new thread
Hi guys, just wanted to post my January 2012 update. If you recall I had long hair before buzzing it off in November of 2010, but decided to do so because it was thinning badly and looked terrible. Starting on new year's 2011 I decided to dive into a full-blown hair improvement regimen starting with a ton of vitamins, supplement, and minoxidil. Got some good results for a few months, my hair made an amazing turnaround and thickened up wonderfully but then I started shedding a LOT for some reason. In August I decided to pull out my hail-mary pass and started on Finasteride by way of proscar cut into quarters. Went through an even WORSE shed (I tried using Nizoral every day as well but that brought the shed back) but a few weeks ago it slowed and now it seems to have stopped altogether.
Despite the "dread shed" that I went through my hair still looks way better than it did before I buzzed it. So I believe that I am now at what I call the "floor", and my hair will start improving again since the shed is over and my routine is back in full swing. No sides at all from the Fina or anything else I'm taking so good to go.
Here are a few pics. My hair doesn't seem to grow as fast as others but I'm hoping to actually have a mane by the end of this year!!
Pic #2.
Pic #3... I'm still a bit self-conscious about my high hairline even though it's been this way my entire life, but I have noticed some new hairs sprouting along it (especially in the temples) so hopefully it will move forward in the coming years!
Pic #4.
Pic #5 - the crown. Definite improvement over how it used to be!
Here's me before the buzz... just so you guys can compare and give me feedback.
Thanks!
I remember you now -- this pic looks familiar!
Personally, I don't think you looked as bad as you described back then; but hey, human nature usually makes us our own worst critics!
In the other pics, I'd say it looks like your hair is growing in quite nicely now; but again, I don't find the look that you had before the buzz-cut to be all that objectionable.
Just keep it growing and continue to take good care of your mane, and you'll achieve the length and look that you'd like in no time! Whether thick, thin, or somewhere in-between, I'll always vote for looooong hair any day -- especially whenever compared to a buzz-cut!!
- Ken in San Francisco
Thanks Ken, hope you're doing well!
I appreciate your comments on my old look... I was pretty critical of myself... still am I guess. :) But nice to hear some positive feedback on the old at any rate.
Seeing the difference between then and now though, it makes me feel that it was well worth it. Heck, just looking at the sides and back and comparing them to how measly my pony tail was in the old pic, it's an incredible difference in my eyes! Can't wait to see what it looks like when it gets to the length my old hair was at.
Hi Paladin,
I'd have to agree with Ken about your old hair not looking
all that shabby. Obviously your new mane is looking awesome and you
have the potential for some fantastic long hair.Being you made the decision
to start over its just a matter of time before reaching you old length then to go
from there.Hopefully you'll remain happy enough with your hair that you'll keep it for the long haul:)Cheers
Mark
Thanks Mark! Appreciate the comments and support.
Hi Paladin,
I agree with the others that you are your own worst critic with how your hair looked before, it looked pretty decent to me.
However, I am glad that your new hair journey is going so well, and that the propercia is starting to work for you. (Yes, it can take some time until you notice results, so don't give up on it) I do see an increase in overall thickness with your new regime, and good luck with your future hair growing journey!
Keep it growing,
David
Thanks David. Now that the shedding has stopped while I'm full-blown into my regimen, including Fina, really good things should begin to happen. I'm hanging in there for the long haul buddy!
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Paladin,
You hair looks to be in good condition now, and has nice color! You seem to have a good start to being a longhair once again! The older photo of you with your hair tailed and the sideburns *rocks*!! That is sweet, you look good with the sideburns and tail. :)
In the above message, you mentioned taking "a ton of vitamins, supplements", and your hair shedding. You did not give specific information, so my reply will be rather generic, and some of it may not apply to you - but I hope it helps.
Ingesting "a ton" of vitamins/supplements is never a good idea. The correct vitamins/supplements at the proper dosages can be beneficial to many people, but ingesting too much can lead to adverse effects. Vitamins A,D,E,and K are fat soluble; this means that they are stored in the body's fat cells (as well as some organs), and used a little bit at a time, as the body needs them. It is a very common mistake for people to consume too many of these fat soluble vitamins when they start a vitamin regime. Your body will store as much A, D, E, and K as you put in it; and if you are consuming more than your body is using, these vitamins will build up to toxic levels over a few weeks or months. One of the first symptoms of overdose frequently is very dry and chapped lips that will not heal. An overdose of vitamin A can lead to hair loss. There are many symptoms of overdose; just Google it and you may be unpleasantly surprised how much damage you could be doing to your body when you THOUGHT you were doing something good for it! ;)
All other vitamins are water soluble, which means that they will not build up in your body - they basically dissolve in water (a normal, healthy diet provides enough water in your body to do this), and are excreted by the body (via urine) if not needed. If your urine is bright yellow, that means you are ingesting more water soluble vitamins than your body can use. YES, that means you are literally 'pissing away' perfectly good vitamins and the money you spent to purchase them! ;) Just cut down on the amount of vitamins you are taking until your urine returns to the regular color -- that is when you know that you probably have the dosage right.
As far as other supplements go, you should always spend a little time researching it before you deceide to put it into your body on a regular basis. There are frequently MANY different brands/manufacturers for each supplement -- and the more expensive ones are not always the best! There may also be different processes (for example, cold pressing oils vs. a heat treatment) for the same type of supplement; make sure you are using the correct one for your needs, and not wasting money on what you don't need. Some supplements, such as fish oils or omega oils, may be contaminated with heavy metals (which are toxic and can cause hair loss, fatigue, confusion, and other problems); make sure the brand you select is free of contamination. (If you consume a lot of fish, you may want to check the source to see if it is contaminated with heavy metals.)
As far as other over-the-counter or prescription products that you may be ingesting, some of them can cause hair loss as well (several anti-seziure and prophylactic vascular headache medications are known to cause hair loss).
I hope this has helped, as you have stated that you have/are going to a lot of trouble and probably expense to fight your thinning hair. You do not want to use products from the doctor that are meant to HELP the problem, whilst unknowingly using products at home that are making the problem worse!! Good luck on your goal of a long mane by year's end!! :)
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the reply. What I meant about the vits/supps was that I was taking a lot of different ones, rather than taking huge amounts of each. I put some research into my regimen and stuck pretty close to the recommended dosages for each. So don't worry about me OD'ing on them haha.
This was the stack I was on before, aside from Minox and Niz:
- Orange Triad vitamin stack from bodybuilding.com
- Fish Oil (no mercury/metals)
- Cayenne pepper
- MSM
- Biotin
- Saw Palmetto standardized extract
- Nettle root extract
Plus Protein, BCAA's, and such for my bodybuilding routine which could possibly help hair growth/condition.
So as you can see, nothing to be worried about, especially when used in a close to recommended dose. The Vitamins were taken in either the recommended or half the recommended dose depending on the day.
Good input though, thanks!
Paladin,
Thank you for the reply. I did not know that you are a body builder. Body builders in general seem to be intelligent and well informed. I am glad to hear that you are aware of safe supplement practices ~ most likely much better informed than I! ;) Perhaps my previous message will reach someone who can use the information; after all, there are a lot of people who read this board but either choose not to post or only post occasionally.
Did you ever find the root cause for your hair shedding or thining?
Sure thing and thanks to you. No, but I have my theories about the shedding. Nothing concrete though.
I had always heard that vitamins won't build up to a dangerous level, your body will just get rid of the excess through urine and that only minerals could build up to toxic and overdose levels. Not saying that this is completely true (I haven't done the research), but just something I have heard before
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Jarvis,
As I explained in the previous post, all *water soluble* vitamins, when taken in excess of the body's needs, will be excreted via urine. However, *fat soluble* vitamins can build up in fat cells (and some organs) when ingested in excess amounts. There are only 4 fat soluble vitamins: A, D, E, K. A and E being the ones that are most likely to be the culprits.
Most people who consume a normal, healthy diet will never encounter the problem of toxic levels of fat soluble vitamins. But it is not uncommon for someone who has not done any research on the subject, and starts mega-dosing vitamins for reasons of either health/athletic enhancement, or supplementing a very caloric restrictive diet for weight loss. This includes all forms of vitamin supplementation: single and multi-vitamin tablets/capsules; "nutrition" or "weight loss" bars, shakes, and powders; and any food item that is *heavily* fortified (such as TOTAL cereal).
I am in no way opposed to supplementing one's diet ~ I just hope that people will do the necesary research to learn what will be best for their particular situation, and not compromise their health or waste their money on supplements they don't need.
Hope this helps! :) :)
I wouldn't worry too much if it came for a few months and then subsided. people, just like animals, have seasonal shedding. I loose more than usual in late fall/early winter. If it starts again around the same time this year, it might just be that
Thanks Jarvis... I'm sure the Fina had something to do with it but we'll see what happens!
Coming along very nicely my friend. It's just a case of carying on doing what your doing and having faith in yourself to achieve your goals in 2012. Good luck, Ian
Thanks Ian, you as well!