I am a 33 year old who has watched his hair slowly recede for the past 12 years. I have tried things off and on, like Follicare. My most recent stint left me frustrated that I did not see results, but both times I have stopped it seemed like my hair loss ACCELERATED!

I am determined to get back on a regimine, and I have my wife's blessing for the costs it may incur.

I am absolutely not interested in HT, but was wondering what the "final" word out there was about minoxidial based products actually being effective on a simply receding hairline. Everything I've ever read has pointed to it only working on the crown, but I can't deny that my hair loss accelerated noticeably both times I got off of minoxidil (Follicare).

I am brand new to this site, but I like what I've seen so far, and I plan on making a home here til I get this thing under control.

Thanks in advance for anyone's time..

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by JetFlyBoy:
I am a 33 year old who has watched his hair slowly recede for the past 12 years. I have tried things off and on, like Follicare. My most recent stint left me frustrated that I did not see results, but both times I have stopped it seemed like my hair loss ACCELERATED!

I am determined to get back on a regimine, and I have my wife's blessing for the costs it may incur.

I am absolutely not interested in HT, but was wondering what the "final" word out there was about minoxidial based products actually being effective on a simply receding hairline. Everything I've ever read has pointed to it only working on the crown, but I can't deny that my hair loss accelerated noticeably both times I got off of minoxidil (Follicare).

I am brand new to this site, but I like what I've seen so far, and I plan on making a home here til I get this thing under control.

Thanks in advance for anyone's time..

Jeff

Jetfly,

May I ask why an HT is absolutely out of the question? just curious

Yes. I have a huge birthmark in my donor area... very deep, dark purple. It will either limit the amount of donor follicles or speckle the rest of my scalp.

Think about using a DHT blocker like Propecia, along with Minoxidil 5%. Combination therapy is supposedly more effective.

Until you address the DHT issue I think you are swimming upstream.

Don't start and stop treatments, just decide on a sensible regimine, and do it. You're not helping by starting and stopping treatments.

Some guys find Minoxidil irritating, if that is an issue look around for a formula with no Propylene Glycol.

JetFlyBoy,

Welcome to the forums.

First of all, like Arfy said, don't start and stop treatments - especially minoxidil. Minoxidil is a medication that you have to be totally dedicated to for as long as you want to reap its benefits. Upon discontinuing the treatment you will lose any benefit that you had seen.

Second, you can obtain Minoxidil 5% for as low as ~$10 per month. For instance, I buy generic Equate (Wal-Mart brand) Minoxidil for $25 for a 3 pack. If you have a Costco or Sam's near you and have a membership then you can get it for even cheaper. The added ingredients of some hair loss products that feature minoxidil usually offer negligible benefit.

Third, research other medication to supplement your minoxidil. Male-pattern baldness is caused by DHT and minoxidil does not inhibit DHT, it only stimulates hair follicles to grow. An internal DHT inhibitor such as Propecia could be an excellent addition to your regimen.

-Robert

Robert,

Thank you very much for the response. I do believe that stopping Minoxidil has had a sort of negative effect on my hairline.

I have read a bit on propecia on this website, and even the propecia site itself. I am reading through their complicated explanation of research and it appears to be something I need. But it DOES say "efficacy in bitemporal recession has not been established."

I've asked my wife to make an appointment for me. :-)

I will also post my photos online in a week or so once I start back, and keep'em going with updates. Those guys on this site who have done it have more to learn from.

Regards,
Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by arfy:
Think about using a DHT blocker like Propecia, along with Minoxidil 5%. Combination therapy is supposedly more effective.

Until you address the DHT issue I think you are swimming upstream.

Don't start and stop treatments, just decide on a sensible regimine, and do it. You're not helping by starting and stopping treatments.

Some guys find Minoxidil irritating, if that is an issue look around for a formula with no Propylene Glycol.

Thanks arfy. Very helpful.

Do you happen to know about shampoos? I use Nioxin, with the Scalp Therapy and follicle booster (which turns your skin red). Seems like a lot of guys on this site use it for the external DHT (it claims to keep the scalp clean of it).

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by JetFlyBoy:
Robert,

Thank you very much for the response. I do believe that stopping Minoxidil has had a sort of negative effect on my hairline.

I have read a bit on propecia on this website, and even the propecia site itself. I am reading through their complicated explanation of research and it appears to be something I need. But it DOES say "efficacy in bitemporal recession has not been established."

I've asked my wife to make an appointment for me. :-)

I will also post my photos online in a week or so once I start back, and keep'em going with updates. Those guys on this site who have done it have more to learn from.

Regards,
Jeff

Merck concentrated the studies on the crown and so they cannot legally say that it does anything for the hair line. Some users report that Propecia has benefitted their crown and some report nothing. Without adequate studies (which would cost millions more so I am not holding my breath for them) it is impossible determine as to whether Propecia will benefit your hair line until you take it. Keep in mind that Propecia is more of a preventative measure, however. The idea is to keep what you have. Any regrowth is a bonus.

As for your question on Nioxin, I use it myself because it is a very good shampoo and conditioner. I cannot vouch for any of its' medicinal claims regarding DHT. I believe that it definitely does have a great cosmetic effect on the hair, though.

-Robert

Hi

As far as shampoo's Most are a lot of BS. I can tell you from my research Nizoral is one of the only one's to increase Hair count. This is not claimed by the comapany itself rather JOURNAL articles based on research. I can tell you the VIVE men's products are good at thickening what you have but there are no re-growth effects. BOTTOM LINE! The only proven treatments are Minoxidil and Propecia ( avodart too but isn't legal for hair loss). Anything else is a bunch of BS. Everything else is designed to take advantage of the balding (panicing) consumer. Trust me, I do a lot of research

I agree about the shampoos. They're only on your head for 5 minutes, tops. How much effect can they have. Pick a few good shampoos and rotate them.

Ketaconazole (Nizoral)
Zinc (Head & Shoulders, etc etc)
Maybe a tar based shampoo
Maybe a fancy one

Basically shampoo can make your hair feel nice, and a medicated one can maybe help with scalp conditions (Nizoral). They won't do anything for hair loss though!!!

Hey, I like Vive thickening shampoo too. Also Thicker Fuller shampoo and conditioner. They seem to make my hair feel nice. And they are not expensive.