Newcomer with questions and concerns (Inflamil, Xandrox)

[kakarot]

Hello everyone, I am new here but I have been doing alot of research on hair loss. I am only in my early 20's and I am going through hair loss at an early age. The thing that gets me, is that my hair isnt fallen out normally as I would expect from MPB. From MPB I would expect the crown and the hairline area to lose hair. And I am losing hair in those areas but the thing that gets me is that Im also losing hair in parts I wouldnt expect. So my hair loss is patchy and thin. So I am thinking that perhaps I could have Alopecia Areata as well. Cause I notice some thinning on the sides of my head, the areas where balding men usually dont lose hair, the area called "donar" areas when speaking hair transplant terms. So that got me worried, that maybe I could have a disease for this unusual hair loss. Or possibly both MPB and Alopecia Areata if thats possible. I went to a dermantologists who briefly looked at my scalp and said I have MPB but I dont think he noticed the other areas of thinning hair that is unusual for MPB. And I went to my personal doctor to get tested to see if I had any disease that caused this hair loss. He pretty much refused to test me, saying nothing is wrong with me, and told me I am suffering from depression and that I should seek help in that area. Heh, ok first off I want to get tested to make sure nothing is wrong with me, and 2nd, of course I may seem depressed....Im 20 YEARS OLD LOSING MY HAIR! I wasnt happy with the way my doctor approached the situation. Either way Im losing hair and I need to treat it before it gets worse. I am looking at some products to use. Currently I am only taken multi vitamins, washing my hair with Nixion, T gel, and Progaine to keep my hair thick and healthy. I drink green tea alot also. I use to take Rogaine but it made my hair shedding worse. I know its normal for rogaine to make hair shed faster until hair grows back but right now I am in college and I dont want my hair loss to progress faster before it gets better. I graduate in december which isnt far away so at that time I am going to buy alot of products and attack my hair loss like never before.

My concern is on what I should or shouldn't use if I have Alopecia Areata. I read on sites that it recommends to take similar products to treat MPB. So I believe that even though there are different types of balding that the regimes now a days can be used for the different types of balding. But just want to make sure. Im pretty certain I am going to have to invest in some products to treat this hair loss.

I am wondering on where I could get certain products. I don't see most of them at stores and have trouble finding them online. I know of a few sites I can get hair loss treatments from. But I am having trouble finding the following products

InFlamil (really would like to get this but cant find it)

MSM (have no clue where to start looking, dont even know what it is exactly, assuming its vitamin pills)

Revivogen (heard many good things about this, would like to get a hold of this product for sure)

Dutasteride (curious to know where I could get this and how it compares to other DHT inhibitors)

Thats pretty much it for now, those items I cant find at all, dont know if I need a prescription (in which I can get easily for it if I have to) or if I get it from a site or store. Items such as Xandrox, Nizoral, minoxidil, Rogaine, I know where to get. So no problem with those products, but I want to get Inflamil and Revivogen really bad before I start any of the other products.

I am REALLY trying to AVOID internal DHT inhibitors cause I dont want to risk it, and I dont want to depend on taken stuff like propecia the rest of my life. For me, propercia would cost me $195 for 90 day supply. Now thats expensive! I didnt think itd be that much, but I notice on dr. Lee's site its cheaper. Not by much but more sensible then the price given to me at my pharmacy. But still, I heard you have to take propecia for life and not stopping or hair loss could be worse. I am trying to avoid that route. So if there is any alternative or more natural DHT inhibitor that would be great to know.

Last but not least, (sorry for going on but I rather get it all down) I did some reasearch on Xandrox 15% and what it contains. Certain Xandrox solutions have Betamethasone which helps stop inflammation. But I heard Betamethasone is a corticosteroid and that it could be not good for the body. I have the link to the article that states this

http://www.hairsite.com/library/abst-127.htm

That is all for now, hope most of my questions are answered and that I can find these products I have been looking for. Thanks everyone

[HairLossFight.com]

Hello and welcome!

I just wanted to let you know that I'll respond to your post soon. I'm at work right now so it's a bit tough, but I'll try to respond in the next day or two.

Regards,
Sam

[HairLossFight.com]

Hello everyone, I am new here but I have been doing alot of research on hair loss. I am only in my early 20's and I am going through hair loss at an early age.

Thanks for taking the time ti share your situation. I can totally relate to what you're going through and will try to answer your questions and concerns.

The thing that gets me, is that my hair isnt fallen out normally as I would expect from MPB. From MPB I would expect the crown and the hairline area to lose hair. And I am losing hair in those areas but the thing that gets me is that Im also losing hair in parts I wouldnt expect. So my hair loss is patchy and thin. So I am thinking that perhaps I could have Alopecia Areata as well. Cause I notice some thinning on the sides of my head, the areas where balding men usually dont lose hair, the area called "donar" areas when speaking hair transplant terms. So that got me worried, that maybe I could have a disease for this unusual hair loss.

It depends. In my own case, I have MPB, and in my crown area I have a form of folliculitis. I only found out that I had the folliculitis very recently and always thought that I just suffered from MPB until a good dermatologist spotted the folliculitis. Anyway, in my early 20's I didn't have the folliculitis, and like yourself, I noticed that I was losing hair in areas that are supposed to be resistant to hair loss, like the sides and back of the head. Only I could tell however. The sides sort of thinned to the point where if I got a very short hair cut, I could tell that it had thinned. To others it looked like there was no hair loss at the sides and back of my head at all. I believe that even the areas of hair that never go bald in MPB, like the sides and back of the head, still thin out somewhat. I think this is just a slight increase in the percentage of hair that goes into resting phase, and that these hair will regrow.

However, if your hair loss is patchy in these areas, it very well might be Alopecia Areata or something else. You need to see a dermatologist that specializes in hair-related conditions (if there is one nearby to you) to find out. If you don't have patchy loss in the areas you've talked about then you probably don't have Alopecia Areata.

Or possibly both MPB and Alopecia Areata if thats possible.

It is possible, since these two conditions are unrelated so the same person can have both. But as I said above, in your own case, unless you have patchy hair loss, I doubt that AA is something you are suffering from.

I went to a dermantologists who briefly looked at my scalp and said I have MPB but I dont think he noticed the other areas of thinning hair that is unusual for MPB.

Interesting... most dermatologist are hopefully educated enough to realize that it's possible to thin somewhat at the sides and back of the head. But this is why I suggest looking for a derm in your area that specializes in hair loss.

And I went to my personal doctor to get tested to see if I had any disease that caused this hair loss. He pretty much refused to test me, saying nothing is wrong with me, and told me I am suffering from depression and that I should seek help in that area. Heh, ok first off I want to get tested to make sure nothing is wrong with me, and 2nd, of course I may seem depressed....Im 20 YEARS OLD LOSING MY HAIR! I wasnt happy with the way my doctor approached the situation.

Well, you can easily prove him wrong by going on a hair loss treatment regimen that you are comfortable with, knowing that you're doing everything you can to fight your hair loss. If you go on a good, easy to maintain regimen, and don't fret over your hair loss too much, then at least if hair loss is the cause of your depression you should see an improvement in how you feel. I recommend that you read my rant on depression and hair loss in the editor's corner section of the site for some ideas. You can also read some of my other posts as I try to give some perspective on how to choose and stick to a regimen. Check out:

http://www.morphollica.com/editors_corner/

Either way Im losing hair and I need to treat it before it gets worse. I am looking at some products to use. Currently I am only taken multi vitamins, washing my hair with Nixion, T gel, and Progaine to keep my hair thick and healthy. I drink green tea alot also. I use to take Rogaine but it made my hair shedding worse. I know its normal for rogaine to make hair shed faster until hair grows back but right now I am in college and I dont want my hair loss to progress faster before it gets better. I graduate in december which isnt far away so at that time I am going to buy alot of products and attack my hair loss like never before.

There is no reason not to do something about it now. The longer you wait the harder it will be to regrow your lost hair. The sooner you start the better, and this is despite the sheds... They do eventually stop and the hair that grows back is usually healthier and longer.

You need to add a good dht-inhibitor to your regimen as well. If you don't want to take something internally then go for Revivogen or Topical Spironolactone (I prefer the Revivogen). If you are open to taking an internal, then Propecia or Proscar cut up into quarters is the way to go. Proscar is cheaper and if your doc is will to write you an off-label prescription that your health insurance may cover it.

My concern is on what I should or shouldn't use if I have Alopecia Areata.

If your doc or derm didn't think you have it, then you probably don't. AA usually starts with a small, round, completely bald patch. Is this what you have?

I read on sites that it recommends to take similar products to treat MPB. So I believe that even though there are different types of balding that the regimes now a days can be used for the different types of balding.

In general this is NOT the case. AA is usually treated completely differently from MPB. Usually, some form of immune-system suppressing drugs are used.

I am wondering on where I could get certain products. I don't see most of them at stores and have trouble finding them online. I know of a few sites I can get hair loss treatments from. But I am having trouble finding the following products

Will try to help you out...

InFlamil (really would like to get this but cant find it)

There is a fellow by the name of Jacob who visits here that uses it. He can probably help you out. If not, I'll look up where you can get it and get back to you.

MSM (have no clue where to start looking, dont even know what it is exactly, assuming its vitamin pills)

MSM is not a vitamin. It easily converts to sulphur in the body and has been shown to speed up hair growth. You can usually pick it up from health stores. I am sure you can get it from GNC.

Revivogen (heard many good things about this, would like to get a hold of this product for sure)

http://www.revivogen.com

Dutasteride (curious to know where I could get this and how it compares to other DHT inhibitors)

You don't need to use Dutasteride, but that's my opinion. Propecia or Proscar will do the job for you. Dutasteride has been shown to inhibit DHT better, but that doesn't necessarily translate to better results that Propecia, although in FDA trials it was shown to be quite effective. But given that you are just starting to lose your hair, I would go with Propecia (or quartered Proscar) if I were you.

I am REALLY trying to AVOID internal DHT inhibitors cause I dont want to risk it, and I dont want to depend on taken stuff like propecia the rest of my life.

I can relate to this fear as well. I have however used Propecia on and off. In retrospect I wish I stayed consistent with it. Again, if you are uncomfortable with an internal then I would definitely recommend Revivogen and/or Topical Spiro. Dr. Lee's 5% spiro is good. I have used it.

For me, propercia would cost me $195 for 90 day supply. Now thats expensive! I didnt think itd be that much, but I notice on dr. Lee's site its cheaper. Not by much but more sensible then the price given to me at my pharmacy.

If you get a prescription for Proscar, off-label, it will be free or close to it for you. Cutting Proscar into quarters gives you 1.25mg of Finasteride, the same drug that's in Propecia pills! Just buy a pill cutter and you're set!

[qoute]But still, I heard you have to take propecia for life and not stopping or hair loss could be worse.[/quote]

Unfortunately all current treatments are this way. If you stop them, you will soon lose all the hair that you have kept through the use of the treatments. It definitely is a long term commitment. You can of course always stop treatments if after a year you haven't seen an improvement in your situation. I would count keeping the current hair you have as an improvement. If you regrow lost hair that's a bonus. However, it makes sense to get on a regimen anyway, and tweak it as you learn what works and what doesn't for you, and stay consistent until eventually maybe a cure comes along. Stem cell research, gene therapy, hair-multiplication, and more promising treatments are all potential future cures.

Let me ask you a question. If taking Propecia would maintain the hair you have now vs. not taking Propecia and having a huge baldspot by 30, wouldn't you want to use it (if it has been shown to be for the most part quite safe)? If you answer yes to this question, then you should use it!

Last but not least, (sorry for going on but I rather get it all down) I did some reasearch on Xandrox 15% and what it contains. Certain Xandrox solutions have Betamethasone which helps stop inflammation. But I heard Betamethasone is a corticosteroid and that it could be not good for the body. I have the link to the article that states this

http://www.hairsite.com/library/abst-127.htm

Xandrox 15 does not have betamethasone. Not only that, but it also does not have Propylene Glycol, which can cause irritation in a lot of people. I have had the best regrowth from this one treatment than from any other treatment that I use when it comes to regrowth. I highly recommend it.

That is all for now, hope most of my questions are answered and that I can find these products I have been looking for. Thanks everyone

No problem. Thanks again for sharing your situation and your questions. If you're asking these questions then I know many many other people have the same questions, so you are in essence helping many other people like yourself!

Best Regards,
Sam

[kakarot]

Hi Sam, thank you very much for replying to my post. I highly appreciate it. I have been reading forums on this post for some time now and I have read alot of stuff you've written about. And you seem very intelligent in this field. So you have helped me resolve alot of questions. And I hope to further keep contact with you in the future. Right now I am saving money and I plan on getting xandrox 15 and revivogen and possibly the spiro cream too and MSM pills would help too. But about proscar, I am thinking about it. See the thing is I am not good with taken pills, its just not my thing. Even when I use to take anti depressants I would skip doses here and there and eventually stopped because I didnt want to depend on a pill for the rest of my life. I did a good job on defeating my depression alone but lately it came back cause of all the stress with college, money, and my hair loss. But lately I have been really happy, I've gotten over my hair loss and have found hope of regrowing hair and keeping it. I am confident if I get those items that I have a very good chance of maintaining my hair and regrowing it. I love my hair, its black, and used to be thick, and my favorite color is black, so I would hate to lose my precious hair. Im not so upset cause its not that noticable now, I use prograine, makes my hair thick, and I style it, dont use that much hair gel on top, and its not that noticable unless you go up to my head like 3 inches away you may definately notice. So its not too late for me. But using Rogaine is a pain, literally, when I was using it, it would itch, Id get sores on my scalp, almost feels like a big zit on my scalp, and I loss more hair, so I stopped. But I plan on using it again, I got the 5% minoxidil. I was smart to get that instead of the 2%. So my goal is to get the following regime

Minoxidil 5% which I have already

MSM pills

Revivogen

Xandrox 15

Inflamil (I still need help getting this)

Sprio cream (wouldnt hurt to use it)

Proscar (this is a big MAYBE, perhaps a last resort)

And I already take multivitamins and try to maintain a good diet and work out. The shampoo Nixion I got claims to help get rid of DHT. I use T gel also. But I see alot of people are using Nizoral over T gel. And Nizoral is more expensive so I assume it works better. Are they used for the same purpose? Seems it is. But right now my hair loss isnt that intense anymore. But I still need to get a regime and fast. Just a matter of money and getting it. I am thinking about shaving my head too, not completely but enough so the treatments can be more effective. Cause when I use to take Rogaine most of it would stick in my hair. I figure, if I cut it really short, more of it will go on the scalp, and by the time my original hair length comes back I'll have more HAIR! Hehe, I am excited for the future. Oh and maybe someday I'll get a laser comb, seems very interesting and perhaps it works after all. Oh and Sam, I doubt I have AA and youve made me realize that, there is no huge bald patch spots, I just got worried when I saw the sides of my head thinning. But I suppose its normal since you described a similar situation. And I got a question about your situation. You say you got folliculitis, do you know what causes this? The reason why I ask is cause I fear that regimes such as Rogaine or Xandrox that cause inflamation or irratation could cause this. I could be wrong but I'd like to know before I take those regimes, and thats the main reason why I want to get inflamil so bad is so that dont happen to me. Well, I appreciate your help alot and look forward from hearing you. Thanks again

Jeremiah

[HairLossFight.com]

Jeremiah,

I am concerned after having read your latest post about your ability to purchase and use all of the products that you want to. Financial stress is stress like any other kind. For me personally financial stress is actually WORSE than many other kinds. What you should do is keep your regimen focused on the CORE things that work, which if you do will save you like 50% of the cost you would have to pay if you bought everything you wanted, but give you like 99% of the positive effect!

First, don't bother with the MSM, it won't regrow hair you've lost, it just speeds up the growth of the hair you already have. Not a big deal.

Second, don't use too much of any topical! Most people don't realize this, but you don't need to drench your scalp with the topicals. If you are going to use Xandrox 15, make sure you do not use more than 1ml per day, period. If you run out of it before you cover all the spots you want to, then you'll just have to learn to use it more sparingly. It is very powerful stuff. You need to find out if the adverse skin reaction you talked about is from the minox, or from the propylene glycol. Chances are its the propylene glycol, but the best way to find out is to use a propylene-glycol-free form of minox. Xandrox is just such a product. However, I would like to make another suggestion to you. In your case, you should focus on KEEPING what you CURRENTLY have and not worry too much about regrowth. Trust me. 10 years from now you'll be kicking yourself from thinking that your hair was so bad. I want to recommend that you email Dr. Lee, and ask him if you can get not Xandrox 15, and not even Xandrox 5%, but just plain minoxidil 5% PROPYLENE-GLYCOL-FREE. Dr. Lee can do this for you. This is simply the mildest 5% minoxidil product that exists, period, and it's also going to be about half the price of Xandrox 5%.

Anyway, if you don't want to use Propecia or Proscar, then a topical dht inhibitor is in order. Revivogen is the one I recommend the most, but again to save money, you may want to check out Crinagen, which as far as ingredients goes is pretty good. I haven't tried it, but it should be pretty good. Even cheaper than these is the 5% spiro. Again, Dr. Lee's is great. You only need to use a tiny tiny amount.

After applying all your topicals your scalp should not be greasy or too wet. That's how little I recommend that you apply.

This way you'll save money, minimize scalp inflammation from using too many topicals, and more importantly, you will comply with your regimen better because you can AFFORD it! That means you won't get depressed because you don't have enough money to date or go out and just have fun! Which is what you should focus on doing. Once you have a simple and effective regimen like I have talked about, just stick to it and don't visit too many forums or hair loss sites. I want you to stop thinking about it. It's like brushing your teeth. If I were you, I would have 0 expectations so that I won't be let down if nothing works, but I would continue to stay on a regimen anyway until something better comes along, knowing I am doing the best I can to keep what I have.

Don't worry about other stuff.

As for shampoos, I would recommend two: a cheap one like say Pantene or something like that, and Nizoral. With nizoral use a teeny tiny amount, like about the size of a dime, and leave it on your scalp for at least 5 minutes, do this twice a week (no more than 3 times).

You don't need to be as aggressive as people that have a Norwood 3 or more of worth of hair loss.

And yeah, keeping your hair short is a great idea, like you said you'll get less treatment in your hair and more on your scalp, not to mention easier maintenance, and also not to mention that thinning hair always looks better shorter rather than longer.

The less you think about your hair, the better. Your energies would be far better spent on getting other ... needs ... met. If you catch my drift. :mrgreen:

Regards,
Sam

[kakarot]

Hey Sam, well first to let you know. Money is nothing but an object to me. I know what to save, and its not hard for me. I will not struggle that much over money. I figure I get one or two products at a time and I'll be fine. And also once I graduate college and go to NYC i will be making twice as much money. So Im not really stressing over the money more over my hair. I dont want you to think I am exaggerating my hair loss, its really bad, my entire top part of my head is thinned out, not just a simple thinning on the crown area and hair line, but like 70% of my hair is thinned. When its wet you can really tell, when I dry it so it looks thick its not too noticable. But I know my hair loss is more extensive then you would think. For my age, and for the time span, its alot, I have pictures of me a year ago, full head of thick hair, its only been little over a year and how much Ive lost scares me. It was fallen out fast when i wasnt realizing it over the course of the last year or so. The stress I have undergone throughout the last 2 years has been tremendous, losing my home I grew up in, losing my grandfather, braken up with my gf, then having another girl put me through 6 months of trama. And college and work. Yes it has taken a toll on my body. And it could be one of the causes of my hair loss and how much Ive lost. I dont want to be like this. I'll be happy once my hair is back to its original state and I am confident it can be. The reason why I want to use Xandrox 15 is for my hair line, its starting to thin, and its the worst part I could lose hair in. I am going to get what I feel is right. I am glad you have opened my eyes a little more but please dont think I cant afford it, or that I dont need it. I see that you and others use 5% minoxidil and Xandrox 15. And both products have minoxidil. So to me it seems that xandrox 15 is good for the hairline while 5% minoxidil is generally used in the crown area. I dont want to just depend on 5% minoxidil cause I dont think its going to help my hair line. Plus I go on these forums to understand about this more and to relate to others. Im not alone here. I have nothing to lose, except more hair, money I can regain, hair isnt as easy. So all I need is a good dht inhibitor and a regrowth stimulant product and Im fine. If you can say that regular 5% minoxidil can regrow hair line then good. But I read rogaine cant, so xandrox 15 I have to get. And I'll use 5% minoxidil on the top parts. And use revivogen or the other brand you recommended. And take vitamins and try not to stress so much. But I still need to find inflamil if Im going to use such topical products. I appreciate your help and advise Sam. But I need to get things back to normal, and getting my hair back is one of them. I hope you understand. Thanks once again,