Hey guys,
I'm really happy to have found this forum, because unfortunately I don't feel my doctor is knowledgeable enough about hair loss, and I have questions! I'm hoping some knowledgeable gents here might be able to help answer the few that I have.
First, a brief explanation of me. I live in Ontario, Canada and I'm 27 years old and first noticed some thinning 2 years ago. It started in my crown, but is now noticeable in my temples. I ignored it for a while, but first tried minoxidil (2%) about a year ago. After a few months of starting and stopping (oops) I made a strong commitment to it in late January. I would also love to be on Finasteride, but when I asked my doctor about it, she said that my blood pressure was verging on low, so we'd address it again after I had tried minoxidil for a while. I noticed flaky dry skin on my scalp about a month ago and since started using Nizoral.
But now onto the questions...!
• Is 2% strong enough to really make a lasting difference, or do I need stronger?
• I'm currently in the shedding phase, or at least I hope so. Any time I touch my hair, I'll have at least 4-6 hairs on my hands, and if I pull a section of hair, a fairly alarming number will come out. This is normal, right?
• Also on the subject of shedding... I decided to use minoxidil on my temples, even though I've heard conflicting reports on whether it works there (I though I'd give it a shot anyway). I'm now shedding on my temples, but do you think that will grow back even if minoxidil is ineffective?
• Should I keep pushing for Finasteride? Or anything else I should consider that could help?
Thanks in advance for any help. I really appreciate it.
Adam
I'm really happy to have found this forum, because unfortunately I don't feel my doctor is knowledgeable enough about hair loss, and I have questions! I'm hoping some knowledgeable gents here might be able to help answer the few that I have.
First, a brief explanation of me. I live in Ontario, Canada and I'm 27 years old and first noticed some thinning 2 years ago. It started in my crown, but is now noticeable in my temples. I ignored it for a while, but first tried minoxidil (2%) about a year ago. After a few months of starting and stopping (oops) I made a strong commitment to it in late January. I would also love to be on Finasteride, but when I asked my doctor about it, she said that my blood pressure was verging on low, so we'd address it again after I had tried minoxidil for a while. I noticed flaky dry skin on my scalp about a month ago and since started using Nizoral.
But now onto the questions...!
• Is 2% strong enough to really make a lasting difference, or do I need stronger?
• I'm currently in the shedding phase, or at least I hope so. Any time I touch my hair, I'll have at least 4-6 hairs on my hands, and if I pull a section of hair, a fairly alarming number will come out. This is normal, right?
• Also on the subject of shedding... I decided to use minoxidil on my temples, even though I've heard conflicting reports on whether it works there (I though I'd give it a shot anyway). I'm now shedding on my temples, but do you think that will grow back even if minoxidil is ineffective?
• Should I keep pushing for Finasteride? Or anything else I should consider that could help?
Thanks in advance for any help. I really appreciate it.
Adam