Hello everyone, I'm new here and have some questions--as anyone would who's going through this for the first time. Let me just state that I am half Saudi Arabian, and that alone about doubles my chances of losing all my hair at some point in my life (Arabs seem to have a tendency to go bald sooner than other cultures, I've lived in the Middle East my whole life).

To begin with, I am 19 years old, and my father's side of the family has a history of MPB: He is 47 and has lost all his hair since the process started in his early-to-mid 20's. All his brothers and uncle have also lost their hair. Of course, this is the Arab side, and that MPB gene seems to pass so aggressively from generation to generation in Arab families.

I discovered that I had been losing a noticeable amount of hair week by week starting in January of this year--my temples were a bit bigger and my hairline looked a little thinner than usual (I have always had very thick, curly black hair). Suffice to say, thanks to the sheer volume of my hair, and the way I have always styled it (letting fringes dangle on my temples), I was able to style it easily to make it look like nothing was noticeable.

I couldn't tell if anything was going wrong at that point, so I waited it out for another month to see if this was something I should try to seek help for. Well, the hair loss continued, albeit very mildly, and I visited a dermatologist over spring break in late March to get a professional opinion on it. Moreover, I also began researching hair loss online (and have frequently come across this site).

She agreed that I was in the early stages of MPB, with some hair loss on the top of my head as well as on my temples and vertex--all of which she classified as "very mild". I'd have to agree, as I'm still between a NW 1.5 and a NW 2--but she advised me to take advantage of the early stages and recommended I take Propecia to help maintain what I have.

Unsure at first about how the side effects of the drug may affect me, but aware of what it could do, I began taking 1mg Propecia once a day, every day on April 1st. The same week, I substituted my Pantene Pro V Smooth and Sleek 2-in-1 Shampoo-Conditioner for Herbal Essences Smoothening shampoo and its conditioner counterpart, and started rotating between that and Nizoral 1% three times a week.

Its now been three months since I first started noticing my hair loss, and I am thinning ever so slowly on my vertex, temples, and hairline that I'm beginning to think I should start using Rogaine foam too. I was told by the dermatologist, though, that using it would be "overkill" in my case. However, because a three month supply went on sale at Safeway here for $35, I decided to go ahead and buy some in case I should use it. My initial question here is, in turn: is it necessary for me to use Rogaine foam if I have some minor noticeable hair loss, or is it something that the Propecia and Nizoral can take care of?

Edit: Here are a few pictures; hair straight out of the shower:

Front
Left Temple
Right Temple
Vertex

So, what do you think? As you can see, my temples are not huge, and do not really compare with what most guys here are dealing with (which is not my aim, believe me)--but they ARE bigger than they used to be. I think I have a little less hair than I did when I started taking Propecia two weeks ago, could my hair be in its shedding stage now? Is it a good idea to go on Rogaine foam yet? Any general advice would be appreciated, thanks a lot.

Edited: 04/16/2007 at 12:42 AM by In_A_Conundrum

hi, welcome

when you say you started taking propecia on 1st of april, do you mean 14 days ago?

if so, i wouldn't recommend starting rogaine foam just yet..since you have mild hairloss and therefore some time to spare, you should see what kind of results that you can get from propecia alone first. if they're unsatisfactory after 9-12months, that's a good time to add rogaine imo.

good luck!

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http://www.hairlosshelp.com/websites/jikslee

Edited: 04/15/2007 at 04:29 AM by jikslee

Yes, I should have specified that--April 1st of this year. This is all very recent.

I've already applied the Rogaine foam that I have for the first time: twice today; once this morning and once a few minutes ago waiting for a reply before I go to bed. Yeah, I'm impatient. But now I guess its a good idea to not touch it for a while. Since I've only used it twice, is it going to affect me any, or is it pretty safe to say that its still trivial after two applications?

bump.

Edited: 04/15/2007 at 03:23 PM by Cello_fellow

study your ass off and get on a good routine. It's MUCH easier to keep existing hair then grow back lost hair. There are a lot of different opinions, so you have to research to find a good routine for you. I would suggest getting an aculas laser (expensive but go into debt if you have to....some things are more important than a credit card bill), read through Immortal Hairs site and get on at least a few good supplements, and get on Nizoral 2% which you can order online. Go to publix and get a small bottle of 1% until it arrives. Just read a study that showed noticeable improvement in baldness from JUST using the 1%.

I wouldn't go to rogaine yet.

2 applications of rogaine is nothing to worry about..i think you should sell that foam and wait to see what results you get from propecia alone.

can you post any pics? then we can all tell you how little hairloss you have

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http://www.hairlosshelp.com/websites/jikslee

Thanks for replying, I will post some pics that I've just taken shortly. Right now I'm just styling my hair so I can cover up the hair loss as best as I can!

Cello Fellow: I'm already using Nizoral 1%, do you think its insufficient compared to 2%? Basically, all my regimen is right now is that Nizoral and one Propecia 1mg per day.

Updated with some pictures, check out the first post.

Bump.

don't touch rogain. You have VERY mild loss if any at all.. stick to propecia and just wait for now. No one will ever suspect you for a guy who's losing hair.. sit tight and enjoy what you have.

Alright, thanks for the reply. What do you think I should expect from the Propecia+Nizoral combo? The same amount of hair I had when I started taking the medication, maybe a little more?

And yeah, I'm lucky that I caught this early--and that my hair is naturally pretty thick, so I can usually style my hair to make it look like nothings going on. I'm only 19 and a half after all, but I hope that since I've just gotten on Propecia I can at least fill in the spaces of the hairs I've lost already.

Bump.

well 2 percent is supposed to work better but 1 percent is probably okay. I started receding at 18 and was SURE I would be bald by 21 and I'm now 34 and its only slightly noticeable. you will be fine. I regret all the years I spent worrying about balding. . .don't do the same.

Well alright, I'll take your word for it. I'm still noticeably thinner on my frontal hairline when its wet, which is annoying--but its not a huge issue when its dry. Bottom line is I hope that my Propecia+Nizoral regimen can solve this or at least improve it significantly. What kind of results do you guys think I should expect?

Also, I've been taking the Propecia for just over two weeks, and have no signs of any side effects at all. I suspect, however, that the medicine may be in its shedding stage right now. Is it too early to tell if either of these are true?

Bump.

You can probably expect to slow the hairloss to a crawl. When it gets noticeable in a few years, either the big cure will be here, or you can start whatever the latest and greatest treatment is at that time. What that will be, none of us know.

Quote

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Originally posted by: Cello_fellow
You can probably expect to slow the hairloss to a crawl. When it gets noticeable in a few years, either the big cure will be here, or you can start whatever the latest and greatest treatment is at that time. What that will be, none of us know.

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Hm. When do you think I'd need to start Rogaine foam, if this is the case? Either way, I'm hoping for at least some regrowth beyond the hairs I had when I first started my regimen. I'm well aware that its easier to maintain than to regrow, but my main goal (as anyone's would be) is to see regrowth to some degree.

Edited: 04/16/2007 at 07:09 PM by In_A_Conundrum

dude, stop talking about Rogaine....you're too damn young and that's a lifelong commitment. Try a laser and some other natural cures first like emu oil, etc. Rogaine is years from now man.

No damn rogaine.

And get thoughts of regrowth or thickening over your baseline OUT of your head. You have great hair.. and i had the same thoughts when i was your age. "If i can just get back to where I was 1 year ago etc etc". It's all BS.. I'd kill for the hair i had only 2 years ago.. and that was inifinitely worse than what I had when I was 19.. and when I was 19 and started treatments I STILL wouldn't have been happy maintaining. See the mindf*ck here?

Your hair is thick as hell, and looks great. Your only expectation should be to keep what you have. Stop thinking about it otherwise, and enjoy your life.