24yo Journal - Diffuse Thinner, Starting Battle Probably Too Late But With Hope (with Pics)

[BeardedPig]

Hi everyone,

After lurking for some time I have decided to post my own thread and track my progress.

I was loosing my hair since being around 16yo - my girl at the time was pointing it out to me back then. I just assumed that I have thinner hair then most of people and didn't care just living my life. As time went on temples were receding and hair on my whole scalp were thinning more and more. It was coming in "attacks" were my scalp was becoming very itchy with tons of dandruff and my hair were falling out like crazy. It stopped after some time just to attack again few months later. So far I was using only shampoos without any significant results.

For most of the time with good haircut it was possible to style my hair to look decent despite of receded hairline and thin top. About month ago when I came back from my barber I looked in the mirror and understood that I can't no longer hide the fact that I'm balding. So I decided to shave my head - the point was that if I will be looking at least decent shaven I will just rock bald head without giving a f*** but as you can probably figure I don't look well without my hair since I'm writing this post. The second option is to fight for my hair and see what I can manage to accomplish.

So I'm two weeks in into following regimen:
1. Minoxidil 5% (twice a day) with dermarolling lightly without bleeding (every evening) as guy Somebody from this forum suggested.
2. Putting egg white on my scalp to reduce inflammation (once/twice a week). I thought it was stupid to do so but it really reliefs my itchy scalp.
3. Tons of supplements - I know it will not reverse my hair loss but I decided to include them to help with inflammation and grow faster and hopefully thicker hair that I still have on my head (since I was shaven bald 3 weeks ago). List: Vit. D, Omega 3, Biotin, Borage oil, Pumpkin seed oil, Perilla leafs (caps), L-Lisine.

I'm thinking about including finasteride but if I will do so it will be only 0.25mg a day or even less. I'm scared of side effects because I had some ed problems few years ago. Also dermatologist that I visited (old lady) didn't want to prescribe me it due to possible sides, but it looked like she just wanted to get rid of me.

I'm also thinking about buying toppik just to help myself throughout phase of growing my hair again and use it until hopefully I will see some thickening of my own hair.

My current situation is pretty bad - when it comes to temples I'm around NW3 but since all of my hair is so thin you can easily put me at NW4/5. I have hair almost all over my scalp (even on receded temples) but it's really thin, without life and very dry. It's also hard to tell if I'm shedding due to minoxidil because my hair is so short but the amount of them depresses me...
I will upload pics in edit later because I want to blur my face etc.

Wish me luck with regrowing!

@Edit
I'm attaching pics of current state in natural lightning - 3 weeks after shaving, two weeks into minoxidil.

 

[CopeForLife]

what do you expect?

duta or go bald

 

[Phoenician]

Hello,
if I were you I would really include finasteride/dutasteride to my regimen. It can do wonders for diffuse thinners and you won't be able to keep any gains from minoxidil long term if you're not using DHT blockers as well. Finasteride 1mg is a pretty mild drug and the side effects are quite rare. Maybe try using it for a month or so to see if you get any sides? If you're really scared of it, try to look into topical anti-androgens like RU-58841. They probably won't go systemic but there's a problem with them not being tested as rigorously as finasteride is.
Good luck with your progress!

 

[jasonstatham]

Stop using so much supplement sh*t. It justs cost you money and dont get you anywhere. Finasterid is Option number 1 always. being afraid of ED, gives you ED. Im using Finasterid like a king and have way too many boners always despite having ED Problems years ago (before using Finasterid during a depressive phase). Depression and thinking too much gives you ED, not Finasterid. Guys eating 5 times a week Mac Donalds, do not work out, are depressed at home playing WoW and than complaining Finasterid gives you ED bruh. Pathetic. And no,I dont judge, I played WoW too but its just the truth . You have slightly worse hair than me. But you are only 24 years old. What I would personaly do is, getting on finasterid as fast as possible. But dont use 1mg per day. Its enough 1mg every second day. Minoxidil once or twice a day is fine too. The rest throw outside your window please and save for a hairtransplant maybe in 3-4 years.

 

[Phoenician]

I don't know about the other supplements but I would swear by biotin any time. It visibly helps my nails and since they are keratin based I really think it helps my hair too.
The supposed sides of finasteride really are mostly in people's heads IMO. There's a lot stories from people taking just one pill and experiencing chest beating, headaches and other symptoms associated with nervosity rather than with the effects of finasteride. They get scared and stop taking a treatment that could really help them with their condition which is a shame.
I'm taking finasteride 1mg daily and dutasteride 0,5mg twice a week and never experienced anything out of the usual except for a bit watery semen for a few days in the second week of the treatment.
P.S.:If you want something to help you with the inflamation try a shampoo with ketoconazole in it, Nizoral 2% for example. It's cheap, it really works against dandruff and inflamation and it's a weak anti-androgen as well.

 

[ZenHead]

Stop using so much supplement sh*t. It justs cost you money and dont get you anywhere. Finasterid is Option number 1 always. being afraid of ED, gives you ED. Im using Finasterid like a king and have way too many boners always despite having ED Problems years ago (before using Finasterid during a depressive phase). Depression and thinking too much gives you ED, not Finasterid. Guys eating 5 times a week Mac Donalds, do not work out, are depressed at home playing WoW and than complaining Finasterid gives you ED bruh. Pathetic. And no,I dont judge, I played WoW too but its just the truth . You have slightly worse hair than me. But you are only 24 years old. What I would personaly do is, getting on finasterid as fast as possible. But dont use 1mg per day. Its enough 1mg every second day. Minoxidil once or twice a day is fine too. The rest throw outside your window please and save for a hairtransplant maybe in 3-4 years.

I tried finasteride for a few months on 2 separate occasions - and got side effects both times. I am a healthy 23 year old that works out regularly, has a great diet, a job, girlfriend, healthy social life... and finasteride gave me ED, and lower libido both times I tried it. With that being said, I understand many people can take this drug with success. I would agree it is the first and best option to fight hairloss. My recommendation is to try it but stop if you get side effects, don't "push through" the sides like I tried to do on my second attempt - this made the side effects last for about 3-4 months after I quit it again. I hope the meds work for you without sides. Just wanted to clarify that side effects are not "in the head". Everyone's body responds differently. Good luck!

 

[BeardedPig]

Wow I didn't expect so many responses. Thanks for your encouragement!

Yeah I thought about it and decided to give finasteride a shot. I scheduled visit with different dermatologist already, but unfortunately it's next week. I know that one week will not make any difference and it will be very long process. But damn... I want to do something about it fast...

@CopeForLife
Hey man, I appreciate advice but lets take it slower and see what finasteride + rest of my regimen will do for me.

@Phoenician
I was thinking about RU, but it would take a lot of time to obtain it and from what I've learned about it so far (I may be wrong) people have mixed feelings about it. I think that it will be a possibility if I will have sides from finasteride.

@jasonstatham
I know that's a lot of stuff but I'm not taking all of it everyday. I'm cycling supplementation just to help my hair as much as it is possible.
I would love to get a transplant but I don't have that amount of money to spare (at least right now) and since I'm a diffuse thinner it makes whole deal even worse.

@ZenHead
Thanks for contribution. It's good to hear from both sides of argument. They say that sides are experienced officially by 2% of people taking it but other resources claim even 15%. Nonetheless I hope that I will get into that 75% without them.

 

[BeardedPig]

Hey guys, quick update after a month.

Basically fml...

I was on minoxidil for the whole time just hoping for the best. Got my appointment with dermatologist, got finasteride.
Tried 0,5mg in the morning first day - few hours after taking it I had severe brain fog and couldn't focus at work, in the evening it was harder than usual to get an erection and I couldn't go to sleep for a few hours in bed (usually I sleep like a baby without any problems, even when stressed out).
Second day I decided to scale down to 0,25mg - all sides were the same as at first day. But whats worse and really weird in the evening my eyes became really sore, and I felt a lot of pressure around eyeballs. The only way to get a bit of relief was to close my eyelids and keep them that way. So I decided to drop finasteride and go for minoxidil only until I will find some other solution. The sorness and pressure went away the next day but now few days after it came back to a lesser degree but it persists for a whole day... Even now when I'm writing this, my eyes feel sore, tired and heavy.

I searched the web and it turns out that it is quite rare side from both finasteride and minoxidil even used separately.
So it turns out that basically I'm fucked. I have sides from finasteride and even from minoxidil...
After sides on finasteride I was hopeful that maybe minoxidil will help me to slide through my twenties with decent amount of hair on my head and then I could shave it all off after 30, but right now it seems like it will happen sooner than later...


I will try to go for minoxidil once a day and will see how my eyes will feel.

 

[Cue Bald]

unfortunately without an antiantrogen, probably in 5 years you will be a slick NW5 at least :-(

 

[Japnicks India]

Hey guys, quick update after a month.

Basically fml...

I was on minoxidil for the whole time just hoping for the best. Got my appointment with dermatologist, got finasteride.
Tried 0,5mg in the morning first day - few hours after taking it I had severe brain fog and couldn't focus at work, in the evening it was harder than usual to get an erection and I couldn't go to sleep for a few hours in bed (usually I sleep like a baby without any problems, even when stressed out).
Second day I decided to scale down to 0,25mg - all sides were the same as at first day. But whats worse and really weird in the evening my eyes became really sore, and I felt a lot of pressure around eyeballs. The only way to get a bit of relief was to close my eyelids and keep them that way. So I decided to drop finasteride and go for minoxidil only until I will find some other solution. The sorness and pressure went away the next day but now few days after it came back to a lesser degree but it persists for a whole day... Even now when I'm writing this, my eyes feel sore, tired and heavy.

I searched the web and it turns out that it is quite rare side from both finasteride and minoxidil even used separately.
So it turns out that basically I'm fucked. I have sides from finasteride and even from minoxidil...
After sides on finasteride I was hopeful that maybe minoxidil will help me to slide through my twenties with decent amount of hair on my head and then I could shave it all off after 30, but right now it seems like it will happen sooner than later...


I will try to go for minoxidil once a day and will see how my eyes will feel.

Holly f***! From the very first pill, i used to feel alot of pain around my eyes. I knew it was finasteride, but people here denied it.
My eyes were feeling heavy and painful, then within few weeks i got a minor lump around my right nipple.

That was it, and i left. Eye pain gone & lump got smaller.

 

[Fkdup]

Holly f***! From the very first pill, i used to feel alot of pain around my eyes. I knew it was finasteride, but people here denied it.
My eyes were feeling heavy and painful, then within few weeks i got a minor lump around my right nipple.

That was it, and i left. Eye pain gone & lump got smaller.

Thank God. I thought you won't get what I was trying to say and will try to push through out of desperation. You have no idea, how many health issues, how many years you just saved inspite of whatever happens in future. Stay strong as I guarantee the desperation will return one day.

 

[Japnicks India]

Thank God. I thought you won't get what I was trying to say and will try to push through out of desperation. You have no idea, how many health issues, how many years you just saved inspite of whatever happens in future. Stay strong as I guarantee the desperation will return one day.

Will stay strong brother.