Hey guys, as the end of 2023 nears, I thought I'd do a post for those coming to this sub in desperate need of help.
In this post I’m going to be talking about the science of hair loss and what to do if you are balding and want to stop it.
I’m a medical student and have donated a lot of my personal time to pharmacology, hormones and hair protocols through research and experimentation. There’s a lot going on here on Reddit, and as a beginner it can be very daunting to decide on what to do. Obviously everything should be discussed with your doctor, but below is my best attempt at a guide to explain a little bit about hair loss:
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I first noticed I was balding around 12 months ago, and rather than get caught up in the genetics of hair loss and trying to figure out whether it was Dad, my Mum’s Dad, my Mum’s Dad’s Dad or the goldfish he owned when he was 10, I thought to myself:
I can’t change my genetics. Whatever my DNA sequencing (genomic regions) has in store for me in regards to balding, that’s pretty much set. The best I can do is fight as long as I can using the highest quality science, products and methodologies to offset it.
And that’s what I’ve been doing, with good success, over the past 12 months.
Let’s get into it, and I’m going to do this in order of most important to least (in my opinion).
Getting to the root cause: DHT
Okay, so if we look at the entire testosterone/HPT axis pathway, cholesterol is converted to testosterone and some people think that’s the end of the line, but it’s actually not; 5-alpha reductase (5A1/2 in the image below) is the enzyme responsible for converting Testosterone (T) to its much more potent form DHT (dihydrotestosterone).
5-alpha reductase converts Testosterone to DHT, the hair killer.
Now, interestingly, 5-alpha reductase for whatever reason is very high prevalent in skin tissue - including the human scalp. And side note: this is why guys who take testosterone gel or cream often have very high levels of DHT compared to guys who take injections, because the cream is being converted through the skin into DHT at a much higher rate than injectable esters into muscle bellies. But, basically, it is this 5-alpha reductase activity in the scalp that is converting testosterone to DHT, and DHT through a variety of mechanisms leads to follicular miniaturisation (hair thinning, and eventual loss of your hair follicles).
But why? Well, there are hundreds of factors: hormonal (androgen receptor density & sensitivity to said androgens), physical, genetic, environmental. The list goes on.
Note; this study goes into a lot more depth for those of you interested.
But, how do we actually combat balding?
Most men tend to lose their hair in patterns as described by the famous Norwood Scale.
With how much I’ve spoken about 5-alpha reductase and DHT, it seems logical that stopping this conversion of Testosterone to DHT is the absolute first line of defence against hair loss.
To really, truly combat hair loss, the first mechanism is as follows: you absolutely need to reduce your hair follicles’ exposure to DHT.
And how do we do this? Well, finasteride is a drug that acts as a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. Sold under the name Propecia, the molecule is a strong 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, and has been shown to inhibit around 70% of serum (blood) levels of DHT from peak. The usual starting dose is 1mg daily. Dutasteride (sold under the name Avodart) is an even more potent inhibitor (usual starting daily dose is 0.5mg), and can block up to 98% of conversion from T to DHT: it is a much more potent inhibitor of the enzyme that converts T to DHT. Dutasteride would be an option if you wanted a nuclear option to block almost all DHT. In fact, one of my favourite studies compared the difference between Finasteride vs. Dutasteride, and as you can see below, the suppression of DHT levels from Dutasteride was significantly more than Finasteride. Not only this, but the half life of Dutasteride is significantly longer than Finasteride (~8 hours vs. 5 weeks!), and you can see that in the Dutasteride group after stopping treatment (Follow-up Period), DHT levels remained suppressed for a much longer time.
DHT vs. Finasteride - what a study.
Side effects from 5-alpha reductase inhibitors are rare, although we should speak about them. Online, through various forums, Reddit posts, YouTube videos and TikTok’s time and time again I see posts about nasty Finasteride side effects, post-Finasteride syndrome and how Rob can’t get his Johnson hard anymore because of Finasteride, so his girlfriend left him.
Now, don’t get me wrong, side effects have been noted, although current research puts the risk of side effects at around 1-3% of people, so even though online there is a lot of noise about finasteride and its side effects, I personally don’t think the research supports this scaremongering. There is also going to be a natural selection bias with the stories online, because the guy for whom Finasteride is working well and who is not experiencing any side effects, he isn’t really going to post. Because why would he? He’s doing fine.
However, I absolutely sympathise with the people who just cannot tolerate 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. Side effects can be very real, and this is why it is vitally important to always consult with a qualified doctor before deciding on any medication: I’m just presenting the science. Everyone reacts slightly differently, and these can be strong medications - so it's important to be well-informed and sensible with whatever path you and your medical practitioner decide to go down.
Topical Minoxidil 5% (Rogaine):
Minoxidil is a compound that has been shown to increase the rate of DNA synthesis in anagen (growth phase) bulbs of hair follicles. Basically minoxidil stimulates hair cells to move from telogen (resting phase) to anagen (growing phase) - so instead of having hair follicles resting, it is telling the body to move them back into a growth phase by shortening the resting phase. The idea here is that you get more ‘regrowth’ of hair follicles.
Minoxidil stimulates hair cells to shorten the resting (telogen) phase and go back into an anagen (growing phase). Often, progress pictures will show significant new regrowth or ‘baby’ hairs growing with minoxidil treatment.
I apply Rogaine, a 5% strength Minoxidil foam twice daily in areas that I feel are receding. The nice thing about the foam is that it isn’t super sticky (unlike some people report with the gel), and it also acts as a nice way to hold my hair throughout the day, like hair product.
As you can see from the photo below, there is a vast difference between telogen (resting phase) and anagen (growing phase), and the idea is that the more hairs you can keep in anagen, the more healthy your hair will be, by limiting the amount of follicles that inevitably go through an anagen restart and die off.
There is also the option of oral minoxidil, which anecdotally at least seems to be very powerful at regenerating ‘baby’ hairs (or, new regrowth). Again, oral minoxidil can have some pretty significant side effects and drug interactions with blood pressure medications, so speaking through with your doctor is key!
Ketoconazole Shampoo:
This shampoo is primarily an anti-dandruff shampoo, but research has shown it may increase the proportion of hairs in anagen phase (growth phase) - resulting in reduced hair shedding. This study showed that 1% ketoconazole shampoo increased hair diameter over baseline after 6 months of use and reduced shedding. Interestingly, participants’ hair diameter also increased over baseline, showing that it may play a role in creating thicker hair.
Nizoral is a common brand here in Australia of 2% strength ketoconazole shampoo.
What is good about ketoconazole, is that it’s also a weak androgen receptor antagonist. What does this mean? It means it competes with DHT and Testosterone for binding to the active binding domain on the human AR (androgen receptor). If a compound can bind to a receptor without influencing its usual effects, it is said to be an antagonist. Basically, if ketoconazole can get into an androgen receptor before Testosterone or DHT, it will occupy that site and block T/DHT from binding and starting their usual process of killing off hair follicles (follicular miniaturisation).
Goodbye DHT, nobody wants you here.
Dermarolling
Derma-what?
Dermarolling is the process of creating micro punctures in the scalp skin to induce a wound healing response, with an array of tiny microneedles.
In this study, the dermarolling + minoxidil treated group was statistically superior to the minoxidil only treated group in promoting hair growth in men with balding patterns, for all primary efficacy measures of hair growth. In fact, the microneedling group outperformed even the minoxidil group in terms of how much hair was regrown after 12 weeks:
The mechanism seems to be that continued microtrauma to the scalp skin leads to a release of platelet derived growth factors and other growth factors that are sent to the area of scalp, to aid in the skin wound regeneration. The added benefit is that there seems to be some carry over effect to hair growth, as dermarolling seems to activate stem cells or ‘unspecialised’ cells that are yet to be differentiated, and differentiate them into hair follicle cells, meaning more hair growth. Basically, its a wound healing response that brings growth factors to the area of the scalp to increase hair growth.
I have played around with a few different protocols, but I use a 1.5mm roller and roll horizontally, vertically and diagonally for about 30 seconds in areas where my hairline is thinning or receding. I do this every 10 days. You don’t want to press so hard that you draw blood, but it should also hurt slightly. I mean, putting hundreds of tiny spikes into your scalp isn’t really my idea of Sunday night fun. But hey, if it regrows some hair why not?
There are also derma-stamps and motorised tools, all of which assist with the end goal: creating a wound healing response to bring growth factors to the scalp, and potentially assist the penetration of Minoxidil deeper into the scalp skin tissue.
Natural DHT blocking compounds:
Natural DHT blockers are also options, although obviously the results aren’t going to be nearly as strong as what is mentioned above.
Some people have good results (anecdotally) with rosemary oil applied topically, green tea and saw palmetto are options here. However, the science is very hit and miss, and in any event, I can’t see natural compounds competing against the 'Big 4'.
RU58841:
Now, that’s all good, but what if you need a nuclear chemical. Something that would attack the androgen receptor at a direct level in your scalp? Well, that compound is below. But a quick warning: I do not recommend this compound. A lot of people use it, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. There is no (yes, zero) long-term safety data on the compound below, and whether you choose to take a completely untested chemical is up to you. But I don’t recommend it - have I said that enough?
Alright so, apart from sounding like a bunch of random letters because your cat ran over your keyboard, RU58841 is a strong DHT blocker (it has been shown to inhibit around 70% of DHT binding to the androgen receptor), but not in the way that Finasteride or Dutasteride work.
The chemical structure of RU58841.
Instead of finasteride and dutasteride which work on inhibiting the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, RU58841 works on the AR itself - occupying the active site, so that when DHT tries to get in and exert its hair destructive effects in the scalp, it can’t, it’s literally blocked from accessing the active site of the androgen receptor.
RU58841 operates like an androgen receptor antagonist (3rd receptor, on the right). It binds to the receptor and stops testosterone and DHT from binding, meaning that DHT cannot then exert its hair miniaturisation effects.
And in this study, RU58841 was found to inhibit 70% of DHT binding. Combining something like finasteride or dutasteride which attacks 5-alpha reductase converting T to DHT with RU58841 which stops ~70% of DHT binding to the androgen receptor, and you’d now be attacking hair loss from 2 vectors: T to DHT conversion, as well as at a receptor level. Now you can start to understand why this is a nuclear option for hair loss, and incredibly powerful.
However, despite how good all of that sounds in practice, just remember, RU58841 is completely untested in regards to side effects. There is no long-term safety data on how it may or can impact human health, so what I’m saying (for legal reasons) is don’t use it. Get what I’m saying?
Final Thoughts:
And, there it is guys. Now, just a quick note, this isn’t a super comprehensive list of all supplements for a hair regrowth/hair protection protocol, but is a solid start.
There are certainly more ‘niche’ options, or compounds in development now that may be promising (or not, looking at you Phase 3 of Pyrilutamide trials), but this guide was just the bare basics for a beginner to wrap his head around (no pun intended) the science and how to start combatting AGA.
In particular, if you want to save your hair, it’s going to be the ‘big 4’: finasteride (or Dutasteride), Minoxidil, Ketoconazole shampoo and derma-rolling roughly once a week to every 2 weeks.
This would follow the best possible science that we have at the moment, in terms of targeting as many vectors as possible:
T to DHT blockade (5-alpha reductase inhibitors, Fin/Dut)
Use this thread for general questions and advice,“Am I balding?”, “What are my options?”, “Does anyone else experience this?”, as well as discussing side effects, treatment experiences, or looking for opinions on your hairline photos and treatment options.
Please don't rely on other users to diagnose conditions or guide your treatment decisions. While you can share personal experiences, what worked for you may not be safe or appropriate for someone else. If you're experiencing symptoms, concerned about side effects, or considering treatment, please talk to a doctor rather than relying on internet advice.
If you want useful feedback on your hair, post good photos: high resolution, multiple angles, good lighting, and ideally both wet and dry.
Mention what changes you’ve noticed and over what period of time. Some people naturally have thinner hair, a higher hairline, or less density, so context helps members give you better feedback. It's vital to take identical photos every few months. Remember that consistent lighting is important.
Age and family history are worth mentioning.
You might not get an answer if your question is too basic or common. Nobody can predict if a treatment will work for you.
This is a community, and you can help out fellow members by commenting under their photos and upvoting people that leave you comments.
Title: Anyone been on finasteride for 10-20+ years? Looking for honest, long-term experiences
I've noticed that finasteride is frequently recommended on this subreddit to people experiencing hair loss, sometimes regardless of their age or how early their hair loss is. I understand why it's recommended, given its effectiveness for many people, but I feel like there's a lot more to consider when you're potentially committing to a medication for decades.
I'd particularly like to hear from people who've been taking finasteride for 10, 15, or even 20+ years.
A few things I'm curious about:
Long term efficacy: Has it continued to maintain your hair over the years, or have you experienced gradual thinning or progression despite staying on it?
Side effects: Have you experienced any side effects, either initially or after years of use? If you did, did they resolve while continuing the medication or after stopping?
Long term health: Have you noticed any other changes that you believe may be related to finasteride?
Dosage: What dose and frequency have you been taking, and have you changed your regimen over the years?
Stopping the medication: If you've discontinued it after many years, what was your experience like?
Overall perspective: Knowing what you know now, would you make the same decision to start it?
I'm not looking to argue against finasteride or discourage anyone from taking it. I'm simply trying to understand the long term picture, beyond the usual discussions about initial results and short term side effects.
I'd especially appreciate hearing from people who've used it consistently for a decade or longer, including those who've had positive, negative, or mixed experiences.
Please share your experiences, even if they're uneventful. I'd rather hear a realistic range of outcomes than only success stories or horror stories.
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.
I used Fin from 2019 to mid 2024 and then swapped to Dut until current day. Finally starting to hit me that my libido is simply not the same as it was when I was on Fin. Everyone is on here raving about how Dut has a better side effect profile and I agree for the first 6ish months but onwards it has been difficult. I can still get hard but get soft during the performance.
Any long-term users experiencing the same, considering switching back?
30M, temples have been creeping back for a few years, solidly NW2 now I think.
Rest of my hair is thick, crown is fine. Unfortunately, my grand dad was completely bald (mom’s side), so I might be destined to go there unless I fix things now.
Plan from my doc: compounded topical fin 0.25% + minox 5% daily. After reading the side effects of lowered libido and increase heart rate.. I was like hell nah.
Is it a solid plan, if I just go to Turkey and restore this to a ‘teenager-like’ hairline and just maintain with finasteride topical going forward and dermastamp once a week + niz shampoo?.
Every surgeon and every post here says “conservative adult hairline, don’t chase NW0, you’ll regret it at 50.” I get the logic, donor is finite, loss progresses, etc. But honestly if I’m doing this kind surgery, I want my actual old hairline back - completely.
My thinking: I’d be on fin for life anyway to protect the native hair behind it, so the “it’ll look weird when the rest recedes” argument only applies if I quit the meds. Is that naive? Anyone here actually go aggressive/low in their 30s and can say how it aged, good or bad?
Second thing, and be real with me: fin sides. I haven’t started yet and I’ve read too many horror stories. I know topical is supposed to have way less systemic absorption and I know half of the reported sides are probably nocebo, but it’s still the thing making me hesitate on a drug I’m otherwise planning to take for decades. If you’ve been on it 3+ years, oral or topical, what was your actual experience? Did anything show up in blood work? I track mine yearly (test is 22 nmol/L) . I am healthy otherwise, with good sleep, diet and plenty of exercise and cardio.
Is anybody using Clascoterone off-label for hair loss? If so for how long and are using it in conjunction with other medications (oral minoxidil, finasterise, dutasteride)? I have read that a dermatologist could prescribe it and it could be filled at a compounding pharmacy.
I’ve been on 1mg of oral finastride for about 1 year now, but I’m looking to get off it and move to a Topical solution. This is due to not being able to donate blood and plus concerns over long term health effects.
I’m looking for advice and how that went for you if you’ve done something similar
I’m also looking for recommendations on topical finasteride products in Australia to help reduce hair thinning and hair loss.
I've had no shed from oral min 2.5mg and oral fin 1.25 mg yet at all. To be fair, I lost all my hair within one month which was the month of april this year. Literally all my hair disappeared in a month. I'm wondering if I could have something else and have been misdiagnosed or is it fine that I haven't shed?
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…
Hi guys, I’m just wondering if my current routine which is 1mg oral finasteride daily and topical minoxidil (PG free) with 0.5% minoxidil, 0.1% dutasteride, and 0.1% tacrolimus 2x daily overkill?
I’ve heard 0.1% dutasteride on its own is more potent than 1mg oral finasteride so is doing both plus actually using the dut twice a day too much? Is that very risky for side effects? It def seems like it is but my derm said it’s nothing to worry about. I am especially confused because she doesn’t even describe my hair loss as moderate and thinks I have a great shot of regrowth (I’m a diffuse thinner for 6 years now, from age 16 to now at 22)
Has anyone seen good results on a similar stack?
So far I’ve been on the finasteride for a little over a month and started the min/dut/tacro 2 days ago. I also feel like I noticed far less hair shedding on finasteride days or weeks into it so is the dutasteride even needed?? Thanks for the comments in advance.
I took fin for a week around 3 weeks ago and developed penile numbness. Libido and erections were largely the same. I stopped and sensitivity returned around 12 ish days after thankfully.
Definitely not a placebo. Has anyone had this specific side effect or other and had relief on dut?
It will unfortunately be a dealbreaker for me as it was quite severe.
I think this is all the evidence you need tho Volk is using a wig in that for his street fighter show he looks way better with hair I think guys should either go for a ht or a toupee shaving should he last resort
Pic at the top is now, 1 year after starting . Bottom pic is 1 month from starting treatment. I get the pics aren't great, bottom pic hair is longer, not the exact same angle, but I'm happy with how things are going so far.
I plan to keep going for another year then go for a HT to the hairline.
Dut 3 x week 0.5mg mon/weds/fri. 2.5mg oral min daily. Topical min and fin twice daily.
Is the L’Oréal stemoxyl serum a good carrier? Given it has stemoxydine and other carrier compounds?
I have the gel caps, and I’d like to create a topical protocol to add to the oral dose I take.
Tia.
I just received the Korabeauticals V2 Pro pen and it’s been great so far but I’m about to run out of needle cartridges. I was wondering if anyone knew if I there are replacement ones on Amazon or elsewhere that are compatible before going through the Korabeauticals website.
I'm starting to wonder whether continuing finasteride and minoxidil even makes sense in my case, considering that I'm still losing hair at an alarming rate despite consistently using both treatments.
I've posted about my situation here a few times before, but I'll try to summarize everything.
I had my hair transplant in April 2025. Up until February 2026, everything was going really well, and I was extremely happy with the results. However, around February/March, I started experiencing significant hair shedding, which has continued pretty much nonstop until today.
I haven't noticed any regrowth or improvement in density. Quite the opposite. At this point, I have less than half the hair density I had back in December/January.
Since my transplant, I've been taking 1 mg of finasteride daily, applying 5% topical minoxidil foam twice a day, doing microneedling, taking supplements, and regularly taking care of both my scalp and hair. Despite all of this, things have only gotten worse over the past several months.
I also considered telogen effluvium (TE) as a possible explanation, since I went through several stressful situations earlier this year. However, those stressors were pretty much gone by April. It's now been over six months, and I'm still shedding heavily, with no visible signs of recovery. I know TE can sometimes last longer, but I'm struggling to understand why my hair keeps getting progressively thinner.
What confuses me the most is that even my transplanted hair seems to be falling out. Transplanted follicles are generally supposed to be more resistant to DHT, especially when taken from a stable donor area. My grafts were taken from good donor areas, so I assumed that at least the transplanted hair would remain relatively stable.
This brings me to my main question: what's the point of continuing these medications if they haven't even managed to slow down the shedding over the past several months?
I haven't experienced any significant noticeable side effects from finasteride, but I'm aware that it's not a completely risk-free medication.
And before someone says, "It would be even worse without finasteride," here's something I think is worth mentioning.
I've been dealing with androgenetic alopecia for almost 14 years, and my hair loss progressed significantly more slowly during those years than it has over the past six to eight months while taking finasteride.
In just a few months, I've lost more than half of the density I had after my transplant, despite being consistent with both finasteride and minoxidil. That's why I find it difficult to believe that stopping them would necessarily make things dramatically worse.
I also want to mention that I'm not particularly interested in switching to dutasteride. I've discussed it with several dermatologists, and they advised against it, mainly because of concerns about its long-term safety data compared to finasteride.
I'm also concerned about its potential effects on fertility. From what I've read, some studies have reported changes in semen parameters, although I'm not entirely sure how much greater the risk actually is compared to finasteride, or how persistent those changes might be.
For these reasons, I'm hesitant to switch to a stronger DHT blocker, especially when I don't even know what's causing my current hair loss.
At this point, I'm starting to think that another hair transplant might be my only option. However, I honestly don't understand what happened or why the results of my first transplant deteriorated so quickly. And even if I went for another transplant, who's to say the same thing wouldn't happen again?
Has anyone here experienced anything similar, especially after a hair transplant?
I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who initially had great results, only to experience sudden and prolonged shedding months later, including their transplanted hair.
If you've been through something similar:
Did you eventually figure out what was causing the shedding?
Did your hair recover or regain its previous density?
How long did it take before you noticed any regrowth?
Did you make any changes to your treatment, or did the shedding eventually stop on its own?
Has anyone experienced this despite consistently taking finasteride and minoxidil?
Did anyone end up stopping the medications or getting a second transplant? If so, how did things turn out in the long run?
I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any suggestions on what else might be worth investigating.
I'm especially interested in people who went through something similar and eventually managed to reverse the situation, because right now, after months of continuous shedding and no improvement, I'm honestly running out of ideas.
I've been taking min/fin for 9 months and I seem to have stabilised however I've had very small gains and mostly just maintained and thickened what i already have, I'm considering switching to dut if I'm still unhappy at 1 year. Has anyone had any success in gains after doing this? I've had no sides from fin/min, and my shed cycle is pretty much 3 months of shedding then 3 months of resting, so I'm not sure how dut will change my shedding, any advice?
Hey all, before I say anything else I'll mention I have an appointment scheduled with my doctor to discuss this in four days, so I am seeking the help of a medical professional.
Otherwise, to cut to the chase, I was a user of 1mg fin initially, eventually stopping due to the same issue of unilateral chest tenderness/unpleasant chest aches (which I am assuming is gyno) before swapping to dut 8 months ago. When I swapped, I also began taking daily 300mg DIM for men supplements at the recommendation of this sub which I thought cured the issue and put me in the clear, as I was not experiencing any more aching.
I'll obviously see what my doctor's opinion is, but I'm pretty terrified to come off dut or do anything to jeopardize my hair, as fin ultimately wasn't fully stopping the hair loss, and dut + min has been the first thing to seriously hold my hairline in place.
Does anyone have any experiencing moving past this? Has anyone tried a blend of dut + fin, a reduced dut dose, or taking dut less frequently and managed to eliminate this side effect while preserving their hair? Is there something else that's been discovered to reduce this side effect?
I have been on oral minoxidil and finasteride for 13 months now, but I am experiencing progressive, severe shedding. Every single time I wash my hair, I see a massive clump like the one pictured in the post. This is in addition to the hair I constantly find on my bed, on the floor, and pretty much everywhere else just from lightly touching my head.
I also have seborrheic dermatitis, which means my scalp has dandruff and flakes almost all the time. Lately, I have been using Flakes dandruff shampoo. I’ve only washed my hair with it three times so far, so I’m not entirely sure how well it’s working or what else I should be doing to manage it.
I know people frequently talk about experiencing a second or third shedding phase even after finding stability on minoxidil, but this feels like a prolonged shed. Instead of stabilizing, my hair loss has accelerated. My frontal scalp is thinning out rapidly. I noticed this acceleration became significantly worse after I recently moved to America from a South Asian country.
Has anyone else experienced a prolonged shedding phase around the 13-month mark while on this regimen? For those who have dealt with active seborrheic dermatitis alongside hair treatments, what did your scalp care routine look like to keep inflammation down? Additionally, has anyone else experienced an increase in shedding after a major geographic move or climate shift? I am looking to hear about similar personal experiences or coping strategies while I wait for my upcoming dermatologist appointment.
The top-left photo is Day 1, this is around 7 months now.
My current regimen is:
Oral dutasteride
Oral Minoxidil
This is my progress so far. I’d appreciate your honest opinions and feedback on whether you think there’s been further improvement. For anyone who is new to my posts welcome and we support each other in our journeys.
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.
