Regarding Finasteride and thinner barely visible hair

[worthlessstrands]

Hi I'm new here and this is my first post. I'll be posting my story under the appropriate sub-forum when I get the chance, but for now I had a question about finasteride. I've been taking 1 mg for 23 days now along with Nizoral 2%. I have a lot of thin hair on my temples. In fact my temples are sparse and thin in entirety. It's hard to explain without pictures, but think of it this way: If I lose these thin strands I will be a bad case of Norwood 3, and if they turn terminal I would be a 1.5.

Now my question is, is there any reason for Finasteride not to change these into thicker terminal hair? With the way I've heard finasteride works, I don't see any reason it wouldn't. I mean, as long as the follicle is still alive and there is a strand (no matter how thin) why would it not work to thicken up that strand through the shedding process and formation of a new strand?

Additionally: I'm 19, been losing for 1.5 years, thin all over, super thin on temples. Crazy finasteride shed started 5 days into it and is still going on. Due to this shed, I have lost some of the thin hair on my temples and the triangular area of hair near eyebrows.
I also now have many many tiny bald spots all over the scalp thanks to this shed. Don't worry, I'm well informed and will definitely be riding it out (not really a choice anyway). But I'm practically bald now, and this is giving me hope that I might be a responder. I mean, you don't lose that much that hair all over the scalp only to find out that it won't work right?

I'll save the rest for My Story's thread, but for now I would appreciate an answer to my question about the temples coming back thicker.

 

[die_hard]

That's one of the main things finasteride does. Even if it doesn't regrow any or very little brand new hair, it makes the existing hair a lot thicker. The hairs miniaturize before falling out for good because they are basicaly being chocked out.

I will warn you though, there is a good chance your hair might thin a lot worse just before it gets better, mine did and many others have reported the same thing. Aside from that, you've likely got a bright path ahead of you because it really sounds like you're a good prospect for finasteride to work given your description of hair and age. unk:



-DH

 

[gps]

To Die Hard

"I will warn you though, there is a good chance your hair might thin a lot worse just before it gets better, mine did and many others have reported the same thing"

Sorry if this is a repeated question, but what exactly do you mean by the above? Did you
for example go from Norwood 2.5 to say 3 (i.e., worsening) on Finasteride and then get back to 2.5 or even 2?

Thanks.

 

[die_hard]

To Die Hard

"I will warn you though, there is a good chance your hair might thin a lot worse just before it gets better, mine did and many others have reported the same thing"

Sorry if this is a repeated question, but what exactly do you mean by the above? Did you
for example go from Norwood 2.5 to say 3 (i.e., worsening) on Finasteride and then get back to 2.5 or even 2?

Thanks.

I don't think i would have moved much on the Norwood chart..when you shed it's a dffuse thing because you shed all over. Basicaly my hair got thinnner all over and was more evident to me since I was looking for it. To everyone else it didn't look horribly worse and not all that noticeable unless they were looking as hard as I.

But yes, the concept is right. It looks like I'm a good responder because I've started growing a lot more baby hairs on the temple and hairline.

 

[worthlessstrands]

thanks for the reply die hard,

so basically all the baby hair follicles will turn terminal? also is it possible with finasteride to actually regrow some of the strands that have "fallen out for good" as you put it? For how long after do the follicles stay alive?

I'm asking this because up until 3.5-4 months ago (2.5-3 months before starting finasteride), I had Norwood 1.5 temples. Nobody could tell I was balding. Then all of a sudden the temples started to go, and I am now Norwood 3 with peach fuzz filling the rest of the Norwood 1.5 temples. I've never seen anyone else with such a thing, not even on this website. Would I be able to go back 3 months without using minoxidil? I've heard people say finasteride won't work on temples but the way I see it, as long as the spot isn't slick bald and hasn't been bald for a long time, it should grow back.

As for the thinning before getting better, yes I'm aware; like I said I'm practically bald now. If I had the time, I could sit in front of the mirror and count the number of strands on my head, that's how much I've thinned. But I've shaved my head with a 0, and the extremely early onset and severity of the initial shed/thinning is giving me hope that it would get better.

 

[icdalite]

I will know in the next few months if finasteride can grow temple hairs for me. Was on minoxidil 5% for a year but my temples have receded especially my left temple and the shedding is diffused all over.

**** I feel minoxidil may not be for everyone as it may prove to be too strong for some indivduals and results in unabated shedding****

Almost a month now on finasteride alone and the shedding is down to 5-10 hairs and saw thin hairs sprouting on my left temple which have now darkened and really strong now. Will buzz soon and hope that they turn in to buches of 3-4 next time.

Will keep yuz posted..