Wake Up!

[Gaga]

Hey guys,
This forum is a bit dead!
I thought I would post something to give it a kick and wake you guys up.
Last Thursday (04 November 2004) I started with Dr. Lee's 5% Minoxidil Solution without Propylene glycol twice daily (8 hours in between).
It has been a week already and havent had any bad reaction to it yet. knock on wood.
I now take half a Proscar daily and added 1000 mg of MSM.
Soon will be using Nizoral Shampoo.
I believe I will have a good Regimen.
Any input?
That was it.
Cheers
Gaga

[HairLossFight.com]

Hi Gaga,

Thanks for the kick... I'm not sure why this forum is slowing down, but it may be because there are established forums on the net with thousands of members, so most people prefer to use them because they can get quicker answers than if they post here.

I'm kind of counting on you guys to help this forum grow, so I appreciate your post and the time taken by the other regulars here.

Thanks to you and everyone else who posts here.

I think the regimen you've started for your self is a good one. Covers all the bases. Stick with it!!! If after a year your hair hasn't gotten worse, don't quit because that means it's probably working. If you have an improvement overall after a year, consider it a bonus. Keep me posted as to your progress!

Regards,
Sam

[Gaga]

Hi Sam,
Thanks for the input.
It has been six weeks since I started the whole business but now I am experiencing a small shed but believe it is a good sign (tell me it is) or is it too early to have a shed?
I have said in one of the pervious posts that I am on Norwood 1 but I dont think I am there yet or still an early Norwooder, if any.
What I want to say is; I would be happy if I could save what I have now and even if I dont grow any more hair.
Ok, I am lying, I would be happier if I could have the same amount of hair that I had 3 months ago
Dont worry Sam (I'm just trying to be Frodo) ; I am sticking to my regimen. Unfortunately, I have no other choice. Sticking to it or losing my hair.
I hope this forum grows. It is here where I got my first help and I very much appreciate it, so I ain't going anywhere.
Besides, I have noticed how you try to reply to every and each message, saying: you are not alone and I am here to listen and help as much as I can.
It means a lot to those who have no one to talk to.
I have said enough.
Cheers and thanks again.
Gaga

[HairLossFight.com]

It has been six weeks since I started the whole business but now I am experiencing a small shed but believe it is a good sign (tell me it is) or is it too early to have a shed?

I don't even pay attention to the sheds anymore to tell you the truth. I have them every so often and it scares the crap out of me, and for the most part the hair grows back to at least where it was before. In the hairline and temples area, and on the top of my head, the density is better than it was last year when I started using Xandrox15. In the crown area, it hasn't gotten worse than last year, but it hasn't gotten better either. I also have folliculitis though in the crown area and that actually destroys hair follicles completely so that may be why my crown isn't improving all that much... At least it hasn't gotten worse.

Throughout this entire time I have had several MAJOR sheds ranging from a few days to a few weeks. Sometimes I even think its getting worse, but then I get comments from my barber (who incidentally doesn't even know I am doing anything about my hair loss) saying point blank: "Have you been doing something to your hair? It's way thicker!" He even had to use one of those what I call weed-wacker scissors that empty the hair out a bit. (I told him to stop using that... I LIKE the thickness ).

My point is this... focus too much on the sheds you'll freak out and quit. If you quit, things will only get worse. If you continue to shed for a long period of time at an abnormal rate (remember, most people shed about 100 hairs a day -- people who don't have mpb even) then get checked out for other underlying causes. I would only do this if my scalp was irritated and cosmetically getting much worse. Otherwise, just stop thinking about it. Don't DRENCH your scalp in the stuff. Just use a small amount, enough to cover the areas that are thinning and fully absorb into the scalp. If you have a lot of left over residue you're using too much. Then, stop thinking about it.

Even people who use Propecia complain about sheds. That's just part of what we have to deal with if we want to fight the hair loss. I'm convinced that when one is looking at their scalp every day for signs of regrowth that we also become super sensitive to our hair loss. If you're not losing more than 100 hairs a day, then you can relax. If it REALLY bothers you then do the following for one day:

1) Before you go to bed, look at your pillow and the surrounding sheets for hair that has fallen out. Get rid of any hair that you find so that you have a blank slate.
2) When you wake up the next morning, look for shed hairs on your pillow and on the surrounding sheets. Count how many have fallen out.
3) When you take a shower in the morning place a sieve in the drain. Count the hairs that fell out.
4) During the day, if you sit somewhere for a long period of time, look around the desk or table area, or the floor for fallen hair (make sure it's YOURS) count the hair.
5) Before bed, ruffle your hair lightly for several seconds somewhere where if hair falls out you can see it. Count this hair.
6) Add up the total hair lost during the day.

If it's less than 200 I wouldn't worry.
If it's more than 200, stick with the counting for a while to see it things improve.

I say 200 because if you have MPB, then you should expect a higher than normal rate of hair loss if you haven't been on your treatments for a long period of time (at least a month or two). So stick with things and keep us posted.

Best of luck Gaga. I am confident that you're on the right path.

Best Regards,
Sam

[Gaga]

Hi Sam,
When I said small/slow shed I meant literally small. I am talking about (maximum) 10 and that is when I apply my leave in conditioner in my hair over the sink.
Now it is 10:30 in the morning (havent had a shower yet) and have just brought a piece of white paper and ruffled my hair lightly for several seconds and saw four hairs.
I believed and still believe that my shed is normal but you know when you are losing your hair or even thinking that you are, then every single hair counts and when you see a hair falling you almost want (I dont really do that ) to beg the f****r to come back where it belongs
Cheers
Gaga