Re: James (27) 15 months at Apr 2010...NEW Photos.

[fluffy123]

Re: James' Story-25/Month 7 Pics/Update (Aug 09)

Well, just came into month 7 now and thought I'd throw a few of the latest pictures up. Any opinions and thoughts would be really grateful as it's been quiet lately.

Anyway, I've kept it constantly buzzed for over a month now. My great hairdresser has found a good buzzcut for me which is #1 on the sides and #2.5 on the top, which has worked quite well but has needed to be tidied up after a week. However, on this occassion, it's not been so bad and these photographs are 8 days after the last cut.

It seems better doesn't it? Looks like I've ridden out a shed over the last 1-2 months but there's thickening up taking place now isn't there? The blend isn't there yet but there's fine hair covering over the top. I haven't changed the regime since day 1, I've been tempted to use rogaine foam to bump up the minoxidil dose to twice a day, especially in this stage where my hair seems quite positive.

So, yeah, over to you guys.....

- WITH FLASH

- WITHOUT FLASH

- WITH FLASH

- WITHOUT FLASH

- WITHOUT FLASH

 

[abovedagame]

Re: James' Story-25/Month 7 Pics/Update (Aug 09)

to me, it seems like the top has considerably thickened. it looked like there were spots of thinner hair in your original pictures but they seem to have thicker hair in them. keep on pushin thru bud.

 

[iwantperfection]

Re: James' Story-25/Month 7 Pics/Update (Aug 09)

wats up fella. hope all well. glad things going good for you. i myself have tried to distance myself from this place. i try to forget about my hair these days and take each day at a time instead of lying under the thoughts of what could be.

i have been off the meds for months now and im happy enough. keep it going fella and try to live your life normal. looks like the buzz is a good look for ya. ride it out man.

 

[fluffy123]

Re: James' Story-25/Month 7 Pics/Update (Aug 09)

Cheers guys, pretty much confirms my train of thought which is reassuring. Still got itches but they seem like different itches, if that makes sense. Not so much a tearing hair out itch nowadays. It's nice to be able to run my fingers through my hair now and feel something in nearly all areas though Fingers crossed for more.

 

[fluffy123]

Re: James' Story-25/Month 7 Pics/Update (Aug 09)

Another couple of weeks in and regrowth is still going well. The 'grow-out' after buzz my hair down has been a lot better and I can see further improvement just looking in the mirror.

My fringe remains a little 'wonky' which is the only negative at the minute really. I'm tempted to keep buzzing for the next 2-3 weeks and then attempt to grow it out a little bit and see how it works.

Itching is now not aggressive at all, it's still there but nowhere at the same level and doesn't feel like I'm tearing my head to pieces.

Fingers crossed, things remain very good. If this keeps going as it is (again, fingers crossed), I can't wait to see how things look by christmas.

 

[fluffy123]

Re: James' Story-25/Month 7 Pics/Update (Aug 09)

Progress is still going rather well, unfortunately my home PC has gone to 'Computer heaven' and I can't upload photos on my office PC just yet but I'll try and get some up ASAP. I'm pleased with how it is going though, my fringe and the scalp is looking better.

This has coincided with an increase in irritation and itching though, seems strange but it always feels like this when it's 'working', feels like a push in some way. My scalp didn't look too healthy last week, so I've invested in some T-Gel shampoo and shall see how that works.

 

[fluffy123]

Re: James' Story-26/Month 9 Pics/Update (Oct 09)

Hey guys, hope all of you are well.

I’m now at the 9-month stage on the Big 3 and have enclosed a few photographs taken yesterday for you to examine and let me know what you think. The positives are that I can see no more slick bald areas and generally there is coverage everywhere (although the hair is fine in parts and that is a shame).

Itching still remains, I had a ‘nasty’ itch towards the last fortnight, felt like a shed-itch but that has calmed down now and is now back to a more manageable itch.

Still on finpecia, have just taken in another 6-month pack for the next 6-months, still applying Kirkland minoxidil once daily and sometimes twice on occasions when this will allow and still on nizoral. I’m planning to apply rogaine foam soon during the day to see if that can bump up the progress in the next 2-3 months before the one year anniversary.

How am I? I’m ok...I’m dealing with it, living with it with the obvious up’s and downs- missing the opportunity to mess hair up a bit and a bit concerned when the sun is out that there’s still quite a bit of scalp coverage and my fringe is still pretty poor (these pictures have my fringe flicked up with a bit of fibre which was a small experiment to see what it was like...don’t think it worked though as it didn’t look too good).

Anyway guys, I’ll leave it there for you....please, please reply with anything just to keep this going...any questions, advice, opinions....anything!

Thanks

- under the harshest flash I could get on my camera.

 

[blink]

Re: James' Story (26) 9 months in (Oct 09 Pics uploaded)

thanks for the update, looks better than when you started :woot:

 

[abovedagame]

Re: James' Story (26) 9 months in (Oct 09 Pics uploaded)

I think you have a definite improvement. Overall, your hair is much thicker. Just keep pushing, remember that these meds take up to 2 yrs to show full effect.

 

[Jack82]

Re: James' Story (26) 9 months in (Oct 09 Pics uploaded)

I think you have a definite improvement. Overall, your hair is much thicker. Just keep pushing, remember that these meds take up to 2 yrs to show full effect.

I agree. Your hairloss was very aggressive, good results. I wish you more improvement. :bravo:

 

[vinodhkumar]

Re: James' Story (26) 9 months in (Oct 09 Pics uploaded)

Hey great improvement. I was following your story and i too feel encouraged to get on stronger treatments than just nizoral 1%.

 

[fluffy123]

Re: James' Story (26) 10 months completed (Into Nov 09)

Cheers guys, another month gone and progress is still what I'd describe as stable.

However, I finally got my hands on my rogaine foam yesterday (it took that long to arrive because of postal strikes!) and applied it for the first time last night. Seems weird, I spread around a capful of it all over the top, front and part of the back and it dried within 20-30 minutes, also there was a lack of irritation on my scalp and there still is now...

I know this is par for the course with the foam but my paranoia is going to kick in that I’m not applying it in the right way or doing it quite right! But, if it stays like this, I’m hopeful that it’ll actually improve the condition of my hair and scalp as I won’t be drilling my fingers into it so much to scratch.

So from today, it’s 2x applications of minoxidil a day (foam in the day, liquid in the night) and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a big improvement in the next couple of months. Hopefully I’m not being too optimistic?

 

[hayri]

Re: James' Story (26) 9 months in (Oct 09 Pics uploaded)

great job man.
it must be like becoming young again.

 

[fluffy123]

Re: James' Story (26) 9 months in (Oct 09 Pics uploaded)

...

 

[fluffy123]

Re: James' Story (26) 1 Year Done (Now Jan 2010)

Hey, well one year on this fun train down.

What can I say? I don't actually know where I stand and what to do at the minute. My regime has generally stayed pretty similar, now using

1 Generic Finpecia per day
Nizoral every other day
Rogaine Foam applied 2x per day, left on for 20 minutes before lightly patting to dry.

Now, I'm at that crossroads where I don't feel anything is being gained or improved and I don't know whether to stick at it or make adjustments. For example, has the foam worsened the situation? Do I throw away the generic finasteride and plump for the real stuff (My photos from months 1-4 were whilst using genuine finastraside - did I make a mistake going for the cheap option?)

I'm still buzzing my hair down to #1 sides and #2.5 top but it's taking about a week and then starting to look thin and stupid again.

I'll take some more pics soon, if anyone is interested.

Thanks.

 

[Mitchem]

Re: James' Story (26) 1 Year Done (Now Jan 2010)

Hey, well one year on this fun train down.

What can I say? I don't actually know where I stand and what to do at the minute. My regime has generally stayed pretty similar, now using

1 Generic Finpecia per day
Nizoral every other day
Rogaine Foam applied 2x per day, left on for 20 minutes before lightly patting to dry.

Now, I'm at that crossroads where I don't feel anything is being gained or improved and I don't know whether to stick at it or make adjustments. For example, has the foam worsened the situation? Do I throw away the generic finasteride and plump for the real stuff (My photos from months 1-4 were whilst using genuine finastraside - did I make a mistake going for the cheap option?)

I'm still buzzing my hair down to #1 sides and #2.5 top but it's taking about a week and then starting to look thin and stupid again.

I'll take some more pics soon, if anyone is interested.

Thanks.

Could be the case. To be sure I'd always stick to the real proscar, for that bit extra cash it's worth it if you want results you could be wasting time on fincar? I've got a number and email address for a UK doctor that will prescribe you the real stuff, basically you phone him and he will ask you a few questions to make sure you are ok with the stuff then prescribe you it. Think its £50 for one pack £90 for 2 £120 for 3. I order 2 packs and it last's me about 11 months, which I think is really good when you look at Propecia(about £30 a month on the boot's recovery programme) and it's exactly the same stuff!

Search Dr Ashcroft on here you will see good reports on him.

My hair is very similar to yours.

 

[fluffy123]

Re: James' Story (26) 1 Year Done (Now Jan 2010)

Well, nearly into month 15 now and I can well and truly say that things have gone pretty stale. Progress is nil, if anything my hair look worse right now and it's only just been a week since I had it shaved down to a #0.5 on the top and #2 on the sides.

Still using the foam twice a day and the generic finpecia I've been using has another month or so before running out....but I don't know what to do now. Whether just to accept defeat and shave it all myself all of the time or try something else.

I was even hoping to let it grow for 3 weeks, ride it out and then go to a professional stylist and just see if there was anything that they could sort out for me as the hair is so wispy right now and I don't know if shaving it down all the time is the best solution either. But now I have a date with a really nice girl tomorrow and I'm loathe to turn up with my hair like this and feel like I'm going to be stuck in the cycle of shaving it down again to save face.

 

[verlieber]

Re: James (27) 15 months at Mar 2010...stopping propecia...?

Hi all,

I've been following your story fluffy, I'm really sorry to hear this, we are almost the same, I started finasteride first time in oct 2008 1/4 proscar for 20 days, then stopped due to unbearable headache i felt I would die if i continue. then I concluded to try it again as I believed it was my last hope,, by the way I'm on Minoxidil %5 on and off for over 9 years and the last break was on sep 2008.
On 1-1-2009 i started to solve finasteride in minoxidil at very low percentage, and continued to do so for 3 months and I had "like" symptoms but were slight and bearable so i recognized that my body got used on the med.
on 20-3-2009 I started to pop 1/8 pill of proscar dailly upped to 1/7 pill and to 1/6 in few months. no results so far continuous heavy shedding only.
first of NOV upped dose to 1/5 proscar which is the recomended dose of 1mg finasteride, no imrovement, shedding continues as well as receding hairline.
20-3-2010, a year in oral finasteride dose upped to 1/4 pill, no progress, shedding much and over 150 hair in my daily shower.
i decided to give it full 2 years and see since i feel well and no sides from the meds, let's see if am one of those few men see progress in the secound year.
For you fluffy the progress you had at the first 3 to 4 months was from minoxidil and not from propecia, it's my experience keep in touch and hope we both and all hairloss sufferer get it fixed out. BTW, yesterday i shaved my head, it can be "na ya" option but not for me as I have a long stupid hair transplant scar accross my head since I had the worst hair transplant ever done.

 

[fluffy123]

Re: James (27) 15 months at Mar 2010...stopping propecia...?

To be honest my friend, the fact that it could have been minoxidil helping in the first 4 months never even occurred to me....interesting.

Anyway, I have an appointment with an upmarket hairdressers at the end of the week, which is going to cost me almost three times as much as a normal cut in my usual barbers. By this point, my hair will be three weeks long and despite the horseshoe pattern, I'm hoping they'll be able to come up with something that doesn't involve a constant #0.5 on the sides and #2 on the top razor job. If they can't, then at least I've had a go at trying hey?

 

[verlieber]

Re: James (27) 15 months at Mar 2010...stopping propecia...?

Yes fluffy,

it's said that yield from minoxidil is temporal , but from finasteride you get real improvement as the finasteride will battle the main culprit DHT allowing natural hair stimulants taking place, the whole process will take time contrary to minoxidil, which is a stimulant thus has the direct effect on hair! we are in the same boat, trying encouraging my self though. keep updating