my.HairLossFight.com - Blogs, Groups, Photos, Discussions, and more (beta)

I thought 2009 was the busiest year of my life.  But the first three months of 2010 has been even more frenzied than I remember last year being.

I have a full-time job as an IT manager, that really puts the 'full' in 'full-time'.   Great job, but very demanding.

I'm engaged to be married soon.  The date isn't set yet, but it will likely be in September.

Between work obligations, friends, family, and other unavoidable pastimes, spending time on the site has been nearly impossible.

I expect things to unwind and for time to open up for me in the next few months, but I thought the same thing several months ago. 

Suffice it to say that I have plans to improve the site, including the launch of our store.

I'll keep you posted.

If life is a journey, then it is definitely a form of surfing, except the waves are various random or controlled events.  Balancing the conflict between various responsibilities and burdens, and one's own wants and pursuits can be demanding at times.

I have been going thru one of the busiest periods in my life.  I was promoted to a management position in Information Technology, and you know what that means: virtually no time for anything else!

During this period, the forum membership of the site has grown, and I'm happy to welcome the new members while appreciating the participation of long-time regulars.

I have been planning a major overhaul for the site for a while now.  Elements of what the site will be already exist for the most part, but when everything is merged together HairLossFight.com will be unparalleled in the hair loss sites on the Internet.

I would like to empower you, the viewer and/or member of the site, to come up with a workable solution for your hair loss, and to share your experiences with others so that we can all learn from each other.

Currently the forums are what most of you are used to using for communicating and interacting with one and other in the exchange of ideas on hair loss.  And this is a good thing.  I don't want to change this.

What I DO want to do though is to show you a whole other world of possibilities on communicating with the community and the world about hair loss.  The my.HairLossFight.com section of the site is extremely powerful and adaptable and feature-rich.  I want to integrate the FORUMS of the site, with which you're probably already familiar, with the social networking section of the site.  THIS SECTION.  My.HairLossFight.com is fully functional and you can start using it now, but it is in beta.

Currently you need another membership id to use this section, separate from your forum membership.  I will soon merge the forum membership with my.HairLossFight.com so that you will automatically be a member of both sections.  In fact, the goal is to make the integration seamless, so that you login to the forums THRU my.HairLossFight.com.

If you're not already familiar with my.HairLossFight.com, you can register (use the same id as your forum id where possible) and start your own blog, share photos (via albums), stay up-to-date with specifically what YOUR friends in the community are up to, as well as everyone else if you wish (via the Dashboard), upload videos, audio, your own files and pages of information on all things hair loss related and more.  And it will all function in a way similar to other social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

You may not see it now, but the way it will all be laid out means that ANYONE can setup their own virtual community within the community and participate in a vibrant flow and exchange of ideas.

Stay tuned!

Hi All,

I am on my third application of A&G.  Up until now, what I've noticed is basically a general feeling of less itchiness of the scalp.  It's way too early to tell whether it is working, but I will post pics at 1 month, and 3 months post-application.

Other than that, I did receive my Laser Messiah, but the power supply was bad so OMG has sent me a new power supply.  I can't wait to start using it.  It looks and feels pretty slick.  Will post some pics of it soon too.

Check it out:

More pics that are more close-up and clearer will come soon.  Haven't had a chance to take good ones yet, but wanted to give you an idea of how things are looking.  This pic shows the hair line well.

HairLossFight.com is going to be upgraded soon with a major site revamp.   The following is coming soon:

1. More doctors interacting directly with our viewers in the forums, Q&A section and in my.hairlossfight.com.
2. More product reviews, with the ability to allow viewers to rank them and enter their own comments.
3. More information on the latest potential treatments, like A&G, PRP, and others.
4. More hair transplant information and help
5. And last but not least, possibly, a product store where you can get all of the products you need from a site you can trust.  I say possibly, because I'm still debating whether I should do this or not.

If you like this website, or are using it and have found that it's a useful site, I need your support by being active here.  Register, setup your profile and participate.  Help build this up into the #1 hair loss fighting community on the Internet!  Hair loss sucks.  We all need the support.

Sam

HairLossFight.com

I have seasonal allergies, the worst of which arrive with the spring.   I have been taking Allegra (24 hour) for several years now and it has worked well for me.  But for some reason, this year it has not worked for me at all.  Yesterday I took two 24 hour pills to no avail.  I was sneezing like crazy and my face felt like it was going to explode for the whole day.    I ended up going to the drugstore to pick-up another type of med.  This time I got Reactine.  Popped a pill last night.   It seemed to do the trick.  I took another one this morning.  I know it may be going overboard but I needed the relief.

Now I feel spacey.....

I have been talking to OverMachoGrande from http://www.overmachogrande.com about getting one of his signature Laser Messiah laserhelmets for myself.   I can't wait to get my hands on it.   I know the instructions are there for anyone who wants to make one for themselves.

Astro_boy just recently put one together (Check out his profile here: http://my.hairlossfight.com/pg/profile/astro_boy ).   It's not the I'm lazy, I just don't have the time right now.  Juggling a day job that takes most of my time and energy with trying to run a side-business, while also staying on top of my hobby -- this website (and several others that I am working on).

So it just make sense to let the master himself, OverMachoGrande, make one for me.   And it's not a moment too soon either.  I have noticed that in my crown I have continued to shed since my HT with Dr. Wong last year.  I have to do something to stop the further progression of my MPB.

This fighting hair loss thing is never-ending.    Let's hope that a cure comes along relatively soon.  I'm hoping within the next few years that at least we will have some better options than Finasteride, Dutasteride, Minoxidil and lasers. 

But until something better comes along, I think LLLT (low level laser therapy) is a must for anyone serious about battling hair loss, and that's where the laser helmet comes in.  If you're not familiar with lasers for hair loss, check out OMG's site.

Just got back from Maui.  Damn that place is nice.  I live in Vancouver, B.C.   Beautiful, but rains constantly.... Maybe a move is in order.

Anyway, while on vacation I pretty much ate and drank whatever I wanted.  The result?  Gained about 5 pounds and now my rosacea is flaring up.... 

This proves to me that controlling my sugar intake has helped me fight rosacea, and perhaps by extension, doing so over the past few years I may have also slowed the progression of my hair loss.

I can say for certain that the health of my scalp has improved tremendously since I started eating right and controlling my sugar intake.

Now that I'm back home, I will be back on a healthy diet, and I will be hitting the gym hard again.

This hair loss thing has been a mixed blessing in the sense that I have done everything I can to improve my health to slow it's progression.  This is probably why now, at the age of 35, I'm probably healthier and more fit than I was at 25.  And with the HT I have the appearance of a full head of hair too... 

I have been able to focus on life in general and not worrying about how I look.   

It's been a while since I talked about my current hair loss situation.  The fact of the matter is that I feel like I have finally got things under control.  After two successful hair transplants with Dr. Wong of Hasson and Wong, I have a nice head of hair again.

I'm just maintaining now.   I use Avodart 0.5mg twice weekly (a pill on Sunday and Wednesday of each week) and I think it's working as I don't really shed as much as I used to.

Also, I use the Hairmax lasercomb, and I think it has improved the health and thickness of my existing hair. I have asked OverMachoGrande, a member of the HairLossFight.com discussions forums to make me one of his signature hair loss helmets as I am convinced that using a helmet with hundreds of lasers will work better than the lasercomb, which is quite overpriced.

Other than that, I don't have any other plans for adding to my regimen unless something really worthwhile comes along.

Right now, A&G is all the rage, at least from a discussions standpoint in the forums.  I will wait and see how our forum members like it before considering using it myself.  Lots of buzz on it here:

http://www.hairlossfight.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1085

If this proves to be a successful treatment I may give it a try.

I started losing my hair at the age of 19.  At the time, I think I was aware that something was going on, but it never really sank in until a couple of years later when I was in University when it was pointed out to me publicly by this asshole whom I haven't seen since my university days over a decade ago, but who left a really negative impact on my self-esteem.

It was at that point when it really hit me that something was wrong.  Now at the time I didn't realize that the level of my hair loss was quite minor.  But when you're 21 years old, and just finding your way socially with the opposite sex, knowing that you're losing your hair can be very devestating.

I was constantly worried that people were looking at my forehead instead of focusing on my face.  I'm sure that had I not given a crap and just pressed ahead with a little bit of youthful swagger it wouldn't have had as much of an impact, but I let it consume me and as a result, I think I lost a lot of opportunities.

I'm now 34 years old, and I have dealt with my hair loss successfully.  I have a full head of hair and my goal is to keep what I have.  It doesn't bother me as much as it used to anyway, because I realized that I had a lot more things going for me, and that I shouldn't have let the fact that I was losing my hair get in the way of my social life as much I did.  But that's neither here nor there.

It did cost me a lot.  I'll be frank about it.  The biggest impact was that I looked older than I was or felt, and this meant I head less opportunities with women in my 20's.  My 30's have been a lot better in this respect, so I can't complain but I know how bad it felt in my 20's so I want to help out anyone in that situation.  I have a soft-spot for you if that's your predicament.

I suggest if you're losing your hair in your 20's you do the following:

(1) Find out what your Norwood level is.

(2) Find out what type of hair loss you have (most likely it's androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness).

(3) Use a good DHT blocker (my preference is an internal one).

(4) Use a good laser device (this wasn't available to me in my 20's.  It's probably one of the best tools in your fight against hair loss).

(5) If necessary use Toppik or Dermmatch (these are the best hair loss concealers, trust me).

(6) Style your hair well (get a good stylist that's sensitive to your situation and can help you maximize the look of the hair you do have).

(7) Cut down on the sugars!!!  This helped me tremendously, and slowed my hair loss.  Sugar increases the inflammatory responses in your skin, which can accelerate hair loss.

(8) Take good care of yourself: workout!  Participate in sports! 

(9) Know your value!  I can't stress this enough.  Your hair loss should be something that you manage, and then don't think about because you're doing everything you can to deal with it.  Be aggressive and don't care about the comments.  DO NOT LET PEOPLE KNOW YOUR HAIR LOSS BOTHERS YOU.  Girls don't like a man with low self-esteem.  Get some swagger and just be confident.  This is harder than it sounds, but it can be done.  Confidence is gained from successful endeavors.  That's why I suggest you get active, workout, and take care of yourself.

(10) Dress well.  If you don't know how. LEARN!  This is a big one.

(11) Groom yourself!

(12) Don't be reclusive.  Throw yourself out there and be social.  Practice this.  Be like Rocky Balboa and get right back up when you're knocked down.  If someone teases you about your hair loss laugh.  That's right, laugh, then STRIKE BACK!  Everyone can be teased about something.  Learn how to take a dis and dish one out while keeping your cool and a smile on your face.  Get under OTHER people's skin (without being an asshole, it's tricky but possible).  Be the guy that people like to be around.  Especially with girls.  Know how to tease them!  Don't put them on a pedestal.  The hottest ladies have their own insecurities.  I'm not saying you should be a jerk, but learn how to tease women and not care what they say about you.  Women like self-assured men.

Anyway, don't give up.  Deal with your hair loss.

Talk to me.  I'll help however I can.

Sam