Finasteride shed cycles: Thinning before thickening. How many cycles?

[rerun]

Hey,

I have been lurking on here off and on for about year and finally decided to register. I have been taking Finasteride (1.25 mg) for a little over 2 years and have been experiencing sheds of varying intensity for most of the time (I had a bout of trauma induced telogen effluvium beforehand so some of the sheds may not be a result of Finasteride). The sheds have been diffuse and the new hair that has grown mixed in with the existing terminal hair is generally thin, even in non male pattern baldness prone areas, like above my ears.

Thankfully, I'm part Middle Eastern and have/had very thick, wavy medium length dark hair to start, so even as I have experienced sheds it's never been something terribly noticeable. Even now, only under certain lighting can you see my scalp.

I feel as if my hairs are on 2 paths:

1. The terminal or thicker hairs that continue to shed for whatever reason
2. The new growth that begins as very thin, sheds and regrows slightly thicker, sheds again and regrows thicker

I was wondering if this is typical for other people using Finasteride. Can it take several hair cycles for the hairs to become thick again? Has any one else had this experience of going through cycles of thinner hairs that progressively become thicker following sheds and regrowth? Also how long did it take to return to having thicker hairs? Even though I would want greater results after having used the product for over 2 years, I want to remain optimistic that perhaps I will start to see truly impressive growth and recovery in another year or 2... that is assuming that my hair really is cycling until it becomes thick again.

 

[rerun]

lol. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[aj218]

Well many people claim that study on finasteride showed that the effect starts to drop after 2 years, so if we go by this study you would not see thicker hairs but the opposite.

However there have been other studies which show that the effect can last for more than 5 years, so it could still thicken through the hair cycles.

One thing you could do (as you didn't mention if you did) is use minoxidil alongside finasteride, that has been shown to actually thicken hair.

Also the real key to finasteride is to maintain what you have so you don't go further bald. If your hair is thicker than it was when you first started taking it, then bro I would call that success.

 

[rerun]

Thanks for the input, aj218.

It's not thicker, but it seems to have gotten more stable quality wise. I remember there was a time when my hair felt utterly limp and lifeless or it was extremely kinky and just damaged. There was also a time in which my whole scalp was covered in a heavy layer of sebum/wax or something. It was weird because I could kind of scratch the sebum/wax off. That has resolved.

I think my hair follicles may have been heavily affected by DHT, so it's taking a bit longer to cycle back to the original thickness. The biggest trade off right now is that whereas a year or 2 ago I had thicker terminal hairs with more space in between each follicle (from hairs that had shed), now I seem to have less space in between each follicle (which is good), though the hairs are not all back to terminal thickness (some are very thin while some are medium thickness and show great promise).

Basically, now it's like having more trees in the forest, but the trees are thinner. Hopefully in a year I will be back to baseline.

 

[aj218]

Yeah I have the same problem about the spacinf between the terminal hairs. I've been diffuse thinning before i started finasteride (i've been on it for 3 months) and that left more space between the terminal hairs. I do see quite a few hairs growing in these spaces but their very thin. At the same time I keep shedding very thick terminal hairs, even from my sides but only the nape and close to my ears. This has left my hair looking much thinner, i just hope this shedding part sorts out as that's just killing me in some ways. I'm not too bothered if I can't regrow to what I had when I noticed hairloss 1.5 years ago, i'd rather the shedding stop and I maintain than regrow but be under constant sheds. It gives you a worry that your male pattern baldness is just accelerating at a fast pace.

 

[rerun]

At the same time I keep shedding very thick terminal hairs, even from my sides but only the nape and close to my ears. This has left my hair looking much thinner, i just hope this shedding part sorts out as that's just killing me in some ways. I'm not too bothered if I can't regrow to what I had when I noticed hairloss 1.5 years ago, i'd rather the shedding stop and I maintain than regrow but be under constant sheds. It gives you a worry that your male pattern baldness is just accelerating at a fast pace.

That's the worst. I really wish the shedding would only happen at least in the typical male pattern baldness area. It's baffling that it's shedding on the sides.

Yeah, if I could just have Finasteride maintain the hair, that would be awesome. I don't like this concept of it having to shed and look like crap for months and months until it can finally look decent again.

If the regrowth that you are seeing is very thin, supposedly it's going to shed again, at which point when it regrows it might be thicker. It may take several cycles to thicken substantially, so let's hope you have enough remaining terminal hairs that can endure the sheds and recovery process.

 

[aj218]

I think the thinning sides and nape are natural as many of the guys that are balding in my family (even the guys who aren't) seem to have the same problem, it might just be retrograde alopecia. I don't think i'll ever go bald in these areas but they might just stay thin.

Yeah I've got the same hair type as you, thick wavy hair except mine is a very dark brown-black colour, the hair I have left is still very thick, it's just the hair count that has dropped but there is enough cover up that fact that I'm thinning. People think I'm middle eastern because of my hair, facial structure and skin tone but I'm actually south asian, though my dad says I might have some middle eastern ancestry on my mum's side. One thing I've noticed is that alot of middle eastern guys seem to diffuse thin when they start balding, especially among the guys I know.

I do believe that I have been having the same effects with finasteride that you have been having as pre finasteride I had a layer of sebum covering my scalp but nowadays I have to try hard to find any sebum, the only time I find any is when I have just woken up and it's still just a fraction of what I had before.

One thing I've realised is that as hairs are tapered when growing back there could be hairs that look very thin initially due to the tapered end but have a much thicker shaft. I've had hairs growing that looked very thin to begin with but once they passed 1-2cm they were very thick, sadly these hairs grew pre finasteride and I think the shedding has forced them out. None the less, I do believe that you may have some hairs like that.

Also, I wanted to ask, were you losing quite a bit of hair prior to finasteride or did you notice 'shedding' after you started?

 

[rerun]

That's cool. Some South Asian people can look Middle Eastern. I think it's lame how our thick hair gives the illusion that we are immune to hair loss. When you're born with thick hair, you and other people expect it to stay that way. I was known for having an awesome head of hair, so I'm a bit embarrassed by the possibility that it may disappear or dramatically thin.

Although I'm not around a lot of Middle Eastern people, I think you may be right about how they tend to have diffuse thinning. I had some college friends who were probably in their early 20s and were diffuse thinning pretty badly.

The tapered hairs are really interesting. You're right about how some of them can become thicker hairs once they have grown a bit.

I was shedding a lot perhaps 3 months prior to starting Finasteride. I had a case of telogen effluvium, which means something shocked my body and caused the hairs to shed (probably stress and poor nutrition). The Finasteride probably increased the shedding, though. lol.

 

[aj218]

Yeah I used to love combing my hair back, people would always say 'you'll never go bald' or 'wow i don't your hair would ever go thin'. My mum tried to convince me that my hairline is naturally receded, it was only when I showed her how thin my hair was getting did she believe me. It's annoying how i have to style my hair to cover up. I've even resorted to toppik to make my hair look like it did before the extra shedding from finasteride. I end up overdoing it makinf it seem as if my hair has thickened up to what is was before prompting my mum to say 'see i said your hair would grow back' *groan*.

I was shedding a lot perhaps 3 months prior to starting Finasteride. I had a case of telogen effluvium, which means something shocked my body and caused the hairs to shed (probably stress and poor nutrition). The Finasteride probably increased the shedding, though. lol.

Yeah i suddenly started losing alot of hair after i lost 10kg in a space of 4 weeks by not eating properly and falling into a depression because of a girl. So i could've had Telogen Effluvium which induced my male pattern baldness.

One thing i wanna say is that people say it takes 3 months for hair to grow back once it sheds. Theres another thing I've read where it says it can take 9 months as in some people the dermal papillae have to restart growing. So I wanna ask, did you see quite a bit more hair growing around the 9 month-1 year mark?

 

[rerun]

Yeah, it seems like you also had Telogen Effluvium, which can kickstart male pattern baldness if you are prone to it. That's why it's still useful to go on Finasteride even if it may increase shedding for a while.

No, I didn't see more hair growing around the 9 month-1 year mark. I think for the first year actually it seemed as if the shed hairs were not regrowing. I still had a lot of hair left at the time, so it was okay. I think during that first year, my hair really took a dive quality wise. It became extremely dry and would stick to each other and even form knots, which I had never experienced before.

I remember wondering why despite having that oil or sebum on my scalp, my hairs weren't absorbing the natural oils. Also, my hair would usually curl in a certain way prior to the hair problems. During the first year of shedding, the hairs just went limp and lifeless, as if they were destined to fall out at any time.

I want to say that after 1.5 years I started to see some very fine regrowth. The hairs could grow several inches, but they were extremely thin and not really useful cosmetically. Now the quality of my hair is improving again. The hairs are not as dry and they are returning to curling in their old style.

Now when I part my hair, I am seeing new hairs that are about 1-2 inches long and these hairs seem fairly thick actually. I hope they continue to grow, because I have had some experiences in which thick hairs have shed after only growing an inch.

 

[aj218]

Yeah when I part my hair i do find quite a lot of 1 inch hairs growing, some really thick some thin. I've even noticed quite a few on my hairline. I hope this is a good sign because the shedding has hit the quality of my hair really hard, it looks more wispy especially after my recent haircut. Although, as of late, it seems i'm shedding less hair than I was 2 weeks back.

I do wonder though what my hair would be like if I had started finasteride back when i noticed my hairloss 1.5 years ago instead of 4 months ago. I also wonder what my hair would be like if I had been on minoxidil for a while.

Do you use minoxidil or did you ever?

 

[rerun]

That's good that the shedding has lessened and you're seeing regrowth. You might want to look into vitamins that can improve hair quality and/or growth. A multi-vitamin is good for general health. Biotin is commonly used to promote hair growth and to strengthen hair quality. You can run an online search for confirmation and lots of anecdotal evidence of its use having a positive effect on hair growth.

I have never used Minoxidil. I have longer hair, which would make application difficult (I think), and I don't have the kind of lifestyle where I can commit to applying it regularly twice a day. I could easily see myself forgetting every night or some mornings. For now, it's a last resort. I'll see how much I can recover from Finasteride and Nizoral. If I need an extra boost, then I might add Minoxidil.

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My shedding has basically stopped in the last 2 weeks. I can't believe it. It's really strange. I'm so used to running my fingers through my hair throughout the day and removing a few strands each time. Now, very very little sheds. I even had a shower these last few days in which I had no hair on my hands.

I really hope this is a good sign and not just a little break in between sheds.

 

[rerun]

Going through a major shed. It sucks. I don't know if it has to do with Spring approaching.

On the upside, I see a lot of tiny hairs on my scalp. I hope they will thicken as they continue to grow.

 

[Finornah]

Hey rerun, I feel like we are very similar. I have been on pro. 1mg a day for around 18 months now. I had a great success and some slight regrowth up until I wanna say 2 months ago. I am a big gym guy and started taking creatine 2 months ago ( something I have been staying away from). I noticed that I had a lot of hairs in my hands during a shower. Likewise, the front of my headhair which used to be thick has now been thinning. Especially on the sides of the front. If the front thins I may have to go to Bosley lol not really lol. I have been off Telogen Effluvium creatine and noticed a little less of hair in t hands during a shower but still too much for comfort. So I'm guessing this may be my seconds shed? Hopefully it stops. I haven't heard of propecia "loosing effect" and plan on continuing taking it for at least another year to 3. Sooooo that's my story, fear of propecia loosing effect, currently experiencing some thinning but that may be from increased gym activity or a brief use if supplements.

So rerun, what is your status has Telogen Effluvium shed stopped???

 

[Benjamin36]

Everyone's experience with hair loss treatments will be different. I've read posts from guys who think Propecia saved their hair, then you have guys like me who saw their hair thin out within a few short months of starting. Everyone responds differently.

 

[Lennox]

First off all I want to apologize myself for my english but normally I communicate in another language.
I am 21 years old and live in Berlin, Germany. Well, fortunately my case is a blessing in disguise, I guess.
I do not have to suffer of any significant side effects of finasteride, except for the issue that every day a lot of hair is falling out, after I took this pharmaceutical. It is an amount with a disproportionately high dimension. (about 200-300 every day)

But let me tell you my story more detailed:
I do not overact, when I assert, that my hair density was very awesome the time before I started to useing this medicament. Everytime I went to the hairdresser, he had to thin out my hair.
Anyway since my birth I had a receding corner, which looked not bad, and it was not inconspicuous neither but probably I am a bit narcissistic, so I went to a very famous Doctor in Berlin to discuss the possibility of a hair transplantation. He told me that I would need psychological help, because my hair situation looked very good and every european man would have one recending corner, in his opinion.
But he recommended that I should take a pharmaceutical called Finasterid "to keep your lovely hair for a long time."
It is a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor what means it inhibits the dihydrotestosterone ( I think the most of you know what i am talking about)
3 month after taking this drug I noticed that a way too much hair was falling out.
In the next couple of weeks I was out of my mind it was a very hard time in my life.
I felt so powerless and I did not know what I suppose to do. I phoned my Doctor and he told me that I should not believe, that finasteride could be any reason for this situation. I should keep taking it and I should calm down. I followed his instruction but there was no improvement. Everwhere on my head the hair was falling out even at the sides and my back! Additionally my scalp burned and was very itchy suddenly. The most shocking situation was the point I was able to see a lot of my scalp, when the light was on a specific chevron.
After 8 month I stopped the "experiment", because i did not want watching destroying my hair anymore. There is a causal reason between Finasterid and this phenomenon, I am convinced. In the space of just 8 month my look turned extremly. My high hair density is gone and I look 10 years older.
But the most shocking fact is that nothing changed till I broke off.
I am "clean" about 6 month and every ****ing day I see my hair falling everday more than 100 pieces. I really dont know how I should act i know it sounds effeminate but I am desperate. Every morning I hope that is a nightmare but when I look in the mirror I know it is REAL...
Can you give me any advice or could you help me to understanding this problem i must to fix that!!
I would do anything to turn back the time.
Yours faithfully
Lennox

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How can I show You Pics?

- - - Updated - - -

First off all I want to apologize myself for my english but normally I communicate in another language.
I am 21 years old and live in Berlin, Germany. Well, fortunately my case is a blessing in disguise, I guess.
I do not have to suffer of any significant side effects of finasteride, except for the issue that every day a lot of hair is falling out, after I took this pharmaceutical. It is an amount with a disproportionately high dimension. (about 200-300 every day)

But let me tell you my story more detailed:
I do not overact, when I assert, that my hair density was very awesome the time before I started to useing this medicament. Everytime I went to the hairdresser, he had to thin out my hair.
Anyway since my birth I had a receding corner, which looked not bad, and it was not inconspicuous neither but probably I am a bit narcissistic, so I went to a very famous Doctor in Berlin to discuss the possibility of a hair transplantation. He told me that I would need psychological help, because my hair situation looked very good and every european man would have one recending corner, in his opinion.
But he recommended that I should take a pharmaceutical called Finasterid "to keep your lovely hair for a long time."
It is a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor what means it inhibits the dihydrotestosterone ( I think the most of you know what i am talking about)
3 month after taking this drug I noticed that a way too much hair was falling out.
In the next couple of weeks I was out of my mind it was a very hard time in my life.
I felt so powerless and I did not know what I suppose to do. I phoned my Doctor and he told me that I should not believe, that finasteride could be any reason for this situation. I should keep taking it and I should calm down. I followed his instruction but there was no improvement. Everwhere on my head the hair was falling out even at the sides and my back! Additionally my scalp burned and was very itchy suddenly. The most shocking situation was the point I was able to see a lot of my scalp, when the light was on a specific chevron.
After 8 month I stopped the "experiment", because i did not want watching destroying my hair anymore. There is a causal reason between Finasterid and this phenomenon, I am convinced. In the space of just 8 month my look turned extremly. My high hair density is gone and I look 10 years older.
But the most shocking fact is that nothing changed till I broke off.
I am "clean" about 6 month and every ****ing day I see my hair falling everday more than 100 pieces. I really dont know how I should act i know it sounds effeminate but I am desperate. Every morning I hope that is a nightmare but when I look in the mirror I know it is REAL...
Can you give me any advice or could you help me to understanding this problem i must to fix that!!
I would do anything to turn back the time.
Yours faithfully
Lennox

Lennox Posts: 18Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 12:23 amCountry: Germany

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[Armando Jose]

Hi lennox
Your experience is clear to me, finasteride alters hair cycle, also in person without alopecia (as you), in the healthy scalp hairs.
"Everwhere on my head the hair was falling out even at the sides"
Please stop finasteride

Your doctor should not advice the use of finas,

 

[I.D WALKER]

Yes if you don't "truly suffer" from A.G.A. or M.P.B., then your doctor's actions are unwarranted. I wholeheartedly agree with Armando to stop your finasteride. Since we have no idea presently if finasteride. can work preemptively. First get your situation stabilized. If you are predisposed to M.P.B. and begin to experience symptoms, then you may decide revisiting finasteride. is the right choice for you. If your slight recession still continues to plague you I am sure that if you diligently do your home work, that you will eventually find a proficient and reputable surgeon who is willing to engage your interests. Thanx for sharing and all the best.

Hi lennox
Your experience is clear to me, finasteride alters hair cycle, also in person without alopecia (as you), in the healthy scalp hairs.
"Everwhere on my head the hair was falling out even at the sides"
Please stop finasteride

Your doctor should not advice the use of finas,

 

[matthew-30]

I know this is an older thread but I was wondering did anyone who had thier hair shed and regrow those little thin hairs have those same thin hairs thicken up? I pull my hair back and I see thousands of little hairs sticking up all over. They are a half inch to an inch long and tapered at the end, meaning they are new. But they are thin. Did your hairs eventually thicken up?

 

[jetlife1]

From the 10-year Finasteride 1mg study:

"Presumably, under the influence of finasteride, whose blood concentration is not going to be reduced over time, previously miniatur- ized scalp hairs continued to become longer, thicker, and more cosmetically significant during 10 years treatment because it is still working as a selective type, the II 5a-reductase inhibitor. Since miniaturization of scalp hairs in Androgenetic Alopecia develops over a period of many years, it is not surprising that reversal of this process may also take a number of years."