Thinning a small bit in the front...

[terrapin1121]

only in the fron do I notice a small amount of "see thru" or thinning. Been using Revita shampoo and Rogaine 5% spray - don't see much difference in 6 months to be honest - there are NO other areas of thinning - The top, side, etc. are all thick - Any ideas of products I may have missed (non-prescription) that would address my needs? Thanks

 

[monitoradiation]

If you have a picture it'd help us try to give you an opinion. Are you sure you're not standing too close to your bathroom lights though? That tends to happen.

 

[terrapin1121]

I have no pics to send and am quite sure it's not the lighting - Guess I am looking for a proven product that addresses the front of the scalp rather than the top...Any ideas?

 

[monitoradiation]

Hmm. Then all I can suggest is talk to your physician about Propecia, if you're over about 23-25 or so. Once you've spoken to your physician, I'm sure most of us can begin you help you with dosage, and other things that MIGHT help.

What you also might consider is Nizoral shampoo (ketoconazole) 1% or 2%; it's usually for dandruff but most members here would put it in the Big 3: Finasteride, minoxidil, Nizoral.

 

[terrapin1121]

spoke to my dermatologist and she prescribed Propecia. However, at $85 a pop and with effects reversing the minute you stop taking it, it's not in my realm of possibilities. Almost $1K a year? No way.

 

[monitoradiation]

Then most of us on here will tend to think that your next step is to procure yourself some Proscar (finasteride 5 mg) and chop it into 4-5 equal parts (1.25 or 1 mg each), or dissolve it in alcohol and take with a dropper. It's much more cost-effective that way. How you get the Proscar is up to you; you can either get a prescription from your physician (I'm not sure how that'll work out if you don't have BPH, but you can try) or you can find some reputable online sites by searching where everyone else is getting theirs here.

 

[monitoradiation]

And I just want to mention one thing. Your need to be very explicit about what you've done already, what you're trying to achieve, and realistic expectations. It'll help us a LOT when we're trying to help you assess your options. We don't know any of this until you tell us.

 

[terrapin1121]

Finasteride is a good, cheap option and I will try it - Trying to achieve? To thinken the frontal hair and prevent further thinning overall. I have heard that Finasteride also carries with it some prostate benefits which are always welcomed - I'm 39 by the way. Finasteride will run me $12 a month and wasn't an option he had suggested nor one I thought of before reading your post above - so Thanks for that. I called er and she's calling it in. Now, i I stop taking it at any time, I realize the benefits cease and the "new" growth falls out. Wil it have any ill affects on existing growth? In other words, if I stop taking the stuff after a year or 2, what exactly will "fall out"?

 

[terrapin1121]

Well, went to get the Finestride at my local pharmacy and it seems my genious dermatologist called in a scrip for propecia...again! This after I specifically explained not an hour or so ago that I didn't want the propecia because of it's "un-covered" status. I made the mistake of speaking to one of her office helpers who, or so I thought, understood the issue - she said that finesteride would be called in. Anyway, the pharmacy said that the finesteride is 5mg and propecia is only 1mg - therefore making the latter way more powerful. She mentioned the name Proscar...anyway, would my derma even prescribe a 5mg finesteride for something like thinning hair?

 

[monitoradiation]

Finasteride is the main active ingredient in Propecia as well as Proscar and various other drugs - it's probably expensive because

1) It's marketed as a cosmetics drug. Your health insurance is probably not going to cover it;
2) Merck had the original patent on Finasteride so they can charge exorbitant prices for the exact same drug marketed as something else in a different dosage.

$12 a month? I personally use Propecia and it's costing me a leg and an arm (something like 60 dollars each month). As some people pointed out it might cost more to make fakes than to produce real finasteride, so. In any case, always be prudent.

The hair you have prior to using finasteride should not be affected by it; what the drug should do is that it stops the majority (but not all) of the conversion of testosterone into DHT. So hair that is not being affected by DHT will still be there with or without the finasteride. Now what you should expect to happen should you have any gains and decide to quit finasteride for whatever reason is three things:

1) You have hair that is unharmed by DHT, they will not fall out;
2) Hair that is being miniaturized by DHT (thick or not) will revert back or be a little bit thinner;
3) Hair that you gained back will fall out.

Now, I'm no expert on this subject; on these forums you will find a spectrum of gains from finasteride. Just realize that the younger you are the more likely the benefits you derive will be good. That being said, there have been a few older gents for whom treatment has done quite well on.

Everyone responds differently. What most posters on this forum will say, however, is take pictures, stick to a treatment, wait, take more pictures while you wait for a year, and assess your situation at the end of the year, to see if something is working for you, or you should modify your regimen, etc.

Good luck.

 

[monitoradiation]

Yeah... Proscar and Propecia are both finasteride, just with different dosages (Proscar = 5 mg, Propecia = 1 mg). What people here generally do is get a prescription for Proscar (or get it online) because it's cheaper, and if you can get a prescription but not for cosmetic purposes, it will usually be covered under your health plan. Then it can be chopped down to 4-5 pieces or dissolved in alcohol and taken.

Seems strange to me that your pharmacist will use the actual chemical name... I'm not aware that there's a drug out there named Finasteride. That's new to me. Finasteride 5 mg is usually called Proscar, but I could be wrong...

 

[Anthony83]

Hmm. Then all I can suggest is talk to your physician about Propecia, if you're over about 23-25 or so. Once you've spoken to your physician, I'm sure most of us can begin you help you with dosage, and other things that MIGHT help.

What you also might consider is Nizoral shampoo (ketoconazole) 1% or 2%; it's usually for dandruff but most members here would put it in the Big 3: Finasteride, minoxidil, Nizoral.

over 23?

so is there issues with being under? i noticed my little brother is starting to thin like me. he is 21. i bought him 3 months of propecia...should I not have done this?

 

[Petchsky]

The op stated he uses Revita shampoo, which contains 2% ketoconazole, so no point bothering with nizoral, as he is already using it.

If money is tight you would be best taking i dose of .50 which will offer the same protective benefits as 5mg would!

 

[ThinBrent]

I think revita only has 1% ketoconazole.

 

[monitoradiation]

Hmm. Then all I can suggest is talk to your physician about Propecia, if you're over about 23-25 or so. Once you've spoken to your physician, I'm sure most of us can begin you help you with dosage, and other things that MIGHT help.

over 23?

so is there issues with being under? i noticed my little brother is starting to thin like me. he is 21. i bought him 3 months of propecia...should I not have done this?

Nono, don't trust me on that one.

The only reason I said 23-25 is because my physician told me that most men (practically all of them past this age) have been through puberty past that age and so it's safer to mess around with the hormones than it would be if you're still developing.

I'm betting that my physician told me that age because it's a health safety warning - so she wouldn't be personally liable if something were to happen to me while on a drug that I chose to use even with her warning. There have been plenty of guys on this forum using finasteride before then - but I would just be a little bit careful, that's all. The age she told me was probably arbitrary, used as a rule of thumb she learned in school about the percentile of men still in puberty at whatever-age. I'm willing to bet that any male still in puberty at 23 may have more problems to worry about than hairloss...