My success story - Rogaine/Nizoral started November 2011

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sfc2010

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Well, OK then. Thought I'd share my results, I believe I can call myself a success story at this point, only 3.5 months in. I just hope progress continues as it has been so far!

I'm currently 45 years old and have always had a thick head of hair - no receding hairline, no thinning visible - that is, until I hit about 42-43 years old... Started seeing some signs of thinning at the top front of my head - nothing on the crown, no receding hairline to speak of - but some slight thinning. Well in the last 12/18 months, that thinning really accelerated to a point where this past Fall I happened to catch myself in the mirror and it just clicked - 'OMG, WTF'. Suddenly I could 'see' what was some slight thinning had become (gulp) nearly bare patches... Holy crap!! For someone that had grown used to thinking of themselves as having no hairloss problems for their adult lives, this was a bit humbling.

Set about researching options last Summer (2011). Tried and bought Laser Comb, but after a couple of months on that I decided to take them up on their 80% refund offer. Not saying it doesn't work, I just had decided upon more research to try a more aggressive approach...

Debated starting finasteride, and have seen all the history and successes with it - but in the end I decided that I would start out trying simply Rogaine Foam 2x / day combined with 2x / week Nizoral 1%. I decided that I would attempt this regimen for starters, applied RELIGIOUSLY with no variance and would make a determination at the end of four months.

I can honestly say that in the 3.5 months since I started in mid-November 2011, I have not missed an application of either. I will say that the application times have shifted around - for example, on a weekend I might not do morning application until 1pm, waiting until after I exercise and sweat my head off and shower late - then 2nd application around midnight before bed - but most days it's a more regular schedule.

I experienced no shedding that I could notice (though if you see the Day 1 pics, Good Lord, not much to shed ;).

In my experience the Foam is dried enough immediately after application such that I can comb/style, I've been very pleased with how it 'feels', very minimally problematic. While it does leave the hair a bit 'sticky' (as if you had some gel or hair treatment left over in there) - it's certainly no big deal (not to me).

OK - now for the pics. I did my best to use controlled lighting and circumstances for each of these... This is in a closed bathroom (no windows) with my hair styled/cut immediately after a haircut, so all controllable factors are approximately the same. Length, lighting, angle, etc to the best of my ability.

Couldn't figure out how to post inline photos, so I created an album in the other part of the site. Three pics from Day 1, and three pics from today (3.5 months into treatment).

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/profiles/sfc2010/albums/550

I'll continue to update as things progress. I'm convinced I see decent results after just 3.5 months, and can see much new growth coming in even beneath the visible growth evident in the photos.

As you guys I'm sure know you stare and stare and ask "is it really working???" Well I believe I finally think it is (glad I took Day 1 photos!!), and the wife does too... So bravo to all of you for your postings and details, it helped me decide to take the plunge and I'm pleased to report my success (hopefully you all agree it is indeed a success ;).

Will keep you all apprised!

Regards,
Scott
 
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sfc2010

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kc444 said:
Question for you.. when did you begin to see growth?
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That's a murky issue. ;) Like anyone I was constantly 'checking' to see if I could see anything starting... You stare and look at it to a point where you don't know if what you're seeing is growth or just 'stuff that was already there'. But, I'm pretty sure that at some point between 4-6 weeks I was fairly certain I was seeing small hairs around the hairline area start appearing. The hairline is really the only place where I can now reliably say I see 'changes' just looking close in the mirror (even though I don't really have a receding hairline, the Rogaine is definitely sprouting new stuff there and it's my immediate gratification snapshot that I can peek at and see weekly progression up close ;).

It's just too difficult to see daily or weekly 'growth' in the middle of the top of the head, I just can't tell the old from the new hairs apart, so I gave up on that. Don't laugh, but I even went so far as to buy a kid's toy on eBay (magnifier camera thing) to try and 'see' if I could see growth on the scalp itself (like a doctor's camera thing, but a toy). While a cool toy, it didn't provide quite the clarity I was after so I just donated it to the kiddos. ;)

I really wasn't absolutely convinced I was seeing growth until I had two things happen:

1) when I would look in the mirror at different angles and could no longer see the outline of my scalp line thru the hair - this occurred somewhere during the third month, though I thought I could see sprouts after 4-6 weeks
2) when I just reviewed my 3.5 month photos shortly before posting them here

There you go... More info than you bargained for.

Scott
 
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sfc2010

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Clippers22 said:
its not a success story until u make it past the 16 month mark.
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Hmmm I missed that time requirement in the 'Success Stories' forum instructions (i.e., "it's not a success story unless you make it past 16 months") - thought this was simply a forum to encourage others when evidence of promising results are undeniably evident... At least that's what I read as the forum guidelines.

I know from my perspective when beginning treatment the first question I had in my mind - as I'm sure was in yours too when you started - was "how soon will I see results?" -- and I looked high and low for posts that demonstrated answers to those questions. How things looked after 12, or 16, or 24 months for that matter was not nearly as important to me - I wanted to know how quickly I'd start seeing progress.

So I'll respectfully disagree with you here Clippers22 - not sure where you get the magic 16 month 'success' marker - I see plenty of posts describing successes at much less that that (i.e., what if it starts falling out at 18 or 24 months? Was it still a 'success' at 16 months then?) but I'll say that 1) I'm extremely pleased with the regrowth I've had in the front, 2) the pics speak for themselves and 3) I thought this progress was worth sharing and would encourage anyone considering starting treatment...

It's a long-term journey here for sure for all of us, but for those folks wanting to know whether successful frontal regrowth is possible after 4 months of religious treatment, I offer my details as encouragement... No one can predict the future, but for now, "so far so good".

I will, of course update as time progresses. ;)
 
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sfc2010

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Clavicle said:
Wow! fantastic results. :bravo: And this is with the half a capfull/1 mL dosage?
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Well I've found it difficult to 'precisely' meter the foam... I don't fill the actual cap, I just eyeball it in an attempt to get 1/2 capful... But the wife says she thinks I'm using more than that judging by the size of the glob. ;)

I will say that my first month I got about 5 weeks out of the can, 2nd and 3rd months I got right at 4 weeks or so out of each can, and the 4th month I got around 3.5 weeks out of it... So I suppose I'm using close to the directed amount.

That, plus the Nizoral 2x / week on Mondays and Thursdays. Haven't missed a single application of Foam or nizoral in that four-plus month timeframe (not yet, at least).

I too am curious how things hold up over longer term... I'll keep you updated.
 
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baldboy

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thanks so much for posting your results and story sfc2010! this is very encouraging! i just started Rogaine (w/ Nizoral which I been using for a while) literally just this past Saturday and am hoping to get some awesome results.

I've always had thick hair. my hairline is still much better then the average teenager, but i can see it receding. the top i've lost quite a bit, but nothing that is noticible when i shave my head. people say my hair looks pretty thick (even though my head is shaved), but I know compared to a few years ago I've lost quite a bit and am scared that one day I'll wake up and it'll be like your day 1 pictures.

but your results are so very encouraging. i feel I can get my hair back to an acceptable level with nirzoral/rogaine after seeing your results!

can you please post your results from this month??? i am very curious to see how much your hair has changed since February.
 
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Optimistic

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Since you've had a full head of hair until very recently, I'm wondering whether it's male pattern baldness you're really suffering from. With such fast relatively unprecedented results from Minoxidil foam and Nizoral it might be other factors that have contributed to your hairloss. Or promotion for minoxidil foam and Nizoral?
 
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kc444

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Optimistic said:
Since you've had a full head of hair until very recently, I'm wondering whether it's male pattern baldness you're really suffering from. With such fast relatively unprecedented results from Minoxidil foam and Nizoral it might be other factors that have contributed to your hairloss. Or promotion for minoxidil foam and Nizoral?
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His results aren't that unusual. A good responder, sure.. but you can find others who have had similar results in this timeframe.
 
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sfc2010

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Optimistic said:
...Or promotion for minoxidil foam and Nizoral?
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Are you hinting that I may be some sort of 'Rogaine promotion trick' or something? I sure hope not, because that's pretty cynical for someone whose handle is 'Optimistic'... Sheesh I'm just trying to help encourage other folks with what progress I've had - I had no clue how it would work, I'm pleased so far though. I think I'll decide to take your comment as a compliment, however - so 'thank you'. :)

Regarding your thoughts on whether or not what I have is male pattern baldness, I'll provide this add'l detail:

1) my Dad (aged 72 currently) has male pattern baldness and lost most of his frontal area by age 30. Still has sides and a decent vertex but if you took my day 1 pictures and followed them to their eventual conclusion, that's about what he has today - shiny top and front.

2) my younger brother (aged 39 or 40 now?) was much more focused on his appearance really than I ever was, and complained about what he felt was hair loss in his early 30's, he swore to all of us he was losing his frontal hair (not vertex) but most of us didn't really notice much - he indicated frontal/top thinning was his problem starting in his early 30's, was really concerned about it and began using hair loss products himself a decade ago and continues to this day. At present he retains a decent frontal profile but maintains kind of a 'buzz cut' so you wouldn't think 'hair loss' if you saw him. I think if I had been scrutinizing my appearance as closely as he did I'd have probably commenced some form of treatment a few years ago.

3) Most of my Uncles, a few cousins and several male older relatives have some degree of male pattern baldness - very little 'vertex' baldness in our family, but a decent occurrence of frontal/top thinning.

4) As I mentioned above, I first started *noticing* thinning areas a few years ago - I know I said age 42-ish in my first post but as I look at pics on my desk taken in 2006, age 40-ish would probably be more accurate -- I can see photos from that timeframe that, while compared to now look great, have 'areas' where I recall looking and looking back then to see 'is that thinning??' Things really picked up in the last 18-24 months - not new areas of thinning, but areas that had already somewhat thinned accelerated their loss. I think I had the blinders on and did not 'see' what everyone else did until things suddenly 'clicked' last year and I woke up - unlike someone who begins losing early in life, I got 'used' to thinking of myself as someone with no hairloss problems - figured I'd dodged a bullet when I hit 40 and still seemed to have full hairline... But looking back, things were probably underway by then (though I wasn't sure at the time). Even my wife looks at the day 1 pics and goes "WOW".... I say honey, WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING to which she replies "I didn't think it was THAT bad"... ;)

5) Dermatologist of ten years indicated what I was seeing was in fact male pattern baldness (in his opinion)

kc444 - my dermatologist agreed, and somehow thought before I started that I might have a decent probability of some regrowth if only because I'd seen the majority of loss within the last few years... Having seen the results he too however has used the 'good responder' description (he was shocked actually). He too indicated that while these were good results (so far), they weren't completely uncommon - certainly not 'unprecedented' as Optimistic suggested -- he has other patients with solid success as well on same regimen.

I'm under no illusions, who knows what the future might hold, but for now things are doing well, and I hope that my reports help encourage others in their 'journey'. :)

Baldboy - I promised myself I would not take pictures every week or month (so I would not get hung up on progress) but I will post pics again at the 6 month mark, which will be around 4-6 weeks from now.
 
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baldboy

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sfc2010 said:
Baldboy - I promised myself I would not take pictures every week or month (so I would not get hung up on progress) but I will post pics again at the 6 month mark, which will be around 4-6 weeks from now.
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ahh its gonna be a long 4-6 weeks for me!! i really can't wait to see how you did! been checking the forum everyday for your reply. i think it will be 2 weeks for me tomorrow, but i'm not sure how it is going. i took some before pics and will compare once a month. my fingers are crossed for very good results for both of us!
 
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