4 Months on finasteride & minoxidil, good progress

[Dikek]

Perfect results, you got that "mature hairline" which i personally like and no extensive thinning hair on top, good job

 

[BeardedOne]

Thanks dikek, I still debate whether to go for a small hair transplant at the front to fill in the corners a bit. Hard to tell from the pictures but it's about a NW2-2.5, I think the overall hair quality has improved a lot but I'd still like to 'finish off' the hairline. The vertex has filled in enough that I no longer worry about it at all, so that's a big plus!

 

[Parsia]

Great result man , Many Congrats , your hair looks perfect in update pics. I barely can say you are narwood 1.5 , You don't have any bald spot anymore. I'm so jealous to you , keep going bro.

 

[Folliman]

Small update - these pics are actually from around December 2014, taken in very exposed bathroom light (with some shadows also I suppose) and I don't have any newer ones yet, so I'll put these up for now.

December 2014 (13 months on finasteride)
View attachment 34238View attachment 34239
View attachment 34240View attachment 34241
View attachment 34243

I've not experienced much more growth since then (I think) so I'd say I'm about solidly-maintaining what I have now. The bottom pics are a bit shadowy but I suppose that's how it looks to other people most of the time, in any sort of flattering light.

it still feels like a bit of a mess whenever it grows out but, by and large, I no longer get any mentions about thinning hair, in fact quite the opposite. Two people, who I hadn't seen in a year, said recently that my hair is 'thickening' and couldn't work it out. That was pretty sweet!

I would've never guessed you ever suffered hair loss. Congrats on the awesome results man!

 

[BeardedOne]

thank you guys, much appreciated support. I'll take some better photos soon, you can see there's a bit of recession alright but I'm really happy that the vertex has filled a bit. Still noticeable in certain lights, and by the barber, but by and large it looks pretty good. There are definitely many styles I can't pull off because of the hairline which is pretty annoying, but unless I get a hair transplant I'll just have to live with it. To be honest I dropped off my minoxidil for a while as I was away for a long time with work, and I don't think that's ever a good idea, but I'm back on it now, primarily the liquid, which I think is far better than the foam.

Interestingly I went for a hair transplant consultation before I ever started finasteride and then another consultation recently, after about 16 months on finasteride. I was originally classified as 'beginning NW3V' (Norwood 3 with vertex thinning). I'm now classified as NW2, according to the same doctor! Again it's just anecdotal and based on an opinion only.

Folliman - I was most definitely losing hair, you can see it from my original pics, it's not particularly apparent in my immediate family, my dad has a full head of hair, but my brother has lost a fair bit (around NW3/beginning NW4) and there's plenty of loss on both sides of my family. Given the extent of some of the family's hair loss I count myself very, very lucky.

 

[GoldenMane]

Great results, your hair looks really good! You should take some hairline shots too, like your before photos.

 

[BeardedOne]

Pics taken today, about 20 months on finasteride:



You can sort of see along the hairline all the hairs that have grown back, they haven't (yet!) become fully terminal hairs and they just sort of work to cast a shadow around the area, creating the illusion of a better hairline. Anyways, as I said I think most of the good work finasteride has done behind the hairline, so I reckon this is all I will be able to maintain with finasteride & minoxidil alone.

 

[GoldenMane]

That's a definite improvement in your hairline too, quite a big improvement at that, much wider forelock than before! Congrats! Have you considered adding minoxidil to your regimen? Have you been to HRBR? I've considered getting a hair transplant there to fill in my temples too, but it's super expensive at over €10 per graft! I'm considering a hair transplant for my temples too, possibly Turkey, or Dr Reyes of Belgium after seeing one this forum's members (Fredthebeligian) results.

 

[BeardedOne]

Cheers GoldenMane! Yeah I use minoxidil (mostly liquid) morning and evening, although I ave been slack enough at times recently. The Forelock has definitely improved, although I often think about a hair transplant. I haven't been to HRBR, mainly because of the price but also because I haven't seen much good work come out of them. Have done a bit of research on the topic and I think (if I do go for it) I'll go with Dr. Feriduni in Belgium. Some of his work is sensational. For me it's all about 'undetectable' - I find myself unable to talk about hair loss with anyone in my life, and I really would find a way to do it whereby I wouldn't have to mention a hair transplant to anyone. I think whatever gains I would make would be unnoticeable to the average person, only people like us would be able to tell!

 

[butterking]

i am using rogaine but seem no effect

 

[Ross1984]

Top work

Great results. Your before pics are similar to my situation. Particularly the thin vertex and receded temples. I'm already starting to see early results (2.5 months into my minoxidil/finasteride regime)... fingers crossed it continues and I have success like yours.