How Is It Possible That Finasteride Is Working On Only One Part Of The Scalp?

[Gardy]

Here's the deal:
25 year old male.
Started losing hair at 19. Had sh.tload of hair so I didn't care, people said I will get mature hairline and that's it.
Hair continues to fall.
At 23 I was like "Well, this mature hairline stuff is getting out of hand, especially since I'm losing crown badly".
So then I started some bullsh1t products that didn't work. Won't even list them since it would just be waste of time.
At 24 went on finesteride 1.25mg daily, minoxidil 5% twice daily.
"Well, finally something that works", I was saying to myself.
The thing is, altough finasteride started working around 2 or 3 months after started taking it, it only worked on my hairline. On crown, I was still losing as much hair as before.
Minoxidil was also working, but the hair that grew thanks to minoxidil only stayed on my head if it was close to hairline. Hair that grew on my crown continued to fall off.

Today, after using finasteride for 11 months and minoxidil for 9 months, my crown is as bad as it was one year before, despite looking promising last summer (period from August - October of last year) when minoxidil was working it's magic.
Problem was, finasteride wasn't working it's magic on the crown area. Hairline is holding good (Norwood 2), I even regrew one of my temples a bit with help of minoxidil.

Just to give you some perspective, I lose around 50 hairs (I probably didn't use the correct term, but you know what I'm trying to say) per session of applying minoxidil. From the top of my head. So 50 hairs in the morning, 50 in the evening, and God knows how much during the rest of the day.
And that is after finasteride started working on my hairline and temples!
I started taking Avodart since last week, I'm taking it 3 times per week. On the days when I'm not taking Avodart, I'm still taking 1.25 mg of finstaride - Proscar.

So how da fook is possible that finasteride slowed down hair loss on my hairline and temples a lot, but it is pretty much useless when it comes to crown. Not only that, but the baldness that originated from the crown area is spreading towards my hairline. Badly.

I will probably add scalp massage and dermastamp microneedling to my routine pretty soon. I'm already using cetoconazol shampoo for as much time as I'm using minoxidil since I noticed a lot of dandruff on my hair after picking up minoxidil.

I'm interested to hear what you guys have to say about this sad case, my head.

 

[Gardy]

Just so you can visualize what I'm talking about:
May of 2018 (on finasteride for 2 months, still no results, just started minoxidil so obviously no results from that as well)


This is probably the worst my hair has ever looked. Also, I'm posting pictures in which my hair looks as bad as possible, since there are pics from same period in which situation on my head is not as bad.

 

[Gardy]

September of 2018, minoxidil is working in full mode.
Ignore the fact that you can see the top of my buttcheecks in one of the photos lmao.

 

[Gardy]

Sad situation as of today (February 2019)

This is basically also baseline for dutasteride since I picked it up last week.

I will probably update this thread periodically, not just so people in the same shoes as me can see how it is going for me so someone might learn something from my experience, but I'll be doing it for myself as well.

Until then, I want your thoughts, particularly in regards to the question in title.

Cheers my balding broes!

 

[ScaredOfBalding]

That's diffuse thinning my friend. Just another balding pattern where u lose hair all over.
And u should give a treatments atlesat 6 months -1 year before considering to stop or include new treatments.

 

[g.i joey]

Looks about the same my friend, I’d be happy you’re maintaining.

Also, maybe thebhairline loss is fresher than the crown loss, it’s very possible that you notice your crown thicken as time goes by, my brothers hair got better and better on finasteride up until 5 years and he is still going strong

 

[Gardy]

That's diffuse thinning my friend. Just another balding pattern where u lose hair all over.
And u should give a treatments atlesat 6 months -1 year before considering to stop or include new treatments.

I'm definitely aware of the fact that one should give that much time to see if the treatment is working or not.
Like I said, I've been on finasteride for 11 months and on minoxidil for 9 months. And I'm not stopping any of that, just adding dutasteride.

Thing is, situation I had after around 3-4 months of starting finasteride - hairline and temples stopped regressing but crown continues going places - that's the same situation I've been having ever since. No signs of getting better, or to put it more accurately, no signs of finasteride geting more "efficient". That's why I'm adding Avodart.

Cheers

 

[JGTayl]

Reckon you're doing well and holding ground! Are you using liquid minoxidil or the foam?

 

[Gardy]

Looks about the same my friend, I’d be happy you’re maintaining.

Well that is part of the problem - I'm not maintaining. Hair continues falling off, the only thing that bought me some time is regrowth that minoxidil gave me. Now that those gains are gone (on crown), it's back to shedding the rest of my hair. I still lose 40-50 hairs every time I apply minoxidil. Washing hair is story on it's own. Washing hair is a f.cking genocide of my hair follicules.

Sometimes I wonder how I'm not Norwood 7 already lol.

Also, maybe thebhairline loss is fresher than the crown loss, it’s very possible that you notice your crown thicken as time goes by, my brothers hair got better and better on finasteride up until 5 years and he is still going strong

This is a very good observation by you. Indeed, first part of my scalp that showed signals of hair loss (at the age of 19) was crown.
When you say that your brother's hair got better, do you mean that he stopped losing or even gained some hair? How long it took medications to start working for him? What is he using?

Thanks for your input either way.

 

[JGTayl]

Also remember hair growth is cyclical. Maybe you took the snaps on a bad month!

 

[Gardy]

Reckon you're doing well and holding ground! Are you using liquid minoxidil or the foam?

I'm using liquid minoxidil.
Man, when I look some of the photos of those nice gains I had last year... First pic is October of 2018, second pic is August of 2018.

 

[JGTayl]

October 2018 is impressive. I definitely had a bad shed spell or had paranoia earlier this year but blamed it on harsh hotel bathroom down lighting!

 

[Gardy]

Also remember hair growth is cyclical. Maybe you took the snaps on a bad month!

Well if dutasteride doesn't help, that will be the only hope to hold on to
Well, that and microneedling.
Considering how much I regrew last year, I would suppose my follicules are still alive, but they need to be set free.

 

[Gardy]

Bumping this thread for couple reasons.
First, maybe someone has any idea what to add as therapy on the part of the head that finasteride isn't helping me with.

Second, dutasteride update : after 6-7 weeks of using it 3 times per week, I feel there is still no effect from it, neither good or bad. Still using finasteride on other days.
I started with dermarolling (to put it more accurately, dermastamping) 1,5mm once per week five or six weeks ago. Also started 7% minoxidil around two months ago - first they gave me liquid version in my local pharmacy, now they gave me foam version.
Also, ketoconazole once in about 10-14 days.
Will stick with this regimen until September or October. So far no difference whatsoever compared to the classic finasterid + 5%minoxidil regimen. Crown is falling, hairline is holding.

If I won't have results by October, I will have to switch things up a bit.
I probably will not be willing to try more radical stuff like spironolactone 200mg daily orally or cypro, but I've seen articles saying topical spironolactone not being as dangerous as pills, so maybe I will give it a try in the future.
Suggestions are welcome.




Situation as of March.

 

[Gardy]

April update.



I feel I have slightly more hair on crown area than before. I could be wrong, of course. Maybe it's just because my hair is a bit longer than it was a month ago.

At least the shirt is same as the last month version of it

 

[Charlie Foxtrot]

Maybe it’s your hair being a bit longer indeed, but that crown definitely looks thicker than the before pic. I hope you get dem October gains back. Best of luck mate!

 

[shidoin]

April update.

View attachment 116370

I feel I have slightly more hair on crown area than before. I could be wrong, of course. Maybe it's just because my hair is a bit longer than it was a month ago.

At least the shirt is same as the last month version of it

Treatments are a roller coaster ride. If you stop rogaine at this point you will lose a ton of hair because the hairs become addicted to the drug. You can take dutasteride daily along with finasteride daily. I was taking 5 mg of finasteride and 0.5 mg dutasteride daily and had amazing regrowth. And for needleing. Be careful. You can actually cause scar tissue by using to long of neddles. The study used the small roller to cause redness! You don't need to see blood for it to work

 

[Gardy]

Maybe it’s your hair being a bit longer indeed, but that crown definitely looks thicker than the before pic. I hope you get dem October gains back. Best of luck mate!

Thanks man.

You can take dutasteride daily along with finasteride daily. I was taking 5 mg of finasteride and 0.5 mg dutasteride daily and had amazing regrowth.

Yes and I can also start looking at this year's Victoria's Secrets collection of bras alongside with that regimen.

I'm sticking with what I'm using right now till September/October. Then I might up the dosage, but not before giving this regimen enough time to work.

Cheers

 

[Gardy]

May update.


Not really much of an update, dutasteride doesn't seem to be working for me, at least for now. On a positive note, I didn't have hairline shed (at least for now also) like many people reported with duta.
One of my temples is regrowing light little hairs, but that had started even before I picked up duta and dermarolling so I can't attribute that to them.

Hair now looks better (or less bad) than in February, but only because it's longer so it covers more scalp. I have pretty much same hair as I had before trimming it in late January. Maybe little worse lol.
It depends on a day I guess.

I also reduced minoxidil to once per day.

God, I need to throw away that shirt, it's garbage.

Cheers.

 

[Gary Ferguson]

You look like you’re maintaining really well and the longer hair style is definitely better for your crown, the average person would not bat an eyelid at it