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Months:
End of Month 13: April 1, 1997. Impressive. My crown has pretty much filled in. The hair loss is unnoticable when dry and fairly unnoticable even when wet. The only way you can see it when wet is if you purposely comb the hair in a way that exposes it (very unnatural) on purpose (the way I do in my monthly photos). Even then, it only looks like there is some small amount of thinness now, not like I'm practically bald in that area. When my hair is dry, it is almost impossible to find these small remaining hair loss pockets even if you comb the hair intentionally trying to expose it. Needless to say, I'm proud! The front is another question. On the left hand side of the hairline, it is still filling in nicely. Many of the new hairs I have reported have turned into terminal hairs. From certain angles, it looks just like a normal hairline. However it's not dense enough and doesn't have enough terminal hairs yet to look perfectly normal. Most of the hairs still only get to about 1/2" or at most 3/4" long. A lot of the hairs right along the hair line have gone terminal and are normal but this doesn't extend the hair line much. There is a LOT more density of new hairs in the last couple of months. That is, if they all grew in as normal hairs, it WOULD look just like a normal hair line... the question is whether they will do this. Many of them already are, and the ones that are still small (I define small as about 1/4") ;) do have some color and thickness to them and are more than just vellus hairs. On the right side, which has always responded much slower, the hairs are finally coming in, especially right along the hair line. A lot of the hairs have gone terminal at the hair line and in the farther forward areas are much more visible than before... more like the left side was a few months ago. It is much easier to see the 'new' hairline on this side than it was before. I am also applying 5% minoxidil and my new topical formula to the sides of my head at the hairline at the front temples to see if any of this can be brought forward a bit to make it look a little better and make the hair look fuller there. So far there are several new slightly colored hairs, particularly closer to the top of the temples. We'll see in a few months if this has much effect. I'm really pleased. I don't ever worry that my crown looks like it's thinning. Now I'm just wondering how much the front will end up filling in. As far as general thickness/density, the hair on the sides right around where the horseshoe pattern would be has gotten EXTREMELY thick. Much thicker than it was. While there is enough regrowth on top to fill in the thinning areas, there is still not as much density and thickness as the sides. It'll be interesting to see if this improves more in the future. I'm also going to be applying 2% minoxidil to the lower back of my head to see if it stimulates the hair there to grow longer. My hair has always grown very slowly and doesn't grow very long in the back. I'm going to see how far it will grow. Also, I'm going to avoid cutting my hair for the near future to see how long it grows on top. When I was a teenager my hair in front could go down to my eyebrows or below... it'll be interesting to see if this can still be done... As another FYI, I am discontinuing Proxiphen treatment in an attempt to see if Proscar/Minoxidil 5% will sustain and/or improve results. Prox has definitely helped but I think Proscar/Minoxidil has been responsible for a lot of the much improved results of the last couple of months, so I plan to see if the Proscar and Minoxidil can sustain any prox results on their own. We'll see! The Month of the Disappearing Hairline (or lack thereof) This month should be called the month of the disappearing hair line. The reason I say this is that the solid, receded hairline I used to have is no more... what I do have now might be termed as a gray, neutral zone of hair. *grin* You can't see where the old hairline with the solid line of terminal hairs started and the regrowth begins. Now what there is is regrowth starting pretty much where a normal non balding hair line should be and evenly lengthening and thickening all the way back to the hair line, so that now the old hairline is meshed in with the newly regrown hairs. One good thing is that even the front of the 'new' hairline is going terminal. I think I mentioned this last month, but even more so this month in the right lighting the regrowth hair line looks like a normal hairline. The right temple side of the hairline isn't quite as regrown as the left and you can still make out a bit of the old hairline there... but that side (for some odd reason) has lagged behind the other side 3-4 months since starting treatment... it is now where the old hairline was 3-4 months ago so I expect in a few months it will be where the left side is now. Strange but as long as it gets there that's all I care about! Also, for the last 1-2 months I have been applying Minoxidil 5%/5%+Retin-A to the whole temple area as far down as eyebrow level in order to move the side temples forward a bit. I am now starting to see fuzz in these areas and a little farther out in front of my 'new' hairline, so I am seeing more improvement. I've been off of Proxiphen for over two weeks now with no signs of reduced effectiveness. I recently saw a video of myself from about a year and a half ago, a few months before I began treatment. I have improved a bunch, very noticably even for me. I was so shocked, I told my fiancee about watching the video (she has never commented on how much hair I've regrown before) and she said something like 'Oh yeah, I could tell you that just from seeing your old college photos). So apparently, I'm at least back to where I was in college days. Interesting! Next month's update should be interesting since I will be going back to Texas to see friends and family I haven't seen for 5-6 months, when the front hair line *REALLY* started picking up the improvement and the back started really filling in. I am hoping the hairline fills in even more before then to see what sort of comments I get. I know my hairline has shown a lot of improvement over what it was when I moved 5-6 months ago so it'll be interesting to see what kind of comments I get from people I haven't seen in so long. End of Month 15: June 6, 1997. There's not much to say this month. Growth has been slow and steady. I may be starting to see a few extra hairs in front of the hairline and along the temples where I have been applying extra Minoxidil 5% the last couple of months to try to coax a little more growth up front, but that's about it. My hair is now the longest I've had it since college and it's only taken a couple of months to get this long. Probably growing 1 & 1/2" to 2" every month. Pretty boring month all in all. I may start increasing dosages to the front/temple area to stimulate further growth. End of Month 16: July 3, 1997. This was a pretty good month! The frontal hair line thickened up a bit more. It's summer, and it got hot. I shaved off my beard and shaved my hair down to 1/4"-1/2" on the sides and 1/2"-3/4" on the top to keep cool and compare with past months. There's a pretty noticable difference over just a few months ago. As I said, the front hairline has thickened up. With a little more thickness I'd have a great frontal hairline. I'm working on it. This is obviously a sign that the Proscar combined with 5% Minoxidil is really kicking in. It's been over a year since I started treatments and usually you don't see much more after a year but over the last 3 or 4 months since adding 5% Minoxidil I've had quite a bit of thickening and new hair. I am also coming up on one year of Proscar treatment so I'm probably also starting to see the final results of a year of Proscar. So far so good. I don't think anybody can doubt there is proof that Proscar & Minoxidil can bring your hairline forward. Well, not for everybody, but certainly for some people! Just think if I'd started a few years earlier! In the back, this is the best month ever. I have never been able to cut my hair this short and have it look this good. The last time I cut it this short a few months ago there had been quite a bit of improvement, but there was still some obvious thinning. Now other then a small cowlick area about 1/2"-1" that shows some thinning still, the thinning is pretty much gone compared to someone else with the same short haircut. I am applying extra Minoxidil 5% and topical SODases to the remaining holdout areas of thinness and expect them over the next few months to fill in (I hope). When my hair is longer you can't even see these. It's only with my hair this short that these are visible. With my hair longer, there's NO detectable thinness anymore at the crown. Woohoo! One area that still needs improvement is the temple areas where there is still recession that is not normal for my age. I have been applying extra 5% minoxidil to this area for the last 2 or 3 months so it will be interesting to see if there is any improvement in the next few months. I believe there has already been a little thickening and new fuzz at the temples. By the way, after a year of being on different treatments, you would think there wouldn't be new fuzz. You'd be wrong! I am still seeing new fuzz at the frontal hair line in front of my 'new' hairline that looks like it is the kind that may eventually grow out, so I believe my frontal hairline has the possibility of moving farther forward with either continued Minoxidil/Proscar or if not those then something new like Piliel when it comes out. We'll see. Next month will be my year anniversary of being on Proscar. It will be good to see what's happened! End of Month 17: August 11, 1997. Another so-so month. As of this month I am declaring total war on my temples. It sounds kind of silly, but it's one area that still needs a lot of improvement and it hasn't improved much. I have been applying a little Minoxidil 5% to the temples for the last couple of months, but now I will start aplying more and adding an application of about 1mL afternoons. We'll see if it does much good! End of Month 18: September 2, 1997. This has been a pretty good month. I'm seeing more hairs on the hairline turning to normal hairs and the whole hairline is taking on a more 'normal' appearance. I'm also starting to see fuzz and small hairs at the temples where I've been applying 5% Minoxidil the last few months. The problem remaining is that the density of hairs still isn't normal, so that while the hairs are getting thicker and longer, you can tell it's not a normal area of hair. Also, the hairs are taking a long time to become 'normal.' They are thicker and longer, but I still wouldn't qualify most as perfectly normal. That being said it's still better than last month and as long as things keep progressing I think I'll get there eventually. This month I'm making a big shift and taking a big chance, though. I've convinced Dr. Lewenberg to give me a three month supply of his formula to try out. I may be crazy, especially since I don't particularly think Dr. L's treatment is the best there is. I'm willing to give it a try though and if it performs, I'll have to believe. Even if it maintains what I have now, that indicates it may be pretty effective. I've got a few reasons for trying it:
My plan is this: I will try the formula for three months. If I start losing hair, I will discontinue and start using Minoxidil 5% again and see if that returns me to normal. If not, I'll add proscar back again. If after three months I've still got as much hair or more, I will keep going another three months to see what happens. At 6 months if I only maintain what I have now, I will probably go to Minoxidil 5%. If I have some improvement, I will probably continue it for as long as Dr. L is willing to keep up the trial. Do I think it will work? I have my doubts, but I'm willing to see. I just hope I don't have to go back to Proscar, because it has been killing my sex drive the last couple of months. End of Month 19 (September 97): Oct 7, 1997. This is the end of my first month on my new treatment. So far the results have been mixed-positive. A week or two after starting the new formula I had some shedding. I don't know if this is due to quitting the Proscar or starting the new formula. It has stopped after 2 or 3 weeks as far as I can tell. I buzzed my hair short so I could see how things are doing as well as help get the new formula where it needs to get. It's been a long time since I've had my hair this short. The hair seems very slightly less dense overall (this is after just shedding some so probably to be expected) - but I don't really remember how it was last time... after a few days of the hair growing out a bit it already looks quite a bit denser, so maybe I just cut it too short. I'll have to look after the photos are on the web site to compare. In the frontal department, progress continues at what seems like to me a quicker pace. On the left side of the hairline, all the hairs are going terminal. The question now seems to be a question of density. It is a lot closer to being just another part of the hairline, but not yet there. My work at the temples is starting to pay off! There are new small, pigmented hairs in front of the hairline and forward of the temples. I think if this new formula works out then in a few months the temples won't appear quite so recessed. I don't know if this is a result of the new formula or not. Since I have been applying 5% to the temples for the last several months, this could simply be the results of that. On the right side, I'm getting pretty happy about the results there, too. It is still not caught up to the left side, but it does appear more hairs are going terminal so that it is continuing to advance a few months behind the other side. There are newer smaller hairs here, too. This is another reason I cut the hair... my hair usually combs over this side of the hairline/temple, so I was concerned about getting enough medicine there. As for the new formula, I like it. Spraying it on is easy. I keep a bottle at work, in the car, and a couple at different places at home. I still occasionally miss a dosing! This is obviously the biggest problem. After about a couple of weeks of treatment I had irritation at the temples from the Retin-A. It stung when I sprayed the treatment on but was tolerable. There was also some peeling of skin. I alternated between the formula and Minoxidil 2%/5% and went to 3 doses for a few days and it went away after about a week, although there is still occasionaly a very mild irritation at the hairline. I think the formula is working for me. We will see in the next couple of months since fallout should occur before then if it's going to. I don't see any signs of it though as of now. I would think my new hairs at the front would be the first to go but they seem to be going strong. I think Dr. L's formula is high quality and well formulated so that if you spray it 4x per day regularly, it is probably equivalent or better than 5% or 5%+Retin-A. It's too bad it's so expensive though. Month 20 & 21 (October & November 97): Nov 21, 1997. This is the end of my second-third month on my new treatment. Unfortunately the results have not been too spectacular. I think the problem is having discontinued Proscar. I was hoping that a good enough Minoxidil formula would be able to overcome going off Proscar, but at least in my case it isn't. I have experienced a slight thinning at the vertex and the overall growth rate of my hair has slowed down a lot. I don't think this is due much to the new formula I'm on, because it seems to be pretty good as far as quality. Luckily I don't think this thinning isn't anything a 2 or 3 months of being back on Proscar shouldn't take care of. The doctor who's formula I'm trying told me as a condition of the test I couldn't use any other treatments, so we could see how well the product works (he is not a big believer in Finasteride). So after my initial supply runs out at the end of November, I am going to go back to my old 5% formula that worked well. Also, starting in November I'm back on the Proscar and also trying out Cytadren. During October I experienced quite a bit of the old hair loss itchiness. Since going back on Proscar, it has gone back to about the same as when I was on Proscar before. The Cytadren seems to have helped (a bit) prevent libido loss from Proscar, however when taking it at 2 pills per day (500mg), the initial side effects of lack of energy are a drag. You just want to vegetate and not do anything active. I have also arranged to get a prescription for Arimidex. Arimidex is a more powerful antiestrogen than Cytadren but is much more side effect free. Both of these are antiestrogens which I have gotten reports on about hair regrowth using them. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to get back to where I was before. During October when the thinning & itching occured, my hair growth slowed down severely. Previous to stopping Proscar, my hair was growing at OVER 1-1.5 inches per month. After stopping Proscar in a month and a half it probably grew less than half an inch. However in the last week or so, after being back on Proscar about 2-3 weeks, my hair has grown .25-.5 inches, so it looks like the hair growth may be picking back up. I'll report back next month on what happens. If my hair starts growing like crazy again, I'll add a special note. Month 21 (November 97): Dec 11, 1997. November is behind me. I've already said most of what I'll say for November, but I've got a few things to add. First, the speedy hair growth has resumed. It is not as fast as it was before, but it's close. I've decided NOT to use Arimidex/Cytadren until my hair is completely back to what it was at before I stopped Proscar. I want to be able to distinguish between any hair loss that may be do to stopping Proscar rather than any possible hair loss from Arimidex. Speaking of hair loss, I'm already back on the path to being where I was before. It seems like I lost about four to six months... the largest amount of thinness is at the place where hair was the last to grow in... all the way at the very back of the vertex. Oddly, the regrowth at the front really hasn't suffered although it doesn't seem like I've made much improvement since stopping Proscar. Dr. Lee's Spironolactone is in transit as I write this so I will begin using that in a day or two. I predict I will gain back anything I lost at the crown from stopping Proscar within two or three months. The front really didn't lose much so there's not much to gain back. Hopefully soon I will be reporting resumed great regrowth! Month 23 (January 98): Feb 5, 1998. Well this is the first time I've updated my notes in a couple of months. There really hasn't been a lot to tell. In the front, some of the existing regrowth has thickened and improved, but I don't really see any new regrowth that I can tell. In the crown, I have recovered probably 90-95% of any loss and thinness caused by stopping Proscar a few months ago... I am just about back to where I was before stopping. I expect that that will fill back in too within a month or two. I am making sure that plenty of Minoxidil is put in the thinnest areas back there. You can probably see if you look at the wet hair pictures the thinning area at the vertex. I just took the dry hair photos and the area didn't show up, so that's a relief! =) I have met several people I knew through the web site over the last month or so including some doctors who have said they couldn't tell I had any problem in the back, so that was encouraging! I guess the most frustrating thing is still that temporal recession that refuses to improve. At this point I'm wondering if I should consider transplants for that area since medical treatments aren't bringing it forward and there doesn't look to be anything significantly new in medicinal treatments for the next several years at least. All I have to say that almost two years after starting this whole treatment thing, I'm very happy with my results and I don't worry or panic about my hair loss anymore, so those are the most important things. Do I still want to see improvement in the front? You bet! Month 26 (April 98): April , 1998. Again it's been a few months since I updated this page. This has been an encouraging and discouraging couple of months. The reason I say it's discouraging is that in March I was travelling a lot as you may know, and I wasn't able to take my Proscar every day... I probably only took it ever other day (or less). Needless to say that up until a few days ago I was experiencing extra shedding, but I've been taking my Proscar religiously again the last week or so and my shedding/hair fallout has been cut way down. For some reason, I seemed to get a little thinning in back again but not in front (like last time I stopped Proscar). In fact, I would say my frontal results have improved quite a bit in the last couple of months in terms of hair quality, width, and even a few new hairs at the temples. My hair has gotten quite a bit longer and seems to be growing a bit faster these days due to Spring. The great thing is that even with the latest thinning due to not taking my proscar & minoxidil regularly, I still am not worried because I know that by going back to regular treatment my hair will come back. Even with a little shedding my hair still looks fine... the only time I can really tell is when the hair is wet. You can check the latest photos for how I look. Next month I will do my full set of normal photos because I won't be able to do them again for a month or two due to moving. content2 |
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