Need some advice in regards to finasteride (propecia)

nyny12

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22 years old (23 in 2 months). Have recession on my top corners/temples. My left one is much worse than my right but neither is completely bald just diffuse thinning in those two areas. Every where else is really thick. I thought it may be a maturing hairline but my left side is thinning pretty far back, my right side is not that bad at all. I have been on saw palmetto and beta sitosterol ( 320mg SP and 120 mg BS) for 1 month exactly but was thinking maybe I should just take propecia since it is more proven. The beta sis and SP hasn't done anything but its only a month. My left corner/temple has very thin and less pigmented hairs than the rest of my head. I can cover it up pretty well when it is dry though however I would really like to thicken it up. Should I take propecia, has anyone had success in a similar situation. I am not slick bald on any part of my scalp just serious thinning on my left corner/temple and minor thinning on my right. I know all about propecia sides so please do not let that influence your advice. Also no one in my family is bald. My father is 55 and is starting to thin but my 3 uncles and grandfathers all have full heads of hair. The worst case in my family is a Norwood 2 or 2.5 at most and that is one uncle. If I did take propecia I would only do .5 mg a day to start b/c of costs (college student)...Pleas share any advice from those who have used propecia and have had the same loss pattern as myself.

Also i saw 3 hair transplant docs, 1 said get on propecia it looks like male pattern baldness, 1 said I have some miniaturization on my corners but he thinks it will stop at a Norwood 2 at the most, the last one said it may be a new hairline forming and not to do anything for a year and then re evaluate.

I have been stressing like crazy over it and there is no question that my stress has probably contributed to this. But I shampoo every other day and when I do I have about 50 hairs in my hands alone from my two thinning spots. Need some advice about propecia please.
 

mykal_P

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Well it's a proven treatment, I can tell you that much. Although like everything touted on here, it has varying results from person to person. Don't forget once you get on it you usually have to stay on it or revert back to old results. That is unless its not male pattern baldness and something else causing it which would be a plus.

You might try looking into topical spironolactone also as I have heard it works well on the hairline too. The hairline is the toughest are to grow back.
 

nyny12

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thanks for the response and I would appreciate anyone els'es thoughts as well. I know the hairline is tough to get back and as I said I am not completely bald in any part of my hairline however I am getting very thin in some spots. Its just weird because no one is bald in my family and they are all over 50 and I am 22....I got my thyroid checked and the Doctor said everything was normal there. Dont know what else it could be. I get nervous about rogaine foam or spironolactone because I am afraid of the shed which will make me look worse and I heard that sheds (although they happen) are less common in propecia but I have also read that propecia can do more harm then good on the hair line. I have no clue what to believe really and the stress is affecting my life pretty badly.
 

Oknow

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nyny12 said:
thanks for the response and I would appreciate anyone els'es thoughts as well. I know the hairline is tough to get back and as I said I am not completely bald in any part of my hairline however I am getting very thin in some spots. Its just weird because no one is bald in my family and they are all over 50 and I am 22....I got my thyroid checked and the Doctor said everything was normal there. Dont know what else it could be. I get nervous about rogaine foam or spironolactone because I am afraid of the shed which will make me look worse and I heard that sheds (although they happen) are less common in propecia but I have also read that propecia can do more harm then good on the hair line. I have no clue what to believe really and the stress is affecting my life pretty badly.

What's your diet like?
 

nyny12

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diet used to be really bad. Fast food all the time, lots of meats and dairy...In the past couple months I have gotten better. Mostly fish and other seafood, nuts as my primary snack, a lot of chicken (not fried), beef probably 4 times a month. But as a college student on tight budget every now and then end up getting fast food ( 3-4 times a month i say).. I stopped drinking soda, strictly water sometimes grape juice or Sobe life water....

Any advice on propecia? Should I switch to that instead of the beta sis and saw palmetto. I just want to know that I am taking the right stuff and maybe my stress will go down a bit because my stress is through the roof and that cannot be good for my hair,
 

Oknow

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nyny12 said:
diet used to be really bad. Fast food all the time, lots of meats and dairy...In the past couple months I have gotten better. Mostly fish and other seafood, nuts as my primary snack, a lot of chicken (not fried), beef probably 4 times a month. But as a college student on tight budget every now and then end up getting fast food ( 3-4 times a month i say).. I stopped drinking soda, strictly water sometimes grape juice or Sobe life water....

Any advice on propecia? Should I switch to that instead of the beta sis and saw palmetto. I just want to know that I am taking the right stuff and maybe my stress will go down a bit because my stress is through the roof and that cannot be good for my hair,

No idea, not on either. That said, I don't shed that much.

Trichologist (derm) told me that diet although does not cause hairloss directly, it can accelerate the process. You should look into getting fruit and veg in, best way to do this is by using a juicer. Also, olive oil toppik has really helped the condition of my hair.
 

nyny12

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Thanks for the advice on diet, I appreciate it. I really do not think it is the reason (or acceleration) for my loss. I am in good health 6 ft about 165 pounds....I think a better diet is better for you regardless and it may improve the texture and look of hair but I am looking for advice on how to slow down my loss, thicken up thin hair at hairline and maintain....I hear propecia does all 3 of these things but not at the hairline...Is this true?? should I just stick with beta sis and saw palmetto, does either help the hairline or make it worse?
 
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