Did I ever need finasteride ? Been on it for two years

[JohnSmith21]

Been taking finasteride for two years. I am not sure if I was ever really going bald though, or forming a mature hairline. These pics are when I first started noticing hair loss, at 24 (I’m 26 now). So around 2-6 months BEFORE finasteride

 

[JohnSmith21]

These were before I ever noticed any hair loss, around 6 months before the pics above

 

[JohnSmith21]

And these are from the other day, after two years on finasteride. My hairline def improved, but my density actually feels lower. I’m wondering if I ever needed finasteride, and If I’ll lose a significant amount of hair If I come off

 

[JohnSmith21]

I get what you're wondering about. Maybe you did lose the slightest bit of hair between puberty and when you started finasteride. You want to know would the way your hair looked in the before pictures have stayed that way. No way to know. Your hair looked fine in the before pictures but your hair does look better in the after. So whether you would have kept that original hair for life, who knows, but the finasteride did make your hair even better. I think almost all people (men especially) benefit from lowering the DHT at the hair. I've seen dudes on here who had even better than your before pictures. They were NW0 and 100% had no hair loss, they had ridiculous thick hair, yet finasteride still made their hair even thicker. Maybe it just slightly increased their hair diameter, when DHT was dropped. That is not to say those guys need or should ever take finasteride. I mean would finasteride probably make Bill Clintons or Ronald Reagans hair even thicker? Maybe it would or maybe it wouldn't but they didn't have hair loss and retained juvenile full heads of hair.

If you have no sides, I would continue to take it, because you had good hair before and now I would say it's great. Your top pictures were a Norwood on one side and Norwood 1.5 on the other, with still good density. Now you are a Norwood 1 on one side and Norwood 0.5 on the other, with great density. You are started to round back down to a juvenile or female hairline.

I appreciate the response bro. Yeah and the thing is, Idgaf about being NW2. Like I’m cool with that lol. I just figured that If I started thinning I’d keep thinning. But I did go right back to Norwood 1 on finasteride, but that’s wasn’t even the goal. Very confusing sh*t

 

[Fontaine]

I appreciate the response bro. Yeah and the thing is, Idgaf about being NW2. Like I’m cool with that lol. I just figured that If I started thinning I’d keep thinning. But I did go right back to Norwood 1 on finasteride, but that’s wasn’t even the goal. Very confusing sh*t

Yeah yeah, we'll see about that when the time comes

 

[Jeju]

Yeah yeah, we'll see about that when the time comes

Absolutely nothing wrong with a thick nw2

 

[JohnSmith21]

Yeah yeah, we'll see about that when the time comes

I’m just worried about going to NW3. Idk if there is an indication that I would. Thick NW2 is no different then NW1 I feel like looks wise

 

[Fontaine]

I’m just worried about going to NW3. Idk if there is an indication that I would. Thick NW2 is no different then NW1 I feel like looks wise

Well, it only goes downhill after NW1. Once you're past NW3 with thinning it's sudden death looks-wise

Best to aim high

 

[jazz1]

You still have great hair, add a derma roller, minoxidil an Ketaconazole shampoo.

 

[JohnSmith21]

You still have great hair, add a derma roller, minoxidil an Ketaconazole shampoo.

My question is more along the lines of, was I ever going bald. As in, if I come off finasteride will I lose a significant amount more hair. I provided the pre finasteride pics

 

[jazz1]

My question is more along the lines of, was I ever going bald. As in, if I come off finasteride will I lose a significant amount more hair. I provided the pre finasteride pics

You said yourself density and hairline improved so must have helped, i reckon yes.

 

[trialAcc]

My question is more along the lines of, was I ever going bald. As in, if I come off finasteride will I lose a significant amount more hair. I provided the pre finasteride pics

Looks like you had some thinning on the front sides in the befores, it's gone in the afters. I'd say finasteride did it's job better then most.

 

[JohnSmith21]

Looks like you had some thinning on the front sides in the befores, it's gone in the afters. I'd say finasteride did it's job better then most.

What Norwood was I at pre finasteride and where do you think I was heading ? I kinda wanna stop taking it but I’m scared I’ll lose hair haha

 

[trialAcc]

What Norwood was I at pre finasteride and where do you think I was heading ? I kinda wanna stop taking it but I’m scared I’ll lose hair haha

like NW0 going Norwood-1.5? I'd have no way of knowing where you were heading, I guess you'd have to look at your family history for that.

Impossible for anyone to make that judgement for you. If you quit it you have to do so knowing that if was responsible for that pretty obvious improvement, you'll likely lose it as well as whatever you could have lost had you not taken it. Perhaps you could look at just lowering the dose to 2-3x weekly and see if start to shed.

 

[JohnSmith21]

like NW0 going Norwood-1.5? I'd have no way of knowing where you were heading, I guess you'd have to look at your family history for that.

Impossible for anyone to make that judgement for you. If you quit it you have to do so knowing that if was responsible for that pretty obvious improvement, you'll likely lose it as well as whatever you could have lost had you not taken it. Perhaps you could look at just lowering the dose to 2-3x weekly and see if start to shed.

Ironically I always shed a lot, pre finasteride and while on it

 

[DoctorHouse]

My question is more along the lines of, was I ever going bald. As in, if I come off finasteride will I lose a significant amount more hair. I provided the pre finasteride pics

You were forming a mature hairline so obviously you were losing your juvenile hairline. No one can predict if you will go beyond that. Most people tend to say once you hit around NW3, you could say you are definitely balding. Some people think losing your juvenile hairline is balding. It's all up to you when you are ready to say it is happening. Was @JohnSmith21 always your username. I remember another poster on here with a similar situation with a different username.

 

[JohnSmith21]

You were forming a mature hairline so obviously you were losing your juvenile hairline. No one can predict if you will go beyond that. Most people tend to say once you hit around NW3, you could say you are definitely balding. Some people think losing your juvenile hairline is balding. It's all up to you when you are ready to say it is happening. Was @JohnSmith21 always your username. I remember another poster on here with a similar situation with a different username.

Yeah It was always my user name. You’ve actually commented on a lot of my threads in the past, always helpful . Where do you think I was at pre finasteride and where do you think I was heading ? Feel like losing a juvinelle hairline is normal

 

[DoctorHouse]

Yeah It was always my user name. You’ve actually commented on a lot of my threads in the past, always helpful . Where do you think I was at pre finasteride and where do you think I was heading ? Feel like losing a juvinelle hairline is normal

I thought your photos looked familiar. But there was another guy on here too that had a similar case. I forgot his username but he left the forum( lucky him). Pre finasteride, I would say about NW1.5 on left temple and NW1 right temple. We have almost indentical hairlines but I am the opposite of you. My right side is worse than my left which is more common. I probably commented on your posts since our hairlines look almost the same. Your density did improve so you are a success. I live in area where we have alot of hispanics and ironically they never lose the juvenile hairline. So in certain ethnicities they never lose it. So from that perspective, our situation would be considered the first phase of frontal balding.

 

[JohnSmith21]

I thought your photos looked familiar. But there was another guy on here too that had a similar case. I forgot his username but he left the forum( lucky him). Pre finasteride, I would say about NW1.5 on left temple and NW1 right temple. We have almost indentical hairlines but I am the opposite of you. My right side is worse than my left which is more common. I probably commented on your posts since our hairlines look almost the same. Your density did improve so you are a success. I live in area where we have alot of hispanics and ironically they never lose the juvenile hairline. So in certain ethnicities they never lose it. So from that perspective, our situation would be considered the first phase of frontal balding.

I always wonder if I didn’t take it would I just go to Norwood 2 and stop, like 75% of white men lol

 

[DoctorHouse]

I always wonder if I didn’t take it would I just go to Norwood 2 and stop, like 75% of white men lol

I have always wondered the same thing in my case but my dad had a NW3 in his late teens. Finasteride is just an insurance policy.