- Reaction score
- 3
Hello everyone,
So I noticed my hairline receeding around age 23. I didn't really get serious about treating it until 6 months ago (I'm 28 now) I had gotten to about a norwood 3, with the crown area thinning a good amount as well.
I've been on Finasteride (1.25mg a day, taken at the same time). 5% topical minoxidil every night, sometimes I apply it in the morning as well. Nizoral shampoo about once every 4-5 days. And I use a 272 diode LLLT (low light laser therapy) cap for 30 minutes every other day. I've use a derma roller every now and then, but honestly not very often. I also apply a mix of coconut and lavender oil and leave it in for a least a few hours, sometimes overnight, about 2-3 times a month. That's my whole treatment regimen.
Right around the 4 month mark is when I could see improvement. It was most noticeable in my temples/sideburns. Yes, I apply minoxidil to my temples and sideburns, as well as my hairline. I know minoxidil advertises as "only working on the crown area" but then you hear and see all these people using it for beard growth and whatnot so clearly it will stimulate hair growth anywhere on the body that naturally produces hair follicles.
Anyway, at 6 months I couldn't be happier. I didn't think the improvement would be as good as it's been, and I assume it will only get better until approximately the 1-2 year mark, as I hear that's generally when Finasteride and Minoxidil gains start to level off and maintain.
So ideally I would like to get a hair transplant to fill in the areas of my hairline that have receded to give me a prominent widows peak. It shouldn't take many grafts as the areas aren't too big and I don't think I'll need any hair transplanted in other areas as all other areas are starting to look pretty good. (They never got super thin, but had I waited another year to start treatment the top of my head would have started to get noticeably thin.)
My concern is this: What if after a period of improvement, I start to loose my hair again? I've read about people who only use Minoxidil, no DHT blockers like Finasteride, and they start to regrow some hair, but after a few years, usually about 5 years, they start to loose their hair again. This is because the DHT is the real problem and Minoxidil doesn't suppress DHT, it merely stimulates blood flow to the follicles. So it will temporarily boost hair growth, but without lowering DHT levels, the hair will eventually succumb to follicle miniaturization even with the increased blood flow caused by Minoxidil. Seeing as how I started Finasteride and Minoxidil at the same time, I don't know if the Finasteride is working well enough to prevent future hair loss. All the growth I've experienced could just be from the Minoxidil. And unbeknownst to me, the Finasteride could be not working well enough to really stop my hair loss. I don't want to jump the gun and get a transplant only to find that in 5 years I start to loose my hair again. Is there a way I can determine if my hair loss has stabilized? I guess the real way is just to wait and see what happens, but I want to enjoy a full head of hair while I'm still young. Having to wait years just to see if my hair maintains and THEN get a transplant in my mid 30's is not my favorite option. Not to sound ungrateful of my newfound regrowth, I'm ecstatic about it, I'm just curious how one in my situation would determine if they're a good candidate for a transplant. Any thoughts or people who were in a similar situation??
So I noticed my hairline receeding around age 23. I didn't really get serious about treating it until 6 months ago (I'm 28 now) I had gotten to about a norwood 3, with the crown area thinning a good amount as well.
I've been on Finasteride (1.25mg a day, taken at the same time). 5% topical minoxidil every night, sometimes I apply it in the morning as well. Nizoral shampoo about once every 4-5 days. And I use a 272 diode LLLT (low light laser therapy) cap for 30 minutes every other day. I've use a derma roller every now and then, but honestly not very often. I also apply a mix of coconut and lavender oil and leave it in for a least a few hours, sometimes overnight, about 2-3 times a month. That's my whole treatment regimen.
Right around the 4 month mark is when I could see improvement. It was most noticeable in my temples/sideburns. Yes, I apply minoxidil to my temples and sideburns, as well as my hairline. I know minoxidil advertises as "only working on the crown area" but then you hear and see all these people using it for beard growth and whatnot so clearly it will stimulate hair growth anywhere on the body that naturally produces hair follicles.
Anyway, at 6 months I couldn't be happier. I didn't think the improvement would be as good as it's been, and I assume it will only get better until approximately the 1-2 year mark, as I hear that's generally when Finasteride and Minoxidil gains start to level off and maintain.
So ideally I would like to get a hair transplant to fill in the areas of my hairline that have receded to give me a prominent widows peak. It shouldn't take many grafts as the areas aren't too big and I don't think I'll need any hair transplanted in other areas as all other areas are starting to look pretty good. (They never got super thin, but had I waited another year to start treatment the top of my head would have started to get noticeably thin.)
My concern is this: What if after a period of improvement, I start to loose my hair again? I've read about people who only use Minoxidil, no DHT blockers like Finasteride, and they start to regrow some hair, but after a few years, usually about 5 years, they start to loose their hair again. This is because the DHT is the real problem and Minoxidil doesn't suppress DHT, it merely stimulates blood flow to the follicles. So it will temporarily boost hair growth, but without lowering DHT levels, the hair will eventually succumb to follicle miniaturization even with the increased blood flow caused by Minoxidil. Seeing as how I started Finasteride and Minoxidil at the same time, I don't know if the Finasteride is working well enough to prevent future hair loss. All the growth I've experienced could just be from the Minoxidil. And unbeknownst to me, the Finasteride could be not working well enough to really stop my hair loss. I don't want to jump the gun and get a transplant only to find that in 5 years I start to loose my hair again. Is there a way I can determine if my hair loss has stabilized? I guess the real way is just to wait and see what happens, but I want to enjoy a full head of hair while I'm still young. Having to wait years just to see if my hair maintains and THEN get a transplant in my mid 30's is not my favorite option. Not to sound ungrateful of my newfound regrowth, I'm ecstatic about it, I'm just curious how one in my situation would determine if they're a good candidate for a transplant. Any thoughts or people who were in a similar situation??