Minoxidil (Rogaine) is a good drug for this problem. You might want to stay on it for life with early results like this.
This is an excellent response to finasteride and minoxidil in just 12 weeks. This man is clearly sensitive to the benefits of the medications. See the arrow which shows new growth starting up along the hairline. Good job!
4 months treated with finasteride and weekly microneedling, good results so far. Note the hair is longer and the after picture is darker
Question for you. I am 41 years old. Been on Finasteride for four months. From the tip of my hairline to about 3 inches back has miniaturized slightly. I have noticed that it no longer grows in length. Is this common? I have to buzz cut the rest of my head to match that front part every few weeks. What could be the reason for this? Why don’t those follicles grow anymore…it is like they have paused the growth cycle at the front?!
Great question. When hairs are going to die, sometimes they just stop growing or the growing slows down almost to a crawl. These hairs will eventually fall out and contribute to patterned balding. Drugs like minoxidil (topically) or finasteride can reverse this process.
This is a great example when Scalp Micropigmentation is used properly to hide a scalp scar. The operator (I don’t know the operator) did a great job in hiding the scar.
Click photo to zoom in
At 16 with a Norwood Class 3 pattern of balding evident, I would want to know more about your family history. Is there advanced balding in the family (father, brothers, grandfathers, uncles) and if so, how young were these relatives when the balding finalized their pattern? Drugs like oral Minoxidil might work. Even drugs like finasteride have been found safe for boys 14 and up, based upon a recent polling I did with about 60 experts in the field. If you are fully grown, then finasteride ss a reasonable option, but you need to have a conversation with a knowledgeable doctor and have your parents present during that conslutation.
Wavy hair gives more coverage value than straight hairs, so minoxidil had a positive impact on your overall thickness and appearance. This man used minoxidil for only 6 months and saw the changes in hair character in that short time-frame. Minoxidil likely thickened the hair shafts to induce this change
I was starving myself for a year+ barely eating and it ruined my hair it’s a lot better then it was a few years ago but it never recovered fully
I have seen that particularly in those men with genetic balding, starvation pushes the Apoptosis of hair follicles.
Assuming that you are not having Cardio-vascular side effects from the drug, insomnia (trouble sleeping) shouldn’t be a side effect from minoxidil
This includes hospitalization and deaths. See this video!
In your experience do patients typically require more transplants down the line, if so how many typically? I can stay on fin to help with this, but I’d like to avoid having to do multiple down the line. Maybe one more in my 30s/40s to keep the hair looking natural if recession drastically continues, but I’m a little hesitant as I don’t want to get roped into having to do continuous surgeries every 5-10 years for the rest of my life.
I have had patients stop at one hair transplant, more common in the older male population when their Norwood Balding pattern is stable. In younger men who jump the gun, following the hair loss with additional hair transplants is not uncommon. That is why careful planning is critical in using up a limited donor supply. A good Personalized Master Plan for every man is needed.
African American took finasteride orally and minoxidil topically for 18 months with this nice reversal of thinning. Lighting in the after picture on the right could be better
The pictures are very poor, but the suggestion is that you responded well. I suspect that is what you wanted to show. Age 23.
I’ve been taking .25mg every other day for 7 weeks now and my hairloss – especially around the crown – has only accelerated. Is it safe to keep going with this dose?
Safety is not an issue, effectiveness for low dosage as you are doing is the issue. This dose, based upon the Merck studies, is about 50% as effective as the full 1mg dose.
I’ve been on finasteride for a little over 6 months now and so far up until yesterday I haven’t been experiencing any sides. But yesterday I was getting frisky with my girlfriend but couldn’t get my dick to get hard. This was the only time that this has ever happened, and there’s also other factors such as me not getting enough sleep the past few days. Was wondering if anyone knows when finasteride side effects supposedly happen. Thanks!
Maybe you are reading too much into it. Most men have days that they are off and maybe this was yours. Most men don’t get sexual side effects out of the blue. Give it some time and stop thinking about it, because you can make it happen