Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow…
Or rather, the instant I wash my crowning glory.
However of late, I realised it isn’t as bad as before. I surmise that the Propecia I took is starting to have some seemingly desirable effects on my tresses. I’ve been taking the small beige pill for about a month now… Cost me a bomb! My latest trip to the Skin Centre dealt a painful $115 blow to my already singed wallet. I can’t be spending hundreds every month to treat my falling locks… Sigh.. But as the doctor puts it, it’s the only way to deal with nature.
In any case, for the uninitiated, males from as young as 18 may suffer from androgenetic alopecia, or in more layman terms, male pattern baldness. It is more notable in older males especially from the mid thirties though… Of course there are other factors to consider when dealing with hair loss, such as skin disease (i.e Psoriasis, Fungus), smoking and pregnancy. Do note I’m just dealing with genetic basis of hair loss.
Now, androgenetic alopecia’s main agent is DHT or Dihydrotestosterone. Males, as do females albeit in small amounts, produce testosterone and it circulates our body, giving us our sexual characteristics. However, some of these free testosterone are converted to DHT by the action of the enzyme called 5′ alpha-reductase. The enzyme is found in many places in the body, notably the scalp and the prostate.
DHT causes balding by binding to hair follicles on our scalp, causing follicles to shrink and hair to thin. Men may then start to notice thinning hair or a receding hair line. Some people are more predisposed to the ill effects of DHT and these people show greater signs of hair loss compared to others.
The only 2 reliable and scientifically proven treatments are finasteride and minoxidil. Finasteride (Propecia), an oral drug, is a 5′ alpha reductase inhibitor and prevents the formation of DHT. Minoxidil is a topical applicant that stimulates hair growth. Success rate is about 60-70% though, and the earlier treatment is started, the better the results. It also helps to engage in cardiovascular exercises such as running as it lowers testosterone levels and hence the formation of DHT.
For more information you can google up or Wiki hair loss (click here) and its remedy (click here).
In any case, this quasi full-time tutor here needs to earn more money. Otherwise, he cannot upkeep his treatments and will have to sacrifice his lasik dreams.
- The Benthic Canine
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u might like to try a bottle of brandy and use it every-day on your scalp and massage the wine into your hair. apparently, it works….. also using a milder type of shampoo works also…. there’s some shampoo that is based on jap formula of herbs that claimed to works… it’s definitely cheaper than your propecia…. and of course, i also heard wanking less will stop the hair from dropping
hey hey! hows hols??? haha. anw, juz to let you knw, theres a minoxidil prep going for 60 plus for more than a month’s supply. yup yup! oh, and maybe next time you can ask your DR to prescribe proscar. Although it contains finasteride at 5mg (5x the strength of propecia) if you like cut the tab and do the subsequent calculations, its much much cheaper. but be warned there are side effects since it inhibits 5 alpha reductase…ah..you can derive at the conclusions yourself! So dont worry too much!!! At most you can ask a healthcare professional to buy for you…they are entitled to 10% discounts at the pharmacies…retail too =))) haha. oh, not too sure abt the brandy thing though…you can try and tell me X)))