My Hair Loss Journey..

[Kobe]

Not sure if this should be in General or Sports, Health & Fitness - Move if needed!

So I'm currently 30 years old and in the last couple years I REALLY saw my hair falling out and thinning very quickly. My dad and grandpa's both were bald at a pretty early age and I told myself I'm not going to let it happen to me.

I know A LOT of guys are like this but most probably don't like to speak about it and keep quiet, I really don't have a problem with it and decided to make this point showing there is options.

I decided to take a photo on January 24th, 2018 and change some things up.

Here is what I started to take

Rogaine 5%
Biotin 10,000 mcg
Finasteride - 1.25mg a day ( 5mill pills cut into 4)
Nioxin (Level 1)

I was always scared of Finasteride and the side effects but my sex drive is still there and I think the "Side Effects" are over rated but you should look into it and consult your doctor before taking it.


The first month I really saw sheding in my hair before I'd touch my hair and hair would just be on my hair, and it was gross and was getting pretty worried but knew it was suppose to happen (Was falling out for about 6 weeks for me)


I ended up looking into other treatments to help.


- Platelet-Rich Plasma PRP
- Follicular Unit Extraction FUE
- Follicular Unit Transportation FUT

The prices in Canada are much more expensive than overseas (Your looking at $20,000USD for FUE in USA vs $3,000 in Turkey)

As I'm a Dual citizen and was told by a family friend they know someone in Poland doing PRP I decided to give it a try.

I decided to ask two doctors about it in Calgary and they both said it isn't proven but for the price it can't hurt to try it.

I didn't really have high expectations from reading about it online and it wasn't exactly proven and didn't work for anyone.

The price however was worth it, I'm paying 200zl ($70CAD) for each treatment where it costs around $500-$700 per treatment and I'm suppose to do it once a month for 4-5 months.

5 X $70 = $350CAD
5 X 600 = $3,000CAD

Also have to train or drive to Warsaw each time and have a friend out there so let's add another $500 for transportation fees

I'm total I'm paying 30%

Decided for $1,000 why not? It doesn't have side effects at worst it just wont work and I got a trip to Poland for 5 months :)

I left Canada on May 6th, 2018 and stopped with the Rogaine for around 6 weeks because I was just travelling or forgetting since it's something you need to do twice a day (Morning and night) Or it won't really have an effect.

While I was in Warsaw 10 days ago the Doctor told me to start taking "Minoxidil" 2% here as well since it helps. (That is the secret ingredient in Rogaine)

I told her I was taking the 5% one before but had stopped and she told me to start doing it again for even better results.


I went to the hair dresser (Family friend who is def honest with me) and she told me that there is a bunch of little hairs starting to grow, she knew they were new since they were super curly. I was like Wow sweet.

When you look in the mirror you don't exactly see the results as every day it looks the same but I was applying Rogaine this morning and couldn't find my hairline where I used to place it (I'd always comb and apply to the scalp) and was like WOW WTF?






Here is a Photo I took on January 24th, 2018

https://i.gyazo.com/c24287dc194ff9f49ab6753e9d833ec4.png

After a month you can really see how much hair and fallen out, it was INSANE but I really felt doomed taken at the end of Feb 2018

https://i.gyazo.com/61a42cea54d92494395acf52a4914989.jpg

You can see a BIG difference between how much hair fell out from when I started to use the Rogaine and was sheding more then a Golden Retriever


Photos from July 1st, 2018

This used to be so easy to find on my scalp (Why I'm making this post) there was NO hair here before.. 100% sure of it

https://i.gyazo.com/164470fb481fab2da46cc005eeb6f1d2.png

https://i.gyazo.com/0120b5a20ebf7f462ad3d390c8f69f08.jpg


Anyways the results are there, thats after two sessions, I'm going for my third one in 2 weeks.

Thing with PRP is after you should be doing it once a year to keep the results. I'm not sure if I will keep doing it than, maybe dish out the $600 and get it done for a treatment in Canada afterwards.


I've also been very subconscious about my hair and wanted something done and might just yolo in a couple years and get the FUT hair transplant done :D I wouldn't do the FUE as they just take a strip from your head and place it up top and leaves lines after but I know that works for sure.


There is options guys and girls! Wasn't going to post this but was so surprised about the process today and decided to make a post...


No trolling from all you people who have a thick head of hair we are all jealous of you already :D



PS: If anyone is wanting to get an appointment she does not speak English and regular price is around $200 in Poland from Doctors that speak English.

And it hurts a bit too, it's a needle going into your hair like you would be getting a tattoo on your head but it takes 15 minutes so it's not the worst..


Will update in a couple of months again.

[ExtraSlow]

Cool post and thanks for sharing. Your appearance can have such a huge effect on your self-esteem and confidence.

[J-hop]

Wow those results are impressive man. Glad it’s working

[Ekliptix]

This PRP thing has me excited. My hair loss over the years has been annoying and doesn't help my self image. I'm going to look into PRP in Calgary and even if my health plan can cover any of it. Thanks and I'm glad the results are working for you.

[tonytiger55]

Great post Kobe and thanks for sharing.

Did you notice any differences when using Rogain...?

[Darkane]

Something interesting happened to a friend of mine:

He ordered Rogain and it never made it. He did receive a letter from border security (i think ) it claimed his package was flagged for being illegal and terrorization or something along those lines. It was the weirdest thing. He’s a good guy with no criminal past, just wants a stronger hair line. Lol.

Anyone hear of this or just a one off?

[infected]

Looking good man, but... have you tried the bald look? Gotta be one of the best things I've done for myself.

[Tik-Tok]

Something interesting happened to a friend of mine:

He ordered Rogain and it never made it. He did receive a letter from border security (i think ) it claimed his package was flagged for being illegal and terrorization or something along those lines. It was the weirdest thing. He’s a good guy with no criminal past, just wants a stronger hair line. Lol.

Anyone hear of this or just a one off?

Canada only allows a certain percentage of the Minoxidil. The Rogain off the shelf here is half as strong as the US stuff.

[Sugarphreak]

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[msommers]

I really would love to have my hair back, no question. But it's been so long without it now (and I'm only in my early thirties) that I'm kind of beyond the point of caring -- I'm not single so maybe that's why.

Still...I think about it and ways I could get some back without spending $20,000, so threads like this are really intriguing!

[Kobe]

Something interesting happened to a friend of mine:

He ordered Rogain and it never made it. He did receive a letter from border security (i think ) it claimed his package was flagged for being illegal and terrorization or something along those lines. It was the weirdest thing. He’s a good guy with no criminal past, just wants a stronger hair line. Lol.

Anyone hear of this or just a one off?

I call BS since you can buy it at Superstore and Costco.

It's way cheaper at costco BTW

I also sent a 6 month supply to my buddy in Toronto with no issues since it was way cheaper in Calgary (I think $159 for 6 months at costco)

It's not the cheapest and its completely useless if you wont be using it twice a day I heard or if you do stop using it, you will need to do it for life.. :/




Great post Kobe and thanks for sharing.

Did you notice any differences when using Rogain...?

Not sure what helped the most tbh... I saw huge results from the PRP I think.

Hasn't been falling out though but when I stopped the Rogaine after a month hair wasn't falling out (While still on Fin and the PRP) So i think those do a lot more than the Rogaine, I def saw hairs falling out as they are suppose to.



Thanks for the comments, hopefully it stays like this I do think the Biotin helps as well my hair doesn't just fall out when I touch my hair now a days either which is amazing. :D #firstworldproblems

Don't see why anyone who has an issue with hair doesn't take one a day it won't hurt, worst case it's a small lose and helps your nails at least...

[Kobe]

Thanks for sharing OP, pretty amazing results!

I realized I might have a hair loss problem about two years ago when my hair stylists started making comments about trying to make it less obvious. It wasn't just once in a while, every single time I got my hair cut they would comment on it. I also started getting sun burns on the top of my head a lot, haha. When I finally got around to looking at it with mirrors, it was looking pretty dire.

I am not that worried about it, more of the mind set of "if it happens, it happens".

With that said, I decided to look into options to delay the inevitable a bit. I wasn't going to spend 20K on implants or anything, but with prices for hair loss products coming down I figured there must be something I can do without breaking the bank.

From what I've read, a Minoxidil foam is best way to go. It isn't greasy, and it is easy to apply. Rogain is too expensive, so I found a knock off made by Kirkland that had 5% Minoxidil in it. An entire years supply cost me about 220$ CAD.
This is where I got mine from: https://www.hairsupply.ca/

I started using it last August, and with the anniversary date fast approaching I'd say I have pretty OK results. It did take around 6 months before I saw any regrowth at all. Although the change isn't as dramatic as I'd hoped, I have noticed the comments from the hair stylists have totally ended. It does seem to be doing the trick.


So one warning I keep hearing is if I ever stop.... all my hair will fall out, haha. I will cross that bridge when I get there, lol



I actually wasn't going to share this with anybody, but if OP is brave enough to talk about it, I figured I should share my experience too

I actually read about the Kirkland brand and yah it's suppose to be exactly the same, and it comes in a liquid as well, I asked Costco if they sell it and they said no, which was weird but they had Rogaine so I decided just to grab that. But ya both will do exactly the same thing.

Yah thats the thing with every product we use, if we stop using it all of our hard earned hair will fall out in a couple months again :(

The reason why I wanted to try PRP is because it seemed like the cheapest most effective way not to have to do it every day. (For the time being)

I'm still sure I'm going to get pissed off in a year or two when if its falling out again and head over to turkey to get the FUE done.. Hahaha

https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-a-hair-transplantation-cost-in-Turkey-Suggest-good-clinics-for-hair-transplant-in-Turkey


I just haven't researched it enough but it really seems like the place to go, I have watched a few videos and read reddit a bit.


If anyone doesn't want to post but wants to read more into it, there is a big subreddit on Reddit about hair lose / how to fix it, I've spent hours and hours reading it.. haha

https://www.reddit.com/r/tressless/



Canada only allows a certain percentage of the Minoxidil. The Rogain off the shelf here is half as strong as the US stuff.



This can't be true.

The main ingredient in Rogaine is Minoxidil which is 5%

Where as in Poland you need a prescription for 5% Minoxidil from a doctor but they sell 2% Minoxidil over the counter.

Which will look something like this

https://i.gyazo.com/d8db33ac514953dcb5d9dc0e30240a71.png

Rogaine also has a 2% Minoxidil version as well -

https://www.rogaine.ca/hair-loss-products/rogaine-2-minoxidil-solution

[Tik-Tok]

This can't be true.

The main ingredient in Rogaine is Minoxidil which is 5%

Where as in Poland you need a prescription for 5% Minoxidil from a doctor but they sell 2% Minoxidil over the counter.

Rogaine also has a 2% Minoxidil version as well -[/U]



Yeah, it's the same here. You need a prescription for the 5% stuff, and the off the shelf stuff is 2%. Where as in the US, you can buy the 5% off the shelf. If you try getting the 5% shipped here from the US, it can get seized (lots slip by though) At least this was the case a decade ago when I tried it.

[Sugarphreak]

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[Darkane]

Yeah, it's the same here. You need a prescription for the 5% stuff, and the off the shelf stuff is 2%. Where as in the US, you can buy the 5% off the shelf. If you try getting the 5% shipped here from the US, it can get seized (lots slip by though) At least this was the case a decade ago when I tried it.

That’s what happened to my friend.

Maybe now the 5% is available.

[schurchill39]

With the Minoxidil is it effective as a stand alone treatment or is it always recommended to have some sort of additional support to it such as supplements or shampoos etc? This thread has really made me think about trying to curb my thinning hair before shaving my head entirely. Unfortunately as a red head the shaved head look makes me seem more like I have complete alopecia as opposed to just a shaved head.

[nzwasp]

This is interesting, I have also been experiencing some hair loss too, I had loads of hair until I started testosterone treatment in 2013 and I didnt think I was going to lose it because of that either until the start of 2017 when I started thinning out a little and then by mid 2017 everytime I took my helmet off at work there was loads of loose hair. If I grab at my hair with two fingers atleast 10 hairs easily come out. I seem to be loosing it in the front and center middle of my head but not on the sides or back.

Haircuts have become almost not necessary and Im really starting to think I should shave it although havent done this yet...

I would be interested in that PPR or whatever you said but im wondering since they use your blood and since my blood has testosterone in it too would if affect it?

[94CoRd]

This is interesting, I have also been experiencing some hair loss too, I had loads of hair until I started testosterone treatment in 2013 and I didnt think I was going to lose it because of that either until the start of 2017 when I started thinning out a little and then by mid 2017 everytime I took my helmet off at work there was loads of loose hair. If I grab at my hair with two fingers atleast 10 hairs easily come out. I seem to be loosing it in the front and center middle of my head but not on the sides or back.

Haircuts have become almost not necessary and Im really starting to think I should shave it although havent done this yet...

I would be interested in that PPR or whatever you said but im wondering since they use your blood and since my blood has testosterone in it too would if affect it?

I would definitely do a bit of reading up on hair loss prior to any decision you make. Hair loss is caused by DHT, which is formed by testosterone. I'm no biologist, but the more testosterone in your body, the more DHT you create, and the more that binds to receptors at the base of your hairs and stops growth. I suspect your blood having (added) testosterone in it wouldn't change the outcome of PRP, as it's the growth proteins of the platelets that gets injected.

I recently started listening to a podcast called Science versus. They have an episode of 'Science vs Hair loss: what actually works'. After that episode, you'll be all caught up on the hair loss game.

https://www.gimletmedia.com/science-vs/balding-actually-works

[Kobe]

I would be interested in that PPR or whatever you said but im wondering since they use your blood and since my blood has testosterone in it too would if affect it?

Not really sure but both doctors I had asked both said it shouldn't hurt to try worse can take a small financial loss..




I would definitely do a bit of reading up on hair loss prior to any decision you make. Hair loss is caused by DHT, which is formed by testosterone. I'm no biologist, but the more testosterone in your body, the more DHT you create, and the more that binds to receptors at the base of your hairs and stops growth. I suspect your blood having (added) testosterone in it wouldn't change the outcome of PRP, as it's the growth proteins of the platelets that gets injected.

I recently started listening to a podcast called Science versus. They have an episode of 'Science vs Hair loss: what actually works'. After that episode, you'll be all caught up on the hair loss game.

https://www.gimletmedia.com/science-vs/balding-actually-works


Great Podcast, listened to it even after doing hours of research myself but this is really accurate..

Noted there is no research on PRP on it, but decided to try it anyways because of the price I'm still skeptical about it lasting over a year with that said I don't think having 3 or 5 treatments (What they recommended) is a big financial difference so I might as well just do the 5 but would def be a harder decision if it was costing $600 each time.


I guess I summed it up pretty well in my first post for this :D

They didn't break down that there is two different types of Hair transplants. FUE and FUT.

Assuming with the hair transplants from seeing results and hair actually growing it will work, the question is how long? Maybe 20 years? 30? Putting those numbers out there since thats how long we usually go before starting to lose the hair at the tops of our heads.



This guy has a channel on youtube with his Hair transplant

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwzZRHLPIpSDs_9SpIfMG3w

Edit: There was also something called "mesotherapy" Which i heard some results about its around $150-$200 each treatment, AFAIK in but I haven't really researched it found out about it while in Europe.

[Sugarphreak]

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