Should I just suck it up and shave it... or Propecia? (with awesome cameraphone pics)

[Pleasenocrazypeople]

Hey fellas. My dad pretty much lost all his hair. His dad pretty much lost his hair. I guess there is no use in crying about it, but I'm 26... they didn't lose theirs until they were 40. Kinda a bummer, you know?

Here's a pic

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/0213091615.jpg

And the side:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/0213091617.jpg

... And here you can see it looks slightly worse when I part the hairs and you can see how far my hairline has receded:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/0213091623.jpg

and

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/0213091621.jpg

Depressing....

I know I've probably waited too long... I usually just cut it very short (shorter than that) and it looks a bit less ridiculous... Is it worth bothering with propecia? Anyone actually ever have positive results with it? I came across a forum where a bunch of guys were saying they entirely loss their ability to get an erection after using propecia. Apparently some new Swedish study resulted in a change in the wording where they now have to say that the drug could cause PERMANENT sexual side effects even after you stop taking the drug? Needless to say, that freaked me out. Kinda ironic, right? Either go bald and fail to land chicks... or have some hair and lose interest in chicks. Oh lordy, lordy!

Btw... I know the "frequent masturbation leads to hair loss" is a myth, right?... but if propecia kills your Libido... well, shucks... seems like that's half the battle right there!

Other random questions:

My hair is obviously pretty thin... any shampoo recommendations that might help at all?

About 10 years ago when I was in high school I had to take accutane for an extremely bad case of cystic acne. It wasn't until a few years ago that I started noticing a definite receding hairline, but I'm wondering if somehow taking accutane years ago could have expedited my genetic hairloss?

In a related note... for years I've used facial cleanser for the aforementioned acne issue. I use to use stuff with benzoyl peroxide, but it was a bit harsh on my skin. For the last few years I've used cleanser with salicylic acid. I'm wondering if washing my face 2-3 times a day with salicylic acid (and inadvertently getting some in my hair line) could also be problematic. I mean... acid and hair certainly doesn't sound like a match made in heaven, right? :)

How much can lack of sleep effect hair loss? I wake up several times a night... may have sleep apnea. I've got an appointment set to do a sleep study. Just curious... (obviously a more pressing issue than hair follicles)

Any truth to the rumor that taking showers with scalding hot water could be detrimental to hair growth?

My method of hair drying has always been to violently rub my scalp with a towel... not the best idea? ....



Lol.. thanks.

[NerfArrowstorm]

Personally, I would just shave my head, but Propecia could work for you. (obviously) talk it over with your doc, but I think it is worth a shot. I personally think that most of the issues men have regarding sexual side effects from propecia are mental. That isn't based on research, it just happens to be my straight up opinion.

Regarding prescription drugs and reported side effects you read about on the internet...I heard a similar line of reasoning on the internet about accutane (which I took). -- YEARS later, people (men) like to claim that it "caused" their hairloss. People like to look around for the least probable answer. It can't simply be the fact they are now in their mid-20's and starting to have male pattern baldness, it MUST have been the accutane they took when they were 18!

[Pleasenocrazypeople]

Personally, I would just shave my head, but Propecia could work for you. (obviously) talk it over with your doc, but I think it is worth a shot. I personally think that most of the issues men have regarding sexual side effects from propecia are mental. That isn't based on research, it just happens to be my straight up opinion.

Regarding prescription drugs and reported side effects you read about on the internet...I heard a similar line of reasoning on the internet about accutane (which I took). -- YEARS later, people (men) like to claim that it "caused" their hairloss. People like to look around for the least probable answer. It can't simply be the fact they are now in their mid-20's and starting to have male pattern baldness, it MUST have been the accutane they took when they were 18!

Nerf... I fully understand that the receding hairline is likely 100% genetics. Like I said... both my father and my grandfather started losing their hair in their 40s. The only reason I brought up accutane was because I read on the wikipedia under "adverse effects": "permanent hair thinning (This could start or continue after treatment)" and also...

"The following adverse effects have been reported to persist, even after discontinuing therapy: alopecia (hair loss)" ...

Granted it was several years after I took accutane that I started noticing any receding hairline, but I was curious whether or not my genetic hairloss could have happened sooner because of taking that drug. I don't really know the science behind it. Was wondering if whatever kept the acne from returning was also something that could be detrimental to hair follicles.

[NerfArrowstorm]

Nerf... I fully understand that the receding hairline is likely 100% genetics. Like I said... both my father and my grandfather started losing their hair in their 40s. The only reason I brought up accutane was because I read on the wikipedia under "adverse effects": "permanent hair thinning (This could start or continue after treatment)" and also...

"The following adverse effects have been reported to persist, even after discontinuing therapy: alopecia (hair loss)" ...

Granted it was several years after I took accutane that I started noticing any receding hairline, but I was curious whether or not my genetic hairloss could have happened sooner because of taking that drug. I don't really know the science behind it. Was wondering if whatever kept the acne from returning was also something that could be detrimental to hair follicles.

Yeah, I guess I understand the concern, and yeah, maybe it's possible that accutane hurt your hair in some way. I am still mostly skeptical about the accutane-hairloss link. My dermatologist was a medical researcher for years before going into her practice (specifically studying isotretinoin), and she said that she NEVER came across any clinical evidence of a link long or short term with hairloss / speeding up MPB.

I guess, if I were you, I wouldn't worry about it too much. You can't reverse taking accutane...

[Kinky Temples]

It all depends on what you want. I think the majority will tell you it won't do anything for your temples, but it can thicken your hair on top. If it's temple hair you want back, I'd not waste money on Propecia, and I would probably just shave.

[Mark]

I know I've probably waited too long... I usually just cut it very short (shorter than that) and it looks a bit less ridiculous... Is it worth bothering with propecia? Anyone actually ever have positive results with it? I came across a forum where a bunch of guys were saying they entirely loss their ability to get an erection after using propecia. Apparently some new Swedish study resulted in a change in the wording where they now have to say that the drug could cause PERMANENT sexual side effects even after you stop taking the drug? Needless to say, that freaked me out. Kinda ironic, right? Either go bald and fail to land chicks... or have some hair and lose interest in chicks. Oh lordy, lordy!

Btw... I know the "frequent masturbation leads to hair loss" is a myth, right?... but if propecia kills your Libido... well, shucks... seems like that's half the battle right there!

Other random questions:

My hair is obviously pretty thin... any shampoo recommendations that might help at all?

About 10 years ago when I was in high school I had to take accutane for an extremely bad case of cystic acne. It wasn't until a few years ago that I started noticing a definite receding hairline, but I'm wondering if somehow taking accutane years ago could have expedited my genetic hairloss?

In a related note... for years I've used facial cleanser for the aforementioned acne issue. I use to use stuff with benzoyl peroxide, but it was a bit harsh on my skin. For the last few years I've used cleanser with salicylic acid. I'm wondering if washing my face 2-3 times a day with salicylic acid (and inadvertently getting some in my hair line) could also be problematic. I mean... acid and hair certainly doesn't sound like a match made in heaven, right? :)

How much can lack of sleep effect hair loss? I wake up several times a night... may have sleep apnea. I've got an appointment set to do a sleep study. Just curious... (obviously a more pressing issue than hair follicles)

Any truth to the rumor that taking showers with scalding hot water could be detrimental to hair growth?

My method of hair drying has always been to violently rub my scalp with a towel... not the best idea? ....

Lol.. thanks.

Welcome to the forum!

It really sounds like you know the answers to your questions and are just looking for confirmation.

Will Propecia help you grow your hair back? I wouldn't count on it. A small number of people will see some hair re-growth (usually in the crown), but the VAST majority of people taking some form of Finasteride do so because it just helps them keep the hair that they've already got. If that's something you're interested in, by all means go for it.

You've lost a considerable amount of hair up front and I think the only way to do anything about it would be to get a transplant, but then you'll need to take Finasteride anyway so that you don't continue balding back past where the hair gets transplanted.

Unless you're scalding your scalp in the shower, hot water shouldn't be a problem. Neither should be how you dry your hair. If you're suffering from a genetic form of MPB, nothing physical that you do to your hair is going to make any real significant difference in how you lose your hair.

-Mark

[Pleasenocrazypeople]

Hi guys,

It's been about 20 months since I decided to start propecia (generic finasteride)... I'd say that it did exactly what I hoped it would do... thickened what hair I had left and slowed down my inevitable balding. I figured I'd share some pictures to show how it's looking these days.

A couple notes... I keep my hair pretty darn short... it can look a little funky if I let it grow out much. The little results I have should be pretty obvious, but I imagine if it wasn't this short my widows peak would be pretty apparent. ALso, I should mention that I haven't tried anything other than finasteride at this point. My dermatologist recommended I try rogaine to see if I can zombie some dead hair follicles, but I'm still a little concerned about the potential side effects (mostly paranoid that it will have adverse effects to my frightened hairline). Lastly... for the first week taking finasteride, I thought I was noticing some of the often mentioned "sexual side effects"... Nothing major, but I was definitely noticing a difference. Things went back to normal pretty quickly and I haven't experienced any problems since.

Here's some pics:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/photo2.jpg

The side:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/photo6.jpg

Other side:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/photo4.jpg

Another:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/photo3.jpg

Last one:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/photo.jpg

[Pleasenocrazypeople]

So basically... Before and After:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/0213091615.jpghttp://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/hellabalding/photo2.jpg

[HighTopFade]

That's so f**kin' awesome you returned to tell us!

You know what, I'm going to go to my docs this coming week and ask for the prescription I've needed for quite some time now... and save what I have left!

Thanks, man. You rock!

[KevD71]

That's an amazing transformation. Thank you for sharing. It gives me some hope for myself.

[matts]

thanks for sharing your progress.
i'm hoping i too can achieve some density improvements.
i'm trying propecia and minox combo with the hair max laser comb as well.
i'm thinking that i'm feeling the sexual side effects from time to time. like you mentioned i did feel a lower libido and some odd sensations in the first 3 weeks or so.
it then subsided and i felt like all was back to normal.
i'm currently feeling like those side effects are reemerging.
not sure what to do. i'll probably stick it out for a while longer and see what happens.

[HairyHair]

Oh awesome!!
Propecia really did wonders. Thanks for going back and sharing with everyone here. I'm sure everyone who gets to read this (including myself) would decide to stick with Finasteride or try it if it's not on their regime yet.

[MarkD]

It's a hard choice to make man. I'm trying to find a good treatment, and was going to take propecia.. even though they say only 2% of men get serious sides, but my doc said he won't prescribe it for me! I asked how many % of guys have erectile issues etc., he said he doesn't have firm numbers but it is much more than 2% of guys who take the treatment. I'm at a loss as to what to do at this stage...