front, top and back. My temple loss also accelerated and it was beginning to be harder and harder to hide anything. Needless to say, I stopped asking my father to cut my hair (I didn't want to hear any more of his “You're balding†remarks†and found myself a barber. (Note: I am actually quite glad my Dad said something to me back then so early in the game!)
During this time I finally got online and started to learn everything I could about hairloss treatments. I even ordered free Bosley video tapes where they promoted their hair transplants (it was too expensive for me at the time to even think about them and I am glad I was in college and penniless at the time anyway and that I never went with hair transplant at my young age.) I saw Rogain ads, but I didn't want to deal with the mess and the results didn't impress me.
It was around 1997 – 1998, just the time when Propecia finally got approved by FDA. I went in the forums and sites, read everything I could about it (including materials by Spencer Kobren, whose story inspired me and his advise to take Proscar instead of Propecia really helped me financially). I was really frequenting the forums around that time. The forums were filled with people going with the kitchen sink approach. Just as you have today, there were people who were scaring everyone with their side-effect horror stories. However, I realized that balding at my young age (it would be almost another decade until I got married) would be more horrible to me than any small chance of a side-effect. I decided to go strictly the Finasteride way and take nothing else for my hair.
So, I took the plunge and ordered brand-name 30 tablets of Proscar at some online pharmacy (they were giving out prescriptions back then over the internet so I never had to see a doctor) along with a pill cutter. I still remember that that particular batch of Merk Proscar was made in Spain. When the pills arrived, I cut them into fours and I started taking them. Within a month I saw stoppage of loss and thickening of my hair. Each month was getting better and better. The temples were filling in too! I was around 22 y.o. and my new girlfriend would comment how great my hair is and that she wished she had hair like mine! My father never gave me a “balding†remark ever again. Around a year later I came back to the forums and updated everyone on my great progress. After that, I stopped going to hairloss forums, stopped “researching†future hairloss cures and moved on with my life. I also started to skipping Proscar every 5th day.
Well, 13 years since starting on Proscar/Finasteride, I am reporting that I still have most of the hair I regrew on the drug when I was around 22 year of age, in the front, top and back. The drug never lost its effectiveness and my hair was and is thick as ever. There may have been some months in the 13 year time period where I felt my hair was thinner or temples more receded, but it always came back. Also, my body hair was pleasantly reduced but far from eliminated.
Around four months ago I, for the first time in 13 years (I took only Proscar), went on a super cheap generic Finasteride that I bought in Walmart (made by Teva in Israel and approved by FDA – I think it worked just fine, although I was still concerned about it not being Proscar) . When I ran out of it I had a few weeks where I couldn't get to the Doctor to update my proscription, was barely taking any Finasteride (I had to ration pills into smaller pieces and skip many days). When I finally got a new prescription, this time Walmart gave me pills made in India (by Intas). I was unpleasantly surprised, but took that stuff for a week. It was then that I noticed that my crown swirl (which I never really paid attention to much before) MAY HAVE enlarged/thinned a bit. I didn't want to risk further loss and went back to Walmart and asked them for the name-brand Proscar Finasteride. It was much more expensive than their Indian generic (which I kept as a backup) - $135 for Proscar vs $10 for Indian generic, but at least it gave me a peace of mind. We'll see how that goes in a month or two.
What do you guys think? Thanks for reading.
PHOTOS (click to enlarge)
Front (normal)
Front - hairline slicked back
Right-side View:
Left-side View:
Crown swirl:
Crown swirl (harsh light) - may have enlarged in the last month, but I always had a rather large swirl even as a kid:
unk: