Miniaturized Hair — Does it Mean the Hairs are Thinner or The Entire Head of Hair is Less Full?

You really spend a lot of time working on this site. So I’ll be brief.

On March 22nd 2007 you had a post of a man that was trying to keeping his hair full (Trying to Keep Looking Full). You stated that he had 50% miniaturization of his hair. Does 50% miniaturization mean that 50% of the hair on the crown of his head has miniaturized and 50% is normal? Or does that mean the hair strands themselves are 50% thinner then when he was younger?

Also, I just started 1/4 tablet of Finasteride two weeks ago. I’m almost 25 and my crown has started to miniaturize. I know it’s too early to see positive results. But is it too early to see shedding? I ask because I’ve noticed a few shorter hairs in my hand after I run gel through my hair. The hairs are about an inch or so shorter then the rest on my head.

Thanks!

Hair that is miniaturized comes in all sizes and the thinner it gets, the more advanced the miniaturization is. When hair miniaturizes, it often is less long as the hair growth slows down. More advanced miniaturization will stunt the hair growth almost completely, a stage before it falls out. This is why I near-constantly write about getting a good baseline on your miniaturization with a series of measurements so you know where you are starting from. This way you can see numbers and the visual effects of the hair loss process. I hope this clears up any possible confusion.

I’m assuming that when you say you’re taking 1/4 tablet of finasteride, you mean 1/4 of the 5mg finasteride (which is Proscar or generic Proscar). Otherwise, I do not understand why you are taking 1/4 pill of the 1mg finasteride Propecia pill. There is no reason to reduce your dose from the recommended 1mg hair loss treatment, unless you’re one of the unlucky few that are experiencing side effects.