sertraline said:
I don't particularly want to wait till it gets worse before doing something about it.
You say the pharmacist refused to prescribe you Propecia, what did you take instead? Can I not get that without a prescription? Would starting a course of Finasteride, Nizoral and minoxidil, for example, be advised for my hair the way it is, especially as I would actually like to regain some haireline if possible?
Im not going to advise you on anything here due to the risks that can be imposed from using treatments and i dont want to feel responsible for things going wrong if they do. What i will tell you is what i know and leave the decision for you to make based on my experience and knowledge.
Finestride is the main active ingredient found in such products such as propecia, fincar and proscar. The difference between them is there manufacturer and dosage. Propecia contains 1mg of finestride (the ingredient that inhibits dht and stops hairloss in 80% of users). Proscar is the pretty much the same only it contains 5mg of finestride and isnt used for hairloss (its used for more serious problems such as preventing prostate enlargement). Fincar on the otherhand i think is 1mg of finestride and is supplied by different manufacturer in a different country. The bottom line is taking finestride is practically the same as taking propecia.
Most prescriptions for these products require seeing a doctor or pharmacist as they can pose serious side effects that can be harmfull to your health. In my ignorance i decided to order on line from united pharmacies for 30 tablets of propecia manufactured by MERC. I took propecia for almost five months before i decided to quit. I gained a little regrowth on my crown and a few hairs on my hairline but at the cost of gyno an fatigue. I still havent fully recovered after four weeks of quiting.
I feel i should tell you propecia isnt guaranteed to work for hairlines so i was lucky to get them few hairs. On the MERC website they only claim propecia works for the crown and vertex of the scalp. So in your case of hairloss propecia might not be beneficial for you unless your still losing hair.
Minoxidil was originally used to lower blood pressure when taken orally but has been made into a topical after discovery that it regrew hair. Minoxidil is a stimulant and has the ability to make hair grow anywhere you place it on your body (as long as there are follicles present). Minoxidil is most effective on the crown and vertex of the scalp but has been discovered to work on hairlines too. Minoxidil in the short term is very impressive providing you are a responder. You can expect to see results in about 2-4 months compared to propecia's 6-12 months. Minoxidil however doesnt stop the underlying cause of hairloss just merely overides its visible effects at best. Furthermore its unlikelly you will grow hair that has been gone for more than 5 years and i wouldnt expect micro hair to become terminal. Most users report growing peach fuzz hair from completelly bald area's so the earlier you use it the better the results will be. I have used minoxidil on my hairline and grew micro hair (0.2cm) into visible hair (1cm) after 7 weeks of usage. I had to discontinue using this due to side effects such as head aches, scalp itchness and severe dandruff. There are much more serious side effects than this but they are more commonly found when taking minoxidil orally.
Nizoral on the otherhand is a shampoo used for getting rid of dandruff and scalp infections. Its believed to be a weak dht blocker that may have some bennefits towards hairloss. Its claimed to be better used in conjunction with other hairloss products when dealing with hairloss as it's not strong enough to beat hairloss by its self. Some users claim it can get rid of the scalp flaking minoxidil induces on to the scalp. The problem with nizoral is it can fry your hair and induce shedding and itching if you use too much of it or leave it on too long (you should only use a few drops no more).
I feel i should mention temple hairloss is a real b**ch to try and regrow hair as it is more sensitive to androgens (what make you lose your hair) than anywhere else on the scalp. Even women can lose a little hair here but not as much as us men.
So what can do you about it? Well the previous treatments mentioned might give you a litte regrowth but you wont get that perfect hairline you once had. The only option for this would be to get a hair transplant or get your scalp lowered. CCS knows more about this and had good results. Again however there's even problems with getting this procedure.
1) Some of the transplanted hair dies.
2) Hair transplants can leave scars (so if it goes wrong you wont be able to shave your head).
3) It might look odd the way the hair is placed. You will have to find a very skilled surgeon to do this properly.
4) If you continue to lose your hair it will leave you a hairline, hair on your back an sides and a masive bald patch making it look unusual.
5) If this happens you wont have enough donor hair from the back and sides to fix the problem.
6) Its very expensive.
What else can you do?
There's a guy called Tom Haggerty at hairlossreversible.com who claims he got regrowth by massaging his scalp twice a day. Go on his website for more information. I remain skeptical but have tried it. It made my scalp feel refreshed but i didnt try it long enough to get regrowth. It apparently takes 8months.
What im doing?
Im looking into copper petides, sod's (supposivelly like minoxidil but without the side effects) and procyanides.
What do i expect?
Hopefully to maintain what i have. Regrowth would be a bonus. No side effects.
If that fails?
Wait for hair multiplication or follicle clonning.
The choice is yours mate. You may want to look into these a bit more. I just gave you a short summary of what options you have available to you in getting your hairline back. If i find anything else i will let you know.
