nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

I need help with conflicting opinions on Regaine!

bfa1509

(Sorry about the wall of text, I have some simple questions below if too long to read)

A few people have told me that I am going a little thin at the back and top of my head. I have taken a few pictures myself but can just see a line of skin that just looks like my scalp.

But in the last few weeks I've started to become more aware of it and have felt it start to tingle - I don't know it's spreading or if it's just because I'm more self conscious about it now (kind of like if someone jokingly tells you that you have a spider in your hair, and you can feel it even if it isn't there). I've read on the internet that if you can feel it tingle then you are going bald.

I would very much be on the side of people who just shave it all off and get on with their lives, but I'm only 24, I don't think a bald head would suit me right now, and I would kick myself later on if I knew there was an easy way to prolong my hair life.

So I took to the internet of course and saw that lots of people suggest Rogaine (Regaine in Europe) and they say that there is no harm in trying it for a few months and if you can't see any change you can just stop.

So I thought I had nothing to lose (excuse the pun) and would try it out. I went to the chemist today and asked for Regaine and the pharmacist said that it works but warned that if I stopped using it my hair would fall out more/go bald faster than if I never started using it. This took me by surprise and I told her I would think about it some more.

So here are my questions:

1) If I stop using Regaine will my hair fall out more/go bald quicker than if I never started using it?
2) Does it give a greasy look to my hair or cause dandruff or other unwanted effects?
3) Does it have a smell? If so good or bad?
4) Apart from the cost, has anyone ever had a negative experience with Regaine?

Any help would be appreciated! I feel like I am in a race against time here and I can't stop thinking about it.

Find more posts tagged with

baldness

hairloss

regaine

Quick Links

Comments

Saipanne

Thread does not solve thread title.

wakka12

Sorry to be blunt but you're completely wasting your time ,money and energy if its hairloss that you are trying to slow down. The only thing you're achieving is making your hair greasy.
The only things that will help are the proven medications.

Steve012

Uriel. wrote: »

Jaysus surely that **** couldn't be good for your body long-term...

Probably not, but my gp is old school and his Son takes it, my gp said, the worst thingP that affected him in his life was losing his hair when he was younger..
Its like a rock and a hard place I guess

the_syco

Steve012 wrote: »

Probably not, but my gp is old school and his Son takes it, my gp said, the worst thingP that affected him in his life was losing his hair when he was younger..
Its like a rock and a hard place I guess

I agree with your GP; it can really knock your confidence if you have the bald pattern of a 40 year old at 20!

L1011

LThat won't do anything. Except make you smell extremely strange.

bfa1509

Musketeer4 wrote: »

Finasteride lowers dihydrotestosterone by inhibiting the 5 alpha reductase enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT. In fact, by blocking this conversion, actually causes a minor increase in testosterone. But DHT is far more important that T at regulating your sex system than T, hence the possibility of sides.

Although DHT is converted from T throughout the body by 5AR, it is primarily the DHT which is produced in the follicle itself which effects miniaturisation of the follicle rather than DHT circulating in your blood. The problem with 5AR inhibitors like finasteride is that they are a sledgehammer to crack a nut approach that drastically reduces DHT thoughout the body, potentially causing unwanted sides, when really you only want to get rid of DHT in the scalp.
For this reason many researchers have studies the use of topical finasteride, often combined with minoxidil. These studies have often found topical finasteride is just as effective as oral finasteride and has a lower incidence of side effects. Yay! Part of its effectiveness relates to its property of being readily absorbed through the skin. There is still some possibility of side effects though for sensitive individuals as a portion of the finasteride will "go systemic", ie pass into the blood stream.

BUT!

Finasteride is a very dangerous molecule for a pregnant woman to come into contact with. DHT is very important in the development of the sex organs fo a male fetus and since finasteride blocks DHT production, it can and will cause birth defects in male fetus if the mother is exposed to it while pregnant. In fact, the risk is so well established it is that case that women are not even supposed to handle finasteride pills that have been cracked or crushed in any way even while not pregnant, just in case they might become pregnant after handling the molecule. In practice this means that topical finasteride, despite being effective in treating AGA, and owing to its good transdermal absorbtion is a complete non runner as if a woman touches the scalp or hair of a man using it she will be exposed to the drug and harm may be caused to the baby.

Phew. Anyway, just FYI.

Very interesting information, thanks for taking the time to share.

Steve012 wrote: »

To the op, I started losing my hair at 27, 39 now, It really started to come out fast, I use (every second night regaine liquid)!, Nizoral every third day (It works "really works" and dutasteride! every second day. Its called "Avodart" in the chemist, I'm lucky my doc prescribed it. Use those 3 and you,ll gain what you've already lost, and to be honest, I havent lost any hair in ten years.
A specialist in UK told me about avodart it works much better than finasteride!!

Yep yep yep ..:D

I started using Nizoral over the last week and it seems to get rid of the tingly itchy feeling (whether this has anything to do with MPB or not, I'm not sure) but the lack of itching must be a good sign. I did see some reports that it is very good for delaying the MPB process (but there is no way anyone could say this for sure). But I am going to keep using it every now and again, who knows maybe it actually works.

I will look into your other recommendations. Thanks!

Saipanne wrote: »

Thread does not solve thread title.

I'm ok with that. At the time of initial post, I wasn't aware of alternative, more effective methods of preventing MPB. The thread has taken a more interesting, informative turn for me, although the title is misleading for newcomers.

Steve012 wrote: »

Probably not, but my gp is old school and his Son takes it, my gp said, the worst thingP that affected him in his life was losing his hair when he was younger..
Its like a rock and a hard place I guess

Up until a few months back, I had no idea why people were so traumatised about going bald. I just thought they should just grow a pair and get on with it. But now that it is happening to me, I completely understand and am horrified. I always new I would lose my hair, but I thought I would at least have a wife and kids, so it wouldn't bother me greatly. But no - it hits me in my prime, while I am young and single. It has really knocked me, and it isn't even really that bad yet.

But now is the time to act

wakka12

Ive been told by several doctors that the only way of slowing male pattern baldness is with the proven medication. I have been part of the largest hairloss forum on the internet for over a year and the vast majority agree with the medical professionals on this point. It is snake oil

Saipanne

What are the costs of these various treatments?

Musketeer4

wakka12 wrote: »

Thats so interesring, thanks so much for sharing. Why isn't topical fin more widely used then? I cant even think of a commercial topical finasteride product thats available or talked about

As per last paragraph in previous post. It works, but the problem is it is a very dangerous drug for a male fetus to be exposed to. If a woman who is pregnant with a male fetus touches the any part of the guy that uses the topical finasteride, ie his head or hands, then some of that will be absorbed into her system and there is a very real chance of birth defects. Its good transdermal absorbtion is what makes it very effective in MPB, but also makes it extremely dangerous for male fetuses. The risk is just too great for a product to be released. Now, some guys make their own topical by dissoving finasteride in an alcohol vehicle, often using commercially available minoxidil solutions, but they must be extremely careful with it. You are taking a chance with someone elses baby if you inadvertently expose someone.

Make no mistake about it, 5AR inhibitors are very potent compounds. Certainly, if i was planning having a baby I'd be going off finasteride for a good few months beforehand.

Passenger wrote: »

Ah grand. Dutasteride performs similarly to Finasteride with similar side-effects though too apparently.

Finasteride is a Type I 5AR inhibitor. It has a half life of 6-8 hours.

Type I 5AR is prominent in the skin so you would think dutasteride would not be very effective but it has been found that actually Type II is most active in the actual hair follicle so finasteride is effective.

Dutasteride, aka Avodart, is a Type I & II 5AR inhibitor with a half life of 5 weeks. It is far more potent and will pretty much eliminate all DHT from the body if taken orally so there is the chance of more severe side effects. Dut really is the nuclear option and should only be considered after finasteride has not been successful.

cisk wrote: »

Musketeer4 You mentioned you cut up the 5mg pill into 1/8ths(~0.62mg), I've found this difficult to do as the 5mg pill is very small, using a razor blade i still have trouble making them even at such small pieces, they are usually always uneven.

As for my own experience I've been taking fintrid(finasteride) for 6 months, at the start i was taking it in 1/4ths (1.25mg) it's hard to gauge if it was my overthinking it but i felt like my sex drive was low and erections we're not as strong. I cut down to 1/8ths and i feel like its improved but once again it's hard to know if it's all in your head.

I'm way off being bald but noticed my temples were getting thin, i do seem to have regrowth there but the hairs are still thinner than elsewhere. My plan is to keep on it for the meantime and monitor it over the next year.

I have a good pill splitter that I got in the pharmacy the same time I got the medication. I split all my pills one evening to save time. Now, I won't say they are all equal splits into 1mg but with a little practice you get handy enough at it.

Your hair loss has likely been going on for several years before it got to the point where you noticed it. You're only on the meds 6 months. Give it some time to work. Take photos to track progress.

Its hard to know with side effects. Given the hype about sides, its hard to know whether it is real or placebo effect .Were you aware of the possibility of sides before taking the meds?
All I can say is that in my case, I haven't noticed anything. I still **** twice a day no problem.

Musketeer4

Saipanne wrote: »

What are the costs of these various treatments?

Generic 5mg Finasterides cost be €25 for perscription and around €30 for a six months supply. Will even last longer if you take a lower dose as research has found that doses as low as 0.2mg/d reduce DHT by almost as much as the 1mg standard dose which is though by some to be overkill.

The exact same drug marketed for hair loss as Propecia will probably cost in the region of €100 per month.

No brainer right there!!

Kirkland minoxidil cost me €60 for a year supply but I have decided I will not use it. I am open to selling this on to anyone if they are interested. No point in it gathering dust in the top of the wardrobe!:pac:

cormie

I've been reading this thread to see if any natural remedies or diet improvements would be mentioned as I've had a slight recede in my hairline over the years, unfortunately as much as I'd like to, I don't believe the poster mentioning his home brew of natural remedies will do anything. I don't know how bad it's going to get, but there's no way I'd go on any of what's been mentioned above. Don't underestimate the effects **** like this can have on the system. Even if you don't get any of the side effects now, you don't have a clue what the long term effects can be on your own body. These drugs are all relatively new as well and who knows what could happen after taking them daily for 50 years.

I'd feel much more at ease going blade 1 or 2 all over than submitting myself to a lifetime of medication.

I'm still curious as to whether a natural course can be taken, perhaps in terms increasing nutrient consumption of certain foods or omitting animal products given that their the main cause of atherosclerosis (heart disease/alzheimers).

Musketeer4

I do not know much about natural or herbal remedies for MPB. However, i have read a bit about green tea *possibly* having *some* effect due to its antioxidant action protecting the cells in the follicel from oxidative damage. I did see a study where green tea extract was given to mice with hair loss and the hair regrew well in the treated group as compared to the control group. However, we must remember that the hair loss in these mice was probably not androgenetic alopecia and could have been from stress or a myriad of other factors.

Herbal remedies could possibly have potential, but the evidence for them is far less convincing than for conventional pharmaceuticals.

If you are interested go research some literature and get back to us.

TerrorFirmer

I've been using finasteride for 3 years and I've never had any side effects whatsoever. The 'side effects' debate is as old as the cure itself, but it is over-stated and over-exaggerated. It's not to say that people don't get side effects, but this is true of virtually all prescription medicines.

I haven't lost any hair in the 3 years since I started taking it. On the hairloss chart I'd be somewhere between a NWII and NWIII.

Also regarding pregnancy and Finasteride, I think that's also radically over-stated. There are investigations/studies showing that the risk is nowhere near as severe as warnings have you believe and even the case studies involved way, way higher doses in animals to incur any defects of any kind.

I think they still tell women not to ingest or handle it, but removed the warning relating to men taking it and getting their partner pregnant.

Pretty sure even if you look there are actually almost no, if any even, documented cases of birth defects relating to finasteride and this is a drug that's been available for 20 years.

It's a theoretical risk, same as pretty much all warnings associated with such products. People have just focused on it very heavily.

Steve012

bfa1509 wrote: »

Very interesting information, thanks for taking the time to share.

Up until a few months back, I had no idea why people were so traumatised about going bald. I just thought they should just grow a pair and get on with it. But now that it is happening to me, I completely understand and am horrified. I always new I would lose my hair, but I thought I would at least have a wife and kids, so it wouldn't bother me greatly. But no - it hits me in my prime, while I am young and single. It has really knocked me, and it isn't even really that bad yet.

But now is the time to act

Yep yep..all my mates laughed at me .. Said just shave it man! :rolleyes:
Different story when a couple of years later "when they started losing their hair"

bfa1509

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I've been using finasteride for 3 years and I've never had any side effects whatsoever. The 'side effects' debate is as old as the cure itself, but it is over-stated and over-exaggerated. It's not to say that people don't get side effects, but this is true of virtually all prescription medicines.

I haven't lost any hair in the 3 years since I started taking it. On the hairloss chart I'd be somewhere between a NWII and NWIII.

Also regarding pregnancy and Finasteride, I think that's also radically over-stated. There are investigations/studies showing that the risk is nowhere near as severe as warnings have you believe and even the case studies involved way, way higher doses in animals to incur any defects of any kind.

I think they still tell women not to ingest or handle it, but removed the warning relating to men taking it and getting their partner pregnant.

Pretty sure even if you look there are actually almost no, if any even, documented cases of birth defects relating to finasteride and this is a drug that's been available for 20 years.

It's a theoretical risk, same as pretty much all warnings associated with such products. People have just focused on it very heavily.

Nice to hear the experience from a fellow Galway man. Do you mind if I ask if you use the same method as Musketeer - typing web and doctor and dot eye e into the google machine etc.?

Or did you consult with anyone first or use an alternative method?
When I first heard of Finasteride and it's potential side effects, I was like "No way am I going near that!!". But after doing further research, and as mentioned above, I found that the more serious side effects seem to be very isolated cases from very questionable people (thats not to say that finasteride hasn't screwed people over, but it seems very unlikely).

And as for the less serious side effects, it's natural enough that any pain or niggle that people get, their brains are naturally going to amplify it and link it to the drug they are taking, whether it is the cause or not. (Just thinking about testicle ache does give me a pain in my testicles)
Although Finasteride seems to be a harsh drug, it appears to be getting a lot of undeserved grief (one guy on a hairloss forum jokingly blamed finasteride for the earthquake at Fukashima

)

What is making me take the plunge and try it out is the amount of people who have had tremendous success from it. Like many people say - it's the negative voices that will be the loudest on the internet. Whereas the people who it has worked for are not thinking about their hair and are too busy living their lives.

Having said that, I will truly eat my words if my penis falls off 3 months in!!

Steve012 wrote: »

Yep yep..all my mates laughed at me .. Said just shave it man! :rolleyes:
Different story when a couple of years later "when they started losing their hair"

I'm glad I never took the p out of anyone losing their hair. I just never really took any notice of people's hair before. But ever since I came to the realisation that my own hair is on the way out, I noticed a lot of people getting so much unnecessary grief from a-holes (even close friends) about their hair.
What a lot of people don't understand is that shaving your head is fine if you are muscular and have a good tan and are ok with being bald for the rest of your life. For everyone else, it's like a life sentence of bad hair and low confidence.

Musketeer4

Shaving the head suits some people well but you have to have the "right shape" of head" to pull it off successfully. Some people have oddly shaped heads and it might be odd looking.
Then there are also some people with what I call "bouncer neck" when they shave their head, ie a thick neck with furrows and folds on the nape of the neck. Some might be OK with it but it's not a look i'd be after tbh.

TerrorFirmer

No, I get it prescribed through Blackrock Clinc in Dublin. The total cost per annum including consultation and prescription is around €180. Propecia is what, €100 per month? The doctor was fairly frank about it and did, to his credit, run through all the potential side effects without offering any real biased opinion.

What a lot of people don't understand is that shaving your head is fine if you are muscular and have a good tan and are ok with being bald for the rest of your life. For everyone else, it's like a life sentence of bad hair and low confidence.

Very much so but I've found it's mostly about adjustment. I'm almost 30 and I have one friend who started going bald and embraced it, and another who was desolate about it and tried every trick in the book to halt it. I initially thought how strange it would be for both to be bald so young, but now I can't possibly imagine them any other way and both are enjoying life with partners who don't give a damn that they're bald.

Going bald is definitely a personal battle with ones self. Nobody else really cares, be it family, friends, romantic interests, wives or girlfriends.

Having said that for me it's a battle I'd prefer to win. I've settled now with a full head of hair with some temporal recession, which is fine with me as it hasn't changed in the past 3 years at all. I used to think about getting a HT to fill in the temples but realistically now that I'm also 30 it seems trivial, even guys who aren't balding as such experience natural recession by this age. My biggest issue was the idea of going bald young and as a single guy rather then simply going bald.

bfa1509

Musketeer4 wrote: »

Shaving the head suits some people well but you have to have the "right shape" of head" to pull it off successfully. Some people have oddly shaped heads and it might be odd looking.
Then there are also some people with what I call "bouncer neck" when they shave their head, ie a thick neck with furrows and folds on the nape of the neck. Some might be OK with it but it's not a look i'd be after tbh.

Some people look fantastic with a shaved head. I wish I was one of them.
My biggest problem is, as TerrorFirmer said, being single and bald in my mid 20s (even if I did look good bald). Girls in their early to mid 20s just don't seem to dig bald guys (maybe I'm wrong?).

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

No, I get it prescribed through Blackrock Clinc in Dublin. The total cost per annum including consultation and prescription is around €180. Propecia is what, €100 per month? The doctor was fairly frank about it and did, to his credit, run through all the potential side effects without offering any real biased opinion.

Very much so but I've found it's mostly about adjustment. I'm almost 30 and I have one friend who started going bald and embraced it, and another who was desolate about it and tried every trick in the book to halt it. I initially thought how strange it would be for both to be bald so young, but now I can't possibly imagine them any other way and both are enjoying life with partners who don't give a damn that they're bald.

Going bald is definitely a personal battle with ones self. Nobody else really cares, be it family, friends, romantic interests, wives or girlfriends.

Having said that for me it's a battle I'd prefer to win. I've settled now with a full head of hair with some temporal recession, which is fine with me as it hasn't changed in the past 3 years at all. I used to think about getting a HT to fill in the temples but realistically now that I'm also 30 it seems trivial, even guys who aren't balding as such experience natural recession by this age. My biggest issue was the idea of going bald young and as a single guy rather then simply going bald.

I think I'm in the same boat as you. I was really hoping to not have to go to blackrock though.

I wonder would it be considered negligent for me to just get a prescription online for one of the generics and just start taking it. I could consult with my own doctor but I'm really afraid she will put me off taking it. (Unless I start taking it before visiting her

)

I am in no doubt that I'm losing my hair, the doctor even confirmed it. I don't see why I would need to go to blackrock for them to tell me this. Is there a certain type of MPB that the medication is certain to not work for?

Decisions Decisions....

wakka12

bfa1509 wrote: »

Some people look fantastic with a shaved head. I wish I was one of them.
My biggest problem is, as TerrorFirmer said, being single and bald in my mid 20s (even if I did look good bald). Girls in their early to mid 20s just don't seem to dig bald guys (maybe I'm wrong?).

I think I'm in the same boat as you. I was really hoping to not have to go to blackrock though.

I wonder would it be considered negligent for me to just get a prescription online for one of the generics and just start taking it. I could consult with my own doctor but I'm really afraid she will put me off taking it. (Unless I start taking it before visiting her )

I am in no doubt that I'm losing my hair, the doctor even confirmed it. I don't see why I would need to go to blackrock for them to tell me this. Is there a certain type of MPB that the medication is certain to not work for?

Decisions Decisions....

I think they'd dig a guy if he looked good bald. Then again there arent a lot of guys in their early-mid twenties who are so bald that they'd shave their heads. Well I don't know many at all.
And to look good bald you need to be in good shape, have a good head shape, ears that don't stick out, not be pale,and not be baby faced in my opinion. Which is a lot of things to take into account!

the_syco

wakka12 wrote: »

Ive been told by several doctors that the only way of slowing male pattern baldness is with the proven medication. I have been part of the largest hairloss forum on the internet for over a year and the vast majority agree with the medical professionals on this point. It is snake oil

Which is... what?

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I've been using finasteride for 3 years and I've never had any side effects whatsoever. The 'side effects' debate is as old as the cure itself, but it is over-stated and over-exaggerated. It's not to say that people don't get side effects, but this is true of virtually all prescription medicines.

I view the side effects as a "don't sue us" clause. I also view them as what possibly happened to their human test subjects (I see signs on the subways here in Toronto every so often looking for people that are are affected by X illness) in previous trials.

bfa1509 wrote: »

I wonder would it be considered negligent for me to just get a prescription online for one of the generics and just start taking it.

Wouldn't recommend randomly buying from random site, not sure what you mean by this.

=-=

bfa1509 wrote: »

I could consult with my own doctor but I'm really afraid she will put me off taking it. (Unless I start taking it before visiting her )

bfa1509 wrote: »

I am in no doubt that I'm losing my hair, the doctor even confirmed it. I don't see why I would need to go to blackrock for them to tell me this.

Some doctors don't know much about MBP. They will either acknowledge their lack of knowledge and recommend you to goto a specialist, or they'll say it won't work for you and/or advise you to use the only one that they know of. One of my previous doctors said that "none of them work", but another doc advised me to goto the place near the T junction of Dame/Georges Street. Said place were more helpful, but seemed to only push one brand (Regain), so was sceptical. Tried it for a while, but found it would only keep what I had, and as my MPB was fairly advanced at that stage, gave it up after three months. The price was also a huge determining factor, as I was a 20 year old student at the time.

It very much depends on the people you hang with. My friends at the time supported my search to keep my hair, but they also supported me when I shaved it all off. I will say this; if you're into heavy metal, and have some sort of facial hair, most people will not care, as you'll notice a lot of artists with beards and shaved heads. Not quite sure how much this goes for other genres.

wakka12

the_syco wrote: »

Which is... what?

I view the side effects as a "don't sue us" clause. I also view them as what possibly happened to their human test subjects (I see signs on the subways here in Toronto every so often looking for people that are are affected by X illness) in previous trials.

Wouldn't recommend randomly buying from random site, not sure what you mean by this.

=-=

Some doctors don't know much about MBP. They will either acknowledge their lack of knowledge and recommend you to goto a specialist, or they'll say it won't work for you and/or advise you to use the only one that they know of. One of my previous doctors said that "none of them work", but another doc advised me to goto the place near the T junction of Dame/Georges Street. Said place were more helpful, but seemed to only push one brand (Regain), so was sceptical. Tried it for a while, but found it would only keep what I had, and as my MPB was fairly advanced at that stage, gave it up after three months. The price was also a huge determining factor, as I was a 20 year old student at the time.

It very much depends on the people you hang with. My friends at the time supported my search to keep my hair, but they also supported me when I shaved it all off. I will say this; if you're into heavy metal, and have some sort of facial hair, most people will not care, as you'll notice a lot of artists with beards and shaved heads. Not quite sure how much this goes for other genres.

Finasteride and Minoxidil are the only medications scientifically proven to restore hair loss. That and transplant are your only hope. Anything else is a waste of time, 100% guarantee you

bfa1509

the_syco wrote: »

Wouldn't recommend randomly buying from random site, not sure what you mean by this.

=-=

Some doctors don't know much about MBP. They will either acknowledge their lack of knowledge and recommend you to goto a specialist, or they'll say it won't work for you and/or advise you to use the only one that they know of. One of my previous doctors said that "none of them work", but another doc advised me to goto the place near the T junction of Dame/Georges Street. Said place were more helpful, but seemed to only push one brand (Regain), so was sceptical. Tried it for a while, but found it would only keep what I had, and as my MPB was fairly advanced at that stage, gave it up after three months. The price was also a huge determining factor, as I was a 20 year old student at the time.

It very much depends on the people you hang with. My friends at the time supported my search to keep my hair, but they also supported me when I shaved it all off. I will say this; if you're into heavy metal, and have some sort of facial hair, most people will not care, as you'll notice a lot of artists with beards and shaved heads. Not quite sure how much this goes for other genres.

I should have been clearer, sorry. I would never buy drugs online. Since most doctors in Ireland don't prescribe finasteride, a doctor from Dublin who runs an online medical service took advantage of this and provides a prescription, which I would then use in a proper pharmacy. (I'm trying to be careful in case I break any forum rules!!!)

I agree with you on the doctors not knowing much about MPB. When I asked mine (old bald man) about it he fed me a whole load of scaremongery BS and told me there was - "Nothing you can do about it"

I think I would be safe enough getting the prescription and going for it. I might run it by an alternative doctor though just in case.

Unfortunately I'm not hugely into heavy metal (although I sometimes listen) but if you looked at me, heavy metal is not something you would think of.
My biggest fear is not what people think but potentially what could happen in my own mind. I'm afraid of my own mind.

ancapailldorcha

Post by and response to rereg troll deleted.

Musketeer4

wakka12 wrote: »

Finasteride and Minoxidil are the only medications scientifically proven to restore hair loss. That and transplant are your only hope. Anything else is a waste of time, 100% guarantee you

Regarding the finasteride and minoxidil, yes, they are the ones that have overwhelming evidence supporting their efficacy and if used its probable that you'll see at least some benefit.

Keotconazole containing shampoos (Nizoral) are also proven to be moderately beneficial.

With any other treatments I wouldn't go so far as to say they're a waste of time. Sure some most definitely are but there are others for which there is some evidence of their efficacy. For example there was a study which showed that caffeine infused shampoos were good at stimulating growth. However that study was an in-vitro one run by the guy who formulated and marketed said shampoo (Alpecin) so, while it cannot be written off entirely, there is certainly a question mark over reliability and objectivity of that study.
As I said Green tea has also some evidence showing some *possible* beneficial effect.
At the end of the day all one can say about any of the alternatives is that the research available to date is inconclusive and further study is required.

I cannot stress enough that no drug treatment is capable of turning a shiny egg head back into afro. At that point one's only hope is a hair transplant which is limited to how many donor follicles are available and is pretty expensive.

One other remarkable thing I came across the other day was hair implants using synthetic "hair". It is called Biofibre and would be a good option for someone who is very bald with little donor hair. Type it into youtube, its very interesting.

stateofflux

OP when my hair was thinning in my late 20's i went to the crowd you mentioned in Blackrock.

they were very friendly & straight up and told me i was better off shaving it off as my head was reasonably spherical :pac: . he told me there is no 100% success rate with transpant/plugs for everyone. you could be lucky though.

the problem is if you have hairloss in various areas you will have to keep going back as you hairline recedes and areas become apparent.

from what i remember (5 years ago) my consultation was free.

*by the way i can assure you a lot of the insecurity and stress i felt at the time disappeared when i shaved it
*you would be surprised how many women in their 20's love a shaved head

Saipanne

Shaving your head is just the new comb over.

stateofflux

Saipanne wrote: »

Shaving your head is just the new comb over.

a comb over is trying to hide the obvious. thats why it looks pathetic.

Saipanne

stateofflux wrote: »

a comb over is trying to hide the obvious. thats why it looks pathetic.

Sure shaving the head is the same thing. I mean, you can still see the hair pattern, you can still see that the guy is balding. No one is being fooled here. It's the new comb over.

There's a guy in work with a comb over. I don't think it looks good, but I don't think he's pathetic, he's just trying to hide his balding. Shaving your head is the same thing, just trying to hide the balding, even if it looks better than a comb over, it's still the same thing.

wakka12

stateofflux wrote: »

a comb over is trying to hide the obvious. thats why it looks pathetic.

Comments like this are just unnecessarily cruel. Nobody is 'pathetic' for sporting any kind of hair cut they want to

Id like to see you call a woman with alopecia pathetic for trying to hide her hairloss.

stateofflux

wakka12 wrote: »

Comments like this are just unnecessarily cruel. Nobody is 'pathetic' for sporting any kind of hair cut they want to

Id like to see you call a woman with alopecia pathetic for trying to hide her hairloss.

what hair means to a woman is completely different to a man. it defines their femininity and imo not comparable.

i was simply making the point that shaving ones head is the opposite to a combover..it shows you don't care about hair anymore (even if people can see a vague outline of a former hairline.)...in a lot of cases letting the stubble grow a bit can look cool a la jason statham