45-year-old: 20 Years On minoxidil And 18 Yrs On finasteride. Update And Next Steps

[FrankieNYC]

Fair play. Your hair looks really good from what you've posted. Most people here would kill to have your hair when aged 45.

Thanks. It's all about styling at this point. I'm sure I had more hair 17-18 years ago than I do now but people used to comment about my hair loss then and no one really says anything about my hair loss now. There are several reasons for this: my haircut now maximizes the hair I have--the sides are cut close and I leave bit more on top (I used to cut my hair really short and it exposed my hair loss--I'll post a photo from 10 years ago to show you what I mean). I also comb my hair forward a bit rather than combing back and I use a mirror so I can see the back of my head and I hand style to cover any scalp. Also, what hair loss I have now is age appropriate unlike when I was in my 20s.

 

[FrankieNYC]

Photo on the bottom (or right, depending on your screen): traditional crew cut/short hair. Not really styled to hide anything.

Photo on the top (or your left depending on how it is displayed) almost 10 years later with presumably less hair overall. Hair on top is layered and, though combed back a bit, it’s a bit longer to cover the temples.

 

[curiousone]

Have you kept most of your hair ?

Yes I have. Check out my other threads. I have photos.

 

[curiousone]

So did the minoxidil ever cause the hair on your temples to regrow or not? I have been on finasteride for years and started minoxidil recently. I am hoping to regrew some temple hair. Maybe its wishful thinking

 

[FrankieNYC]

So did the minoxidil ever cause the hair on your temples to regrow or not? I have been on finasteride for years and started minoxidil recently. I am hoping to regrew some temple hair. Maybe its wishful thinking

In 1994 I noticed my temples and density in the middle significantly thinning. I immediately got on 2% minoxidil and then 5% when it bec available. About 5-6 years later I got on finasteride 1 mg.
24 years later, below is my hairline, brushed back so you can see it. Although it thinned, there has been peach fuzz there for the past 15 years in place of where the healthy hairs used to be. All bec of the minoxidil. When i used to use the liquid minoxidil i would get fuzz on my lower forehead from the drip. So I know it definely works. minoxidil and finasteride has worked for me for close to 2 decades.
When my hair is wet the doctor told me there’s a Norwood 5 pattern emerging. But, the remaining hairs are more than enough to give the appearance of nice density. Short of a cure, this is the best I could ask for.
The name of the game for me now is to hold steady for another decade and hope for a cure/cloning.

 

[otis mcdonald]

In 1994 I noticed my temples and density in the middle significantly thinning. I immediately got on 2% minoxidil and then 5% when it bec available. About 5-6 years later I got on finasteride 1 mg.
24 years later, below is my hairline, brushed back so you can see it. Although it thinned, there has been peach fuzz there for the past 15 years in place of where the healthy hairs used to be. All bec of the minoxidil. When i used to use the liquid minoxidil i would get fuzz on my lower forehead from the drip. So I know it definely works. minoxidil and finasteride has worked for me for close to 2 decades.
When my hair is wet the doctor told me there’s a Norwood 5 pattern emerging. But, the remaining hairs are more than enough to give the appearance of nice density. Short of a cure, this is the best I could ask for.
The name of the game for me now is to hold steady for another decade and hope for a cure/cloning.

Wow dude that’s impressive. If you have to guess (judging by how fast your hair was thinning/receading and family history) when do you think you would have gone bald if you hadn’t taken anything?

 

[FrankieNYC]

Wow dude that’s impressive. If you have to guess (judging by how fast your hair was thinning/receading and family history) when do you think you would have gone bald if you hadn’t taken anything?

My father was completely bald at a Norwood 6, by 33 (could be earlier but this was from a photo I found with a date on it). He met my mother when he was 27, and even then he was pretty much bald. My maternal grandfather was a Norwood 3-4 by the time he was in his late 20s, but he stayed that way until his death at 77.
At the rate I was going i think I would have been a Norwood 5-6 by 35.

 

[otis mcdonald]

My father was completely bald at a Norwood 6, by 33 (could be earlier but this was from a photo I found with a date on it). He met my mother when he was 27, and even then he was pretty much bald. My maternal grandfather was a Norwood 3-4 by the time he was in his late 20s, but he stayed that way until his death at 77.
At the rate I was going i think I would have been a Norwood 5-6 by 35.

And instead you’ve probably got better hair than most at your age. It must have been strange seeing people with better hair genetics going bald before you

 

[FrankieNYC]

And instead you’ve probably got better hair than most at your age. It must have been strange seeing people with better hair genetics going bald before you

Yes! Strange and in a weird way it makes me feel like fraud. Lol. A good friend of mine started losing his hair at 38. He tells me how “lucky” I am to have good hair genes not knowing that genetically I should be a Norwood 6 (and will eventually be) and he, bec of late start and family history, will only be a Norwood 3-4.
A year after that conversation we were in Vegas and he was raving about finasteride, telling me that, in the future should I need it it’s a miracle drug! Lol.
I did bec paranoid after that thinking that finasteride will eventually lose its efficacy since I’ve been on it for so long. We makes me wonder, how long does finasteride continue to be effective?

 

[curiousone]

You have fantastic hair for your age. Yeah I am hoping I will get more than peach fuzz I will see. I think I only have a problem on my right temple. The rest of my hair is fine. Just want a bit more on the right

 

[hollow11]

If i could have ur hair when im 30 id be happy

 

[Splatt]

Wow someone with a longer history than me. Im 37. 16 years on finasteride and almost 5m on minoxidil. Can you post some pics?

Me 2

 

[Endmymisery]

Fair play. Your hair looks really good from what you've posted. Most people here would kill to have your hair when aged 45.

I would kill to have his hair at f*****g 21...

 

[Dan77]

Hello Frankie
since my case is quite similar to yours (41 yo, male pattern baldness, my father went bald at 29-30, 2 kids so no longer afraid or propecia side efects ) I wanted to ask you about the actual use/dosage of minoxidil:
- I've just started with Rogaine foam and instructions say "only for vertex" and only 1/2 a cup per usage (1/2 morning and another 1/2 evening). But I have thin hair and baldness in my midscalp and front area as well (see pic below)...can I use 1/2 a cup in the same time for these areas as well ? or would be an overdose so to speak ?
thanks!

 

[Heinrich Harrer]

Also, no gynecomastia until I gained weight. When I lose the weight I also lose the chest fat deposits.

How true is that statement? And I don’t mean you lie, I’m asking how true the “it’s gone” part is. Is it really going away completely? Is there constant puffiness regardless of weight/fat reduction? I know it may sound weird but I’d like to see some photos when the gyno is present and when it isn’t (both occasions need to be in warm temperature)

 

[FrankieNYC]

Hello Frankie
since my case is quite similar to yours (41 yo, male pattern baldness, my father went bald at 29-30, 2 kids so no longer afraid or propecia side efects ) I wanted to ask you about the actual use/dosage of minoxidil:
- I've just started with Rogaine foam and instructions say "only for vertex" and only 1/2 a cup per usage (1/2 morning and another 1/2 evening). But I have thin hair and baldness in my midscalp and front area as well (see pic below)...can I use 1/2 a cup in the same time for these areas as well ? or would be an overdose so to speak ?
thanks!

Hi Dan,
I do OD on minoxidil! Lol. The one month canister is not enough for me. I usually go through a one month foam canister every 2 weeks. I start with the temples and go back, crown, and pretty much the whole top. It takes a while to do since foam has to go right to the scalp and I have to use a mirror to part my hair and apply it. Overall it takes about 4-5 minutes.

I used to use the liquid and occasionally I do use it at night when I’m low on foam. Liquid is easier to apply but you have to wait longer to get out of the house, hence why I only use it at night. For the liquid I apply to the vertex and then with my head slightly up I apply to the temples and hairline. I then lay down for 5 minutes or so and let it drip down the middle of my scalp.

There will be considerable waste with either method: foam gets in your hair and the liquid drips. Thankfully they’re both relatively inexpensive now compared to how much they they were in the 90s/early 2000s. Also, they both make my scalp itch: more so with the liquid. I just give my scalp a good scratch with a brush 2x a week. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years so it can’t be that bad. In fact, when I used to use just large liquid I would scratch every other day.

 

[FrankieNYC]

How true is that statement? And I don’t mean you lie, I’m asking how true the “it’s gone” part is. Is it really going away completely? Is there constant puffiness regardless of weight/fat reduction? I know it may sound weird but I’d like to see some photos when the gyno is present and when it isn’t (both occasions need to be in warm temperature)

Hello Heinrich, you’re right, I don’t know if the little bit of growth I had has bec of the finasteride or weight gain. It’s hard to tell since I was not heavy in my 20s. By the time I gained weight (over 20 pounds my usual) I was already on finasteride. But one thing I have noticed: when my weight is in check I have no gyno. My excess body fat first appears on the side of my stomach and chest. The more fat I have on my sides the more chest fat I have. When I say chest fat, it’s also within normal: I can still wear a t shirt.
I’ll update this post with a pic of me later

 

[Dan77]

Hi Dan,
I do OD on minoxidil! Lol. The one month canister is not enough for me. I usually go through a one month foam canister every 2 weeks.

And you never had any side effects from using so much at one time ?
I've only started Rogaine 3 days ago and this morning (around 7 am) I applied 1/2 cup in 4 different areas (vertex, mid scalp, frontal and again on vertex)...so that would be double the dose recommended and by noon (so roughly 5 hrs later) I hear my ears pounding and they turned red which I suppose it's a sign of hypertension.
Is it only because I've only just begun or shoud I really lower the dosage ?
thanks

 

[FrankieNYC]

And you never had any side effects from using so much at one time ?
I've only started Rogaine 3 days ago and this morning (around 7 am) I applied 1/2 cup in 4 different areas (vertex, mid scalp, frontal and again on vertex)...so that would be double the dose recommended and by noon (so roughly 5 hrs later) I hear my ears pounding and they turned red which I suppose it's a sign of hypertension.
Is it only because I've only just begun or shoud I really lower the dosage ?
thanks

Hey Dan, I’ve never had any sides except for the scalp itch. You could be reacting differently to the minoxidil or the hypertension could be caused by something else. I also could have developed a tolerance for the minoxidil since I’ve been on it for so long.
I did start out with the 2% initially (since 5% wasn’t yet available). Maybe you could try slowly bringing up the amount?

 

[Gyyl]

Great thread. New member here...was looking for a similar story to mine. I'm 43, about to be 44 and started Finasteride in all forms(propecia, proscar, generic proscar) in my late 20's. Along side that, I've always tried to take herbal prostate saw palmetto type stuff so I wasn't strictly on Finasteride because being strictly on chemicals for so long tend to freak me out a bit. In the last couple years, I've slowed down a lot on finasteride and basically stick to the herbals with occasionally taking a 1/5 of generic proscar once a week. My hair seems to be staying put, for the most part, though, I did get a minimal hair transplant 1.5 years ago.

Lately, I've been having the urge to get up once a night and urinate. It's definitely disrupting my overall sleep. I am going through some life changes at the moment, big move, etc So I have a lot on my mind.

Of course, since finasteride is so related to the prostate and everything down there, I've always been worried it would somehow make me more susceptible to cancer or something alike.

So my question for the Op or any others that have been on finasteride as long as me. Do you guys have similar urination situations? As obviously, people are age tend to start having prostate problems and maybe taking these pills have masked it more, so since I've been taking less, my body is going extra crazy with urinating?

Were you or are you worried that long time usage would make you more vulnerable to prostate issues?

Anyhow, nice to hear some positive stories about long finasteride usage.

FrankieNYC: You got a great head of hair my friend.