Post-menopausal women (50% of the feml population) often develop hair loss or diffuse thinning.  Finasteride works well in some of these women; however, when a pre-menopausal woman has this condition, it may not work very well. In addition, pre-menopausal women have significant risks with this drug if they become pregnant so they should not take it with that risk over their head.

Most posts I read on various hair loss forums like Reddit, seem to be from guys who’re in their late teens/early 20’s who were probably going to be able to grow beards anyway, but for whom the minox may have just accelerated the process. Any success stories from older guys? I’m nearing 40 myself and looking for some inspiration. Much appreciated.

Men react differently to hair loss at any age. The most common reactions involve opting for very short haircuts or even shaving their heads. This trend is noticeable in places like airports or shopping centers. Some men embrace this change and never look back.

Others take a different route, seeking ways to regain their hair. Many of them share their experiences and seek solutions on platforms like Reddit or various forums. Some younger men might become fixated on their hair loss due to familial experiences.

Then, there’s a group who prefer not to rely on medications and choose the hair transplant route. They seek an immediate solution, despite the significant cost involved. I’ve performed hair transplants on men as old as 92, driven by various reasons like wanting to appear younger for dating purposes. Typically, men between 35 to 55 years old make this decision. With today’s technology, unlike older methods, about half of men can restore their hair in a single transplant session.

The crucial question here is personal: Does hair loss bother someone enough to (1) commit to lifelong medication (assuming it works), or (2) opt for a hair transplant despite the cost?

There are numerous success stories addressing hair loss, many of which are shared on platforms like Reddit.  Are you bothered enough to go through treatments such as daily medications or a hair transplant.  Only you can answer this question.

Young men are very sensitive to finasteride and minoxidil as shown here in just 4 months of use.  As he continues to use it, more new hair will likely appear. 

If finasteride can not cause thinning, why am I continuing to thin while on finasteride?  I’m definitely not imagining this. Could it be that the dosage 0.5mg is not enough and the miniaturization is too aggressive?

Yes, it is possible that you need a proper dose of finasteride (1mg), or your thinning process is more active than the finasteride can manage.

Amazing change. The use of microneedling is most likely the stimulus for the speed of change that you saw.

Microneedling should have a needle length of 1.25mm and the highest number of needles, like Dr. Pen’s system, with 36 needles. Keep the microneedling in the same place for 10 seconds. Move from place to place until you covered the area. Do this once a week. The purpose of the depth and the frequency is to produce a healing cascade from the microneedling wounds. This stimulates the stem cells close to the scalp surface and along the upper part of the hair shaft. They are located between 1-1.5 mm from the scalp surface with a good population of stem cells just under the sebaceous gland of the hair shaft.

I have seen microneedling reverse what we often think is irreversible hair loss.  It is worth trying. 

I never considered that fin could make the individual hair follicles thinner. (Can it?) I’ve noticed after the one month mark that the density of my hair has gone drastically down.

Finasteride doesn’t cause hair follicles to become thinner. Finasteride will help reverse miniaturized hair to become thicker. If you believe to the contrary, purchase a micrometer from Amazon (only $22) and measure your hair thickness. This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09964YBMF?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1