My Hair Thinning And Graying Story And Questions

[bluehair]

Hi i am new here,

I am 32 now and first noticed hair loss at around age 28. Over the last few years i have had a lot of stress which has gradually made my hair look worse. For a while i had long hair and brushed over the thinning area on my crown but recently decided to have my hair cut short but i am not sure if that was a good choice, i am also graying gradually.

Early last year i went for a hair transplant consultation but was rejected and told that Finasteride was the only choice i had but at that point i chose not to because after research i read of some really bad side effects with it.

For about a year and a half i have been using minoxydil (Regaine 5%, foam and liquid) but i haven't really had any regrowth and i am not sure if i should bother using it anymore but i get it free from my GP each month.

Recently i have started using MorrF which is a product i found on ebay that has minoxydil 5%, Finasteride 0.1% and Lipid Solution and i am hoping that the topical Finasteride will help.

Over the years i have tried loads of hair products and saw palmetto to thicken hair and oils etc but with no luck, it always seems fine and now looks even worse. I also purchased a hairmax laser comb and used it for most of last year but without much luck.

Today after taking photos of my hair slightly dampened it looks bad to me so i have just ordered 6 months of Aindeem (Finasteride 1mg) and i am hoping the gamble will pay off and my hair will thicken up.

Q1) How bad do you think my hair loss is and do you have any advice for my hair or idea why it is getting so thin?

Q2) Is Finasteride likely to work for me? Also how long do you think i would have to take it before i get good results?

Q3) Should i keep using Regaine foam and MorrF when i take Regaine?

Q4) Is there any way to prevent or lower Finasteride side effects?

Here are my photos:

 

[Captain Rex]

Q1)
it's DPA for sure.
Diffused Patterned Alopecia. and yes your hair loss is way bad at the crown but the good thing is hairline is dense and intact.

Q2)
yes finasteride (if it works) shall do wonders for you.
you should give finasteride a year at least or two years at max.

Q3)
yes you can take both of them (no harm in doing so)

Q4)
finasteride 0.25 mg daily works almost same as 1 mg ( i lowered the dose myself and i have no sides at all)

i hope this helped you.
all the best.
keep us updated (at 6 month mark and 12 month mark and so on)

 

[bluehair]

Q1)
it's DPA for sure.
Diffused Patterned Alopecia. and yes your hair loss is way bad at the crown but the good thing is hairline is dense and intact.

Q2)
yes finasteride (if it works) shall do wonders for you.
you should give finasteride a year at least or two years at max.

Q3)
yes you can take both of them (no harm in doing so)

Q4)
finasteride 0.25 mg daily works almost same as 1 mg ( i lowered the dose myself and i have no sides at all)

i hope this helped you.
all the best.
keep us updated (at 6 month mark and 12 month mark and so on)

Thanks, this is really helpful information.

Q5) With finasteride 0.25 mg daily should i start on that dose or begin at the default 1mg then gradually decrease if i have some thickening?

Q6) Is Finasteride the only choice for Diffused Patterned Alopecia? can you have a hair transplant for my kind of hair?

Q7) Should i expect much from topical Finasteride? The MorrF i have purchased comes from india and it seems there is not any products with topical Finasteride in the UK highstreet stores with hairloss products so i guess i will have to wait and see if it works.

Q8) Sometimes i use more than the recommended half a cup full of regaine foam because of the large area needed to be treated, could this perhaps make hair loss worse over time?

 

[Captain Rex]

Q5)
the default 1 mg value is a controversial one, as both 0.25 mg and 1 mg reduces dht almost by the same level.
but there is a noticable decrease in side effects when you switch to lower dosage.
IMO you can start with lower dose that is 0.25 mg daily and observe 1 month, if u experience no sides then move onto 0.5 mg and so on
all you have to do is to find the perfect dose suitable for you.(it varies from person to person)

and don't worry about the fact that you have to start with 1 mg while u have time because the difference would be so negligible that u won't even realise it.

Q6)
yes finasteride is the only option left for DPA

no, u can never go for a transplant (sadly) considering your weak donor region. Even if u go for a transplant u won't get a decent result and at the end it will be a waste of time and money.

Q7)
u shouldn't expect much from any sort of topical when minoxidil failed on your scalp. But i must say that u shud fight with all the weapons u have.
it's like having a knife in a gun fight. (may come in handy)

and yes u will have to wait a long time. Just don't give up in middle of the fight.

Q8)
it's not a good idea to use more than recommended because u won't be getting any extra results.
it won't cause any damage to your hair tho but u may end up shedding a lot for a longer time and be careful on the hairline.

i hope u know about hair concealers, they may help u cover your crown
1. Toppik or caboki. (some fibre material which attaches itself to the hair to give it a lot of density but it may look odd when u sweat)
http://www.caboki.com/default.html

2. DermMatch (now this product is a perfect one for you because u can easily give the illusion of fuller head and u don't have to worry about sweating also)
https://www.dermmatch.com

anyway just keep an eye on the pipeline page, we hope to see a couple of new treatments(histogen, Replicel) in the market in 2018-19.

 

[bluehair]

Thanks again, just wondering with the Toppik and DermMatch which color do you think would suit me best, i had seen hair fibres in a store once but i was not sure if they were a good idea or not as my city is quite windy, can these blow off the head?

DermMatch looks like a good product, could applying a makeup style thing to the head damage hair growth though?

Q9) Does finasteride actually help with hair regrowth or will it just thicken my hair so thinning is less visible? I read that it doesn't work for spots which are bold (Perhaps i have a slight spot which can be seen in photo 4) but that seems different to what i have.

When i went to talk about a transplant they had i high res camera that showed my hairs do not split in bunches which is apparently what thick hair does so rather than 4 stands i have one or 2.

Q10) If finasteride does work to thicken my hair should i expect it to look slightly less grey? In photo 4 i see white hairs but the rest is dark but turning gray, will the hair darken again slightly? or will i have to start using hair dye for that?

 

[bluehair]

Q11) If you take finasteride is taking saw palmetto also a bad idea?

 

[hanginginthewire]

My initial thought upon seeing your pics was DUPA, because your donor does look weak.

The combo of graying and balding prematurely is really rough. I've seen some premature gray fullheads that look pretty cool. Anyway hope the propecia helps you!

 

[mr_robot]

Try adding peppermint oil and stemoxydine before finasteride, you may also find the liquid better than the foam. It worked for me and I have diffuse thinning too.

 

[michel sapin]

are you hair wet in those picture ? keep us updated man , propecia might work for you

 

[bluehair]

Thanks everyone, i will try some peppermint oil and Stemoxydine looks interesting (I will order the L'Oreal one from amazon), just wondering can those be used alongside minoxidil and finasteride?

are you hair wet in those picture ? keep us updated man , propecia might work for you

I ordered 6 months of Aindeem (Finasteride 1mg), is that the same as propecia or is there a difference?

Yeah my hair was wet, today i purchased some dark brown hair dye for men and applied it. I also got some hair fibres for that color which worked really well, i even went to the gym but did not do the usual workout because i did notice the stuff came out with a bit of sweating.

Here is my hair dry and dyed dark brown (I will possibly do another soon which might make the color better), i put some on my beard and mustache which worked but i did get a bit on some skin near my mouth and its gone slightly red like i have acne or something.

And a up close image (The right side being darker is a shadow from the camera being held up)

Edit - Also the products i use

 

[mr_robot]

Get the garnier stemox from amazon germany, much much cheaper then the overpriced L'oreal one.

Add 7 drops peppermint oil to the stemox box. Give it a try, if you hardly feel any tingling sensation add another 7 and repeat until you find a level that is invigorating but not uncomfortable. You may find that some areas of your scalp are more sensitive than others.

 

[bluehair]

Thanks, I just ordered these product before seeing your reply though, i used Amazon UK since i had some gift vouchers for them.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BBXE2DG (10ml Peppermint Pure Essential Oil)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NU4LW00 (L'Oreal Serie Expert Serioxyl Denser Serum for Coloured and Natural Hair 90ml)

 

[mr_robot]

https://www.amazon.de/Garnier-Fruct...39149860&sr=8-1&keywords=fructis+kraftzuwachs

Is the one I order, you can get it delivered to the UK. I think it works out at about half the price.

 

[bluehair]

https://www.amazon.de/Garnier-Fruct...39149860&sr=8-1&keywords=fructis+kraftzuwachs

Is the one I order, you can get it delivered to the UK. I think it works out at about half the price.

Thanks, would you agree with the claim that Serioxyl makes 1700 new hairs after 3 months treatment?

 

[mr_robot]

Thanks, would you agree with the claim that Serioxyl makes 1700 new hairs after 3 months treatment?

Can't say as I've never used it by itself, however an average person has 100,000-110,000 hairs. Even if have lost half you hair, 1700 new hairs is just a 3% improvement so not massive claim true or not.

 

[bluehair]

Ok thanks, even if that is the case i think filling in some of the gaps where my hair is thin would be great. The product will arrive in a few days so i will start using it right away.

One thing i am wondering though is if the minoxidil, finasteride and serioxyl would interact badly together. Would this cause shedding like minoxidil does when you start using it?

 

[abcdefg]

Most questions in medicine have no answers especially with male pattern baldness. The answer to all your questions is who knows. Its likely finasteride helps, and your loss is bad so you should have been on like a long time ago. Nothing to say about sides that hasnt been a million times. Its not likely but u could get them. Nothing can fix that. No other options

 

[mr_robot]

Ok thanks, even if that is the case i think filling in some of the gaps where my hair is thin would be great. The product will arrive in a few days so i will start using it right away.

One thing i am wondering though is if the minoxidil, finasteride and serioxyl would interact badly together. Would this cause shedding like minoxidil does when you start using it?

Stemoxydine basically causes hypoxia for a small amount of time, I think it's around 30 minutes after application. You can safely use all three together. Shedding after taking minoxidil and finasteride have been reported.

Have you had a biopsy to definitely confirm male pattern baldness rather than stress related Telogen Effluvium?

 

[bluehair]

Thanks everyone, Stemoxydine is on it's way so i am hoping that will help.

I haven't had a biopsy but it is possible it's a combination of male pattern baldness and Telogen Effluvium since i have had constant stress for a few years now and my hair getting worse makes it worse.

I have been on finasteride for 4 days now but have taken 6 tablets, after washing my hair yesterday it seems like my hair has lost any thickness i had and seems to look really bad.

Is it normal for it to get a lot worse before it gets better?

 

[rclark]

Hi i am new here,

Q1) How bad do you think my hair loss is and do you have any advice for my hair or idea why it is getting so thin?

Q2) Is Finasteride likely to work for me? Also how long do you think i would have to take it before i get good results?

Q3) Should i keep using Regaine foam and MorrF when i take Regaine?

Q4) Is there any way to prevent or lower Finasteride side effects?

Here are my photos:

.

Something is going on with your hair/health. And I really believe it's MORE SERIOUS than just
androgen alopecia.

For one,

1. It's diffuse on the sides AND back.

2., It's prematurely all gray. Usually, people aren't that gray until their forties/possibly 39 and up.

That's quite a lot of gray hair. Your ENTIRE scalp is THINNING. And going gray. Serious under
active thyroid might be the cause, in which case you might be able to reverse hair loss.

I would STRONGLY recommend you get screened for a variety of health problems. Thyroid problems/cancer,
or cancer somewhere else.

That hairloss does NOT look like normal androgen alopecia