Losing ones hair at a very young age.

[sl]

Interesting debate back and forth. I've been a hairloss sufferer for many years, first on Proscar back in 1998, cutting it in 5 parts and ingesting. Tried Hairgenesis, Procerin, going upside down on an inverter, massage machines, Minoxidil. Pretty much apart form urine and cow pat [yes, there are people doing this], i've tried it all.

Studies on Saw Palmetto may be limited as who wants to spend a lot of time and money on a herb that they can't copyright. Not the case with other products.

I have read many articles on Saw Palmetto working, not working, needs to be from a certain part of the plant etc etc etc and as mentioned here it is very contradictory.

Personal experience is worth 1,000 studies and I started on Saw Palmetto a year ago. I take 1 x 750 mg a day only as two of them gave some side effects. Limiting DHT will cause this, no matter if limited via a herb or a chemical. Without mentioning them, I cut back to one tablet a day.

I noticed and others did also some growing in on my temples and small hairs coming under my hairline. I'm not claiming to have grown an Elvis Presley hairline but certainly i've seen small hairs growing. One person in particular on this thread has seen me and seen this also.

As also said, may work better on some than on others. Incidently today i've received a few emails of guys having some success on Saw Palmetto also, so it isn't just me.

It may or may not work for you but is for some and is very inexpensive and readily available in the UK.



Hope this helps.

 

[hairtech]

So u would rather do saw palmetto than propecia?

 

[Kilbride]

If it worked, then definately a resounding yes.... who wouldn`t.

 

[Kilbride]

Stephen, thankyou for replying.

What side effects did you suffer?

 

[sl]

In terms of preferring Saw Palmetto or Propecia, my history is quite complex.

I was on Proscar 12 years ago for some 3 years via the NHS, although it was not officially prescribed for hairloss by them, I did manage to persuade my GP to do this for me and armed myself with documents etc in order to get the medication. It was a struggle especially when one of the head's of the NHS publically said that it won't be used for hairloss and basically "we should all learn to just get used to it" was a summary of the radio interview I heard. He himself was bald and the logic seemed to be "If I have lived with it so can you", despite the obvious psychological devestation it causes.

After 3 years my doctor didn't wish to continue for whatever reason so I was then forced onto the net and bought some dubious tablets from India claiming to be 100% the same as Proscar. They were poorly packaged, and to be honest to this day I've no idea what was in them. They did give me side effects and after 3 months I literally put then down the toilet. They were most definitely fake and I was really put off trying to get anymore tablets via the net.

This led me into the wilderness in terms of medication and i'm glad to say that forums have since evolved and have become a conduit for sufferers to get legitimate meds. In the ensuing years I literally tried everything to combat the loss as previously stated, in fact too many to list here, and possibly can't remember all of them. Sadly it's a market that people are expolited to the "nth degree" as the manufacturers know people will pay whatever if promised they can have their hair back. I bought items that "celebrities" were promoting and these "celebrities" are still bald today so it didn't even work for them!

Saw Palmetto became part of my regime only a year or so ago and I am happy with it. Side effects can include erectile dysfunction, loss of body hair etc as these things need DHT. I've had body hair transplanted to my scalp so I must make sure to not limit my DHT too much and Saw Palmetto appears to give me that balance. I did however lose a lot of body hair on Proscar that did grow back after I ceased taking it.

I believe in both Propecia and Saw Palmetto but do realise that in some one may work better than the other and therefore be more suitable for whatever reason.

 

[Kilbride]

Thankyou for the thorough response.

 

[folliclediabolical]

It's difficult for new hairloss sufferer's starting to try and gather info on what can work and what should be avoided.Theres SO much info out there and a lot of bs to cut through also.

It took me months to figure out what i thought would be my best chance of holding onto my hair as long as possible,so i settled for finasteride (basically proscar) and minoxidil.I did start using saw palmetto on top of the finasteride though,and all i can say is it killed my libido completely,so i stopped using it and stuck with just fin.
What i mean is that it was obviously inhibiting the DHT hormone in givng me that side effect,so it must be very similar in operation to fin,its just that i must have been overdosing taking to two along side each other.
If i wasnt on fin id be taking saw palmetto.

 

[sl]

Yes, being on both Finasteride and Saw Palmetto orally is not a good idea, it's pretty much one or the other.

 

[Pacman]

Hi Kilbride

I personally would recommend Saw Palmetto. I myself have been taking it since March of this year along with MSM after some dialogue with Stephan.

My experience is the following,

I went through a period whereby after about 3 months i noticed dozens and dozens of very small pimples on my head. Some weeks back i had noticed hundreds of very fine downy white hairs growing between my existing hair i intially dismissed this as possible miniturisation but i must say that these seem to be getting stronger by the day. Some are very near my hairline and have turned my normal hair colour and are now very visible. I dont wanna hype this too much and dont get me wrong i havent grown an Afro but i do honestly believe it has helped my situation.

From a side's point of view i have experienced absolutly nothing.

It is a natural supplement so i would suggest this as a first option before you get knee deep in something a little more hardcore.

Regards,

Pacman

 

[Kilbride]

Hey all,

Thought I`ll pop back with a quick update on my situation, decided to try Proscar which I`ve been been taking for 6 mths. I think its working as I`ve not noticed any further hairloss and my hair looks healthier. I`d like to thank you all for the positive information you provided me. If I notice any regrowth I`ll update again.

Chow for now.

 

[Sparky]

Worth doing the Regaine aswell methinks, you can get it online pretty cheap now.

 

[DCGuy]

I know this is an old thread but since it's been revived, and I think I can add something interesting to the mix, forgive me.

I started losing my hair when I was 13. Today I am 22, and I'm not familiar with the Norwood scale, but let's just say if I grew my hair out, I would look a lot like George Costanza from Seinfeld. My hairloss has been extremely aggressive.

I have never met anyone with as peculiar a case as myself. I have dealt with it quite simply by shaving my head and moving on with my life. All through high school and college I didn't let it bother me, or more accurately, I ignored it.

For the first time I'm looking for an answer or cure, but my hairloss is so advanced that a few FUE surgeons have already turned me away, and I'm looking for alternative solutions. Why? Because in my entire adult life I've never had hair. At least some of you guys started balding in your 20's. That would've been nice. So some people ask me why I didn't do anything to mitigate my hairloss when it began. I say what the hell was I supposed to do? I was a teenager. What was I supposed to know about this?

 

[hairline]

@ sl and pacman

where do you get the saw palmetto from, what is the exact name
of this product?

I want to try it, too!

I live in Germany.


Thanks a lot, guys!!


:::CZ:B

 

[Pacman]

Hi Hairline

Any shop that provides natural health supplements will provide you with the stuff. I get mine from Holland and Barrett, It's simply called Saw Palmetto.

I take it along with MSM both are very cheap.

 

[Bigmac]

Hope all is going well with the Meds.

 

[Stingray76]

This thread is seriously making me consider switching from finesteride to Saw Palmetto.

Anybody switched and had bad results?

 

[Sparky]

I've just bought another batch of Fin, as at 35, I've still got all of my hair, may switch one day though.

 

[Bigmac]

5 years on Proscar for me and all seems well so no need to look at alternatives.

 

[Bigmac]

Any updates as i`d like to know how you are getting on.

Cheers Bm.

 

[hairtech]

I have been in the industry for years. And I have taken in hundreds of posts concerning saw palmetto vs and pharmalogically derived synthetic 5-alpha reductase inhibitors such as finasteride (propecia/proscar and dutasteride).

Which in essence means: What blocks dht better... propecia, proscar, dutasteride... or natural supplements... such as saw palmetto.

IT IS ALL INDIVIDUAL. To all of the newbies reading... here is the standard:

1. Propecia aka finasteride... 1mg per day is a standard "hair restoration" approach to STOP hairloss immediately for MOST patients... not all.
2. Proscar aka also finasteride... is an off label (USA)way to achieve the same effect by splitting the pill into chucks and taking a part of it everyday. This option is very cheap.
3.Avodart, aka dutasteride... is a dual dht blocker that is probably more effective than finasteride but most patients complain of side effects more often.
4. Saw Palmetto is a natural herbal approach and most clinics are on board with this as a supplement. The span of reporting of this therapy is all over the friggn map. Some say yes it works... most say no or i really don't know.

So here is the very bottom line... Start with saw palmetto and give it 6+ months. Has there been a stoppage or a slowing of hairloss?

Or go for the standard in 20 years of hairloss stoppage clinically... Finasteride or proscar. Wait 6+ months. Is there a stoppage or slowing of hairloss?

It is very individual. Some people can get buy with saw palmetto. Most cannot.