Do you guys see progress?!

Lito2

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first 3 months of use I was very inconsistent with finasteride due to sides. I was taking .25mg EOD and sometimes I would go 3 to 4 days without taking it. Since getting the sides under control in January of this year I started to take 1.25mg daily. I have noticed a decrease in shedding, but it's not consistent. I have taken before and after pics, but can't tell a difference in some of them or I think I'm biased - as I'm looking for improvements. I need non biased opinions. Do you guys see improvement?!

The first two pictures are from October of 2015, and the others are from April 2016
image.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpeg

On May 27th I visited my hair Doctor again for the first time in 6months. We redid the basic I tests such as measure density, miniaturization mapping, and compared side by side photos taken in November vs current. Needless to say, the improvements were obivious on all tests - gains have been made. Nothing drastic, but it improved. After this appointment I opted to buzz my head to a number 3 to keep myself from counting hairs, and worrying about my hairloss. I have chosen to forgo minoxidil for now, and have just added trichomin shampoo and conditioner. Since shaving my head I have felt a lot better, and don't think about my hair all that often. I wish o would have buzzed it a year ago! I was initially really scared and thought it would make my thining and frontal recession more noticeable, but it intact did the opposite.

update 6/5/16:

I buzzed my head to a number 3 two weeks ago. Here are pictures of what it looks like




UPDATE 12/22/16:

I have been taking a full recommended dose of finsateride for almost a year - 11 months to be exact. I have been absent for some time, because I have had "success"; seldomly thinking about my hair Now. I attribute most of my "success" to the fact that I shaved my head, and I happen to look half decent with the buzz cut. But, another part of my success is definitely attributed to finasteride. I haven't made much in terms of gains, but I have definitely maintained over the course of a year. Any breast pain and or side effects that I once experienced from dosing finasteride have been absent for 9+ months, thus I take my pill daily without reservation or much thought. The minor increase in gyno is still present, and I assume will be until I get it surgically removed. But, it also hasn't gotten any bigger since the first few months on finasteride. Anyway, I am posting this update because I recall how frustrated I got during my "bald crisis" when I'd discover posts without follow ups. I have had my head shaved to a number one for the past 6-7 months, so comparison pics are difficult. Here is the only one I could find where my hair was longer than a "buz". Merry Xmas all! It gets better. Good luck with your regimens!

Update 7/13/17

Hey all! It's been a while since I've visited the boards. But as promised, I will continue to drop in with updates! My hairline has definitely gotten thicker, and appears to still be slowly thickening up. I have started to grow my hair out again - the first time in over a year and half. It's not perfect, but I'm content with it. I still take 1.25 mg of finasteride every day, and continue to be side effect free. Here is a recent pic of my hairline. Keep up the hope, and stick to your regimens!

10-10-19 My last and final update for life:

First off, I’d like to thank all you fellas for being here through my hair loss journey. There were many weeks over the last 4 years or so that I felt like I wouldn’t have made it through without you and this board.

Now to the update. I quit finasteride cold turkey on February 12th. I quit because I just got to a point in my life where my hair and my physical appearance stopped being so important. I understand that this isn’t an option or route for everyone, and I completely support the use of any and all products that help others feel good about themselves - as long as it’s within reason. So for those of you still fighting the good fight - keep on brothers. In the 8mo this since I quit, I have noticed mild thinning on my hairline. But, I expected it and I expect it to continue. What I didn’t expect was the drastic change in my body, emotions, and sex drive. While on finasteride, I struggled to maintain weight but I attributed it to getting older and stress (I’m 31 and work two as a psychotherapist). Likewise, my sex drive was minimal but again I attributed it to age, stress, and work hours. I also would have these cry spells and anxiety attacks. But, I didn’t put too much thought into them, as I have struggled with anxiety my whole life (yes, even psychotherapists have emotional struggles, which is why most become therapists). Since being off finasteride, my sex drive has been craaazy. No matter how tired or stressed I am I can always get it up and I’m always down to bang. I now have to double my calorie intake or I can’t keep weight on - like the good old days. And lastly, my anxiety attacks are minimal and I can’t remember the last time I cried randomly in the day. Point is, I feel great after stopping finasteride. Now, I can’t sit here and say finasteride was the cause or that it in fact exacerbated my issues. As I believe anecdotal evidence is a logical fallacy when it comes to these things. Likewise, I understand that correlation does not equal causation. But the point still remains the same - I quit finasteride and I’m doing well. I’ll be in the boards for the next week to answer any questions or DMs you all might have about my experience.
Here is a pic of my buzzed head 8months after quitting.
 

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hellouser

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Looks more or less the same.
 

Kingswat0

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I can definitely see some improvement overall in density. I also see some regrowth of your temples! :)
Seems like you are responding well to the treatment, keep it up and good luck man.
 

Roberto_72

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I don't think the images can be compared.
In order for hair images to compare, you need the following:
- exact Same angle (preferably from top, with the help of another person)
- exact Same hair length

in the first two images, hair is longer than in the following.
Can't compare; however, shorter hair definitely looks thicker on you (or it really is thicker).
 

Lito2

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I don't think the images can be compared.
In order for hair images to compare, you need the following:
- exact Same angle (preferably from top, with the help of another person)
- exact Same hair length

in the first two images, hair is longer than in the following.
Can't compare; however, shorter hair definitely looks thicker on you (or it really is thicker).

The top is cut the same length as it was in the first two images. As I have been afraid to cut it shorter to expose my temples and thinness. I now just go super short on the sides, and leave the top. Thanks for the input guys! More opinions welcome!!
 

GiveMeAccessToMyAccount

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I thought I posted here already.

Raising your eyebrows in one picture, and not raising them in another will give the appearance of a lower/higher hairline. Which is the case with a few pics. Try keeping your facial expression neutral when taking pictures. Don't do anything with your eyebrows.

With that said, there may be some improvement in the temple area. It's definitely not worse. Like others said, just keep it up.
 

Take It Parise

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I seriously can't tell if people are trolling you or not...? But I see a huge improvement in your hairline. Congrats dude!
 

Fermat

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The 'after' pic needs to be the same angle and lighting... If I have good lighting and angle I can look NW1 despite being NW2.5
 

I.D WALKER

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+1

Hats and hair pieces off to you sir!
Remarkable recovery.
 

hwezdarik

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Good improvement, see a lot of small hairs up front :), Did you experienced shedding before ? :) I reckon a small hair transplant and you are golden :)
 

Lito2

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Thanks every one! i was losing a lot of hair daily, so I didn't even bother to check if I was shedding any more than usual. Before finasteride I was losing 200 hairs a day at the very least. After staring finasteride my shed rate dropped to 60-90 hairs a day tops. But, I am currently shedding again and I'm definitely worrying. For the last 3-4weeks I've been losing around 130-160 hairs a day - a noticeable increase from just a month ago. I didn't change my regimen at all, but I think it could be that I cycled off letrozole fully last month and now I'm seeing the effects. If it's not the letrozole then I attribute it to a good shed which will result in good growth. Haha. Still concerning for sure tho.
 

Lito2

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Hoping you guys can give me reassurance or advice - I'm freaking out! In Mid January I started to take 1.25mg daily for the first time, and have not missed a single dose since. I also started taking letrozole at the exact same time, which is what allowed for my side effects to disappear. The last week in February and all of March I counted how many hairs I shed each day religiously - ranging from 60-90 and never going over 100. It was phenomenal. I also started to notice growth. But, in middle of March I started to slowly wean off of letrozole while I continued to take finasteride - hoping my side effects wouldn't return. The great news is my side effects haven't returned and I have been of letrozole for about a month. The bad news, I have been consistently shedding 130-160 hairs daily since early April! I'm freaking out, and have no idea what to think or what to do! Is it that my male pattern baldness is too strong? Is this a another shed from finasteride because I upped my dose in Jan? Or is it the hormone fluctuation I experienced coming off letrozole?! Desperately want reassurance! I don't want to upgrade to DUTASTERIDE, but I'm definitely contemplating it!
 
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