kthxbi said:
just wanted to say that even if finasteride doesnt have the huge effects we all hope for, do keep at it
some people see a big boost in hair at a year mark and even if you don't, it'll help you maintain what has been, from those pictures, a f*cking awesome improvement. really, if those little baby hairs in the corners of your hairline thickened out a little then youd actually have an awesome look. head looks about the right size and shape to rock the short hair look (not that im saying bald would be great cause this definitely looks better than the before picture)
hope its all going ok man, good to see things are working out for ya so far.
Hey. Well, my hair is not doing as good as it was when I took those pictures to be honest. It's been a quite noticable decline. The diffuse thinning seemed to kick back into action again a few weeks later, which is really why I started finasteride.
I'm still better off than at baseline, but I have to keep my hair very short again (#1 sides, #3 top). I'm not hating the look too much though, I think it's okay, but if I could get back to the point where I was when I took those pics I'd be content. And TBH that's really why I am a little worried about finasteride not having an effect on me so far. Because when I just used the minoxidil it was a true rollercoaster ride:
2 months: vast improvement, very happy with results. Thicker, healthier, and much, much darker hair (color the same as the sides).
3 months: diffuse thinning kicking into action again. Better than baseline, but lost color, thickness and healthiness.
3 1/2 - 4 months: improving again, this is when the pics where taken. Hair getting darker, thicker and healthier.
4 months - 6 months (present, added finasteride after 5 months): decline, hair not as dark, strong anymore. Hair has been pretty much the same during this time.
So I thought that with the absence of DHT created by finasteride, the minoxidil would kick into action again swiftly and start improving again. But so far it hasn't. My head has started itching these last weeks though, so hopefully the finasteride is doing something at least.
Guess I'll have to stay patient. Thanks for the input by the way, good to get some encouragement
And you're right, the improvement was really quite brilliant when it was at its best. Hopefully I can get back to that point.