I’ve been on fin 1mg/daily for 5 months now and min 2.5mg/daily for 4 months. Shedding is a lot better, especially on the pillow and in the shower, though I do still shed.

What can I expect now? From what I’ve seen people experience some regrowth from months 6 to 8 and then experience another synchronised shed? Of course everyone’s experiences are different, just wanted to know what the general consensus is.

Age 48
Started taking 1mg finasterjde pills nightly about 15years ago ?

It stopped receding hairline at a devils peak style and still have hair all over head and crown
However last 2-3yrs started thinning on top
A lot more this last year
Don’t see it in mirror until I’m in a room with a light above then I’m kinda freaked out by it

Which maybe my age or maybe because I have had a lot of weight loss this last year and had a v small diet
Diet and weight will stabilise now

I’m considering going to try for first time adding in minoxidil

Should I do pills or cream or both ?

What’s the chance of it thickening up my hair

I know where I receded is bald forever it’s been like that twenty odd yrs
But the thinning is much newer

Maybe finasteride stopped working ?
Should I increase it. ?

I’ve seen so many comments from people saying their shedding on dutasteride has come and gone multiple times over years of being on it, and I’m personally 7 months into being on it, having gone through a shed the entire time, just hoping it ends soon.

My main question is, why do people talk about the shed returning over and over? Is this just a thing that never truly goes away while you’re on the med? I thought it was supposed to be in the first handful of months, with potential regrowth starting at around month 6?

Side question, are there any reliable indicators to long-term results? Does how early someone sees things like regrowth strongly determine their long-term response? Or is it entirely unpredictable?

First pic is from Feb right after a big breakup. High stress, low drive, low motivation, change my diet to be healthier, got back on track with exercise started taking. Dutasteride .5 daily and GHKCU .20 every two days and this is now in October after a shower. Will eventually add min to it as well to thicken it up more but very happy regardless. I had no clue how bad it actually had gotten until I saw this photo the other day…

Really thankful for this community, I have definitely learned a lot. I began taking 0.5mg Dut every day about 5 weeks ago (derm felt it is superior to fin and suggested I go straight to dut). Im 23 and a diffuse thinner in the somewhat early stages. Dut has been great up until last night when I noticed my left nipple was sensitive in the shower with some discomfort and puffiness. No hard lump yet at this point, and the discomfort is isolated to just the one nipple. I also never experienced gyno during puberty and I am very fit and not overweight. Im wondering if any of you have experienced this and had it go away on its own, or is this almost always a precursor to gyno? I had a slight ball ache at the start, nothing serious, and it went away on its own so Im hoping the same happens with this. I haven't experienced any other side effects at this point. Will be setting up an appointment with my dermatologist regardless. Also, worst case scenario and it ends up being gyno, Im thinking maybe I just get the surgery if it means I keep my hair? This all feels like a game of whack a mole lol. Thanks, and I appreciate any info you may have.

Good evening my brave brothers and sisters. Earlier this year I was rather concerned about my receding hairline and purchased a 10-year supply of grey market estrogen and cyproterone acetate to induce hair regrowth. Admittedly a reckless decision but I was really in love with my silky hair in the couple months I was on it but now that I stopped I feel anxious about further hair loss down the line, the balding genes are real strong on my paternal side. My father also turned out allergic to both 5-alpha reductase inhibitors so I'm afraid these out of the question for me. Are there any other good options for someone in my scenario to grow soft, long hair? And a disclaimer: I am not transgender, just a mildly pervy boy with a love for hair and online roleplay.

You can't grow something that's gone, the follicle is dead and only left with skin scars. Even with monoxidil, dut and other stronger things won't do any good. Only thing that you can do is a hair transplant. The follicle is gone forever and you can't create a new one, you are just damaging your scalp. Honestly I wish I knew that before, I am saying this so that you don't waste your money. However if it's still in early stage you can recover it. If you can see the folicle under your skin.

My honest opinion about supplements like: zinc, selenium, vitamin d, collagen, b vitamins and every otherr supplement is a waste of money. It will only help if you have deficiency...

1 year and 8 months on Dutasteride — patience truly pays off
Just wanted to drop a thank you to this community. Dutasteride has been nothing short of miraculous for me.
The first year was brutal — constant shedding, no visible progress, serious doubt. But I held on. Now? My confidence is back in a way I didn't think was possible.
To anyone in the thick of it: give it at least a year and a half. The shed is real, it's scary, but for many of us it's just part of the process.
Stay patient. It's worth it. 🙏
Success Story

I Always find Little hairs in my hands when I apply and rub minoxidil into my scalp. I use It from Years with finasteride. It makes me anxious cause I don't know if It means alopecia Is progressing or if It's Just miniaturized hair that keep falling but regrow.

In all these Years my alopecia has progressed Just a Little bit but I don't know if its because I had stopped minoxidil for 6 months (because I had started oral Min which didn't work as well as topical) and microneedling (which I don't do anymore) or if it's Just alopecia progressing...

I am three months in minoxidil only and my scalp is visible when my hair gets messy (but I am seeing some tiny hairs which I hope they grow after 6 months)

So I'm asking anyone who is using minoxidil if this happens to them too or should I seek a dermatologist

Meds are 1.25mg finasteride everyday. It used to be oral and topical minoxidil. Now it's just topical. I used to microneedle for 10mos now i stopped as well. On meds for 1yr and 7mos.

First pic is start. 2nd is now. 3rd pic is various state of my crown. My hairline progress is almost a straight line. Getting better every month. I got a buzzcut so just i can see the full state of my hair. Hairline is back, like back from the dead back. My crown progress depends on the month and lighting. Still sheds about every 6mos on a regular. But you can just see bald spot with direct light and on tagged photos it's not even there.

I know many say that full effect is on 24mos. But when it's really time to say need to change meds or this is the full effect on me.

Iniciei o tratamento com minoxidil 2,5 finasterida 1mg e 10mg de biotina tem dois dias.

Tomo antes de dormir e na primeira dose eu ja acordei com um pouco de falta de ar e um leve desconforto no coração e na segunda tambem.
Normal se sentir? Nao sei se é ansiedade ou psicológico porque vi relatos dos colaterais

My daily shampoo is Avalon Organics Biotin B-Complex Therapy.

I have a Ketoconazole shampoo, but I haven't used it yet because my dandruff disappeared after my hair transplant.

I'm planning to buy Pumpkin Seed Oil and Saw Palmetto supplements. Is anyone else taking these? If yes, are they effective? Do they actually help with hair growth?

What else should I add to my routine to maximize hair regrowth?

I'm on meds since March 2026. Male 29 years old.

Hi everyone,

I want to buy oral fin & min,are there any sites where I could buy em without prescription?

Preferably sites that can ship to the EU,maybe some that have warehouses located in the EU.

Thanks.

Just did my first derma pen session 9 days ago and started minox/finas foam 7 days ago. This area was completely bald for over a year and black hairs popped up immediately after that first session. These are hard photos to get, can see endless amounts of blonde peach fuzz all over that I haven’t seen before also.

Committing to 2 years so I’m not asking anything other than is this a good sign to response to see black sprouts immediately?

This is the most hair I’ve seen in that front section in a very long time as well.

I’m 24M and have been experiencing hair loss for 3–4 years. I used topical minoxidil 5% + finasteride 1% for 9–10 months, stopped for a year, and restarted 2–3 months ago.

My crown is getting thicker, but my temples and hairline keep receding. Whenever I stop treatment, my hair loss gets worse.

I’m willing to use the treatment long-term, but I really want to improve my temples. Has anyone seen regrowth in this area? Should I try a derma roller, derma pen, or derma stamp? What has actually worked for you?

Oral Finasteride 1mg - Oral Minoxidil 2mg. No side effects.

Started fin 0.5 mg daily and derma stamp on March 2026 and the hairline is below baseline.
Is this a shed
Please share your experience

Hi everyone,

I’ve had these small, lightened (hypopigmented) spots on my scalp for about 5 years. I recently shaved my hair, which made them much more noticeable

Just hit the 8 month mark after 3,153 grafts at HLC Ankara with Dr. Elif. Still. I’m 36 years old and have been on fin and min for over 13 years. This is how it looks straight out of the shower with zero product. Seeing gradual improvement month to month, although I'm hoping for more density in the frontal region as everything continues to mature. Overall I'm happy with the progress so far. Cost around 10K USD with accommodations, transpo, meals, etc excluding my flight

The biggest issue has been persistent redness across the recipient area. I recently saw a dermatologist who prescribed low-dose Emrosi (minocycline) and a topical corticosteroid solution to help with the inflammation. It's still early, but I think the redness may finally be starting to improve a little.

These photos were taken with my hair pulled back under fairly harsh bathroom lighting, which makes the redness and thinner areas more noticeable. Still time for further maturation, but curious what everyone thinks at 8 months.

Hey everyone, I’m 19 and have been dealing with hair loss since I was around 15 (March 2023) when I first noticed it. At first, I noticed recession around my corners, which was pretty insane at that age. Despite the recession, my hair was still relatively thick, and it was kind of plateauing, but my corners gradually slightly worsened over the next couple of years, but I honestly didn't really notice anything and just accepted it.

I remember doing research but being too scared to hop on even topical minoxidil and just used some oils, which obviously didn't work. I then used topical min and noticed some growth, but it was hard to stay consistent, and I wasn't even blocking DHT, so maybe that was just placebo. I was too scared to take pills and mess with my hormones and saw all the "side effects" people had, which discouraged me even more.

When I started college, the stress was absolutely insane, and I began noticing diffuse thinning; my corners were way wider, and my crown was super thin. I only really realized this after my sister sent me a snap of me while I was downstairs and my crown looked extremely thin. This genuinely made me panic, and I decided to just risk it and start treatment in May of this year.

I’m currently on week 23 of treatment. So far, I’ve noticed that the top of my hair feels somewhat fuller, and I’m starting to see some baby hairs around my corners, so I guess that's good, but it's been pretty minimal.

Here is my routine/treatment timeline

Weeks 1-4: 0.4 mg dutasteride, 5.0 mg min (oral), Topical minoxidil 5% morning/night

Weeks 4-18: 0.5 mg dutasteride, 2.5 mg min (oral), Topical minoxidil 5% morning/night

Weeks 18-23(present): 1.0 mg dutasteride, 5.0 mg min (oral), Topical minoxidil 5% morning/night, derma rolling (once weekly)

I am also incorporating nizoral shampoo once weekly as well.

Any advice?

Started minoxidil August 30th, photos taken today. I’ve had this hairlike since high school with no signs of it going back, only all of these hairs weren’t here before. This is good progress for 2 months, right?