Balding Blog

dear rassman sir thanks for the blog. i am 21 years old male. having hair loss for 2 years. from last 2 months i use minoxidil 2% and now my doctor suggests i use minoxidil 5%. using 5% for 10 days and i’m facing hair loss at shampooing my hair or when i apply minoxidil 5%. my doctor suggested me to use dermotave scalp application. my question is that is dermotave effecting minoxidil’s work because i use dermotave after 4 hours of applying minoxidil 5%. when i wet my hair it looks so thin.

1. will minoxidil work for the frontal and back side of head?
2. should i take propecia?
3. does propecia and monoxidil 5% regrow hair or they just help to maintain the hair i have at my head now?
4. what is the best medicine to regrow hair at the frontal and back side of head?
5. masturbation has any effect at hair loss?

i’m so depressed with my life. i lost my girlfriend and friends. they insult me. i cry n cry. i tried for commit suicide. dont know how to get my lost hair. for god’s sake please doctor help me. help me. i leave in bangladesh that is why cant get a good hair transplantation in my country..please answer my question and help me. please

Dermotave’s active ingredient is clobetasol propionate, a very powerful corticosteroid, and not to be taken for balding. I have no idea why you were prescribed this, but if it was to treat male pattern hair loss, your doctor was horribly mistaken. To answer your questions:

1. Minoxidil may work at the front and crown, but there is no guarantees to what extent you might see regrowth.
2. I can’t determine if you should take Propecia without seeing you. At 21 years old with early hair loss, Propecia would be a good medication if you do have male pattern baldness.
3. They can regrow hair, but each person reacts differently.
4. Propecia and minoxidil.
5. No, masturbation has no effect on hair loss. See the many, many posts about this here.

It seems like you need help if you are suicidal. This type of depressive feeling, although maybe enhanced by your possible balding problem, should bring you to a good doctor to address this problem. Speak with your parents and let them know how you feel. With good medicines like Propecia, young men with early balding can be very successfully treated and transplantation is the last thing you need to have.

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First off, thanks doctor for all the help you have given. Your site is very helpful.

I actually have a one question and also a comment about propecia.

Firstly, I have been experiencing balding at my hairline for about a year and a half. It hasn’t gotten too bad yet and is moving quite slowly. I started on propecia about 6 months ago and have recently seen a slowing in the shedding of my hairline. Also I have seen a slight thickening in the hair in right at the hairline. The hairs that are growing are small and kind of thin though, so I was wondering if hair regrowth with propecia can come in cycles. Will it start as smaller miniaturized hairs, then the next cycle will they be thicker? Just wondering if this was common for the drug in your experiences.

My second comment was on the side effects of the drug. About a month after I started I noticed drastic sexual side effects. My sex drive was still there, but I could not sustain an erection. I cut back to half a pill a day and that helped at first, but once again I fell into that same situation. Recently though I’ve notice just as drastic of an improvement though. It almost seems over night the sexual side effects went away. I have even gone back to a whole pill and have no noticeable side effects. Is it normal for the side effects to go away so suddenly? Also, could such strong side effects mean that the pill is working well on me? Not that I’m complaining, just interested to know. I am glad I stuck it out though, seems it just took time for my body to adjust.

Thanks for everything in advance!

Many people who get a decreased libido can work it out the way you did. Hair loss comes in cycles, but Propecia (finasteride 1mg) does not work in that fashion. At times, you may find the hair loss will occur even when you are on the drug, and that hair loss occurs in bursts. The focus here was on libido and hopefully your libido problem has been solved. With regard to other side effects, they tend to occur and stay around while you are on the drug, like decreased volume of your ejaculate after orgasm or breast tenderness. Of course, breast pain could be brought on by other causes as well (even breast lumps, although very rarely from Propecia), so if you get them you should see your doctor.

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Hi, I have taken Propecia for the last 6 years, but finished on it about 4 months ago and started on Generic Dutasteride about 1 month ago, I would like to know how long before the Dutesteride will work on shock-loss? Would I recommended to start back on Propecia until the operation has been completed to not get any shock loss? The transplant will be at the frontal region (I have hair there still) and on the temples. I am 29 this year and Norwood 2.5, Thanks

If you were continuously on Propecia (finasteride) and then started immediately on dutasteride when you stopped Propecia, as they are both DHT blockers that work on the same mechanism, I would expect that the protection will be there already. For our readers, I believe you are concerned about developing shock loss in the existing hair after your get a hair transplant. I am curious if you are really a Norwood Class 2, why are you having a hair transplant?

Hi Doc,
Browsing the internet extensively, but cant find any updates to Avodart as regards to hairloss..

Any idea when this study will be complete?

Many thanks

The phase 3 study was completed in January of this year — ClinicalTrials.gov – A Study To Assess The Efficacy And Safety Of Dutasteride 0.5mg Once Daily For 6 Months In The Treatment Of Male Subjects With Androgenetic Alopecia

I have no idea what that means in relation to submitting it to the FDA for approvals or other timetables involved. I suspect that they competed the testing period, but may not have had time to evaluate the results yet. I searched the FDA site this morning and came up empty.