I Have Patterned Thining, What Can I Do for It? (From Reddit)

Background: I’m 34, 35 in May. I noticed that I was losing hair when I was 27. Crown first, then hairline. The hairline isn’t noticeable unless taken at an overhead angle as attached. I lose hair in a pattern, but it’s also thinning. I have the same hairline as when I was in my early 20’s, but it’s thinned out. My hairline has not moved upwards, meaning I don’t have a V shape. The crown is obviously thinning but it is only extremely noticeable in bright pictures. In some pictures, I just look as if I have a blonde spot in the midst of my dark brown hair.

The consensus is “wait, you may lose more hair,” but it has been the same if not a bit better (cause treatment) for probably 5 years. So I’m starting to think: if I do lose more, it will be a long time from now, or very slowly and I can react to it— so why not go for the HT now?

I dermaroll 1.5 weekly, minoxidil daily, 2% niz. I have tried finasteride 3 separate times, splitting pills in half, taking them every other day. I experienced side effects every time -brain fogg and low libido. Finasteride’s side effect profile for a cosmetic drug is not a good trade off in my opinion. I won’t be trying it again no matter the consequences.

I was going to post this on RealSelf, but the doctors seem to tend to reply with a lame copy and pasted response.

Thoughts on HT in my position?

You are correct to stay away from finasteride. One good option is that you get Scalp Micropigmentation which will create a thickened, much fuller look. You must be prepared, however, that over time the thinning MAY lead to balding, so a plan must be created to address your next step. I am big on a Master Plan for anything you do (see:https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/thinning-hair-gallery/)