Person's story (Updated 16/2/07)

[person_123]

i don't wish to reveal my real name. just call me person.

i've been with advanced hair studio for 3 to 4 months now. i'm not experiencing much change, and they currently have me on minoxidil 5%, hair products (serum, shampoo), some serenoa tablets and also laser sessions.

i'm quite upset about hair loss, even though it isn't too obvious yet. here's how bad it is (sorry but i don't know the rankings you guys use). In normal lighting, you can't see scalp on my head unless viewing from directly above, and even then, only a bit. when wet, and if i look at it from above, i feel very very depressed because it looks so thin.

when i take a picture from above without light/flash, it looks ok, not much scalp, but when i use light and ruffle my hair, it looks, once again, depressing.

when i was young, i had quite a thick full head of hair. very thick actually, that one day, i wished my hair would become thinner... ironic ey? be careful what you wish for people...

i'm 19 at the moment, one time i gelled my hair. i looked at the hair after i'd gelled it and noticed it looked like there was alot of scalp on my head. (i could see through the hairs). this stressed me out alot and i stopped using gel and became very self concious.

now, whenenver i'm in brightly lit rooms, i tend to feel very nervous, when people are talking/whispering to each other, i always tend to think it's about me (even when it's most probably not).

ever since stumbling upon these forums, i've been very hopeful that the HM from intercytex will be released soon and be a permanent, safe, non-scarring (affordable) solution... but that's my only hope.

what do you guys recommend? i'm scared of starting finasteride, because i'm not extremely fat, but i'm a bit overweight. i'm scared i'll gain even more weight from finasteride, because that's one of the side effects i've heard about, and also because i don't want my libido to suffer.

has anybody gone through laser therapy? please tell me it works. i've invested a lot of money into the program, and every time i look at the mirror, i seem to wonder if it's working. before i started it, i pictured myself with a thick scruffy mane of hair by now.

also, when taking pictures from the front, i see a bit of scalp through the hair in front, but only with direct light shining. anytime i see scalp now, it stresses me out, and when i get out of the shower, if i look at my hair wet, i sorta freak out then as well.

i'm not willing to post up pictures because i wish to remain anonymous, but thank you to everybody who can help me, or understands what i'm going through. thank you.

(by the way, i've been on minoxidil 5% for 3~4 months, if i stop now, and go on finasteride, will i lose alot of hair very quickly?. i'll post this in the other forums as well, the proper forums, just thought i'd ask it here).

 

[Goingat20]

Advanced hair is a waste of money. They charge you so much for products that dont work (besides minoxidil which you can get a who year supply for under 150). Laser will not help (it might make ur hair a touch thicker) but results wont last, believe me stay away from advanced hair.
Start finasteride, if you do get side effects just stop it simple as that. Continue using minoxidil and use nizoral shampoo. Your regime shouldnt cost you more than a few hundred a year.

 

[person_123]

i notice you're from australia, so am i.

if advanced hair doesn't work, why did it work for mark geyer and shane warne? i'm not promoting them, it's just the reason i started, because i saw great results in those two, and also some pictures of past clients.

what is nizoral shampoo?... how does it help?... should i stop advanced hair? or continue on with it since i've payed for it anyway?.... it can't be harmful can it?

and i don't want to continue using minoxidil because, 1: i don't seem to be getting any/much benefit from it now (no side effects though, but ahs claims this is because of their serum, which might be true, it sort of calms the scalp). 2: because i don't like applying it, i like to be able to put product in the hair, and minoxidil makes the hair look whiter and also feel weird. whenever i put product in with minoxidil, feels bad.

if i start finasteride, and get side effects, and stop it right away, should i go back to normal? or would those side effects stick but not get worse?... how much is finasteride per month/year? (average price). if i keep on going with the finasteride even with side effects, will those side effects go away?...

 

[Goingat20]

i notice you're from australia, so am i.

if advanced hair doesn't work, why did it work for mark geyer and shane warne? i'm not promoting them, it's just the reason i started, because i saw great results in those two, and also some pictures of past clients.?

Well those to just responded well to minoxidil and so did the other clients they showed you. You can buy minoxidil online fo dirt cheap. Plus those pricks know how to market there products, dont be mislead...

what is nizoral shampoo?... how does it help?... should i stop advanced hair? or continue on with it since i've payed for it anyway?.... it can't be harmful can it??...

nizoral you get from your local pharmacy (no prescription needed), just get the 1%. It works like an anti-androgen (search for nizoral on this site for more info)

and i don't want to continue using minoxidil because, 1: i don't seem to be getting any/much benefit from it now (no side effects though, but ahs claims this is because of their serum, which might be true, it sort of calms the scalp). 2: because i don't like applying it, i like to be able to put product in the hair, and minoxidil makes the hair look whiter and also feel weird. whenever i put product in with minoxidil, feels bad.?...

i would suggest continue using minoxidil....

if i start finasteride, and get side effects, and stop it right away, should i go back to normal? or would those side effects stick but not get worse?... how much is finasteride per month/year? (average price). if i keep on going with the finasteride even with side effects, will those side effects go away?...

finasteride like $95 (warehouse pharmacy) (u need a prescription, called prosca). Dont worry about sides now just start and see how things go

 

[Guest]

Hey person just continue educating yourself by reading these forums there is a wealth of knowledge here. You will find a treament plan and if you stick with it, it will most likey work. Just have patience and ask questions and read up on this site.

 

[Guest]

Hey person,

I just wanted to tell you that I know how you are feeling. When my hair is dry under normal daylight I have nothing to worry about apart from my hair line. But when it´s wet it looks terrible. In our bathroom above the mirror there is a bright halogen lamp. And after showering when I look into this mirror I feel like I have come straight out of Chernobyl.

P.S.: Good Luck, you are not alone. You will find a lot of support here!

 

[person_123]

hey thanks for the input guys.

i'm quite keen to start on finasteride, only i want to clear up everything before i do. i want to know what i'm in for is all.

first of all, for those on finasteride already, is it "regrowing" alot of your hair? or is it just maintaining the level that you're at right now? because i'm quite unsatisfied with my current level.

with advanced hair studio, i'm already in the program, so should i just keep with it and see what happens? reading these forums is very depressing about that though, as now i realise i sort of wasted my money. initially i believed my head would be full by now. now, however, i keep wishing just to see the slightest sign on thickening.

does finasteride help on recession as well?... or does it only help crown?

and most important question of all: does finasteride/minoxidil/any hair regrowth product, say for example they work, for example: i use finasteride now, i get full head of hair, if i keep using it, will i lose some hair eventually? (meaning before i'm 40,50). or will it stop hairloss completely? (if i achieve good results with it), and i'll be able to go into my midlife worrying about other things?

 

[Boru]

Advanced is the worst rip-off franchise out there. Their hairdressers aren't qualified in skin or hair science, they just tout products you can get anyway. They started out by selling wigs at vastly inflated prices, stuck on with superglue for several weeks, which inevitably causes a rash and bad odour. Try to get your money back and see how they treat you. When I asked for a refund I was threatened by thugs. A bunch of criminals if you ask me. Boru

 

[person_123]

is it really that bad? i mean, the reason i joined up was because of all the publicity, i thought, if it's international, it has credibility.

i'm not going to ask for my money back, because i've payed it, and well, signing a contract means paying for something. it's like paying for food, just because you don't like it, doesn't give you the right for a refund.

i'm going to keep going, and if i don't see any improvement, i'm definately going to ask why. i am, however, deeply saddened by the fact that nobody has given it a good rap (online anyway). i wish people would say "yeah, ahs is great! it changed my life in an amazing way" because then i'd believe and maybe that would have a sort of placebo effect, but meh.

i hate male pattern baldness... not because of the way i look because of it. honestly, i'd rather every single male in the world be bald, because i want to fit in. i know that sounds very superficial, but it's the truth, i don't want to be the guy that people look at and say "wow, he's bald.. and at such a young age." i want to be the guy that people look at and say "yeah, he's your average kind of guy."

there was a point when i started going to the gym, shaved my head and thought "i don't care about hair loss".

this lasted a year or a few months, but whenever i met a girl i liked, or whenever i hung out with friends who had hair, my confidenced plummeted. i always thought, "i'm not good enough for her" or "they have more hair than me, so they're better than i am".

i know it's a horrible way to think, but i can't help it. even now, whenever i see a bald person, or balding person, i think "poor guy". i don't want to be pitied, i want to be envied if anything...

alas, the woes of male pattern baldness... seriously though, if i was 40, i wouldn't care. i could blame it on genetics then, i could blend in with society. right now, at 19, it's just f***ed up.

 

[templemonk]

if you get generic proscar called fincar(5mg) and cut that into 4-5 pieces, it doesnt cost much. i think it comes out to be less than 10 u.s dollars a month. i started taking finasteride about a month ago, then i stopped cuz of sides.. but i realize it was more of me just panicking. im thinking about going back to finasteride.
work out harder. some people report finasteride helps them to gain muscles when they work out regularly with it.
finasteride is cheap option now (generic fins) and you can always stop it if you do get sides.
ultimate solution for your hair loss - shaving it down and get over wit it.

 

[person_123]

i wish i could get on with it, but i can't.

can i buy it at the pharmacy for that cheap? or only online?

 

[templemonk]

i bought it thru online pharmacy and i dont know if you can get generic stuff at your local drug store.
just try man and if things get ugly then f*** it

 

[person_123]

i want to try, only thing i need to do now is find a doctor. online pharmacy: i don't want it appearing on credit card, i don't want to chance the risk of somebody else having to sign for it.

and how ugly can things really get? hopefully not too ugly... if i don't get sides and get lots of regrowth, i'll be ecstatic.

 

[dirtrider67]

hey person, i feel for ya dude! i am almost 40 and believe me, it don't feel any better at this age than it did at 19. but you need to look on the bright side. at least you found this forum for support and there are solutions to help with male pattern baldness. there was nothing but plugs when i was 19 and no internet or support groups. i ignored my male pattern baldness until recently i decided to do something about it. thank god for technology. i got a hair transplant to rebuild my hairline and i just started finasteride. i tried minoxidil for a few weeks but didn't like the feel of it and it's messy. but a lot of guys are having good luck with finasteride and minoxidil to regrow. but a word to the wise, you will loose before you regrow. anyway, i got my generic proscar from unitedpharmacies.com and they are very discrete. i bought a pill cutter for 5 bucks at rite aid and cut them into 1/4's. so there is hope but you have to be realistic and not expect to have the hair you had when you were younger. someday they might find a cure but for now, you have to except it and try to not let it eat at you so much. i suggest that you concentrate on a career so you can make a future. if you do that, you will have lots to offer your mate someday. besides, hair doesn't put a roof over your head and food on the table. look at DR. Phil. he's got lots of money and a great wife because he got himself educated.

good luck and hang in there buddy

 

[person_123]

well, wont hm give me back the head of hair i had when i was younger?

i hope it will, but upon hearing more about it, it is sounding alot like a hair transplant. which is disheartening because that is not what i want. no offence to the people who have had it done, but i personally prefer to regrow my own hair. and have it thick all over.

and i know i should build a career, it's just hard at the moment. i know what i should do, it's just hard to bring myself to do it.

even now, i've read on these forums that after HM procedure, i'll still have to take finasteride to maintain it. i really hope i can maintain it without finasteride, because i keep thinking "what if i don't react well to finasteride?".

i can't accept going bald at the moment, i'm going to fight it until it can't be fought. then... who knows? that's my story anyway. thanks for all the support that everybody has offered. if the world were filled with baldies, it would be a much nicer place.

if i was on finasteride, and had fantastic regrowth, and had hm done, then required no further meds, and had a fantastic youthful full head of hair, thick and full of lustre.. i'd be happy and very content right now.

if i woke up tomorrow, and had a thick full miraculous head of hair, i'd be the happiest man alive tomorrow.

it's the one and only thing i wish for when i go to sleep.

but tell me: hypothetically. if bald was suddenly in. if all the supermodels, all the beautiful women in the world suddenly found bald men sexy, found male pattern baldness a turn on (not just shaved head, but thinning on top and around the head). would you all want to be balding? if it was suddenly "cool" would you still want hair?

 

[Guest]

if bald was suddenly in. if all the supermodels, all the beautiful women in the world suddenly found bald men sexy, found male pattern baldness a turn on (not just shaved head, but thinning on top and around the head). would you all want to be balding? if it was suddenly "cool" would you still want hair?

yes, because i could always shave it off when it was popular and grow it out all nice and thick when hair is in. you don't have that choice if you're bald.

 

[person_123]

update on my story:

i'm convinced my hair loss is getting worse.

whenever i look straight at myself in mirror, it's fine. if i approach the mirror, i start to see between the hairs and see some scalp.

when i look directly on top, i see scalp, and it's getting harder to ruffle the hair in a way that will cover it all.

i'm scared about going to a doctor to ask for proscar/propecia. don't know why, but i really should.

i want to quit minoxidil soon, hopefully the hair loss won't get worse. recently in showers i've noticed more hair (lost) than say, a month ago. is this a good sign, as i've read that shedding means regrowth soon?. i've been on minoxidil for about 4 months now.

after being on these forums, i've found out more about hm, and it's all been disheartening. at first, i thought it was a cure to balding, now i'm finding out it's just a glorified hair transplant. hopefully it looks natural still.

 

[Guest]

i've found out more about hm, and it's all been disheartening. at first, i thought it was a cure to balding, now i'm finding out it's just a glorified hair transplant. hopefully it looks natural still.

HUH? Modern hair transplant techniques are totally natural and look totally natural. It's your own hair in transplants, just taken from the back or sides of your head and moved elsewhere. You can see plenty of good pics of successful transplants on these forums or on hairlosshelp.

And HM would look even better because you will have cloned hairs to work with as well and can get better results.

 

[person_123]

update: i've started propecia. I hope to see some good results soon (within this year).

going to keep using minoxidil until my program is over (another three months).

wish me the best of luck guys. thanks.

 

[person_123]

Update:

I need words of inspiration and motivation guys.

I've been on finasteride for a few weeks, and stopped minoxidil.

I keep looking at my crown again. I keep feeling self-concious. I hate feeling like this. I want the regrowth to start already.

What should I do in the mean time? I would wear a hat, but I'm not a hat person, and I also think my hair would look thinner after I took off the hat (which I would have to do from time to time). Hat-hair might show off thin areas I mean.

HM news is keeping me cheery. Hair loss is keeping me down.