I don't think you guys can tell if you are shedding.

[CCS]

You'd have to lose a lot of density to see a difference. My guess is your hair grows out or gets messed up and just looks different.

Right now I can't get any hairs at all to fall out of my head. And I know the average person sheds 150 hair per day. So why don't I get a handful? Probably because I just took a shower and all the loose ones came out at once. You hair counters probably test your hair when it is most lose. You should see after a shower when your hair is fully dry if any are still falling out.

Just amazes me how many people take finasteride, and after a day or two they are already reporting how good or bad it is doing, and saying their hair looks thinner. Mostly likely if they search around the top of their head long enough they just found a thin spot they had not noticed before.

 

[CCS]

* Finasteride (Propecia / Proscar)

There have been multiple reports of excessive shedding several months after finasteride therapy. Typically, there is a good response to finasteride to prevent or reverse male pattern baldness. Then, around the 11th to 16th week, there can be sudden shedding, sometimes on a massive scale. The entire phenomenon fits the description of a telogen effluvium. It is a common observation that post-partum women often suffer the same temporary hair loss. In the case of finasteride use, the telogen effluvium appears to be a reaction to the sudden change in the systemic levels of the sex hormone, DHT. Often the cause of a telogen effluvium are obscure, but has been related to high fevers, stress, trauma, medications, etc.

The shedding is generally diffuse (global) and can affect areas of the scalp not usually affected by male pattern baldness. So, it would be common to note shedding from the sides and back of the head in addition to the crown, vertex and frontal areas. The shedding tends to be fairly symmetrical, but will be more noticeable in the areas affected by male pattern baldness, because there is a higher ratio of hairs in the telogen phase than in the other areas of the scalp.

The duration of a telogen effluvium is variable, but rarely lasts more than a few months and there is invariably complete restitution unless another pathologic process also occurs.

As a rule, treatment is not necessary because the hair will grow back. For most patients, there is no evidence of residual loss of hair within a year. However, there have been cases of patients taking finasteride and reporting repeated bouts of excessive shedding. In this situation, it would be advisable to discontinue use of finasteride in favor of alternative anti-androgens.

OK, some shedding might be real. I read Telogen Effluvium can take 6 months to grow back.