Folliman
Established Member
- Reaction score
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tl;dr: Born with a high "NW2" hairline with no temple recession (picture Ellen Page's hairline). Currently left temple is NW1.5 and Right is NW2. Thinning Further.
Regime: finasteride 1MG ED. nizoral once a week.
Here's what I've experienced...
Month 1
Week1
-About 70% Lower Libido.
-No problems achieving erection.
-Mild Testicular pain on random days for about 10-20 mins.
-I *feel* my testicles more than I used to. They feel different.
-No change in shower shedding compared to pre finasteride shedding. (about 20-30 hairs).
-No oily skin or acne except the days I went off the medication for unrelated to finasteride reasons (Saturday and Sunday). I usually don't suffer from those problems.
Week2
-Same as week 1, except I stopped *feeling my testicles more*. I guess I just got used to the new feeling.
-For 2 days I had to go to the bathroom to urinate a lot more often. About once every hour.
-I noticed my temple ache ceased completely. Before finasteride, even the slightest handling of temple hair would hurt real bad. I'm not sure if this was the case last week.
Week 3
-So far so good. All side effects completely gone.
Week 4
-Noticed increased shedding in the shower the past few days. It used to be 20-30, now it's 50+. No significant cosmetic changes in my head yet though. Some days it looks worse, some days it looks better.
-Scalp ache when handling temple hair is still gone. I'm taking that as a good sign.
Month 2
No sexual side effects. I got a slightly greasy nose and scalp. The nose doesn't bother me, I can just wipe it, and Nizoral dries my hair back up. I only got that minor side effect this month.
There were 2 or 3 instances this month where I could feel a little bit of hair follicle inflammation in the middle of my scalp but the sensation went away quickly (In about 20 mins every time). No inflammation in my temple area.
Here's my hair count in the shower for the last 10 days. I actually counted them one by one but this is an estimate. For this, I ran my fingers through my hair many times without being harsh. On the day I counted 102 hairs I used nizoral, I feel like this must be important to mention.
- 37
- 55
- 34
- 54
- 71
- 45
- 41
- 40
- 74
- 102 [nizoral]
The numbers make it seem like it's getting worse, but I don't see any negative impact on my head.
On the right temple (my worst side) I'm starting to see a group of vellus hairs sprouting out, hope they grow out to become terminal hair. I don't feel a big difference for the left one. I think maybe the hair is getting longer there but I can still see my scalp through it.
Overall, hair looks about the same as last month. No significant cosmetic difference, maybe just very slightly better. I think finasteride is thickening the middle of the scalp first and it will then spread the effect to the temples. Staying hopeful.
Month 3
No side effects at all. I had one instance where I felt folicular inflammation at the beginning of the month but that's it. I'm starting to notice a cosmetic difference all over my head, especially around my ears. The texture of the hair on top feels the same as the back.
-The thinning of my left temple is now only visible when my hair is wet or I move my hair to a side to see it, but I think most people wouldn't notice.
-The thinning of the right temple however is still noticeable, I'm doing a mini comb-over to conceal it. Right temple peak is also still thin.
-The majority of the hairs I've regrown are around 3mm now. A few, closer to my hairline, have reached 5mm. Most of them are on the right side of my hairline (my bad side). I don't want to sing victory yet but it looks like that side is willing to go back to Norwood 1.5.
I didn't count my hair shedding in the shower this month because I got a haircut and the number was going to be biased; I'm doing it again for next month. However, most of the hair I saw falling was thick hair, which to me it means that the short thin hairs are staying in and getting a chance to get longer.
I calculate that If I keep improving at this same rate, my hair loss will be unnoticeable by month 6. Fingers crossed!
To be continued. More updates as time goes by...
Month 4
No side effects.
This month I decided to start taking Biotin (1000mcg) because I've read "it can't hurt." I also changed my shampoo to a biotin based one to help from the outside too. My scalp has been itchier recently but I think it's because I stopped using shampoo for flakes (Head&Shoulders). However, I haven't gotten flakes back I believe because I keep using nizoral once a week.
Overall, my hair looks better than last month.
I'm 80% Satisfied with my left side
The thinning area on my right side started to thicken up on the part closest to the centre of my scalp. In other words, the thin area is getting smaller!
The thinning is still noticeable but I feel like it's a tad easier to hide now. Most of the hair strands I've regrown are about .5 cm but there's a few (like 3 or 4) that have grown to be up to 2cm.Right temple peak is still thin, but it MAY have improved a little.
Here's my hair count in the shower for the past ten days:
1. 56
2. 55
3. 45
4. 46
5. 68
6. 33 [nizoral]
7. 42
8. 47
9. 53
10. 46
It's somewhat better than two months ago.
I think I'll be counting hairs once every two months for my sanity and because I think the difference will be more obvious than comparing month by month.
Month 5
No side effects. I changed my dose to .5MG for economic reasons since I've been responding well to the medication and the effectiveness of .5MG seems to be as good as 1MG though I might go back to 1MG if I get too paranoid. I don't think biotin has done much if anything, but I'll keep taking it.
Hair is slightly thicker than last month and the thinning area smaller but still visible, specially when it's wet. I think I'm getting a "second wave" of vellus hair but most of the ones from the first wave haven't even made it to 1cm, it's really thin (still happy I'm at least getting some form of regrowth). I noticed my hair looks a lot better after using nizoral because it makes it puffier; maybe I'll start using it twice a week instead of just once. And I'm still not sure if my right temple peak is improving but if I had to bet I would say it improved a little bit.
As for my current status I would say I'm nearly solid NW1.5 (previously thinning hair grew to 1.5 inches)on the left side and a diffuse Norwood 1.75 on the right side.
Psychological experience: Some days my hair looks as bas as day 1 but I think that's just my mind combined with bad hair days. Slanted hairlines suck, but I prefer this than being 1.75 on both sides. I'm keeping my expectations realistic. I hope I at least get to solid NW1.75 on that side, I'm not expecting crazy regrowth.
Month 6
No side effects. My hair status is aesthetically the same as last month, but I think I improved a bit more.
Important: I had a major surgery at the beginning of this month so I am expecting telogen effluvium in the next few months. That being said I had a pleasing surprise in the shower this month...
Here's my hair count for the past few days:
26
32 [nizoral]
21
16
15
25 [nizoral]
38
47 <- this one is a rough estimate since I lost count quite a few times this day. Sorry!
31
28
25 [nizoral]
If all the vellus hairs I've regrown became terminal hairs I'd be a happy Norwood 1.5 on both sides
see you next month!
Month 7
No side effects. I switched back to 1MG. No big changes hairwise; my status is about the same, maybe just a little bit better. I think The vellus hairs might be a little darker?
To be continued. More updates as time goes by...
Month 8
No side effects. Another very small improvement. I would still classify myself as Norwood 1.5 with diffuse temples. (My hair looks Norwood 2 when wet)
On the bright side, the center of my hairline is looking pretty good. I don't have as many baby hairs as I used to Pre-finasteride. The only thing that bothers me now is the temples; mostly the right one. The right one has always been more receded but now it just looks more diffuse, giving the illusion that it is more receded.
No change in the temple points.
Shower hair count in the last 10 days:
54 <- (build up from not washing my hair thoroughly??)
14
17
22 [nizoral]
22
20
28 [nizoral]
?? Didn't wash my hair this day.
30
30
Overall my shedding is minimal compared to when I started; I rejoice the days I shed <20. makes me feel like things are going in the right direction. I just wish the change was more cosmetically significant. Things are going a lot slower than I expected but HEY at least it's improving a little. I'll give it 4 more months.
Extra: This month I experimented with topical Panthenol DL but it doesn't seem to be helping. I bought a two month supply and I'll keep using it till it runs out.
To be continued. More updates as time goes by...
Month 9
No side effects. Hair seems to be improving another tiny bit. Still looks bad when wet but looks decent when I make my thinning hair go in the same direction as the rest; blends a little better. It seems like I'll end up using minoxidil after all. I'd like to avoid it since it ages your skin. Also Panthenol didn't do anything
If I had to say number, I'd say my density has improved 5-10% after 9 months of daily use and I've regrown vellus hair only, no terminal ones. Not a really a lot, but the improvement is welcome.
extra thoughts: I was hoping more improvement since my hair loss isn't that bad and it's slow but it's true that finasteride is mostly for maintenance after all. I'm thinking of using the seti+finasteride combo in the future. Maybe my chances of thickening will be a lot better.
Month 10
No side effects and no big cosmetic difference, but I am growing a stray hair in the middle of my hairline for the past two months, that will help me keep track of my progress. When it grew the first time it was about .5cm then it fell but now it's growing back again and it's about .8cm.
Hair count in the shower is ok
- 25
- 52
- 41
- lost count but about 30
- 29
- 23
- 28
- 20
- 24
- 20 [nizoral]
I've been reading more and more about the Prostaglandin protocol and I decided to use nizoral less often since it inhibits PGE2. I am also taking topical and oral castor oil now. I'm taking 1MG twice a day and I leave the topical overnight. The idea is to have ricinocleic acid in my system for as much time as possible.
I'll also be microneedling as soon as my derminator arrives.
I would like to change the title of this thread to "My no minoxidil experience" since I'm deviating from my original idea as I learn more. I just don't know how to change it.
Month 11
No side effects. I switched to 1.25MG of finasteride daily because it's cheaper. I've seen some thickening this month on the right temple and I attribute it to the fact that I added, castor oil, rosemary oil and microneedling to my regime. I also stopped nizoral completely in favour of the PG protocol. My stray hair from last month grew to be longer than 1cm. Adding stemoxydine soon. Really excited!
I'm going mostly for thickening but regrowth will be welcome.
My regime will be as following:
1MG finasteride daily (Reduce PG Damage by blocking DHT)
Topical castor oil (fake pge2)
1ML oral castor oil twice a day. (fake pge2)
Dermiantor once a week (growth factors)
Topical Rosemary oil daily (endogenous PGD2)
Stemoxydine daily (stimulates progenitor cells)
Sulfasalazine is out of the question since I'm allergic.
The only thing I'm missing is stemox that I ordered online, but will arrive in a week or two. I won't consider I'm on the Prostaglandin protocol (at least a weaker version of it) until I apply stemox for the first time, but I think my hair has thickened a little regardless. Also considering Tocotrienols.
Started Norwood 1.5 with thinning in the Norwood 2 area, now I'd say I'm 1.5 with noticeable thinning in the in the 1.75 area.
My right side is a bit more more receded but the left side is slightly thinner. I'm going to try to focus on the left when needling and see how it goes...
edit: [quick update] Just found two stray hairs on each temple.
12 Months
No side effects. Finally a year! I would say I'm still a Norwood 1.5 with thinning in the NW2 Area, but it's not as noticeable as it used to be. After one year my hair has definitely not gotten any worse, which is a success!
I can't tell exactly what my Norwood is because it can look good or bad depending on the day, hairstyle, humidity, etc. What I said is just an estimate.Here's my haircount in the shower for the past 10 days...
- 27
- 32
- 34
- lost count, but about 30
- 20
- 21
- 30
- 35
- 30
- 50
Not really a lot of change generally but compared to month 2 (when I actually started counting) it's a HUGE improvement!
According to the FDA finasteride graph I still have one year of assured stabilization before it starts going downhill. If the alternate treatment I posted last month doesn't work I'll just hop on min while I wait for seti to hit the market and be cured with the PG protocol.
I'll also be keeping my eye on Replicel, Histogen and Follica. By 2020 we will have so many more options besides the Big 3, and I expect that by 2025 bald people will be bald by choice.
