Let The Journey Begin (long Term Documentation)

[baba_yaga]

Clearly diffuse thinning, don't fool yourself. The problem is, diffuse pattern doesn't mean you won't lose your hairline. Mine started receding in February after months of diffuse thinning. Right side first, and now my left temple. I lost it literally in a matter of days. A juvenile temple to a 35yr old guy temple in a week.

You lost hair while you were on treatments?

 

[Ritchie]

Yes you do. Of course the very begning thinning process isn't that fast, but the final stage is. My right temple recession was slow. But the left one was pretty quick. Probabbly it was already thinning and I didn't notice,but it looked fine. Than the shedding and now I'm a NW2 on both temples.

"you just lost all your credibility". LOL. I don't care.

And not, his not immune to a receding hairline, we don't know yet. DIffuse thinners DO lost their temples but usually keep the forelock.

His family members who went bald also lost hair in the same pattern as he is losing now. So it is fair to say he is immune to a receding hairline.

 

[baba_yaga]

Hello dear old friends.

A quick update.

I have been on finasteride for almost 5 years now. Currently taking 1.25mg daily.

Hair is still the same (new right temple minimal thinning), no side effects.

 

[baba_yaga]

Another update and asking for opinions.
Its been around 6 years on finasteride 1.25mg daily (1.25 mg every other day for the first couple of years).
For side effects, they have been mild and tolerable.

I will attach new photos of my hair. People are starting to note more of my thinning on top. I used to get comments years ago as well, however the frequency has increased and I started to panic. I cut my hair shorter than usual, so the thinning is more noticeable but I cannot tell if that is only due to the hair being shorter or if I am actually loosing ground.

I took the first pill of 0.5 mg dutasteride today and originally planned to stop finasteride and permanently switch to dutasteride 0.5 mg every day. However, after seeing the earliest photos in this thread (attached here as well, dates typed on the photos), I am hesitant to stop finasteride and start dutasteride. If it ain't broke dont fix it? I need opinions.

 

[shoegazing]

Another update and asking for opinions.
Its been around 6 years on finasteride 1.25mg daily (1.25 mg every other day for the first couple of years).
For side effects, they have been mild and tolerable.

I will attach new photos of my hair. People are starting to note more of my thinning on top. I used to get comments years ago as well, however the frequency has increased and I started to panic. I cut my hair shorter than usual, so the thinning is more noticeable but I cannot tell if that is only due to the hair being shorter or if I am actually loosing ground.

I took the first pill of 0.5 mg dutasteride today and originally planned to stop finasteride and permanently switch to dutasteride 0.5 mg every day. However, after seeing the earliest photos in this thread (attached here as well, dates typed on the photos), I am hesitant to stop finasteride and start dutasteride. If it ain't broke dont fix it? I need opinions.

You are not balding dude log off and go start a family

 

[baba_yaga]

You are not balding dude log off and go start a family

The photos make it appear better than it actually is.

Anyways, consider this is an update for documentation.

 

[baba_yaga]

It is hard to notice diffuse hair loss. I thought i was maintaining. I guess wet hair reveals what is happening. Both taken in the same bathroom under same lighting conditions. The difference is insane. After almost 7 years of daily finasteride at 1.25mg, this is sad. I will start dutasteride 2.5mg everyday as loosing this much ground in just 3 years on daily finasteride is a very very bad sign.

 

[Hair Center of Turkey]

Honestly, this is one of the most valuable threads we have read on this forum—not because everything went perfectly, but because you documented the uncertainty at such a young age and then actually returned years later with a real update.

You did not quite keep the “I will update every six months, trust me” schedule , but coming back after five and then six years is far more useful than another three-month progress post. The part that made us smile was basically: “Yes, I’m still taking it.”

What also stands out is how thoughtfully you approached the situation at 17. You questioned what you were seeing, compared older photographs, visited different dermatologists and tried not to make every decision based on one bad week in the mirror. Many people dealing with hair loss learn that lesson much later.

Before changing a long-term routine because of a shorter haircut, comments from other people or photographs taken under different conditions, it would be sensible to have standardized comparison photos and a proper trichoscopic examination. Any switch from finasteride to dutasteride should also be discussed with the dermatologist following your case.

Thank you for returning and documenting the less dramatic, long-term reality. Updates like this are often more helpful than perfect before-and-after photographs.

Please keep the thread alive—even if the next update arrives in 2031.

 

[baba_yaga]

Thanks for the positive feedback. I will keep updating this thread, especially now as I am back to being anxious almost all of the time over my hair.

I am planning to do a trichoscopy, however I dont think it is required to know what is going on. The loss in density is present.
But I may still do it to get actual numbers and not rely solely on photos that can be affected by many factors.

I wont change my long-term routine. I simply added daily dutasteride to my long-standing daily finasteride dosage. I wont stop daily finasteride for at least 2 years until I can safely judge what dutasteride is doing. I know it is redundant to take both, but simply adding duta is one change. But stopping finasteride and adding duta are 2 changes and wont allow me to judge what is happening.

I have hopes that dutasteride 2.5 mg daily would stop my hair loss. I will be committed to the new regimen (2.5 mg oral duta + 1.25 mg oral finasteride, both daily) until the 2 years mark, no matter the shedding/density changes. f*** this sh*t man.

 

[coco_304]

Thanks for the positive feedback. I will keep updating this thread, especially now as I am back to being anxious almost all of the time over my hair.

I am planning to do a trichoscopy, however I dont think it is required to know what is going on. The loss in density is present.
But I may still do it to get actual numbers and not rely solely on photos that can be affected by many factors.

I wont change my long-term routine. I simply added daily dutasteride to my long-standing daily finasteride dosage. I wont stop daily finasteride for at least 2 years until I can safely judge what dutasteride is doing. I know it is redundant to take both, but simply adding duta is one change. But stopping finasteride and adding duta are 2 changes and wont allow me to judge what is happening.

I have hopes that dutasteride 2.5 mg daily would stop my hair loss. I will be committed to the new regimen (2.5 mg oral duta + 1.25 mg oral finasteride, both daily) until the 2 years mark, no matter the shedding/density changes. f*** this sh*t man.

Good luck
Keep us update

 

[Yar]

Thanks for the positive feedback. I will keep updating this thread, especially now as I am back to being anxious almost all of the time over my hair.

I am planning to do a trichoscopy, however I dont think it is required to know what is going on. The loss in density is present.
But I may still do it to get actual numbers and not rely solely on photos that can be affected by many factors.

I wont change my long-term routine. I simply added daily dutasteride to my long-standing daily finasteride dosage. I wont stop daily finasteride for at least 2 years until I can safely judge what dutasteride is doing. I know it is redundant to take both, but simply adding duta is one change. But stopping finasteride and adding duta are 2 changes and wont allow me to judge what is happening.

I have hopes that dutasteride 2.5 mg daily would stop my hair loss. I will be committed to the new regimen (2.5 mg oral duta + 1.25 mg oral finasteride, both daily) until the 2 years mark, no matter the shedding/density changes. f*** this sh*t man.

Just take 1 mg of estradiol gel and 25 mg of spironolactone. There is no need to put your body through such abuse. It isn't about DHT, but rather the androgen receptors—which respond to the testosterone affecting the hair follicle, as well as to other, weaker androgens circulating in the blood. Hair needs estradiol for growth, along with blocked androgen receptors.

 

[coco_304]

Just take 1 mg of estradiol gel and 25 mg of spironolactone. There is no need to put your body through such abuse. It isn't about DHT, but rather the androgen receptors—which respond to the testosterone affecting the hair follicle, as well as to other, weaker androgens circulating in the blood. Hair needs estradiol for growth, along with blocked androgen receptors.

I agreed.
By the way, i have BDD too.

 

[Yar]

I agreed.
By the way, i have BDD too.

The key is the right approach to treating androgenetic alopecia; over time, the condition will disappear and stop troubling you.

 

[baba_yaga]

Just take 1 mg of estradiol gel and 25 mg of spironolactone. There is no need to put your body through such abuse. It isn't about DHT, but rather the androgen receptors—which respond to the testosterone affecting the hair follicle, as well as to other, weaker androgens circulating in the blood. Hair needs estradiol for growth, along with blocked androgen receptors.

I plan to give 2.5 mg duta the time it needs. In case I notice significant rapid hair loss, I will add oral spironolactone at low dose. Maybe i would not have to escalate to spironolactone, I am afraid of AR up-regulation when taking spironolactone for a long time.

What is your experience on a low dose spironolactone? I have heard that low doses are not effective, but at the same time I noticed people who start spironolactone and say only high doses work, are late in the balding stages and want intense regrowth. Would you say low dose oral spironolactone would at least maintain current hair (alongside taking duta)?

And I think you should take a 5ARI, like finasteride/duta. You need to reduce DHT and T, and duta is very strong at specifically lower DHT in scalp. It will help significantly your regimen. But if you are maintaining dont change anything, just a thought.

 

[Yar]

I plan to give 2.5 mg duta the time it needs. In case I notice significant rapid hair loss, I will add oral spironolactone at low dose. Maybe i would not have to escalate to spironolactone, I am afraid of AR up-regulation when taking spironolactone for a long time.

What is your experience on a low dose spironolactone? I have heard that low doses are not effective, but at the same time I noticed people who start spironolactone and say only high doses work, are late in the balding stages and want intense regrowth. Would you say low dose oral spironolactone would at least maintain current hair (alongside taking duta)?

And I think you should take a 5ARI, like finasteride/duta. You need to reduce DHT and T, and duta is very strong at specifically lower DHT in scalp. It will help significantly your regimen. But if you are maintaining dont change anything, just a thought.

The absorption of spironolactone depends on whether you take it with or without food. Bioavailability is higher when taken with food, so there is no need to increase the dosage; taking a 25 mg dose with food increases bioavailability by 100–125%. In reality, everything depends on the estradiol concentration rather than the anti-androgen. The higher the estradiol concentration, the better the hair growth phase, and the hair shaft becomes thicker.

 

[baba_yaga]

The absorption of spironolactone depends on whether you take it with or without food. Bioavailability is higher when taken with food, so there is no need to increase the dosage; taking a 25 mg dose with food increases bioavailability by 100–125%. In reality, everything depends on the estradiol concentration rather than the anti-androgen. The higher the estradiol concentration, the better the hair growth phase, and the hair shaft becomes thicker.

Estrogen improves hair growth/anagen phase duration, but androgens shorten the phase and lead to miniaturization. Both are important, not just estrogen. You can have the highest E concentration in your follicles but with enough DHT, you will still thin.

Any side effects on spironolactone?

 

[Yar]

Estrogen improves hair growth/anagen phase duration, but androgens shorten the phase and lead to miniaturization. Both are important, not just estrogen. You can have the highest E concentration in your follicles but with enough DHT, you will still thin.

Any side effects on spironolactone?

Yes, of course, there was a side effect involving sleep disturbances. I used to wake up every two hours during the night—though I should clarify that I was taking 25 mg of spironolactone after dinner. Later, I switched to taking it in the morning after breakfast, and my sleep seemed to improve—though I also added a magnesium-B6 supplement, which I take an hour before bed. Magnesium-B6 was the only thing that saved me from waking up in the middle of the night. The issue is that spironolactone raises cortisol levels, and cortisol is what triggers us to wake up; that’s what causes the sleep disruption. So, when increasing the dosage, you need to take into account the rise in cortisol and the potential for sleep problems.

 

[Yar]

Estrogen improves hair growth/anagen phase duration, but androgens shorten the phase and lead to miniaturization. Both are important, not just estrogen. You can have the highest E concentration in your follicles but with enough DHT, you will still thin.

Any side effects on spironolactone?

There is also another side effect that bothers me less: a sort of high-pitched sound in the inner ear—so-called tinnitus. It used to be more distinct, but now it has subsided, and I hardly notice it. This happens while taking spironolactone.