One Single Piece Of Advice I Would Give Those Starting Out

[Oknow]

Hi,

I am a NW2 and have been battling hair loss for over 10 years, where 5 years ago I started treating it. I tried all sorts of regimes, from caffeine shampoos, S5 cream to essential oils in that time.

Found success with Zix and LLLT. I know this is working since an independent derm inspects my follicles every 6 months. Since adding LLLT into my regime I have regrown temple hair, and reversed miniaturisation of the hair follicles.

One strong piece of advice I would give everybody is to ensure you are seeing a derm when undergoing any treatment to check if it is working or not. This will prevent you from taking a kitchen sink approach and be able to identify what is working.

 

[justbeconfident]

Tbh Zix sounds like fairy tail. What's LLLT?

 

[Oknow]

Low level lazer therapy

 

[OldnBald]

A dermotologist?..... They walk into the room and put a light on your hair for a few seconds and tell you whatever. Like he even remember you six months later. And even if he does, he won't have a photographic memory of every hair on your head, especially since there is constant shedding n regrowth no matter of you're balding or not. Taking pictures in the same lighting with the same hair style monthly is the way to do it.

 

[Oknow]

A dermotologist?..... They walk into the room and put a light on your hair for a few seconds and tell you whatever. Like he even remember you six months later. And even if he does, he won't have a photographic memory of every hair on your head, especially since there is constant shedding n regrowth no matter of you're balding or not. Taking pictures in the same lighting with the same hair style monthly is the way to do it.

Well my hair is the same after 2 years of treatment.

I would have noticed further loss if it wasn't.

 

[Balding Boulder]

A dermotologist?..... They walk into the room and put a light on your hair for a few seconds and tell you whatever. Like he even remember you six months later. And even if he does, he won't have a photographic memory of every hair on your head, especially since there is constant shedding n regrowth no matter of you're balding or not. Taking pictures in the same lighting with the same hair style monthly is the way to do it.

I used to keep a photo diary of my hair loss to keep track of progress — I did it from May 2016 for around three years. I would take two photos a month in a specific place with the light being consistent. Even then, the problem is that there are still other variables to take into consideration to be able to make true judgements. Things like moisture content, distribution of hair strands and subtle differences in hair length can skew your perception. Some months my hair looked better, others it looked worse. Overall there was no real change in my hair, but that's based on looking at hundreds of photos and videos. It's the videos that are the best, as you can walk around with your head down at a 90° angle and expose your head to room and window light. It's good to ruffle your hair around a bit as well so you really can make a holistic judgement.

 

[OldnBald]

I used to keep a photo diary of my hair loss to keep track of progress — I did it from May 2016 for around three years. I would take two photos a month in a specific place with the light being consistent. Even then, the problem is that there are still other variables to take into consideration to be able to make true judgements. Things like moisture content, distribution of hair fibres and subtle differences in hair length can skew your perception. Some months my hair looked better, others it looked worse. Overall there was no real change in my hair, but that's based on looking at hundreds of photos and videos. It's the videos that are the best, as you can walk around with your head down at a 90° angle and expose your head to room and window light. It's good to ruffle your hair around a bit as well so you really can make a holistic judgement.

Well you wouldn't put fibers in progress/regress pictures......But yeah a good quality video is probably the best. But a few good pictures to back up what you are seeing in the mirror daily is sufficient.

 

[Balding Boulder]

Well you wouldn't put fibers in progress/regress pictures......But yeah a good quality video is probably the best. But a few good pictures to back up what you are seeing in the mirror daily is sufficient.

Sorry, I meant the distribution of hair strands. Clearly when more hairs clump together (most notable after getting your hair wet), it leaves more unoccupied space, so therefore more scalp is exposed. The more thinning you have, the harder it becomes to get the distribution just right.