Someone please help me make sense of all of this (w/pics)

[jbdc]

I'm new to the site. I plan on posting my full story sometime soon, but I really need to start some kind of treatment on my hair before I break down. I noticed the thinning of my hair on my 19th birthday back in June 06. Its getting so bad, I shed profusely every day. This forum is a great resource, but I'm scared because a good deal of the opinions on regimens seems conflicted. What should I start with, say, tomorrow? What do I need a prescription for and what can I pick up myself? Here are the pictures:

http://home.comcast.net/~j_bryski/hair1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~j_bryski/hair2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~j_bryski/hair3.jpg

 

[Fat-Elvis]

It doesn't look too bad for you. Unless you have real balding areas or a receding hairline, you're probably better off starting without rogaine or propecia/avodart since those can have weird side effects and are pretty drastic measures compared to other hairloss treatments. Get on topicals like Tricomin and spironolactone and a shampoo like Nizoral 2 or 3 times a week, give that a number of months to see if the shedding/thinning stops and your hair thickens up at all. Those are all proven treatments; whether or not they're strong enough for your situation you won't know until you try. If not, you can move on to propecia or avodart.

 

[sphlanx2006]

Doesnt look that bad, depends on what level you are satisfied. Fat-elvis advice is a good one, but if you are too much worried and have baldness in your family history get on propecia

 

[Hans Gruber]

It doesn't look too bad for you. Unless you have real balding areas or a receding hairline, you're probably better off starting without rogaine or propecia/avodart since those can have weird side effects and are pretty drastic measures compared to other hairloss treatments. Get on topicals like Tricomin and spironolactone and a shampoo like Nizoral 2 or 3 times a week, give that a number of months to see if the shedding/thinning stops and your hair thickens up at all. Those are all proven treatments; whether or not they're strong enough for your situation you won't know until you try. If not, you can move on to propecia or avodart.

no no no,sorry fat elvis but telling him not to start propecia is wrong.

jbdc if you want to maintain what you have get on propecia,if you want regrowth get on rogaine/minoxidil,and add nizoral 2% shampoo every 2-3 days..............side effects happen in 2% of people ,dont listen to scare stories on here,of course people that have sides are going to post more than those who dont.


anyone on here that has been around a while will say to at least get on 2 of the big three

the big three being

Propecia/Proscar/Fincar
Minoxidil 5% FOAM
Nizoral 2 % shampoo


if you use the minoxidil you will shed the first 2 weeks and maybe sporadically afterwards but it will grow back is by far ya best bet so far as regrowing any lost hair


as a side note,even if you were one of the 2% of millions that use the big three ,stop treatment and theyll go away,or try cutting dose and you may stop sides too


as for the tricomin and spironolactone

the tricomin is a copper peptide that will give you an extra kick and keep ya scalp healthy,its a good additon t othe big three


the spironolactone is a topical alternative to propecia but really only worth getting on if ya had sides with the propecia

hope that helps
:lol:

 

[Skaff]

Start propecia...the earlier you catch it, the better.

 

[Fat-Elvis]

It doesn't look too bad for you. Unless you have real balding areas or a receding hairline, you're probably better off starting without rogaine or propecia/avodart since those can have weird side effects and are pretty drastic measures compared to other hairloss treatments. Get on topicals like Tricomin and spironolactone and a shampoo like Nizoral 2 or 3 times a week, give that a number of months to see if the shedding/thinning stops and your hair thickens up at all. Those are all proven treatments; whether or not they're strong enough for your situation you won't know until you try. If not, you can move on to propecia or avodart.

no no no,sorry fat elvis but telling him not to start propecia is wrong.

jbdc if you want to maintain what you have get on propecia,if you want regrowth get on rogaine/minoxidil,and add nizoral 2% shampoo every 2-3 days..............side effects happen in 2% of people ,dont listen to scare stories on here,of course people that have sides are going to post more than those who dont.


anyone on here that has been around a while will say to at least get on 2 of the big three

the big three being

Propecia/Proscar/Fincar
Minoxidil 5% FOAM
Nizoral 2 % shampoo


if you use the minoxidil you will shed the first 2 weeks and maybe sporadically afterwards but it will grow back is by far ya best bet so far as regrowing any lost hair


as a side note,even if you were one of the 2% of millions that use the big three ,stop treatment and theyll go away,or try cutting dose and you may stop sides too


as for the tricomin and spironolactone

the tricomin is a copper peptide that will give you an extra kick and keep ya scalp healthy,its a good additon t othe big three


the spironolactone is a topical alternative to propecia but really only worth getting on if ya had sides with the propecia

hope that helps
:lol:

I've never bought into the whole "2%" thing. That's what the trials say, but how many of those people were too fat to even notice b*tch-tit growth? How many were of an age/lifestyle to even notice sexual sides? What about people reporting side effects that weren't even reported in the FDA trial? What about people who've been on propecia longer than the fda trials lasted and didn't experience side effects until later on? I've heard of that happening a lot....it seems a large portion of people who experience sides don't experience them until months/years after starting the drug. The fda trials say 2% of people experienced sides, but I do not believe the necessarily translates to you having a 2% chance of experiencing side effects. Plus, let's not forget that in the end, this is a drug that f***s with your hormones beyond the desired effect it's used for. That's never a good thing. And you say that side effects will disappear once stopping propecia, but gynecomastia is not something that's easily rid of without surgery, and there are the few people who have trouble getting rid of their sexual side effects after quitting propecia.

If his hair is only in the beginning stages of thinning, then there are topicals out there that don't give sides and have been shown to treat baldness, and it's worth it to give those a shot- at least for the time being- before starting drugs that screw around with the chemicals in your body.


And by the way, the "Nizoral 2 % shampoo" is not necessary for hairloss. The 2% has been found to be significantly more effective than the 1% at treating dandruff, but not hairloss. Plus you don't need a prescription for the 1%.

 

[haunted-ballroom]

[quote="Fat-Elvis":e9a1f]It doesn't look too bad for you. Unless you have real balding areas or a receding hairline, you're probably better off starting without rogaine or propecia/avodart since those can have weird side effects and are pretty drastic measures compared to other hairloss treatments. Get on topicals like Tricomin and spironolactone and a shampoo like Nizoral 2 or 3 times a week, give that a number of months to see if the shedding/thinning stops and your hair thickens up at all. Those are all proven treatments; whether or not they're strong enough for your situation you won't know until you try. If not, you can move on to propecia or avodart.

no no no,sorry fat elvis but telling him not to start propecia is wrong.

jbdc if you want to maintain what you have get on propecia,if you want regrowth get on rogaine/minoxidil,and add nizoral 2% shampoo every 2-3 days..............side effects happen in 2% of people ,dont listen to scare stories on here,of course people that have sides are going to post more than those who dont.


anyone on here that has been around a while will say to at least get on 2 of the big three

the big three being

Propecia/Proscar/Fincar
Minoxidil 5% FOAM
Nizoral 2 % shampoo


if you use the minoxidil you will shed the first 2 weeks and maybe sporadically afterwards but it will grow back is by far ya best bet so far as regrowing any lost hair


as a side note,even if you were one of the 2% of millions that use the big three ,stop treatment and theyll go away,or try cutting dose and you may stop sides too


as for the tricomin and spironolactone

the tricomin is a copper peptide that will give you an extra kick and keep ya scalp healthy,its a good additon t othe big three


the spironolactone is a topical alternative to propecia but really only worth getting on if ya had sides with the propecia

hope that helps
:lol:

I've never bought into the whole "2%" thing. That's what the trials say, but how many of those people were too fat to even notice b*tch-tit growth? How many were of an age/lifestyle to even notice sexual sides? What about people reporting side effects that weren't even reported in the FDA trial? What about people who've been on propecia longer than the fda trials lasted and didn't experience side effects until later on? I've heard of that happening a lot....it seems a large portion of people who experience sides don't experience them until months/years after starting the drug. The fda trials say 2% of people experienced sides, but I do not believe the necessarily translates to you having a 2% chance of experiencing side effects. Plus, let's not forget that in the end, this is a drug that f***s with your hormones beyond the desired effect it's used for. That's never a good thing. And you say that side effects will disappear once stopping propecia, but gynecomastia is not something that's easily rid of without surgery, and there are the few people who have trouble getting rid of their sexual side effects after quitting propecia.

If his hair is only in the beginning stages of thinning, then there are topicals out there that don't give sides and have been shown to treat baldness, and it's worth it to give those a shot- at least for the time being- before starting drugs that screw around with the chemicals in your body.


And by the way, the "Nizoral 2 % shampoo" is not necessary for hairloss. The 2% has been found to be significantly more effective than the 1% at treating dandruff, but not hairloss. Plus you don't need a prescription for the 1%.[/quote:e9a1f]

The issue of sides has been discussed alot on this forum. Every medication has side effects of some sort. I took anti-depressants that made me more depressed for a few weeks before starting to work. If the drug is FDA approved then we should trust that. Ive seen my doctor about it and he said its fine. People may experience sexual sides for a short amount of time, it also happens with many different types of medication. As for the people reporting long term sexual sides, well no body can say for sure it has anything to do with finasteride. Ageing/stress/depression/anxiety also cause this problem.

 

[Hans Gruber]

hey fat elvis ,hope ya didnt think i was being rude,just trying to help the guy out


yea i know what ya mean about sides but remember there are millions on propecia and if the sides were of any noteable amount im sure you would hear about it


on a side note,i guess youre an elvis fan(a regular sherlock holmes me)

do you know of 'extreme elvis' -im not usually one to be disgusted but this guy is nasty,hes basically a fat guy who shits himself and sings elvis songs,he is a disgrace to the kings memory

lol sorry jbdc to semi hijack ya post ,have ya decided on treatment yet?


:hairy:

 

[jbdc]

I just got home and saw all of the replies. Thanks for all of the input guys. I think that I'm going to start on the big three, check your inbox libertine.

I understand that there are some risks involved with some of the drugs. However, being a self conscious 19 year old, I'm willing to take a gamble.