well, initially when i started using minoxidil i was just trying to maintain as a precaution because i started to get worried. about a year ago, my hair stopped growing at its normal rate only in the corners of my temples. seemed fine everywhere else. a couple of months ago, i noticed a little thinning in the front, and that my hairs seemed shorter on the edges of my temples. also, particularly around the perimeter of the forelock, which seemed to foreshadow the "island" looking patch in the front. at the time, it wasn't anything that anyone else noticed and i was told i was being paranoid. despite this, i began using rogaine foam twice a day... i believe i did go through a sort of shed and after a couple of months now, i'm basically worse off. i've stuck with it, because i know this is not uncommon. but basically the worst of it now is that i have what appears to be a patchy bald spot right above the edge of my right temple with the small hairs still on the edges. it's pretty noticeable now, and though it's difficult to tell if this would've been the normal progression it doesn't seem to be a typical one for male pattern baldness. i do notice what appear to be new hairs growing in and it looks as if my hairline will come down. the problem is, i'm more concerned about the centralized thinning in particular areas. i guess my point is, i haven't really gotten to a point yet where i've "progressed" noticeably with minoxidil. it only appears worse at this point. had i maintained what i had, i would have been perfectly content. my tentative goal is to continue using minoxidil until i'm satisfied with where i'm at and then maybe ween myself off it while using finasteride. bad idea?