Hey,

im 22 been thinning since i was like 19, i still have a full head no 'bald spots' just thin.
I recently went to the doctors and he said i had generalised MPB (basically thining all over) so he prescribed me Propetia 1mg.
FINALLY i got them, i took one yesterday, but after looking on these forums i am wondering if i should take the next one, basically ive read that the propetia pills make you shed hair first????? im going on holiday for 6 months soon and wanna be looking my best... so im wondering should i wait till i get back, i couldnt handle looking really thin while i was there ...!! wot u guys think


p.s i beleive normally 20% of your hair is in the falling stage, and beleive propetia brings more hairs into a cycle so for example 50%, so doesnt that mean that every resting stage your hair goes thorugh (not sure what time gap) your look really thin? hope you understand Thanks!!!

you gotta bite the bullet mate.

you may be lucky and not shed,i didnt.but then i didnt have much left to shed.

ok thanks, well any more oppinions??? if i do shed how much, and how long realistically untill its grows back nice??

hey guys

Looking back ,when i started on propecia i shed quiet alot of hair , my scalp looked very thin in photos at this time so I buzzed my hair completely off , ungaurded clip and over the next 6 months i let it grow back and it had definatly grown healthier and looked thicker ,all over my scalp , front temples , mid section and a little at the crown .

If i look back at photos now there is an excelent improvement in the front and over the top of my scalp , my crown showed little improvement as this was were my hairloss was at it's worse , so i had 2100 grafts with Dr Feller in nov 2007

below are pics from june 2006 when i started on propecia (I'm now on proscar , financial reasons )and in nov 2007 just before my surgery ,you can see the improvment in the overall condition of my hair ,please note though were my hair was at its thinnest , around the crowns i had very little improvment

Your hair will grow back healthier within 6 months , however give it atleast a year to see the full benifit , I'm sorry bud I relise thats not what you wanted to hear , try shaving your hair on a #1 clip , see it as a new style for a while ,then let your hair grow after 6 months . balody is right , you really just have to grin and bear it .



hope that helps
richie

The "shed" is just a more than normal amount of hair being kicked into the "telogen" or resting phase of the hair growth cycle. If I remember correctly, 10-15% of your hair is in the resting phase at any given time. When you start something like Finasteride, it can kick a more-than-normal amount of your hair into the telogen phase of the growth cycle so it may appear a little thin for awhile.

If you shed, just ride it out and eventually they'll grow back, and hopefully you'll have the added benefit of a few more hairs that weren't there before returning with them !!

u guys r sweet, ive decided, im gonna do 3 months as i am, then start taking the pill just feel a little pissed, i know everyone is told to do their own research before taking the pill, but i do beleive propetia (and alike) should describe a "shed" phase within its side effects.. or atleast state what would happen... anyway thanks you guys, still open for opinions though

Thanks

alex,

Welcome to our forum community. Excellent advice given by many veteran members.

Frankly, the shedding phase sucks - but it is a sign of the medication working. Weaker hairs are sent into the shedding phase (telogen) while newer stronger hairs are growing underneath (catagen). Propecia should be used for one full year before making a full evaluation, lest any side effects.

You may also want to add Rogaine into your regime which can help synergistically improve the possibility of hair regrowth used in combination with Propecia.

I hope this helps.

Falc

ok thanks for the help... but im kind of an unlucky person, im going away on 6th july and will be away for 6 months.. is there a chance my hair will be worse than is it now if i start taking it.... and will it have grown back by the time i leave and also.. when i do get hairs falling, there not thin weak looking ones there thick and look healthy.....?? so shedding or no shedding??

thanks for the help again falc any ideas??

?? anyone

I wish I had a crystal ball for you AJ but you'll just have to try it and see. Since Telogen only lasts for 6 weeks to 2 months, whatever hair does "shed" will have penty-o-time to come back by July.

so basically your saying taking the pills... 8 weeks down the line my hair will not be any worse... what im saying is it possible to shed and not come back??? i couldnt bare that lol

Anything's possible !

I'm not a paid consultant - you need to get that guarantee from the person prescribing the Fin for you............they're getting paid for their advice!

any more ideas?

Yes some of the weaker hairs may not come back. It happened in my case. However the way you can look at it is that eventually you would have progressed to the point you would be after 8 weeks, but w/ the meds it there's a 90% chance that it will not progress further. Tough decision!