Finasteride not regrowing - considering surgery

[PappinAce]

I went from being a fullhead to the thinning crown you see in the photos, all within LESS than two years. Now I've been on finasteride for eight months and I haven't really grown anything back. I thought because the loss is so recent I would have a good chance of regrowing, but I've noticed essentially no change. The worst part is in my crown, and my hairline has gotten slightly weaker.

I'm stuck in a tough position. I'm only 27 and have no idea what my future loss will be or whether finasteride will hold the hair long-term. So if I get a transplant and lose a ****load more hair then I won't have the option to shave it because of the scarring. But since it's looking like finasteride won't regrow anything significant on the crown, my other ****ty option is living with a bald spot from the age of 27...when the rest of my family has NO history of hair loss.

This is a nightmare. I just keep waiting to open my eyes and to be back in 2012, and these entire three years were just a bad dream. Does early onset of male pattern baldness mean it's your destiny to be completely bald? Because I know plenty of people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who have noticeable temple recession but haven't lost any more hair in decades. So we know male pattern baldness =/= complete baldness in all cases, but it's also impossible to predict.

Note: the first two pictures are before treatment, the third is before noticeable loss, and the last three are within the past few weeks.

 

[buckthorn]

I went from being a fullhead to the thinning crown you see in the photos, all within LESS than two years. Now I've been on finasteride for eight months and I haven't really grown anything back. I thought because the loss is so recent I would have a good chance of regrowing, but I've noticed essentially no change. The worst part is in my crown, and my hairline has gotten slightly weaker.

I'm stuck in a tough position. I'm only 27 and have no idea what my future loss will be or whether finasteride will hold the hair long-term. So if I get a transplant and lose a ****load more hair then I won't have the option to shave it because of the scarring. But since it's looking like finasteride won't regrow anything significant on the crown, my other ****ty option is living with a bald spot from the age of 27...when the rest of my family has NO history of hair loss.

This is a nightmare. I just keep waiting to open my eyes and to be back in 2012, and these entire three years were just a bad dream. Does early onset of male pattern baldness mean it's your destiny to be completely bald? Because I know plenty of people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who have noticeable temple recession but haven't lost any more hair in decades. So we know male pattern baldness =/= complete baldness in all cases, but it's also impossible to predict.

hair transplant surgery would be extremely risky with the good amount of hair you still have. I would be shocked if anyone other than Bosley would perform it on you.

 

[PappinAce]

So I'm stuck in the in-between stage of noticeably balding, but not enough to have surgery? Are there any non-surgical regrowth options? minoxidil did nothing for me. I've been using it since early September.

 

[Thespain]

Give finasteride more time, I'm 10 months in and just starting to see regrowth.

 

[follicle2001]

I think you are probably a bit too early for hair transplant.

 

[buckthorn]

So I'm stuck in the in-between stage of noticeably balding, but not enough to have surgery? Are there any non-surgical regrowth options? minoxidil did nothing for me. I've been using it since early September.

I hear you brother, so are a lot of us. My hair is like yours, just more diffuse. I wouldn't even consider surgery for myself right now. there's RU, and higher concentration minoxidil. but don't know if you're interested in these.

 

[PappinAce]

You have baldness in the right place. Honestly, it's really not that bad.

The fact that it was around 2012 or 2013 when you lost it means one thing. You can probably
grow all of it back. That and it is centered around the vertex.

Really, wouldn't waste time with a transplant.

Are you combining it with Minoxidil (twice daily, at least). You really should consider using both.

And maybe switch to Dustasteride. Try growing your hair back. Many men who have much less hair
than you have successfully done it. And so can you.

Thanks man, I will do my best. I have read a lot about dutasteride, and it seems to be faster-working than finasteride, but comparable after the two-year mark. Do you think it's a good thing to try if finasteride doesn't produce sufficient regrowth?

I did try minoxidil and was very good about applying it twice a day, every day since September. It did nothing for me though...I'm pretty sure I'm not a responder unfortunately. Maybe a higher concentration minoxidil would help? 5% is the highest I could find over the counter though.