18 year old needs help with hairloss

[hairhelp6]

hi to give a little back story im eighteen years old about to start college and my hair is both receding a little bit probably like between and n1 and n2 but it is also thinning really bad all over the top in a diffuse manner. I have been taking propecia for almost a year now and is hasn't really seemed to help very much, although my crown is fairly intact and maybe it could be responsible for what ive kept but that isnt very much. My hair has probably been thinning a little since i was about 16 or 17 but it has only been noticeable in the last year and especially recently. If my hair is under any kind of light it is noticeably very thin. I started using rogaine extra strength foam a little more than a year ago but stopped for awhile cause it didn't seem to help much and didn't like how it made my hair look, also reading how it only works for the crown on the package is a little disconcerting. I have used it off and on since then but i am back to using it on a regular basis cause im hoping it might help now and my hair is shorter now so it doesn't really effect how it looks, if anything it makes it look a little fuller. I've also started using revita shampoo lately after reading about it here and have been taking biotin fairly regularly for awhile. I've recently added new things to my routine such as drinking a lot of water taking a good multi vitamin, lysine- which i have used in the past for cold sores, omega 3 fish oil, and msm and have started rotating my shampoos including revita t gel and a biotin shampoo but i might switch that with vive for men or something like that. Ive always known i was gonna lose my hair as literally every male in my family has been completely bald as long as i can remember, even my sisters hair is very thin, but i never expected it to happen this soon or so quick, basically taking out the whole top of my skull at once. It still seems like i have a good amount of hair but it is mostly very thin and colorless so you can see right through to the scalp, the fact my hair has turned from blonde to brown in the past year doesnt help this either. Obviously going in to college like this is far from optimal and im really hoping there is something i can do to get some of my hair back atleast for the first few years of my college experience. Im obviously to young for surgery and dont think i would ever want to have that done anyway especially with the promise of better treatments in the next few years. Do you guys have any suggestions? I know most of you think everything else is snakeoil besides minox fin and keto but could things like saw palmetto or other supplements help? Also would u suggest i talk to my dermatologist about possibly switching to avodart? Ive never had any sexual side effects with propecia, if anything my sex drive has increased. Id really appreciate any feedback. Having this problem so young isnt fun and im getting tired of having to wear hats everywhere haha thanks ps srry my post was so long and if pictures would help ill try to take some

[hairhelp6]

hi to give a little back story im eighteen years old about to start college and my hair is both receding a little bit probably like between and n1 and n2 but it is also thinning really bad all over the top in a diffuse manner. I have been taking propecia for almost a year now and is hasn't really seemed to help very much, although my crown is fairly intact and maybe it could be responsible for what ive kept but that isnt very much. My hair has probably been thinning a little since i was about 16 or 17 but it has only been noticeable in the last year and especially recently. If my hair is under any kind of light it is noticeably very thin. I started using rogaine extra strength foam a little more than a year ago but stopped for awhile cause it didn't seem to help much and didn't like how it made my hair look, also reading how it only works for the crown on the package is a little disconcerting. I have used it off and on since then but i am back to using it on a regular basis cause im hoping it might help now and my hair is shorter now so it doesn't really effect how it looks, if anything it makes it look a little fuller. I've also started using revita shampoo lately after reading about it here and have been taking biotin fairly regularly for awhile. I've recently added new things to my routine such as drinking a lot of water taking a good multi vitamin, lysine- which i have used in the past for cold sores, omega 3 fish oil, and msm and have started rotating my shampoos including revita t gel and a biotin shampoo but i might switch that with vive for men or something like that. Ive always known i was gonna lose my hair as literally every male in my family has been completely bald as long as i can remember, even my sisters hair is very thin, but i never expected it to happen this soon or so quick, basically taking out the whole top of my skull at once. It still seems like i have a good amount of hair but it is mostly very thin and colorless so you can see right through to the scalp, the fact my hair has turned from blonde to brown in the past year doesnt help this either. Obviously going in to college like this is far from optimal and im really hoping there is something i can do to get some of my hair back atleast for the first few years of my college experience. Im obviously to young for surgery and dont think i would ever want to have that done anyway especially with the promise of better treatments in the next few years. Do you guys have any suggestions? I know most of you think everything else is snakeoil besides minox fin and keto but could things like saw palmetto or other supplements help? Also would u suggest i talk to my dermatologist about possibly switching to avodart? Ive never had any sexual side effects with propecia, if anything my sex drive has increased. Id really appreciate any feedback. Having this problem so young isnt fun and im getting tired of having to wear hats everywhere haha thanks ps srry my post was so long and if pictures would help ill try to take some

[thanatopsis_awry]

Your loss sounds very minimal; and that, plus your age, it is difficult to say what the future (immediate or longterm) holds for you. Your best bet, as far as I'm concerned, is maintenance -- and hopefully you can get on till' a new advent comes about in the hair restoration field.

 

To be honest, minox 5% and propecia/fin/proscar are your best bets -- together there is strong anecdotal evidence to think they have a "synergistic" effect. Also, while their efficacy is first and foremost designated as the vertex and crown, this does not exclude them from helping other areas....such as the hairline.

 

I would strongly suggest using the minox 5% and keep on the fin -- even if you "don't notice anything"....that is a good, if not excellent sign!

 

Finally, there is a lot of talk about the half-life of fin....4 years....5 years...8 years.....I would stick w/ it for a good 4 years, re-evaluating then and along the way. If you are no longer maintaining you can look into switching to dut/avodart, which, while most likely more potent than fin is at the same time less proven. That said, it is a good weapon to have in your overall arsenal that you should have at your disposal in the -- currently -- lifelong battle w/ MPB.

[hairhelp6]

hey thanks for your quick response. im definitely gonna stay on the Big 3 and hope to atleast stabilize but obviously regrowth, even minimal is my main goal. I sometimes wish my crown was the problem though as hairloss in that area doesnt really seem as unattractive to me as well as more easily treatable, although who knows what i would think if i were in that situation. That i know my dads hair went starting at the vertex but i dont know about my mothers side so that is most likely where my hairloss pattern is coming from. Since being back on rogaine for about two or three months i have noticed a lot of shedding of vellus hair and what feels like some new hairs sprouting. I've experienced this before however and my hair hasnt really gotten any better so its hard to tell if those shedding hairs will come back healthier or are just gone now. Any other help would be greatly appreciated thank you