Hello all,
Just thought I'd share my story with the internet in hopes of helping others in a similar situation.
I always had thick hair growing up and with zero hair loss in the family, I never thought it would happen to me. I first noticed at 21 around the crown (looked like a gigantic part/line). After a year or so of figuring things out I decided to go with Finasteride (now 22 years old). I saw a dermotologist who prescribed Propecia and started taking it. Soon after a well known heart surgeon who also became my doctor saw I was on it and prescribed Proscar to cut into fours to save money since it is the same thing.
Proscar cut into fours (approximately 1-1.25mg per day) worked like a charm and I was set for several years. For several years hair remained thick and no one could see any indication of visible loss).
Fast-forward 6 years and I'm now 28. As people mention, taking finasteride kept a decent amount of hair in the crown as the frontal/top region started to thin (has been creeping up for as much as a year or so). During the start of the fall, I noticed it worsening even further and it definitely bothered me quite a bit.
I didn't previously know about Ketoconazole. I looked around on the forums and found Nizoral and immediately sourced it at a local drug store to get it as soon as possible. I then ordered Regenpure DR followed by Lipogaine Big 3 and I now use a combination of the 3 depending on the day just in case. I also upped my finasteride dosage to 2-2.5mg per day and started taking Saw Palmetto (since it can't hurt). My hair loss issue has been completely solved (for now) and lots of hair grew back! It looks super thick.
My Recommendations -
Based on my own experience, research, and the logic of what certain products are really doing. Here are some of my top tips.
Finasteride - A must unless you experience side effects (which is pretty rare in my experience/research but some people who may be allergic or have side effects use Dutasteride). I would highly suggest asking your doctor for Proscar and cutting it up. Find another doctor if he/she refuses for some reason. No use paying more for the same drug from the same company. Buy a pill cutter and chop it up (the brand cuts seamlessly). Wont go too deep into this one because there is enough information out there but it is certainly very important.
Ketoconazole - This should be considered one of the Big 3 (or 4). It is very effective and I wish I knew about it sooner. A lot of the specific shampoo brands for hair loss also contain other ingredients that may help enhance the effects (such as caffeine, saw palmetto, proteins, etc) which certainly cannot hurt. Here are some useful tips/info for these shampoos -
Nizoral can be a bit harsh but is the most accessible in drug stores. It contains the main ingredient (Ketoconzole) which actually does the real work of keeping hair but specific hair loss shampoos add other interesting ingredients (as mentioned above) that certainly cannot hurt.
Regenpure DR has the best ingredients but can leave your hair looking pretty dead (doesn't do much of anything to add volume which may be what someone wants if they are suffering from hair loss.
Lipogaine Big 3 I don't believe this one is quite as effective but it does make your at least look better afterwards. Sort of the opposite of Regenpure.
Since I've purchased all 3, I sometimes use some combination of them or switch off just in case.
Minoxidil - Otherwise commonly known as Rogaine. This does absolutely nothing to regrow hair and my personal recommendation would be to stay away. Minoxidil fools your hair follicle cycle into growing at the exactly same time but adds 0 new hairs and does not help any become thicker. One side effect of this process is shedding a lot of your hair up front (while it evens out the playing field and in cycles years later) which can make you even worse off than when you began. I'm sure some people find it useful but I don't personally see a point since so many other products are very effective. If you catch your hair loss relatively early, the other solutions mentioned here should be more than enough.
Saw Palmetto - This is a 100% natural remedy that has been proven to help prostate issues and since there is a link between male pattern baldness and prostate issues, people believe it is effective at both. It is said to be the natural equivalent of Finasteride/Dutasteride. Taking one per day certainly cannot as it is a natural remedy.
I saw maximum hair regrowth a few months after starting Keto shampoo but it also seemed to thicken the most after starting Saw Palmetto. Are you first experiencing hair loss? Saw Palmetto + Ketoconazole shampoo are a good first step if you're on the fence about Propecia/Proscar. Ultimately, it seems important to slow the effects of DHT both locally and throughout the both for maximum effectiveness. My current regimen is 2-2.5mg Proscar (may lessen to 1-1.50 soon), Keto shampoo every other day (allow to stay on scalp for 5 minutes), and 1 Solar Saw Palmetto capsule every afternoon.
Hope this helps! Please post any questions or comments.
Just thought I'd share my story with the internet in hopes of helping others in a similar situation.
I always had thick hair growing up and with zero hair loss in the family, I never thought it would happen to me. I first noticed at 21 around the crown (looked like a gigantic part/line). After a year or so of figuring things out I decided to go with Finasteride (now 22 years old). I saw a dermotologist who prescribed Propecia and started taking it. Soon after a well known heart surgeon who also became my doctor saw I was on it and prescribed Proscar to cut into fours to save money since it is the same thing.
Proscar cut into fours (approximately 1-1.25mg per day) worked like a charm and I was set for several years. For several years hair remained thick and no one could see any indication of visible loss).
Fast-forward 6 years and I'm now 28. As people mention, taking finasteride kept a decent amount of hair in the crown as the frontal/top region started to thin (has been creeping up for as much as a year or so). During the start of the fall, I noticed it worsening even further and it definitely bothered me quite a bit.
I didn't previously know about Ketoconazole. I looked around on the forums and found Nizoral and immediately sourced it at a local drug store to get it as soon as possible. I then ordered Regenpure DR followed by Lipogaine Big 3 and I now use a combination of the 3 depending on the day just in case. I also upped my finasteride dosage to 2-2.5mg per day and started taking Saw Palmetto (since it can't hurt). My hair loss issue has been completely solved (for now) and lots of hair grew back! It looks super thick.
My Recommendations -
Based on my own experience, research, and the logic of what certain products are really doing. Here are some of my top tips.
Finasteride - A must unless you experience side effects (which is pretty rare in my experience/research but some people who may be allergic or have side effects use Dutasteride). I would highly suggest asking your doctor for Proscar and cutting it up. Find another doctor if he/she refuses for some reason. No use paying more for the same drug from the same company. Buy a pill cutter and chop it up (the brand cuts seamlessly). Wont go too deep into this one because there is enough information out there but it is certainly very important.
Ketoconazole - This should be considered one of the Big 3 (or 4). It is very effective and I wish I knew about it sooner. A lot of the specific shampoo brands for hair loss also contain other ingredients that may help enhance the effects (such as caffeine, saw palmetto, proteins, etc) which certainly cannot hurt. Here are some useful tips/info for these shampoos -
Nizoral can be a bit harsh but is the most accessible in drug stores. It contains the main ingredient (Ketoconzole) which actually does the real work of keeping hair but specific hair loss shampoos add other interesting ingredients (as mentioned above) that certainly cannot hurt.
Regenpure DR has the best ingredients but can leave your hair looking pretty dead (doesn't do much of anything to add volume which may be what someone wants if they are suffering from hair loss.
Lipogaine Big 3 I don't believe this one is quite as effective but it does make your at least look better afterwards. Sort of the opposite of Regenpure.
Since I've purchased all 3, I sometimes use some combination of them or switch off just in case.
Minoxidil - Otherwise commonly known as Rogaine. This does absolutely nothing to regrow hair and my personal recommendation would be to stay away. Minoxidil fools your hair follicle cycle into growing at the exactly same time but adds 0 new hairs and does not help any become thicker. One side effect of this process is shedding a lot of your hair up front (while it evens out the playing field and in cycles years later) which can make you even worse off than when you began. I'm sure some people find it useful but I don't personally see a point since so many other products are very effective. If you catch your hair loss relatively early, the other solutions mentioned here should be more than enough.
Saw Palmetto - This is a 100% natural remedy that has been proven to help prostate issues and since there is a link between male pattern baldness and prostate issues, people believe it is effective at both. It is said to be the natural equivalent of Finasteride/Dutasteride. Taking one per day certainly cannot as it is a natural remedy.
I saw maximum hair regrowth a few months after starting Keto shampoo but it also seemed to thicken the most after starting Saw Palmetto. Are you first experiencing hair loss? Saw Palmetto + Ketoconazole shampoo are a good first step if you're on the fence about Propecia/Proscar. Ultimately, it seems important to slow the effects of DHT both locally and throughout the both for maximum effectiveness. My current regimen is 2-2.5mg Proscar (may lessen to 1-1.50 soon), Keto shampoo every other day (allow to stay on scalp for 5 minutes), and 1 Solar Saw Palmetto capsule every afternoon.
Hope this helps! Please post any questions or comments.
