Starting My Finasteride Journey At 41

[PeakyBlinderRob]

Hi all.

I am new to this forum. I am 41 years old, and have been dealing with some thinning in the crown and front when I turned 36. Been using Minixodil (generic) for 3 years and Nizoral shampoo (once a week) Included a dermaroller into that regime a couple of years ago. I found I grew back some hair, and it sustained the hair. Last year, the front (on one side) began miniaturizing/diffusing. I continued with the minoxidil and dermarolling, and it didn't change. It didn't get better or worse. Recently (last week) I picked up 5mg Finasteride tablets (cutting them into 4 pieces) and am taking 1.25mg every day. I read it takes 3 to 6 months to start seeing any results (if any), so when I hit the 3 month mark I will post some comparison pics. I will also continue with the Minoxidil and dermaroller. Wish me luck as I head into unchartered waters...

I buzzed my head last Thursday so I can see how it grows/sheds etc etc. Here are my starting pics:



What can I expect with taking Finasteride? Has anyone experienced growth/thickness? That is what I am looking for. I want my hairs to get thicker when they grow out.

Thanks!

 

[DoctorHouse]

Hi all.

I am new to this forum. I am 41 years old, and have been dealing with some thinning in the crown and front when I turned 36. Been using Minixodil (generic) for 3 years and Nizoral shampoo (once a week) Included a dermaroller into that regime a couple of years ago. I found I grew back some hair, and it sustained the hair. Last year, the front (on one side) began miniaturizing/diffusing. I continued with the minoxidil and dermarolling, and it didn't change. It didn't get better or worse. Recently (last week) I picked up 5mg Finasteride tablets (cutting them into 4 pieces) and am taking 1.25mg every day. I read it takes 3 to 6 months to start seeing any results (if any), so when I hit the 3 month mark I will post some comparison pics. I will also continue with the Minoxidil and dermaroller. Wish me luck as I head into unchartered waters...

I buzzed my head last Thursday so I can see how it grows/sheds etc etc. Here are my starting pics:

View attachment 146144 View attachment 146145 View attachment 146146

What can I expect with taking Finasteride? Has anyone experienced growth/thickness? That is what I am looking for. I want my hairs to get thicker when they grow out.

Thanks!

Looks like you still have good density and minimal hair loss at your age. You have a good chance by using both minoxidil and finasteride together to improve with hair thickness and possible hairline growth. Happy growing.

 

[PeakyBlinderRob]

Looks like you still have good density and minimal hair loss at your age. You have a good chance by using both minoxidil and finasteride together to improve with hair thickness and possible hairline growth. Happy growing.

Thank you!! I will post update photos in the upcoming months.

 

[JuliusScissor]

I’m 48 and have been using finasteride and minoxidil now for over a couple of years. I’ve always had a thick head of hair but a few years started thinning (defused). I was able to get my growth back with no side effects and I’ve maintained it. Good luck...

 

[Ourkes]

I’m 48 and have been using finasteride and minoxidil now for over a couple of years. I’ve always had a thick head of hair but a few years started thinning (defused). I was able to get my growth back with no side effects and I’ve maintained it. Good luck...

@JuliusScissor
Your hair looks very dense. Mine is similar at 41. Was the thinning massively noticeable? I was hoping that post 40 I was out of the danger zone as I’m yet to see a man in real life, bald if they pass 40 with full coverage.

The treatments are serving you well!

 

[DogoDiLaurentiis]

Hi all.

I am new to this forum. I am 41 years old, and have been dealing with some thinning in the crown and front when I turned 36. Been using Minixodil (generic) for 3 years and Nizoral shampoo (once a week) Included a dermaroller into that regime a couple of years ago. I found I grew back some hair, and it sustained the hair. Last year, the front (on one side) began miniaturizing/diffusing. I continued with the minoxidil and dermarolling, and it didn't change. It didn't get better or worse. Recently (last week) I picked up 5mg Finasteride tablets (cutting them into 4 pieces) and am taking 1.25mg every day. I read it takes 3 to 6 months to start seeing any results (if any), so when I hit the 3 month mark I will post some comparison pics. I will also continue with the Minoxidil and dermaroller. Wish me luck as I head into unchartered waters...

I buzzed my head last Thursday so I can see how it grows/sheds etc etc. Here are my starting pics:

View attachment 146144 View attachment 146145 View attachment 146146

What can I expect with taking Finasteride? Has anyone experienced growth/thickness? That is what I am looking for. I want my hairs to get thicker when they grow out.

Thanks!

You're in generally good shape as compared to my now two hair loss events. Thankfully my hair is recovering for the second time and looks generally "normal" but not to my satisfaction, I hope finasteride works for you, but being as that I'm in the same boat as you, I can tell you that finasteride did not work for me, and that it is now my very strong hypothesis that finasteride only really works to prevent hair loss, and does not do much to induce regrowth unless your body naturally is inclined to convert testosterone to estrogen.

I now know that the reason why I had recovered from very substantial hair loss in my late 20s because for whatever reason, my body was more readily converting testosterone to estrogen and thus in roughly about two and a half years, my hair went from awful and sparse to extremely thick, as thick as it ever was in my late teens and early 20s.

Endogenously plus or minus some tricks I can do with medications to increase my estrogen to induce growth, I am coming close to my limit in that regard. Not my total limit mind you, but it seems like without some serious outside intervention in the form of hormones, I'm not going to recover to the extent I fully want to.

And I hate to say it, because a lot of guys in our age range are worried about testosterone and maintaining that hard dry angular look, and if your hair is androgen sensitive, I can guarantee you that your skin is too and thus if you want to keep that look and reverse miniaturization, your chances are very slim. The estrogen that is required to induce regrowth either endogenously from finasteride interfering with 5AR, or exogenously will soften your appearance.

I have decided to take the topically applied estrogen route and that is using it in limited doses to directly antagonize and reverse miniaturization and provide the e2 that I now believe is absolutely necessary to induce strong hair regrowth. I managed to have substantially higher e2 levels when I was 30 and it did not give me gyno or severe weight gain, so I believe I can artificially induce that state again.

Hopefully finasteride works for you, but if it does not, realize that it's not the end of the road. I'm fully committed to managing the side effects of estrogen and going that route, I've done... well still doing the high-t thing. Got ripped, got big, shredded like a mofo, but honestly it's not worth my hair.

What can I expect with taking Finasteride? Has anyone experienced growth/thickness? That is what I am looking for. I want my hairs to get thicker when they grow out.

Only if your body takes the testosterone not converted to DHT and converts it into estrogen, because that's the only way to reverse miniaturization. I've done PRP, I've done so many treatments, I've done most all you can think of, and nothing, and I mean nothing either will work or work as well as estrogen, whether it's produced in your body or introduced topically.

 

[DogoDiLaurentiis]

I’m 48 and have been using finasteride and minoxidil now for over a couple of years. I’ve always had a thick head of hair but a few years started thinning (defused). I was able to get my growth back with no side effects and I’ve maintained it. Good luck...

That's a really good example of finasteride doing its job, however I do have to ask what is your ancestry? Are you asian?

I have a suspicion that it works better for asians as they are more likely to aromatize test into e2.

 

[DogoDiLaurentiis]

@JuliusScissor
Your hair looks very dense. Mine is similar at 41. Was the thinning massively noticeable? I was hoping that post 40 I was out of the danger zone as I’m yet to see a man in real life, bald if they pass 40 with full coverage.

The treatments are serving you well!

Wait until I get on estrogel.

 

[Derelict]

Wait until I get on estrogel.

What mg of estradiol you starting with?

 

[Selb]

That's a really good example of finasteride doing its job, however I do have to ask what is your ancestry? Are you asian?

I have a suspicion that it works better for asians as they are more likely to aromatize test into e2.

If that’s the case, can we not supplement with PGE2 enhancers to increase aromatization?

 

[DogoDiLaurentiis]

If that’s the case, can we not supplement with PGE2 enhancers to increase aromatization?

You're talking about oral minoxidil maybe because that induces pge2 expression. and I don't f*** with topical minoxidil because it easily went systemic and caused damage to my skin, thankfully it partially reversed but I'm still going to have to get laser and other restorative procedures to undo what happened under my eyes and on my forehead. It's not horrible, but absolutely f*** looking "40" right now. I've always looked young my whole life and it was a handicap then, and now I'm going to reap the rewards.

I don't know much about the relationship between estrogen and PGE2 except that estrogen can increase it itself, so it's probably a feedback loop. The only thing I read briefly on it is that if you consume estrogenic foods, you will increase aromatase expression in adipose tissue which is probably not the best for men who want to avoid sides.

I will say this, DO NOT CONSUME SOY, not for the reasons you think. The phytoestrogens in soy are actually much much much weaker than your own body's estrogen. Ironically enough if you have naturally high testosterone and you have any problems with estrogen at all, drink soy, it will curb your natural estrogen and INCREASE fat loss. Soy won't make you fat unless you're a member of an ethnic group that isn't innately high in testosterone. I wouldn't recommend giving it to your kids but when you're in your 20s, if you want to block or weaken estrogen's effects without medication, drink soy you will notice any symptoms of estrogen just vanish.

Frankly though I want the collagen inducing benefits of estrogen, so I'm not about the soy now.

The reason why I want to apply it topically is

1. Applying it topically will serve as a slow-down mechanism to its systemic effects, it will take direct action on the follicle and that's where you'll see the majority of it express itself in the tissue, the rest will circulate into your body and depending on your body chemistry and how well your liver metabolizes it, you will be able to control how much of it influences the rest of your body.

2. You know -exactly- how much you're applying and thus you can accurately meter and determine what those effects are at relative dosages and then apply systemic controls in order to increase your internal metabolism of estrogen to essentially keep the gains and avoid the sides.

I don't mind looking softer, frankly my face looks a bit better when it doesn't look hard, dry and angular, but I really don't want a lot of cumbersome fat and gyno.

3. Estrogen is minoxidil for people who cannot tolerate minoxidil, as it is both anti-inflammatory and vasodilatory, it also increases collagen production instead of systemically inhibiting it like minoxidil does.

I'm interested in what other PGE2 enhancers you're thinking of though.

 

[Selb]

You're talking about oral minoxidil maybe because that induces pge2 expression. and I don't f*** with topical minoxidil because it easily went systemic and caused damage to my skin, thankfully it partially reversed but I'm still going to have to get laser and other restorative procedures to undo what happened under my eyes and on my forehead. It's not horrible, but absolutely f*** looking "40" right now. I've always looked young my whole life and it was a handicap then, and now I'm going to reap the rewards.

I don't know much about the relationship between estrogen and PGE2 except that estrogen can increase it itself, so it's probably a feedback loop. The only thing I read briefly on it is that if you consume estrogenic foods, you will increase aromatase expression in adipose tissue which is probably not the best for men who want to avoid sides.

I will say this, DO NOT CONSUME SOY, not for the reasons you think. The phytoestrogens in soy are actually much much much weaker than your own body's estrogen. Ironically enough if you have naturally high testosterone and you have any problems with estrogen at all, drink soy, it will curb your natural estrogen and INCREASE fat loss. Soy won't make you fat unless you're a member of an ethnic group that isn't innately high in testosterone. I wouldn't recommend giving it to your kids but when you're in your 20s, if you want to block or weaken estrogen's effects without medication, drink soy you will notice any symptoms of estrogen just vanish.

Frankly though I want the collagen inducing benefits of estrogen, so I'm not about the soy now.

The reason why I want to apply it topically is

1. Applying it topically will serve as a slow-down mechanism to its systemic effects, it will take direct action on the follicle and that's where you'll see the majority of it express itself in the tissue, the rest will circulate into your body and depending on your body chemistry and how well your liver metabolizes it, you will be able to control how much of it influences the rest of your body.

2. You know -exactly- how much you're applying and thus you can accurately meter and determine what those effects are at relative dosages and then apply systemic controls in order to increase your internal metabolism of estrogen to essentially keep the gains and avoid the sides.

I don't mind looking softer, frankly my face looks a bit better when it doesn't look hard, dry and angular, but I really don't want a lot of cumbersome fat and gyno.

3. Estrogen is minoxidil for people who cannot tolerate minoxidil, as it is both anti-inflammatory and vasodilatory, it also increases collagen production instead of systemically inhibiting it like minoxidil does.

I'm interested in what other PGE2 enhancers you're thinking of though.

Ah I was specifically talking about castor and emu oil, not minoxidil. But of course I’m not sure how strong the oils are in inducing growth

 

[DogoDiLaurentiis]

Ah I was specifically talking about castor and emu oil, not minoxidil. But of course I’m not sure how strong the oils are in inducing growth

Oh f***, I totally forgot about castor oil.

Honestly I think castor oil is good (I use it every few days) and I have emu oil as well, but I don't think they induce as strong an effect.

Basically topical food grade castor oil you find at the drugstore is good stuff, but I've found that I can't use it every night, my hair even after washing just doesn't feel right if I use it constantly. Same goes with emu oil, and I think their effects are somewhat modest compared to minoxidil.

They are both worth trying if you have them, but if you're using topical estrogen, there's simply no need.

Put it this way, topical castor oil is a young man's game for mostly preventing hair fall to the point where I've had it go to twice now. Once you're at the "I have to shave my head or crop it really short" - stage, you need something much more powerful.

 

[Selb]

Oh f***, I totally forgot about castor oil.

Honestly I think castor oil is good (I use it every few days) and I have emu oil as well, but I don't think they induce as strong an effect.

Basically topical food grade castor oil you find at the drugstore is good stuff, but I've found that I can't use it every night, my hair even after washing just doesn't feel right if I use it constantly. Same goes with emu oil, and I think their effects are somewhat modest compared to minoxidil.

They are both worth trying if you have them, but if you're using topical estrogen, there's simply no need.

Yeah I suppose the best way to boost aromatization is just plain skip the conversion part and add estrogen.

Another thing, I’ve heard oral castor oil is effective so maybe switching from topical to oral would help

 

[DogoDiLaurentiis]

Like I said get the food grade stuff you can buy at the drugstore, that's what I use, just beware that the intended effect of castor oil is to kill microorganisms and act as a very strong laxative, make sure you time your doses so you're not having to run to a bathroom when you're out at work or doing errands, lol.

If you think you have a stomach bug, it works a trick, but it will exorcise your bowels if you use too much.

 

[PeakyBlinderRob]

I’m 48 and have been using finasteride and minoxidil now for over a couple of years. I’ve always had a thick head of hair but a few years started thinning (defused). I was able to get my growth back with no side effects and I’ve maintained it. Good luck...

wow, your hair looks great! I'm exactly 2 months on Finasteride...so too early to tell!

 

[DogoDiLaurentiis]

What mg of estradiol you starting with?

Low, I'm hoping to use the 0.75mg estrogel, however I plan on actually creating an even more dilute solution than that and essentially "working my way up". I'm going to go slowly and methodically testing a concentration in a mixture for a week or two and then evaluating how it has affected my body and my hair. I am becoming something of an informal expert at formulating my own serums and I have found over many years that applying liquid solutions through bottles or nozzles which meter the dose is critical to not overdoing it.

My hair is -mostly- stabilized right now, and so I have the luxury of not driving into this endeavor at full speed with fears that if I don't I will continue to lose hair. This is entirely about improving not only growth but incorporating its usage so that systemic absorption actually benefits me as opposed to being a matter of wrestling with undesirable sides.

I'm kind of stuck right now because the doctor specializing in hair is taking a limited number of patients until the new year, I was supposed to follow up with him in october but that became difficult.

 

[PeakyBlinderRob]

You're in generally good shape as compared to my now two hair loss events. Thankfully my hair is recovering for the second time and looks generally "normal" but not to my satisfaction, I hope finasteride works for you, but being as that I'm in the same boat as you, I can tell you that finasteride did not work for me, and that it is now my very strong hypothesis that finasteride only really works to prevent hair loss, and does not do much to induce regrowth unless your body naturally is inclined to convert testosterone to estrogen.

I now know that the reason why I had recovered from very substantial hair loss in my late 20s because for whatever reason, my body was more readily converting testosterone to estrogen and thus in roughly about two and a half years, my hair went from awful and sparse to extremely thick, as thick as it ever was in my late teens and early 20s.

Endogenously plus or minus some tricks I can do with medications to increase my estrogen to induce growth, I am coming close to my limit in that regard. Not my total limit mind you, but it seems like without some serious outside intervention in the form of hormones, I'm not going to recover to the extent I fully want to.

And I hate to say it, because a lot of guys in our age range are worried about testosterone and maintaining that hard dry angular look, and if your hair is androgen sensitive, I can guarantee you that your skin is too and thus if you want to keep that look and reverse miniaturization, your chances are very slim. The estrogen that is required to induce regrowth either endogenously from finasteride interfering with 5AR, or exogenously will soften your appearance.

I have decided to take the topically applied estrogen route and that is using it in limited doses to directly antagonize and reverse miniaturization and provide the e2 that I now believe is absolutely necessary to induce strong hair regrowth. I managed to have substantially higher e2 levels when I was 30 and it did not give me gyno or severe weight gain, so I believe I can artificially induce that state again.

Hopefully finasteride works for you, but if it does not, realize that it's not the end of the road. I'm fully committed to managing the side effects of estrogen and going that route, I've done... well still doing the high-t thing. Got ripped, got big, shredded like a mofo, but honestly it's not worth my hair.



Only if your body takes the testosterone not converted to DHT and converts it into estrogen, because that's the only way to reverse miniaturization. I've done PRP, I've done so many treatments, I've done most all you can think of, and nothing, and I mean nothing either will work or work as well as estrogen, whether it's produced in your body or introduced topically.

Wow, this is a lot to take in. You know your stuff! I figured that I would try the three options I have read so much about: Finasteride/minoxidil with Dermarolling/Nizoral 2% shampoo. In regards to vitamins I take: Biotin, Vitamin D, Iron, Calcium, MultiVitamin, Niacin. I apply the minoxidil twice daily. Dermaroll with a 1mm every Sunday evening. And a 0.25mm dermaroller on Wednesday and Friday. Every day I do two, 10 minute scalp massages with Castor Oil, Peppermint Oil, Rosemary Oil and Jojoba Oil...all mixed together. I work out everyday (home gym now because of COVID) and noticed I have a bit more strength and muscle tone from the slight increase in testosterone from not converting to DHT (5% to 10%). It has been just over 2 months and the first thing I noticed was complete stabilization. No longer hairs in my hands when I massage or shower my scalp. And I inspect closely and notice hairs growing along my hairline and my sides, hoping these continue to grow and become terminal hairs. I read everywhere that it takes at least 6 months to notice anything due to the hair growing cycle. I hope it works. I have a prescription for a year...if it does nothing in the year, do you guys recommend trying Dutasteride (Avodart) ??

 

[Will Be an Egg in 5 years]

Nice hair for 41

 

[PeakyBlinderRob]

Update. 2 months into treatment. 1.25mg finasteride daily / minoxidil twice a day / Nizoral 2% twice a week / Dermaroller (1mm on Sunday, 0.25mm on Wednesday and Friday) Vitamins (Biotin, Vitamin D, Iron, Multivitamin, Zinc, calcium) Oils for daily scalp massage (Jojoba, Black Castor, Peppermint)