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I started losing hair at 16 (I am 27 now). Debatable whether it was anything drastic, but at that time I noticed my left temple was more sparse than my right. Finally, I turned 19 and started taking 1mg finasteride daily. I didn’t notice a difference to my hair on finasteride, but no further loss.
In 2020, I got a buzz cut. I was quite surprised to see thin coverage on top (compared to back and sides), so I decided to strengthen my fight against male pattern baldness and get on dutasteride 0.5mg/day (Aug 20).
Leading up to the switch, I had researched dutasteride extensively. The consensus was that it would reduce more DHT than finasteride, which seemed backed by studies where men taking dutasteride would see a greater increase in hair count when compared to finasteride.
So I was pretty shocked that, despite my good faith and best efforts, I saw my hair get progressively worse, and at what seemed an accelerated pace. I kept referring to online forums where people said to trust the process and ride it out, but at 18 months I was honest with myself that my hair wasn’t getting better. All the hair on top of my head had thinned. Now under bright light, my entire hairline, and hair on top is sparse, and my shiny scalp is noticeable.
I was perplexed… how could reducing my DHT result in much more loss? Then I read that dutasteride could increase T, which made sense since I have high libido on dutasteride. T can also miniaturise hair follicles, though not as much as DHT. I read about RU58841. A topical anti-androgenic solution which could compete against scalp T & DHT. Naturally I ordered it and started applying ~75mg every night to my scalp. I’ve been using it 4 months and cannot see any improvements. Perhaps it’s too soon, but I am tired/frustrated/depressed that nothing is working.
Surely I should make a change somehow? I thought about maybe having a regimen where I take a combination on finasteride and dutasteride. For example, finasteride 4x a week, and dutasteride 3x. The logic being that it may reduce T? Do you think it’s worth having my bloods done to see my T/DHT levels? I wouldn’t have anything to compare them to but I assume there are standard markers for high/low T.
I know a lot of people on this forum seem to be quite clued up, and are kind enough to give advice. So I would really appreciate any ideas or tips. Thank you so much for reading
I also posted a photo of my sparse hairline as it appears today.
In 2020, I got a buzz cut. I was quite surprised to see thin coverage on top (compared to back and sides), so I decided to strengthen my fight against male pattern baldness and get on dutasteride 0.5mg/day (Aug 20).
Leading up to the switch, I had researched dutasteride extensively. The consensus was that it would reduce more DHT than finasteride, which seemed backed by studies where men taking dutasteride would see a greater increase in hair count when compared to finasteride.
So I was pretty shocked that, despite my good faith and best efforts, I saw my hair get progressively worse, and at what seemed an accelerated pace. I kept referring to online forums where people said to trust the process and ride it out, but at 18 months I was honest with myself that my hair wasn’t getting better. All the hair on top of my head had thinned. Now under bright light, my entire hairline, and hair on top is sparse, and my shiny scalp is noticeable.
I was perplexed… how could reducing my DHT result in much more loss? Then I read that dutasteride could increase T, which made sense since I have high libido on dutasteride. T can also miniaturise hair follicles, though not as much as DHT. I read about RU58841. A topical anti-androgenic solution which could compete against scalp T & DHT. Naturally I ordered it and started applying ~75mg every night to my scalp. I’ve been using it 4 months and cannot see any improvements. Perhaps it’s too soon, but I am tired/frustrated/depressed that nothing is working.
Surely I should make a change somehow? I thought about maybe having a regimen where I take a combination on finasteride and dutasteride. For example, finasteride 4x a week, and dutasteride 3x. The logic being that it may reduce T? Do you think it’s worth having my bloods done to see my T/DHT levels? I wouldn’t have anything to compare them to but I assume there are standard markers for high/low T.
I know a lot of people on this forum seem to be quite clued up, and are kind enough to give advice. So I would really appreciate any ideas or tips. Thank you so much for reading
I also posted a photo of my sparse hairline as it appears today.