Molecules
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Personal gibberish: Hello all, gonna try to be organized and make it easy to read while giving you as much detail as possible without overkilling it, feel free to ignore anything you don't want to read but I'm just including things I think are of at least some utility to my background and would greatly appreciate answers to the question I'll make at the end of this post, since that is the whole purpose of doing this. I've been browsing this and just about every other hair loss forum for the past couple months religiously. Sometimes I think I'm going insane but I think I'm doing a fairly good job at keeping at least some peace of mind, researching and educating myself as much as possible and maintaining a positive attitude. Im 18 going 19 BTW. (next week)
I'm not gonna talk about the whole emotional ordeal that comes along with being stuck with this "condition" I can save that for the impact section or my shrink (which I know isn't of much if any help, but hey, I can afford it and it gives me some peace of mind even if she, just like anyone who isnt suffering from this, doesn't really care) at least. Not to mention I do believe I have the strength within me to overcome this at some point in time should it advance faster than I hope it does.
I think I've read literally all the threads, articles and stories I can, have ran out of google results, tho as much as anyone else I obviously have a lot to learn and I would appreciate some answers by knowledgable members on here. Hope I chose the right forum as it seems to be the most active, tho I could always post this elsewhere I guess.
Quick hair background recap:
Always have had a high hairline I think, not really sure, but im sure I've always had slight recession on my temples since about 17ish. I've never had major problem with my temples, I actually (oblivious to my condition) liked them and the look they gave me for quite some time. But yeah, initially I didn't really do anything about until at around February 2014 when i freaked out a bit over some minor recession, didn't think it was genetics or anything and just threw a complete 42 vial Aminexil GL treatment from Kérastase on my head, that seemed to fill in my temples with some fine hair and halt further loss for quite some time so it was enough for me.
I guess during the past 1.5 years I've taken my hair for granted, not in the sense of not taking care of it but in the sense of not really paying attention to my recession and just assuming it was gonna stay that way. Because as far as its health goes outside of DHT's effects on it I've always looked after it to the best of my abilities. (always washing with cold water even if a myth, whenever I blow dried it was always using top heat protectors, always treating it with the best products around taking advantage of the fact that I work with online sales of this stuff and it comes fairly cheap where I'm from etc) But in the sense of not really being aware of the fact that I had androgenetic alopecia, I was just living live, grew it over the past year to shoulder length, yada yada
For some more background my diet used to be awful, lots of junk food, not eating enough, I think that as far as nutrition goes my hair stood well with many hits. If it even has some weight which i know it has but since it didnt get much worse ( I think ) with my poor nutrition I think its current worsening has to be of genetic cause. Taken my diet lately/this year i've improved a lot, still nowhere near a truly balanced diet but lots of veggies, fish, barely any red meat, eggs, etc etc. Its a headache to read about what may be good or not to eat, I just try to keep it balanced and follow basic good nutrition. Minimal if any junk food, (Lots of water as well etc).
Current hair recap:
Hair type: not very thin but thinnish, straight/natural waves. Italian/english descent. But was born and live in south america. I wash my hair every third day or so, which is when it gets oilyish, when it does tho its my hair not my scalp itself, at least i think so, and I also use dry shampoo sometimes, i would say every other day.
I guess im kind of a Norwood 2ish, and I would be fine with that should it stay that way haha but these past few months i've started to notice thinning across the top and it's definitely taken more than half my density up there, I first got freaked out bc i though i had a bald spot at my crown but it was actually my cowlick that i never noticed somehow, I can still sense some slight, early thinning in this area tho, nothing major I still have what i consider to be good/full coverage. And my hair length comes into play here too.
One day a little bit over a month ago I just noticed some loss in density at the front overnight, Im sure i just didn't notice but it really freaked me out, a lot. Went into deep reactive depression for a week, and this whole mess started, derm appointment, blood work, reading forums, not leaving the house, oh no etc etc.
Shampoo/s I use:
Kerastase's Bain vital dermo calm for sensitive scalps. http://www.kerastase.com/en/hair-care-specifique/bain-vital-dermo-calm
Kerastase's Bain stimuliste for thinning hair. http://www.kerastase.com/en/hair-care-specifique/bain-stimuliste-gl#needs_2
I also use the Vichy dercos aminexil pro vials ( http://healthurwealth.com/UploadFiles/636780382.jpg ), I know these dont help much/at all but I have overstock of em so might as well lol. I was gonna ask, is the alcohol in this damaging to the scalp? I wouldnt want to be using something that's hurting more than helping.
Derm appointment/start of treatment:
So I went to my dermatologist who actually (not to my knowledge at the time) specializes in hair loss, nothing major, I know she knows as much as the next one and I know more about certain topics at this point than her but whatever, better than nothing. <br><br>She didn't examine my scalp for long, and just explained the whole 5 ar DHT yada yada process which I already knew by heart and of course i had a million questions. She told me the dosage she was prescribing me with she does with all her patients (or most i assume) with no side effects to report. At the time i think i was so scared of the sides that i was beginning to experience them by my mind's power alone, particularly drop of libido to nearly zero, 70% working erections, etc etc. But this all subsided shortly after and actually vanished upon start of treatment, but I'll get to that later.<br><br><em>
Regimen she put me on :
Propecia: 1 mg 3x a week following a monday/wed/friday schedule. At first I was unsure but later that day i researched and did read about tons of people doing this dosage with success/no sides, and it seemed right to me. Started at around exactly a month ago and out of silliness just tappered into it by taking the first pill half & half lol.
Zinc supplement every other day until further notice (only thing I havent started)
Selenium supplement every other day until further notice. (been taking with meals EOD)
PRP same day of appt with some supercharged variant of it 3 months later. Did it a week later (first session) bc I wanted to research more about it. It didnt seem like it would do any harm so i took the plunge as it was fairly cheap here for me at least and not the rip off I hear they charge in the US for such a simple procedure
Doctor formula from the hair loss clinic she works at, created by the founder (hugely popular guy here in South America with thousands of success in patients with his methods, (think of it as some kind of belgravia center or something) and supposedly great stuff, but first off, she didnt even know its exact composition, i assumed it contained at least some kind of minoxidil in it which she confirmed, i dont know to what strenght or concentration but its something i dont want to get into. (at least yet) and I consulted a week later with her and she said propecia was of course the main thing and that i could wait it out and not use the formula yet. So that's that. (she prescribed this for use every other day, at night)
So yeah, thats most of it, now.
My experience with Propecia:
Im using brand name merck propecia. Looks like this http://www.pielyvida.com.co/783-thi...-productos-dermatologicos-merck-anticaida.jpg
Anyway this has been my timeline:
First week: Shedding/loss dropped to nearly ZERO, it was amazing. I was kind of excited. I was shedding before treatment I would say normally like no more than 30 a day. I also experienced an increase in libido, But i dont know it this has to do with propecia or the fact that i was basically out of my depression by then which I think was the culprit for my loss in libido before starting treatment as well as fear mongering online.
2 weeks until now: After that first week on it, I experienced 2 days of MASSIVE shedding, I remember pulling out 6/7 hairs at a time once. Not anything alarming tho. I just guessed it was propecia working (at around this time i also started giving keto shampoo a try, but stopped after 4/5 uses because of horrible hair texture, plus i dont have any scalp problems on the outside.
From that point on, the shedding has continued, I say i can lose at around close to 100 on a good day, and 150/200 on a suicide inducing day, depends tho, I brush my hair in sessions of 1/2 minutes in the morning and evening, and throughout the day less thoroughly if in not wearing it in a manbun. Im aware of the fact that usual shedding has a say in this and even tho its straight/wavy/silky kinda it can get quite tangled but i try to do it kindly lol, i can feel it whenever i pull out hairs while brushing and its never above 5/15 per day.
But the shedding has taken a huge toll as far as density goes, its still nothing noticeable on a cosmetic aspect but Im scared of it continuing and leaving me bald, its only been a month ffs. I also notice that I shed hairs of all kind, terminal 8 inch hairs, midly miniaturized hairs, further miniaturized baby hairs, dark curled hairs from the lower back/nape (these come out easily if i pull hard enough, always have)
As I said the shedding has continued, steadily at that, i *think* it has slowed down a bit but i could be wrong, Its put me in another wave of depression, <strong>I don't know if I could have Telogen Effluvium on top of my male pattern baldness, but here are some things I've thought could've caused it:
Wisdom teeth surgery in late July, subsequent use of antibiotics for a bad flu I had in august too.I don't know if it could also be from the initial shock of me noticing my hair loss and that severe week of depression/not leaving the house i had before starting treatment. But i know Telogen Effluvium comes months after, would appreciate some info on this tho
So these are my questions:
1) Is shedding terminal hairs while on propecia normal aside from the miniaturized ones? if these are terminal, will they come back as such?
2) Could the keto shampoo have had a say on the shedding?
3) The month before the week with no shedding started I had began a paranoid ultra healthy diet and made sure to eat breakfast at least scrambled eggs or something in the morning. Could this be the cause of the reduced shedding? because its not like a have began eating awfully again but not as panic induced as i was that couple weeks. This makes me really curious.
4) Could the PRP have induced the shedding? first session OCT 26th, began propecia november 1st. Could it be a combination of both? Im now scared to do my second session 2 weeks from now because of fear of it making me shed more. Should i postpone it?
5) Is shedding with propecia this early normal? Im really scared of reflex hyperandrogenicity and it accelerating my hair loss. Some symptoms I've considered are the increase in libido lately, some minor back/chest breakouts that come and go, (ive always had these but it had been a long time since they happened last, so it still seems fishy) and my hair getting oilier quicker, used to be able to go unwashed 3 days but now i have to wash it every other day. Again i also use dry shampoo.
Again thank you in advance and I will post pictures for some evidence/evaluation but I cant right now, later tonight for sure. Have to go, but I would appreciate some input. I also have tons of other questions but cant remember right now lol, All the best
I'm not gonna talk about the whole emotional ordeal that comes along with being stuck with this "condition" I can save that for the impact section or my shrink (which I know isn't of much if any help, but hey, I can afford it and it gives me some peace of mind even if she, just like anyone who isnt suffering from this, doesn't really care) at least. Not to mention I do believe I have the strength within me to overcome this at some point in time should it advance faster than I hope it does.
I think I've read literally all the threads, articles and stories I can, have ran out of google results, tho as much as anyone else I obviously have a lot to learn and I would appreciate some answers by knowledgable members on here. Hope I chose the right forum as it seems to be the most active, tho I could always post this elsewhere I guess.
Quick hair background recap:
Always have had a high hairline I think, not really sure, but im sure I've always had slight recession on my temples since about 17ish. I've never had major problem with my temples, I actually (oblivious to my condition) liked them and the look they gave me for quite some time. But yeah, initially I didn't really do anything about until at around February 2014 when i freaked out a bit over some minor recession, didn't think it was genetics or anything and just threw a complete 42 vial Aminexil GL treatment from Kérastase on my head, that seemed to fill in my temples with some fine hair and halt further loss for quite some time so it was enough for me.
I guess during the past 1.5 years I've taken my hair for granted, not in the sense of not taking care of it but in the sense of not really paying attention to my recession and just assuming it was gonna stay that way. Because as far as its health goes outside of DHT's effects on it I've always looked after it to the best of my abilities. (always washing with cold water even if a myth, whenever I blow dried it was always using top heat protectors, always treating it with the best products around taking advantage of the fact that I work with online sales of this stuff and it comes fairly cheap where I'm from etc) But in the sense of not really being aware of the fact that I had androgenetic alopecia, I was just living live, grew it over the past year to shoulder length, yada yada
For some more background my diet used to be awful, lots of junk food, not eating enough, I think that as far as nutrition goes my hair stood well with many hits. If it even has some weight which i know it has but since it didnt get much worse ( I think ) with my poor nutrition I think its current worsening has to be of genetic cause. Taken my diet lately/this year i've improved a lot, still nowhere near a truly balanced diet but lots of veggies, fish, barely any red meat, eggs, etc etc. Its a headache to read about what may be good or not to eat, I just try to keep it balanced and follow basic good nutrition. Minimal if any junk food, (Lots of water as well etc).
Current hair recap:
Hair type: not very thin but thinnish, straight/natural waves. Italian/english descent. But was born and live in south america. I wash my hair every third day or so, which is when it gets oilyish, when it does tho its my hair not my scalp itself, at least i think so, and I also use dry shampoo sometimes, i would say every other day.
I guess im kind of a Norwood 2ish, and I would be fine with that should it stay that way haha but these past few months i've started to notice thinning across the top and it's definitely taken more than half my density up there, I first got freaked out bc i though i had a bald spot at my crown but it was actually my cowlick that i never noticed somehow, I can still sense some slight, early thinning in this area tho, nothing major I still have what i consider to be good/full coverage. And my hair length comes into play here too.
One day a little bit over a month ago I just noticed some loss in density at the front overnight, Im sure i just didn't notice but it really freaked me out, a lot. Went into deep reactive depression for a week, and this whole mess started, derm appointment, blood work, reading forums, not leaving the house, oh no etc etc.
Shampoo/s I use:
Kerastase's Bain vital dermo calm for sensitive scalps. http://www.kerastase.com/en/hair-care-specifique/bain-vital-dermo-calm
Kerastase's Bain stimuliste for thinning hair. http://www.kerastase.com/en/hair-care-specifique/bain-stimuliste-gl#needs_2
I also use the Vichy dercos aminexil pro vials ( http://healthurwealth.com/UploadFiles/636780382.jpg ), I know these dont help much/at all but I have overstock of em so might as well lol. I was gonna ask, is the alcohol in this damaging to the scalp? I wouldnt want to be using something that's hurting more than helping.
Derm appointment/start of treatment:
So I went to my dermatologist who actually (not to my knowledge at the time) specializes in hair loss, nothing major, I know she knows as much as the next one and I know more about certain topics at this point than her but whatever, better than nothing. <br><br>She didn't examine my scalp for long, and just explained the whole 5 ar DHT yada yada process which I already knew by heart and of course i had a million questions. She told me the dosage she was prescribing me with she does with all her patients (or most i assume) with no side effects to report. At the time i think i was so scared of the sides that i was beginning to experience them by my mind's power alone, particularly drop of libido to nearly zero, 70% working erections, etc etc. But this all subsided shortly after and actually vanished upon start of treatment, but I'll get to that later.<br><br><em>
Regimen she put me on :
Propecia: 1 mg 3x a week following a monday/wed/friday schedule. At first I was unsure but later that day i researched and did read about tons of people doing this dosage with success/no sides, and it seemed right to me. Started at around exactly a month ago and out of silliness just tappered into it by taking the first pill half & half lol.
Zinc supplement every other day until further notice (only thing I havent started)
Selenium supplement every other day until further notice. (been taking with meals EOD)
PRP same day of appt with some supercharged variant of it 3 months later. Did it a week later (first session) bc I wanted to research more about it. It didnt seem like it would do any harm so i took the plunge as it was fairly cheap here for me at least and not the rip off I hear they charge in the US for such a simple procedure
Doctor formula from the hair loss clinic she works at, created by the founder (hugely popular guy here in South America with thousands of success in patients with his methods, (think of it as some kind of belgravia center or something) and supposedly great stuff, but first off, she didnt even know its exact composition, i assumed it contained at least some kind of minoxidil in it which she confirmed, i dont know to what strenght or concentration but its something i dont want to get into. (at least yet) and I consulted a week later with her and she said propecia was of course the main thing and that i could wait it out and not use the formula yet. So that's that. (she prescribed this for use every other day, at night)
So yeah, thats most of it, now.
My experience with Propecia:
Im using brand name merck propecia. Looks like this http://www.pielyvida.com.co/783-thi...-productos-dermatologicos-merck-anticaida.jpg
Anyway this has been my timeline:
First week: Shedding/loss dropped to nearly ZERO, it was amazing. I was kind of excited. I was shedding before treatment I would say normally like no more than 30 a day. I also experienced an increase in libido, But i dont know it this has to do with propecia or the fact that i was basically out of my depression by then which I think was the culprit for my loss in libido before starting treatment as well as fear mongering online.
2 weeks until now: After that first week on it, I experienced 2 days of MASSIVE shedding, I remember pulling out 6/7 hairs at a time once. Not anything alarming tho. I just guessed it was propecia working (at around this time i also started giving keto shampoo a try, but stopped after 4/5 uses because of horrible hair texture, plus i dont have any scalp problems on the outside.
From that point on, the shedding has continued, I say i can lose at around close to 100 on a good day, and 150/200 on a suicide inducing day, depends tho, I brush my hair in sessions of 1/2 minutes in the morning and evening, and throughout the day less thoroughly if in not wearing it in a manbun. Im aware of the fact that usual shedding has a say in this and even tho its straight/wavy/silky kinda it can get quite tangled but i try to do it kindly lol, i can feel it whenever i pull out hairs while brushing and its never above 5/15 per day.
But the shedding has taken a huge toll as far as density goes, its still nothing noticeable on a cosmetic aspect but Im scared of it continuing and leaving me bald, its only been a month ffs. I also notice that I shed hairs of all kind, terminal 8 inch hairs, midly miniaturized hairs, further miniaturized baby hairs, dark curled hairs from the lower back/nape (these come out easily if i pull hard enough, always have)
As I said the shedding has continued, steadily at that, i *think* it has slowed down a bit but i could be wrong, Its put me in another wave of depression, <strong>I don't know if I could have Telogen Effluvium on top of my male pattern baldness, but here are some things I've thought could've caused it:
Wisdom teeth surgery in late July, subsequent use of antibiotics for a bad flu I had in august too.I don't know if it could also be from the initial shock of me noticing my hair loss and that severe week of depression/not leaving the house i had before starting treatment. But i know Telogen Effluvium comes months after, would appreciate some info on this tho
So these are my questions:
1) Is shedding terminal hairs while on propecia normal aside from the miniaturized ones? if these are terminal, will they come back as such?
2) Could the keto shampoo have had a say on the shedding?
3) The month before the week with no shedding started I had began a paranoid ultra healthy diet and made sure to eat breakfast at least scrambled eggs or something in the morning. Could this be the cause of the reduced shedding? because its not like a have began eating awfully again but not as panic induced as i was that couple weeks. This makes me really curious.
4) Could the PRP have induced the shedding? first session OCT 26th, began propecia november 1st. Could it be a combination of both? Im now scared to do my second session 2 weeks from now because of fear of it making me shed more. Should i postpone it?
5) Is shedding with propecia this early normal? Im really scared of reflex hyperandrogenicity and it accelerating my hair loss. Some symptoms I've considered are the increase in libido lately, some minor back/chest breakouts that come and go, (ive always had these but it had been a long time since they happened last, so it still seems fishy) and my hair getting oilier quicker, used to be able to go unwashed 3 days but now i have to wash it every other day. Again i also use dry shampoo.
Again thank you in advance and I will post pictures for some evidence/evaluation but I cant right now, later tonight for sure. Have to go, but I would appreciate some input. I also have tons of other questions but cant remember right now lol, All the best
