Came across this site last week and I've got to say, that its opened my eyes to hair loss. It seems like a great community, and it feels really good to hear about other people's experiences with hair loss.
My Story
Here's my story. Since I was about 18/19 I've had very mild hair loss. It was so small that it wasn't even noticable, by me or anyone else. I used regaine a for two periods of about a month each, but it was such a hassle, & my hair loss was so small that I never persevered with it. To be honest I doubted that I even really had hair loss, and only panicked a few times - otherwise it didn't bother me.
Anyway, a few months before I turned 23 (about 8 months ago now) my hair loss seemed to increase quite a lot. At the time I had started to grow my hair longer for the first time in my life, so I'm not sure if this apparent increased hair loss was genuine, or that it just seemed like I was loosing more hair because the hairs that were falling out were longer.
I started to worry, & did a little research on the internet. I didn't want to use regaine because it was too much hassle, & I didn't think that it would really help me. But while researching, I found out about propecia. I finally plucked up the courage to see my doctor about it, and mentionned this specific product (i.e. propecia/finasteride): but she hadn't even heard of it & was absolutely no help at all, and basically said that 'if its going to happen, its going to happen, & there's nothing you can do about it'. So I kind of gave up.
As the months went on, the hair loss continued, and I talked to my dad about it (he is fully bald, and had been through all this himself), and he tried to get a procepia prescription from his doctor, or at least see if it was possible to get one, but the response he got was that they just weren't interested. I tried getting it from relatives living abroad, but no luck.
So last week I bit the bullet, overcame my fears of ordering online (I'm worried the pills might not be real), and ordered from http://www.inhousepharmacy.co.uk/ 2 boxes of Propecia (not the generic stuff). Its a little expensive, but I figure its worth it for the peace of mind.
Well, it arrived in the post today, and a few hours ago I just took my first tablet (WOOHOO!). A few days ago I also started to use Nizoral, and intend to use it 2x a week.
My Family History
Dad & dad's side of the family: lots of hair loss. I seem to be following the same pattern as my dad - he was completely bald by at least 40, with serious thinning by 30.
Males on my mum's side have very good hair, though my mum herself has weak hair, and has slight diffuse thinning.
My Hair Loss
Becasue I have very long hair (think Shaggy, from Scooby Doo), my hair loss isn't really very noticeable, and I can cover the little slivers of scalp visible with my long hair fixed with hair clips.
I think I'm a diffuse thinner: a little loss around the crown, but generally thinning at the top & front. Doesn't seem to be much recession of the hair line at all though.
If I can keep what I have, and maybe thicken it up a little bit, then that would be great. More than anything, the thought that you're 'decaying' when you're only 23 is horrible. But now I've picked up my weapons, & I'm ready to go into battle with Mr. male pattern baldness.
Anyway, I just wanted to document all of that, & officially join the community. I'll try and update, & generally use this thread to vent. Any comments would be appreciated. Also, can anyone tell me whether Propecia can help with frontal hair loss?
My Story
Here's my story. Since I was about 18/19 I've had very mild hair loss. It was so small that it wasn't even noticable, by me or anyone else. I used regaine a for two periods of about a month each, but it was such a hassle, & my hair loss was so small that I never persevered with it. To be honest I doubted that I even really had hair loss, and only panicked a few times - otherwise it didn't bother me.
Anyway, a few months before I turned 23 (about 8 months ago now) my hair loss seemed to increase quite a lot. At the time I had started to grow my hair longer for the first time in my life, so I'm not sure if this apparent increased hair loss was genuine, or that it just seemed like I was loosing more hair because the hairs that were falling out were longer.
I started to worry, & did a little research on the internet. I didn't want to use regaine because it was too much hassle, & I didn't think that it would really help me. But while researching, I found out about propecia. I finally plucked up the courage to see my doctor about it, and mentionned this specific product (i.e. propecia/finasteride): but she hadn't even heard of it & was absolutely no help at all, and basically said that 'if its going to happen, its going to happen, & there's nothing you can do about it'. So I kind of gave up.
As the months went on, the hair loss continued, and I talked to my dad about it (he is fully bald, and had been through all this himself), and he tried to get a procepia prescription from his doctor, or at least see if it was possible to get one, but the response he got was that they just weren't interested. I tried getting it from relatives living abroad, but no luck.
So last week I bit the bullet, overcame my fears of ordering online (I'm worried the pills might not be real), and ordered from http://www.inhousepharmacy.co.uk/ 2 boxes of Propecia (not the generic stuff). Its a little expensive, but I figure its worth it for the peace of mind.
Well, it arrived in the post today, and a few hours ago I just took my first tablet (WOOHOO!). A few days ago I also started to use Nizoral, and intend to use it 2x a week.
My Family History
Dad & dad's side of the family: lots of hair loss. I seem to be following the same pattern as my dad - he was completely bald by at least 40, with serious thinning by 30.
Males on my mum's side have very good hair, though my mum herself has weak hair, and has slight diffuse thinning.
My Hair Loss
Becasue I have very long hair (think Shaggy, from Scooby Doo), my hair loss isn't really very noticeable, and I can cover the little slivers of scalp visible with my long hair fixed with hair clips.
I think I'm a diffuse thinner: a little loss around the crown, but generally thinning at the top & front. Doesn't seem to be much recession of the hair line at all though.
If I can keep what I have, and maybe thicken it up a little bit, then that would be great. More than anything, the thought that you're 'decaying' when you're only 23 is horrible. But now I've picked up my weapons, & I'm ready to go into battle with Mr. male pattern baldness.
Anyway, I just wanted to document all of that, & officially join the community. I'll try and update, & generally use this thread to vent. Any comments would be appreciated. Also, can anyone tell me whether Propecia can help with frontal hair loss?