*About to make a Bold move* (a little scared)

[jimmystanley]

alright guys, i'm not writing this to depress everyone rather i'm writing this as a sort of 'blog' of my next few steps against male pattern baldness. I hope i can get some support :lol:
as of today i have been using propecia for 1 year 8 months. i have continued to loose tonnes of hair every day but i would at least say that it has slowwed down the process. I am a diffuser with about a n2 and still am at the point where people say 'you're going bald????" Propecia has caused me to loose interest in sex and to have a hard time maintaining a semi whilst in action. i also get really bad seb derm(not caused by propecia) which causes serious sebum build up on my scalp. i have tried everything to get rid of the seb derm but it is always there...the only solution is to shave my head.
Here is a stab at my logic...the seb derm has driven me to a point where i must make a change. The only solution to seb derm seems to be when i shave my head. Also, i would like to stick it out with propecia but i am sick of never getting hard ons and i miss being interested in sex. My next step is to shave my head, get off propecia and start using fluridil and possibly spironolactone. I'm not in any way bashing propecia, i think it can help with male pattern baldness... but i really miss having all of my DHT!!! What i'm not looking forward to is shaving my head :? I know that after i shave my head my hair loss patter will be way more noticable and i will have to live with this from day to day. Can you guys see how my decision is very difficult??

 

[Trent]

totally man, i get nervous about getting my hair cut shorter (which i may do tomorrow.. oh no!!) so i totally feel your nervousness. you're lucky in some respects because you've shaved it before... thus its not a new and different look for you (this takes away some of the attention that someone like me would get from shaving a head, a look i have never even come close to sporting). Why don't you try cutting the pills in half for a few weeks, see if that helps with your sex drive.

ps. isn't it sort of weird the way we talk on this forum, i mean honestly, i'm talking to a dude i've never met in my life about how to get his sex drive back. just kinda funny when you stop and think about it. ha.

best of luck jimmy, i bet the shaved head will be more liberating than anything.

 

[jimmystanley]

here is a list of my pros and cons to shaving my head

Pros

1. i can quit propecia (which has a tonne of benefits for me in itself) and start using topical anti androgens
2. i can finally get rid of the very annoying and depressing seborrhea dermatitis
3. I won't have to constantly think about how my hair looks and spend all kinds of time preparing/styling it (a big one for me)
4. I can go travelling again


Cons
1. Seriously, the only down side is that i will have a noticable pattern and this affects all social situations big time. this is a big one and almost makes all the pros useless.


conclusion...i'm excited about the pros, but thinking about looking in the mirror and seeing that pattern when i'm out on a date or when i'm just out in general gives me that heart sinking feeling. :shock:

 

[jimmystanley]

ya, trent, that is very very funny actually...but i should have mentioned that i am only taking .5mgs right now (and cut down to .25mgs at one point)... it has helped but i am still sorta lame in the sac. haha, i hardly tell any of my buds this stuff. I rely on you guys more than i realize.

 

[Trent]

at least you're in the sac man, its been far too long for T. Ever since the hairloss became noticable to me, i haven't had the confidence to get any dates except one lousy makeout session that isn't even worth mentioning.

about the .5mg already, i see... hmmm.. maybe try that L-Arg sh*t that everyone always raves about? supposedly great for that stuff.

 

[techprof]

ya, trent, that is very very funny actually...but i should have mentioned that i am only taking .5mgs right now (and cut down to .25mgs at one point)... it has helped but i am still sorta lame in the sac. haha, i hardly tell any of my buds this stuff. I rely on you guys more than i realize.

try skipping everyother day with 0.5mg dosage. On an average this will keep your dht level down. i take 2.5 mg every other day. i feel that this is more effective than using 1.25 every day.

did you try taking l-arginine.

 

[jimmystanley]

ya, i tried cutting it down and i used the l-argine and i changed up my diet and everything too. But i'm just no longer liking the idea of messing up my hormones...especially my sex hormones (especially at 25!!) I am excited to quit propecia so that's not really the issue. the issue is....

that i'm wondering if all of those positives that i'm missing out on are worth it to still have a visable head of hair??? :wink:

 

[Petchsky]

If i was in your position i would buy RU 577? from the faith eagle website and make it myself. This probably is more expensive and more work than Fluradil though.

Good luck but it sounds like you will be better off without the propecia in your case.

 

[Solo]

totally man, i get nervous about getting my hair cut shorter (which i may do tomorrow.. oh no!!) so i totally feel your nervousness

Oh, god!! I´ve been there a million times. But lately i´ve been feeling better about it. Now, I´m a friend of the hairdresser, before, I was so freaked looking at my falling hair that i just cannot breath. I got my mind full of the usual norwood-fear bullshit "It will reveal my condition, it will reveal my laughable young balding man condition", "Oh, Lord, Why just i have to cut it??" while staring at my head in the mirror, looking for the shines in thinning areas. But I just realize that If it looks good long, it will look good shorter. Or even better. Don´t be scared, and remember that hair looks better when it´s been recently cutted. And if your very bald you HAVE to cut it anyway. I bet you millions that you will go out the hairdresser with a good feeling, so why get into there nervous??

And, man, I´ve realized that it´s kind of girly being nervous for a haircut.

 

[itchy080]

i shaved my head about month ago, for i had just strted rogaine, now its growin back and looks thinner, hopefully cuz of the rogaine, i to am a diffused thinner and this hair loss crap has made me so deoressed, my derm thinks it isnt male pattern baldness but sumthin ese but thy are ususally wrong
anyway shavung my head was the best thing i did and i am doin again aftr my wends derm apptment
go for it!

 

[stanley2005]

4. I can go travelling again

Why did you stop?

 

[Cornholio]

The dermatitis may be contributing to your diffuse thinning... You say you've tried everything (probably meaning T-gel, T-sal, and Nizoral shampoos) but if there is still flaking or irritation seeing a dermatologist may help (for the definitive diagnosis and treatment alternatives including topical steroids). Cant hurt. Even If you cut it short you will still have to deal with the inflammation. Just a thought.

http://dermatology.about.com/cs/seborrhea/a/sebderm.htm

....."When to See a Doctor For Seborrhea
You should see your doctor if you're not sure you have seborrhea. Other conditions that can be similar are psoriasis, rosacea, atopic dermatitis, or superficial fungal infections.

You should also consult your doctor if you have tried this over-the-counter treatment and you still have symptoms, especially if you have very thick flakes. Your doctor may recommend a stronger steroid or a combination medicine to help dissolve the dead skin...." excerpt

 

[Brandon Mthson]

This of course won't work for different patterns of hair loss, but I was surprised to see shaving my head relatively short made my early stage frontal hair loss less noticeable, as the hair on my hair line could then hang down, instead of being styled up. I sometimes shave the sides of my head at around 1/8 inches, the top at 1/4 inches, and leave the front longer, like 1/2 or 3/4 inches, and style it to the side, rather than up, also making the hair loss less noticeable.

Best of luck

 

[kiwi1973]

hey jimmy

a tip with shaving your head i would leave it a bit longer on top than the side this makes the top look less thin

 

[jimmystanley]

hey jimmy

a tip with shaving your head i would leave it a bit longer on top than the side this makes the top look less thin

ya, that's usually what i used to do...shave it right down, then on the second day shave the sides ( my hair grows increadibly fast)

i think i would have a hard time travelling with longer hair cause it's pretty hard to manage...i don't have regular hair loss...i loose soo much everyday and with the seb derm i get all kinds of white chunks of skin left over in my hair after i shower to i have to spend time picking it all out. It's so lame and i can't image being able to do that while backpacking. I could probably still go with longer hair, but it would look rediculous.

hey itchy...how old are u/how long have u had male pattern baldness?

 

[estates]

when you say your diffuse..does that mean the entire head. Or just in the typical male pattern baldness areas. I am loosing my hair. Im 33. Been lossing for over a year now. No pattern at all. It's over my entire head where scalp hair grows. Very odd. Dr calls it CTE/ alopecia diffusa. He does not know what the end result will be. Says I should not loose all my hair. SHould have hair line and everythigng. Just it will be see through. That day will suck when it comes. No hair at all....................damn

 

[kiwi1973]

hey jimmy have you tryed aloe vera on your scalp
its great stuff for skin and may help with the seb derm

 

[jimmystanley]

no, have never tried aloe vera. i think my biggest issue is right now i have a major life choice to make. Choice one....leave my hair long....choice two shave it off. I have weighed out the pros and cons of both and i am having a hard time deciding which is the best way to go. Shaving my head seems like the best route but it will completely alter my appearance to the point where i will look like a different guy,...a guy with a visable hair loss pattern.

if i stay down the path of choice one then i will have to stay on propecia, which means i will have to bare the burden of being lame in the sac, this sometimes seems to make having hair to look better for girls pointless...also i worry about what it other things it does to my body that we don't really know about. i will also have to live with the seb derm which causes it's own type of hair loss, scalp burning and huge chunks of skin in my hair....however, i will at least look like a normal person and can ease my self when i look in the mirror. My social life (professional and personal) will probably be less difficult (for reasons we all know...but maybe sometimes deny...hair gives us confidence).

if i go for choice two i can quit propecia and get back to a vigours youthful DHTful way of living. This means that i can get a sex life again and not get embarrassed/ loose confidence in the sac. It also means that i won't have to deal with seb derm which would be a huge weight off my shoulders. I wouldn't have to worry about watching my hair fall out and spending too much time in front of the mirror seeing how it looks. But the big down fall is when i look in the mirror with one of those 'bright lights' and i see that friggin pattern. You try and be a man about it and say things could be worse...but it's heart sinking...and it makes it hard to get excited to go out and be social. Know what i mean?

however, i've decided that i can't stand the seb derm any more, and i'm sick of having low interest in sex at 25. this sunday i'm going to shave my head and loose the life of choice one. Can u guys see how it is not a win win decision???
:wink:

 

[PartTimeNinja]

Good for you Jimmy - seems to me that you're making the right choice for yourself here dude. I wish you all the best.

 

[jimmystanley]

okay...today was the day...butterflies in my stomach,...thoughts of possible regret...pre-images of how bad it would look ...and me standing with my clippers in my right hand as i starred into the mirror. I always know how bad it will look once i get that first strip of hair off...after it was all done i had a great feeling of joy...it actually looks great! i'm really feeling good about this guys. i look waaaay better and i feel 200 times better, i think i'm actually going to do a new post on this.