8 Years Of finasteride And Min, 36 Years Old

[frankwhite]

Placeholder - will add background info later. Short story, 36 years old, been on finasteride about 8 years and min for 7. My hair loss probably started around age 20-23, but it was very slow and I didn't suspect anything until age 26 or so, and even then it was not noticeable to others. I had a lot going on in my late twenties, and finally realized it was male pattern baldness around age 28 when I realized I had diffuse loss on either side of my hairline.

I had a very bad shed initially, and only recovered around 18 months into finasteride. I am still a bit below baseline and can't say whether min is doing anything, but I think I have maintained fairly well. I believe my male pattern baldness is leaning toward nw4 maybe nw5, with loss emphasized in frontal 3rd. I have some retrograde male pattern baldness as well but donor seems ok. My hair is curly and coarse.

I want to improve the diffused frontal third. Considering my options and would appreciate feedback.

Some photos are below showing my hair after waking up. Note the diffuse loss at hairline, and also note that the loss is not as visible because my hair is dry. Crown has some diffuse loss but it is minor and not very noticeable with my type of hair. Please excuse any dried min flakes.

Also please excuse typos and grammar as I am posting from phone. Thanks.

 

[michel sapin]

nowhere near Norwood 4 man . Why did you start minoxidil ? did you get a shed because of minoxidil ? you use it on you crown and hairline ? Did propecia helped your crown or hairline when you first started ? thx

 

[frankwhite]

nowhere near Norwood 4 man . Why did you start minoxidil ? did you get a shed because of minoxidil ? you use it on you crown and hairline ? Did propecia helped your crown or hairline when you first started ? thx

Thanks for your interest. Sorry if I was unclear, I know I am not nw4, I mean that when I am applying min and closely examining my male pattern baldness I can tell that my diffuse loss appears to be headed to an ultimate nw4 pattern. Hoping I will maintain indefinitely and never reach that point.

I started min because I was not getting regrowth from finasteride. I don't believe I had a shed from min, and yes I use it on the hairline, mid scalp and vertex.

When I started finasteride I had a bad shed and then eventually recovered. No regrowth though.

 

[michel sapin]

thx man, so you also use minoxidil on your crown and mid scalp ? you got thickening and regrowth with minoxidil ?
you 've got great hair!

 

[michel sapin]

no side efect such as dark circle or wrinkle with minoxidil ? or puffy nipples or gyno with propecia ?

 

[frankwhite]

Yes, I use min on the crown and mid scalp. I didn't get significant thickening but I am maintainin/slowing down my loss so I've stuck with it.

Around 4-6 months ater I started finasteride I had a huge shed. I didn't recover unitil around month 18 or so. I added min around month 12, so it's hard to say whether the min helped or if I just rebounded from the finasteride shed.

No significant sides from finasteride. I worried about sides and tried a bunch of natural supplements for 6 months or so before starting finasteride. I remember looking at this site and propeciahelp and being freaked out.

It was all very silly, and I feel lucky I did not psych myself out. I'm sure some people get sides, but I wonder for how many people the sides are psychosomatic. It reminds me of when I tried microdosing anabolics in my early twenties and convinced myself I had ED after 3 days (I was uncomfortable with the idea of steroids despite many people I know taking them, and started looking at online forums about sides) - makes no sense in hindsight, and I was probably just psyching myself out.

 

[1knox1]

1. Thank you for your story. Your hair looks really good; though we can often be our own harshest critics. Its important for people to see just how well finasteride can work. Long-term usage like this is gold, seeing as its a relatively new drug in the scale of things. I take it that you have looked into dutasteride?

 

[growssj3]

Nw4-5?

Come on, not even close imho

 

[frankwhite]

No, my diffuse pattern appears to be headed to nw4-5. I addressed this a few posts up. I am currently a nw3 with semi significant diffuse loss in the frontal third.

 

[frankwhite]

1. Thank you for your story. Your hair looks really good; though we can often be our own harshest critics. Its important for people to see just how well finasteride can work. Long-term usage like this is gold, seeing as its a relatively new drug in the scale of things. I take it that you have looked into dutasteride?

I hope this is helpful to people considering finasteride. It is critical to maintenance imho. My hair texture makes the thinning look less significant than it is - I have very coarse hair.

I am considering dutasteride, but am not sure if it's worth it since I have zero sides from finasteride and am maintaining pretty well. If I could thicken up my diffuse areas I would probably try it.

I'm currently considering light dermaroller application to increase min absorption. I would do a hair transplant but I can't hide under a hat in my job.

 

[DoctorHouse]

I hope this is helpful to people considering finasteride. It is critical to maintenance imho. My hair texture makes the thinning look less significant than it is - I have very coarse hair.

I am considering dutasteride, but am not sure if it's worth it since I have zero sides from finasteride and am maintaining pretty well. If I could thicken up my diffuse areas I would probably try it.

I'm currently considering light dermaroller application to increase min absorption. I would do a hair transplant but I can't hide under a hat in my job.

You have Joel Osteen hair. You are very lucky. Your hair is perfect for hair transplants in the future with very minimal grafts. You look like a NW2 right now. I don't see the thinning beyond that now.

 

[FRODO]

You and I both have very similar hair. I am 35 and never really noticed any hair loss whatsoever until about 22 months ago, when I suddenly noticed a large amount of hair in my hands after shampooing. I've been shedding a visible 100-300 (ups and downs) hairs daily ever since and to this day. I dabbled a little with Rogaine Foam shortly afterwards, and used inconsistently for about a year. It wasn't until about 15 months after I noticed the shedding that I finally saw my temples push back a bit. I mean the entire hairline thinned a little, but I was super thick to begin with so it didn't really bug me all that much. Regardless, I was forced to take serious action. I've now been on Finpecia/Rogaine/Nizoral for the last 7 months. My temples seemed to push back slightly more a few months ago so I decide to start adding Rogaine there but it doesn't seem to be helping or may be even making them worse. Anyway, my overall hair also seems to be a little thinner (diffuse) overall but I'm hoping to see some better results soon!

 

[dralex]

No, my diffuse pattern appears to be headed to nw4-5. I addressed this a few posts up. I am currently a nw3 with semi significant diffuse loss in the frontal third.

Aren't even a NW3, looks like NW2 to me. Got great hair, especially at 36.

 

[Frankw]

OP here. Hair is the same, maybe a little worse in the frontal third but it's hard to say.

I had a consultation with a hair transplant dr and was recommended 1,500 to 2,000 grafts. They said I could do fue or fut (drkonior in chicago)

Currently trying to figure out a way to get the procedure done, take two weeks off, and then go back to work with minimal signs of a transplant.