Lain's story-(32 year old Aussie with a NW2) (I quit-pg. 4)

[lain]

Hi all.

I am an almost 31 year old Aussie with a NW2 starting its way to a NW3. Till about the age of 22 I was a NW1, then I noticed some hair disappear at my temples. I was quite devastated (although the loss was so minimal) and it made a huge impact for my confidence for most of my 20s. Had I known that my hair would have kept this well I would have not nearly as worried. Something I don't intend doing in the future.

As you can see the progress is quite slow and I don't mind a NW2 look, however its getting to the point where the loss is more apparent and my hair style of choice is harder to pull off :hairy:

Anyway, 6 weeks ago I decided to do something about my hair loss, I started using minoxidil liquid (first Rogaine/Regain brand, now Hair-A-Gain), 4 days ago I started taking Propecia and using Nizoral 2%, mainly due to the information I found on these forums.

Even though its a bit early I will post some pictures this weekend to show the tiny hairs growing on my temples (left temple actually). minoxidil did take my hair a step back due to the shedding but I'm seeing growth in an area that is (was) bald, so I its only a matter of time before stronger hair replaces my shed hair. Though I have not actually seen that many hairs fall out over the last 6 weeks.

 

[Guest]

Sounds good, just be patient and you will see results. Good Luck with your hair!

 

[lain]

Thanks Taugenichts.

Now here for some photos. They were taken just after towel I dried my hair from a shower and applied minoxidil liquid to my temples.

Front shot (10 December 06)

Looks like there is a balding area in the middle, but its just the angle or something.

My Right temple (today):

Im not really noticing much of a change here, both in the minoxidil shedding and regrowth.

My Left temple (today):

Well the hair loss is kinda progressing up now so its not just the temple. This side is probably looks worse than the Right. I am noticing tiny dark hairs growing near the top of the temple both on the hairline and in the bold area. However the camera did not pick this up. lol its not my imagination!

This side is also looking a bit diffuse. This is new for me because before hair would only get weaker and fall out on the hairline.

Dry hair (today):

Hair dried after showering with 2% nizoral and applying minoxidil liquid. White bits is the dandruff... dont worry I dont go out like this!

So, i have now been on minoxidil for 6 full weeks and propecia for 1 week. Like mentioned before I noticed new hairs mostly in my left temple, but overall I think my hairline deteriorated a little.

Side effects:

Take with a grain of salt cos when u know u taking things that cause people side effects you tend to be over sensitive to every little change.

Some days the dandruff looks worse then others, i cant quite pick why.

Chest pains in the last week or so, I'm not sure what is to blame me or my regimen, but I've had chest pains before.

Red blemish on my forehead which im sure is due to minoxidil cos it appeared after i started using it. Im applying some moisturizer to it and it seems to be disappearing... but slowly.

Skin imperfections almost like tiny pimples, this I noticed only last week (since taking propecia). LOL though it could be the moisturizing cream im applying for the red blemish on my forehead.

Thats it I think.

 

[Relient2]

I think your hair looks good especially in the last picture I think it looks completely normal.

 

[lain]

Yes thanks, I think its thanks to it being out of focus and "good" lighting. Here is a more un-flattering shot.



I'm really hoping that my regimen replaces those vellus hairs on my temples with strong healthy ones and perhaps fills in my hairline more. I don't really mind if the position on my temples stays the same.

ohh and BTW my hairdresser should be shot! he cut it so it totally accentuates my temples... looking like a light bulb.

 

[Far Too Young]

The only thing that really looks questionable about your hair (at your age) is the way the hairline is sort of chiseled. There's probably not much fixing the uneven look. But staying on the propecia with the seeming timidity of you male pattern baldness should halt it where it is. You're a lucky one.

 

[Guest]

For someone in his 30s your hairline doesn´t look too bad imho. Somewhere between Norwood 2 and 2.5. The overall deterioration of your hairline might be caused by a minoxidil shed. There is a good chance that you see an improvement soon and that the new hair on your temples turns terminal.

 

[lain]

The overall deterioration of your hairline might be caused by a minoxidil shed. There is a good chance that you see an improvement soon and that the new hair on your temples turns terminal.

Cool, im glad u came to the same conclusion as me cos my hairline on the left hand side has been getting worse and worse faster since I started minoxidil.

Im thinking 4 or so months should reveal if my hairline returns to base as hopefully new hairs (replacing those shed by minoxidil) reach the same length as the healthy hairs.

Cheers everyone!

 

[Itsonlyinmyhead]

to be quite honest, if my hairline was as good as yours in my 30s I would be proud

 

[Trash]

i m sorry to have to tell you that your hair is great at the age of 31....

 

[haunted-ballroom]

Your hair looks awesome! Its pretty much full head of hair! V-hairlines look good IMO. Dosnt look like you are balding, but as they say prevention and all that....

 

[lain]

lol! Thanks everyone! Its good to hear your comments.

haunted-ballroom: yah I agree, some temple recession can look quite good.

Trash & Itsonlyinmyhead: All through my 20s I was down on myself cos of it, but now that I'm in my 30s I realize that my hair kept pretty well and I'm pretty lucky. heres to at least 10 more years! :lol:

 

[lain]

Hi all. I have been asked to provide an update so here goes:

I have been on minoxidil for almost 8 weeks and 3 weeks on propecia.

My hairline/temple, specificaly the left side is continuing to thin/shed. My right side which has always been stronger is doing fine (no new growth that I can see though). The new hairs on my left temple continue to grow and maybe there are a few more, but besides it being a positive response to minoxidil is nothing to get too excited about yet. This thining is proably a continuation of my male pattern baldness and minoxidil shedding. Its to be expected I guess as it will take a while for the newer better hairs to grow and reach full length and propecia can take a few good months to show positive signs.

So yah, im getting further away from my baseline and further away from my original target of thickening up the thinning areas and maybe growing some new hair in previously bald areas (this is kind of a success). But im in it for the long run.

Side effects which I can attribute to propecia are probably more watery sperm and I wank once every 2 days instead of daily. lol too much info!

 

[lain]

So its been 2 months popping pills and 3 months rubbing my hairline... and its still getting slighly worse. The tiny patch of hair that I noticed growing in the top of my left temple at week 6 has grown longer, but its nothing ground breaking. Right hand side of my hairline has stayed the same, but this side has always looked far stronger. I was/am really hoping that the hair I had on baseline will thicken up.

Im not noticing any increased shedding (shower maybe 10 to 20 hairs in my hands after a vigurous conditioning application, but I condition once a week).

Im thinking that the generic brand of minoxidil I am using is not as effective as the first bottle of rogain I used, so I plan on getting some foam from ebay in the next 2 weeks and start using it in the mornings + finish off the 2.5 bottles of the generic liquid at night.

Propecia: dont know if its doing anything, and I am not really expecting it to yet, so lets talk about side effects.

A friend whom I rarely see told me that I am a bit chubby in the face. I also noticed this, could be either water retention from minoxidil or me just getting chubby as I have moved back home and enjoy regular meals

My libido seems satisfactory and there are no problems with mechanics

I have been feeling tired and take afternoon naps, I really have a screwed sleeping pattern. Not sure if this is the propecia or just not having my life in order. Time will tell as I attempt to live a regular life (was on holidays so I would stay up real late, plus going through a break up). I mostly feel tired and unmotivated when I am alone, I seem fine when I am doing everyday (work/school) things.

I am using Nizoral once a week as my scalp felt more sensitive and irritable when I used it twice a week.

Keeping my hopes up is all I can do at this time!

ps I might post some pictures tomorrow if they show a marked difference (either negative or positive)

 

[Lorenzo_91]

Keep up the good work. You hair looks Fantastic. Keep us posted on the progress at the temples. I think that is the only place you need minoxidil. Propecia should allow you to keep the rest of your hair intact and much healthier.

 

[lain]

OK almost 5 months since I started liquid minoxidil treatment (04/11/06) and 3.5 packets of Propecia gone.

The reason for this post is that this week i started using foam in the mornings (I feel my regimen needed a boost) and liquid at night, until my liquid supply runs.

This week I also noticed more positive signs with lots of tiny darker than vellus hairs growing in the left temple. This has been the first positive sign that I have seen since about the 6th week where I saw some hairs starting to grow in the left temple. My right temple has remained the same. However I still feel that the left temple is continuing to thin, Im not sure if its shedding or male pattern baldness. Time will tell.

My right temple is still the same, I cant see any improvement or thinning.

I think that my shedding has increased slightly recently, but its only marginal and I probably would not say that as of yet I have "shedding".

Aside of some chest pains or a strong heart beat here and there I dont notice anything else. Actually the foam burns a bit just after I apply it.

Now here are the pics. Nothing has really changed I might add, but I feel that the area left of my widows peak has gotten thinner, anyone see this?

The pictures were taken just after I applied the foam to me temples. I put the nozzle near my head and sqeeze a bit, then rub it in. Im really not sure how to do it :S lol any advice would be appreciated.


Please note that I flip the full view picture so when I say left, its actually left on the screen.

left temple


right temple

 

[bababa]

Your hair looks a hell of alot thicker than before, but that may have something to do with its length. Your temples look pretty dame good at that length too.

As a fellow aussie, where are you getting your foam from? I'm wanting to source some myself, but havent had much luck past ebay and the rogain site.

Peace...

 

[Sir Guy of Frizzbourne]

Your hair looks awesome dude. I for one like the uneven look as well as the widow's peak. Looks kinda like Colin Farrel's.

 

[lain]

Thanks guys.

Yeah I reckon the length makes my hair look thicker.

As a fellow aussie, where are you getting your foam from? I'm wanting to source some myself, but havent had much luck past ebay and the rogain site.

I got it from ebay http://stores.ebay.com.au/WOWthatwasCHEAP. I think I paid about AU$90 with freight for 4 cans. Took less than 2 weeks to arrive. I heard that store mentioned here before, so I used them, they are pretty good.

 

[lain]

alright ladies and gents, another update after 2 months of foam. While I still think I am going backwards, photos (I think) show otherwise. I really dont know how to explain it. I think my density is decreasing while I'm getting slight new growth.

So Im guessing foam is more effective than the liquid and its about time propecia started doing its thing too.

Left:


Right

Just a note, you can see in the right temple picture, extra hair near the eyebrows. I dont really mind it though.