So, I first noticed hairloss before 3 years, when I was 20 and immediately hopped on finast.eride and minoxidil. At first I was very religious with my regimen and it had great results, like i had to see hair for months. Then for some reason I decided to stop for 4 months, then restart. The worst thing I did is cutting in 0.5mg from 1 in December. Terrible decision! I'm experiencing hige shedding for the last months and it's been 1.5 month I'm back at 1mg. Still huge shedding though. Especially my hairline had a massive hit these months. I think the recession it's still not noticeable if i style it(you can see that in some pictures), but I'm realizing that if I'll lose some thin hairs in the sides I'm a solid NW3. I'm just hoping finasteride will work again in full dose. In the meantime what else can I do to prevent further receding? I know that finasteride and minoxidil can do wonders from me(at least that's what happened in the start) so I have faith on them.
Nw2 or 3. What should i do next?(23 yo)
- Thread starter vasidarv
- Start date
You must be trolling
- Reaction score
- 132
Bit of thinning recession but looks good, hair transplant next
Transplant at that point? Isn't it too early?
- Reaction score
- 493
No he's not - I thought you were trolling when you said you're a NW3. Draw the perfect hairline on your forehead... its not too far off from what you have right now. Nevertheless, when those thin hairs shed - you will have reached NW2 territory. Quit tripping.
Οkay. I understand this. We always tend to exaggerate and see things worse than they actually are when it comes to ourselves.My question how will i prevent these hairs from shedding. Do i have any chance to restore them now by going my fina dose back at 1mg? Also, i noticed that i was applying minoxidil a bit sloppy like I didn't cover well the temples. I was just getting the thing done to go for sleep. Now of course I'm trying to give emphasis in my temples. Any other tips?
- Reaction score
- 132
Yeah man way down the road! ... you are on treatment looks decent.
- Reaction score
- 493
It’s standard that minoxidil is solely a growth agent while finasteride inhibits androgens. You’re more likely too see long term maintenance with finasteride rather than minoxidil. The combination of the two shows the best results.
A study was also conducted that showed .25mg of finasteride every day was slightly less but not significantly less effective than the full 1mg dose. From your shedding anecdote, it is generally understood that shedding != hairloss. Contrary to some users on here, I don’t think finasteride could leave you off worse than no treatment option when it comes to androgenic alopecia.
Whatever you do is up to you.
- Reaction score
- 18
Next isnt hair transplant, that would be insane, go for microneedling 1,5 mm once a week instead.
So, an update here. It's been 2 months since the post and unfortunately the shedding continues on the same rate, and actually since then i noticed an acceleration on receding. i feel like my temples receded like they never did in the past 3 years. Also, it feels like my overall density declined.
A bit of summary, I started generic finasteride3 years ago(my derma provides me with capsules), it had amazing results in first months, zero shedding for months, switched to Proscar shed, then generic again, then last December halfed the dose and switched to Propecia, noticed huge shed and on August switched to 1mg generic. I expected the shed to stop, as I thought the lowered dose is to blame. Unfortunately the shedding is the same and worst thing the recession goes in extremely fast rate since switching, which doesn't make sense as i doubled the dose. I'm trying not to blame my doctor's capsules, as they gave me the best results when i started. What the heck is going on? I guess my choices are 3
A)just wait for another 2-3 months and see what happens
B) immediately switch to 1mg propecia, probably there's something wrong with capsules, you can never know for sure
C) add dutasteride once a week
I'm also thinking to add some topical, like spironolactone, not RU yet as my budget cant take it. I'm also using minoxidil nizoral and biotin sups.
I need to say that most hair loss comes from the tenples when i pull my hair in the vertex, 1-2 hair comes out, even 0, when I'm pulling the temples I'm watching 5-10 baby hairs in my fingers, it's absolutely devastating
Last photo the hair is wet, it looks thinner for that.
A bit of summary, I started generic finasteride3 years ago(my derma provides me with capsules), it had amazing results in first months, zero shedding for months, switched to Proscar shed, then generic again, then last December halfed the dose and switched to Propecia, noticed huge shed and on August switched to 1mg generic. I expected the shed to stop, as I thought the lowered dose is to blame. Unfortunately the shedding is the same and worst thing the recession goes in extremely fast rate since switching, which doesn't make sense as i doubled the dose. I'm trying not to blame my doctor's capsules, as they gave me the best results when i started. What the heck is going on? I guess my choices are 3
A)just wait for another 2-3 months and see what happens
B) immediately switch to 1mg propecia, probably there's something wrong with capsules, you can never know for sure
C) add dutasteride once a week
I'm also thinking to add some topical, like spironolactone, not RU yet as my budget cant take it. I'm also using minoxidil nizoral and biotin sups.
I need to say that most hair loss comes from the tenples when i pull my hair in the vertex, 1-2 hair comes out, even 0, when I'm pulling the temples I'm watching 5-10 baby hairs in my fingers, it's absolutely devastating
Last photo the hair is wet, it looks thinner for that.
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Thing is, I'm losing ground on it
DoctorHouse
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 5,725
First of all, it very common for people to feel they are getting worse on treatments but alot of times you may be experiencing a telogen effluvium and eventually new thicker hairs will be replacing the shedding hairs. Telogen Effluvium is brought on by changing your hair cycles with medical intervention in some cases. Also remember just because you are finasteride does not mean you are "curing" your condition. The job of finasteride is to offset your final Norwood pattern to a later time. Some people respond well and others don't. The best thing to do is just take 1mg of finasteride( I really think if you have a legit generic you are fine)and monitor your progress every 6 months and no sooner. It is possible you may never return to baseline so have realistic expectations of what can happen. If your hair loss is aggressive which is impossible to confirm in most cases, you are still going to lose on finasteride. It is NO Cure!
For people who do not have very aggressive hair loss, riding out the sheds on finasteride is generally what needs to be done. Instead of dropping finasteride, you should re-evaluate your accessory treatments. I really believe most low Norwood’s will do great on finasteride + oral minoxidil. This will stabilize hair for most people’s lives so long as your hair loss isn’t super aggressive. Can also add something like RU if you have a scalp itch. Dutasteride is one of the last things to try IMO. Try adjusting your accessory treatment before changing inhibitors.
Thank.you for the detailed answer. How does my hair look to you compared to 2 months ago? Also, what am I going to lose by switching to Propecia (except for 20 bucks per month). Is there any chance that this new switch will eventually cause more shedding?
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DoctorHouse
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 5,725
Your hair looks better now. As long as you on legit finasteride generic or name brand, you should be fine. How much does the name brand of Propecia cost now?