Uni Student's story

[Uni Student]

Hi,

Thought i'd introduce myself. I'm 21 years old and I first noticed some hair loss when I was 19. I was reluctant to even consider doing anything as i've been told before that theres nothing to treat hairloss hence why theres bald people out there.

Well as a New Year's resolution,I decided i've had enough.

After much searching around the net, I decided i'd purchase Propecia with a 2 month supply to begin with (limited funds). Last week I picked up 2 bottles of Nizoral and every 3rd day I use it.

Yesterday marked the 2 week mark of starting my daily dosage of Propecia. No side effects that I can really notice other then increased shedding of hair. Seems i'm shedding a bit more then usual but its not incredibly noticable since my hair is a bit long at the moment and could do with being cut.

I've found though that using hair wax has made my scalp feel a bit worse so I might get my hair cut,stay clear of wax and keep my hair short and scalp nice and clean with Nizoral. Hopefully this may help a bit.

Trying to remain positive even if the extra shedding isn't helping my moral. Found drinking plenty of water has kept my skin relatively clear so i'll stick with drinking plenty of it too.

I know other guys who are the same age of me having noticable loss of hair. They may be unwilling to do anything but how I see it is that doing nothing is failure.

Wish me luck.

 

[Aplunk1]

Welcome!
There are treatments available, and hopefully we can all keep the hair on our heads for the rest of our lives.

I'm glad you got on Propecia and Nizoral. Stick to these two.

I wish you the best of luck. Please keep us updated!

 

[Uni Student]

Yep I will,thanks

Nothing worse then starting the day off and saying hello to loose hair

 

[Siberian]

I know other guys who are the same age of me having noticable loss of hair. They may be unwilling to do anything but how I see it is that doing nothing is failure.

Exactly. I denied it for a few years before seeking help, and now I'll never get back what I lost during that time. Some of it perhaps, but a good chunk is also now gone forever because I waited.

Propecia does work for most people: stopping further loss at the very least, and promoting new growth in most. Since you're young and starting early, you're even more likely to have great results.

In fact, being so young, you might want to read up on the effects of DHT-supression. I guess you're long past puberty, but still... worth a look at your age. Maybe others can chime in on this.

It seems to take 4-6 months of Propecia before everything stabilizes and you stop losing hair. Shedding during this time seems to be a somewhat common event. At 9-12 months, you should be noticing regrowth. Hang in there

Minoxidil is also proven to help many people. It's kind of messy, especially if you still have a decent head of hair, but it does (can) work.

 

[Uni Student]

I probably should have started treatment a year ago but I was still fairly in denial.

All I can do is hope propecia works even if it takes time. Know miracles don't happen overnight so i'll set my target for a year and decide then if its working.

 

[jeffsss]

I probably should have started treatment a year ago but I was still fairly in denial.

All I can do is hope propecia works even if it takes time. Know miracles don't happen overnight so i'll set my target for a year and decide then if its working.

this is what i told myself too. really hard to do.

 

[Lopfraze]

hey man,

good to hear you've started the fight.

i'm in a similar position to you - uni student with hair loss - though a couple of years older.

Anyway, I started Propecia in May, so I've just finished 9 months.

Initially my hairloss continued, maybe even increased slightly. But by October (5 month mark), it seemed to have stabilized.

Over the past moth i seem to have been experiencing some kind of shed, but I think that that will pass.

Anyway, some advice:

1)Stick with it for a year - like you said that is the time to make a decision.

2)If Propecia is too expensive, get the generic Finasteride, or get Proscar and cut it into fifths. Its MUCH cheaper. If money is a problem then thats an option.

3) Brace yourself for some sheddding - it may not happen, but if it does try not to let it get you down

4)I wouldn't start using minoxidil now. Save it for later if you need to. Its a b**ch to use, and if your a uni student then you probably wouldn't be rigorous with the regimen (like I was when I used it).

Anyway, check out my story if you want - "Lopfraze's Story", and Good Luck!

 

[hairwegoagain]

Best of luck to you...make sure to periodically document your progress. Pictures are best because they remove some subjectivity. Prepare yourself upfront for the time it takes to see results. Stay optimistic, because you'll likely be rewarded as time goes on!

Hi,

Thought i'd introduce myself. I'm 21 years old and I first noticed some hair loss when I was 19. I was reluctant to even consider doing anything as i've been told before that theres nothing to treat hairloss hence why theres bald people out there.

Well as a New Year's resolution,I decided i've had enough.

After much searching around the net, I decided i'd purchase Propecia with a 2 month supply to begin with (limited funds). Last week I picked up 2 bottles of Nizoral and every 3rd day I use it.

Yesterday marked the 2 week mark of starting my daily dosage of Propecia. No side effects that I can really notice other then increased shedding of hair. Seems i'm shedding a bit more then usual but its not incredibly noticable since my hair is a bit long at the moment and could do with being cut.

I've found though that using hair wax has made my scalp feel a bit worse so I might get my hair cut,stay clear of wax and keep my hair short and scalp nice and clean with Nizoral. Hopefully this may help a bit.

Trying to remain positive even if the extra shedding isn't helping my moral. Found drinking plenty of water has kept my skin relatively clear so i'll stick with drinking plenty of it too.

I know other guys who are the same age of me having noticable loss of hair. They may be unwilling to do anything but how I see it is that doing nothing is failure.

Wish me luck.

 

[Uni Student]

Some things are troubling me. From some posts here on the forum,i've read that propecia can accelerate hair loss before it stabilizes. Considering my hair loss is mainly limited to the front region of my head and propecia isn't know to help improve that area, i'm wondering if its worth it?

God knows I don't want to worsen the situation and find it doesn't prove beneficial in the long term.

 

[Siberian]

Some things are troubling me. From some posts here on the forum,i've read that propecia can accelerate hair loss before it stabilizes. Considering my hair loss is mainly limited to the front region of my head and propecia isn't know to help improve that area, i'm wondering if its worth it?

God knows I don't want to worsen the situation and find it doesn't prove beneficial in the long term.

I don't blame you, but take those reports with a grain of salt. I can find no solid, clinical evidence that this is true. It seems much more likely to me that it's simply people obsessively counting their hairs every few hours after starting a treatment. It's noteworthy that *every* treatment seems to have people reporting this "initial shedding" phenomena.

I realize I could be wrong, and anyone who ends up with handfuls of hair in the sink is going to be rightfully annoyed by my saying that. But I just want to urge you to do some more research before giving up on the best treatment we have available.

 

[techprof]

unistudent
can you post your pictures.
in my opinion unless you see thinning on top or crown and you lose only temple hairs slightly there is no need to jump on propecia

 

[Siberian]

Considering my hair loss is mainly limited to the front region of my head...

Depends on what you mean. Some people recede by having a very distinct border of hair/no hair. Propecia isn't going to help that very much. It doesn't seem to grow hair where there is none. It should stop any further recession, but won't restore what's been lost.

On the other hand, if you're thinning, even towards the front and/or temples, I've found it to work rather well. It's best at improving areas that have SOME hair, even if it's very thin and sparse.

But it won't grow hair where there is none. And that's the catch... once a follicle gets beyond a certain point, nothing will bring it back. If you have thin patches, without Propecia they'll eventually become bare... and then it's too late.

 

[Uni Student]

Yeah i'll post some pics when I get a chance (digi cam is up at my Uni accomodation). Its basically the temples of my head which have receeded but there is zero hairloss on the back of my head. My fringe definitely doesn't have as much body to it anymore but in concerns the rest of my head,looks fine to me and everyone else I know.

My hairloss before propecia wasn't massive. I'm talking maybe 20 hairs somedays and maybe a couple on the pillow. Maybe once a month or so I may lose twice that but the noticable areas for me is the frontal region of my head. I'm sorry i've no photos right now to show yous,will do next week though.

 

[Uni Student]

Been on propecia about 5 weeks now. Still shedding. Quite depressing to say the least. Would like to see at least some decrease in it soon unless my body is reacting negatively to the drug.

 

[Aplunk1]

Hang in there, my friend. You should see a decrease in hair fallout at abotu the 12-week point... I know, for you, it seems like it's forever. But it'll be there soon enough. Quit looking in the mirror so much. Go out and have a couple of drinks! Yes, drink and forget about your hairloss!

It works.

Keep on taking that Propecia, everyday, at about the same time. Use your Nizoral shampoo, eat healthy, take your vitamins, and keep us updated!

 

[Uni Student]

Thanks for the advice. Good to get it since no one knows i'm taking propecia or even treating hairloss at all. Need somewhere to turn to at times.

I've 3 weeks left of propecia and then i'll have to get more so thinking of ordering soon and switching to generic to save some cash.

 

[Uni Student]

Ok i'm about 5 and a half weeks in.

Don't want to jinx it too much but I *think* my shedding has stopped. Woke up this morning,think I had one hair on my pillow. And between showering and combing my hair, at most i'd estimate about 20 hairs. Kinda similar to my hair loss situation before starting propecia.

And again I may be blind but my hair seems a wee bit thicker.

I would have taken pictures but my digital camera is well and truely knackered.

 

[Uni Student]

Ok i'm 8 months in now *approx*.

Shedding is still happening and i've honestly seen no decrease in it over the 8 months. My hairline has receeded a good bit more but the rest of my head is fine.

If theres no improvement by month 12 then i'm getting off propecia.

I'm not going to turn into a crazed obsessive about all of this. I know other guys with hairloss who have great lifes so why worry about it too much. Using hairloss as an excuse in life is pretty pathetic i've come to realise.

I'm not even going to add anything else to my regime as whats the point? It may improve the situation ever so slightly but lets face it, it won't work forever.

My fringe is pretty thin now but feck it.

 

[Guest]

Sounds like a good plan. Propecia at least maintains hair for 83% of people, but fails to stop loss in 17% of people so you may be a part of that unfortunate percentage. It's very possible that Propecia is stopping you receding as fast as you would have otherwise, so even though it's not stopping your hair loss entirely, it may be slowing it. But with your positive attitude about hair loss I see no need for you to continue on it after the 12 months are up. I would taper off it if I were you though, rather than stopping entirely. You wouldn't want your hair to have a hypoandrogenetic reaction and speed it up faster than nature intended. After your 12 months are up, I would cut the Propecia back to only every Monday Wednesday Friday for a couple of weeks and then ease off it.

Good luck.