Success, maybe?

[CD79]

This is the first time i've posted but it's always encouraging to hear success stories so thought i'd submit this.

Been on finasteride for about 8 months now and to be honest my hair is well below baseline at the moment but I think i'm starting to see positive results.

From beginning treatment i've suffered two severe sheds, the second of which I think is finally subsiding, fingers crossed.

Sounds like all doom and gloom sofar but when I feel my scalp under the longer hair I can definitely feel lots of shorter bristly hairs beginning to come through.

To me this sounds to fit the description given of the way finasteride works.

My hair is still very fine but seems to be recovering slowly. The longest of the new hairs appear to be about half a centimeter in length and i'm sure I can feel new ones all the time.

If the info about optimum results around the 12 month period is true then hopefully that's what's happening.

It still looks like crap I reckon from the fact that most of the healthy hairs are still short and as a result the longer ones look thin and lifeless.

Gonna go get it cut shorter tomorrow and reassess from then so here's hoping.

Has anybody else noticed this in the early stages of regrowth and if so how did it progress from there?

 

[BALD IS BEAUTIFUL]

Do you have any pictures?

 

[CD79]

Sorry i've not but like I said you wont really see anything until i've had it a bit shorter.

 

[Far Too Young]

What would be really interesting, if you didn't mind buzzing your hair, would be to take some pictures with your hair longer and then buzz it and observe what the difference in thickness looks like. Just an idea.

 

[CD79]

I'd be intrigued too but i've always had my hair quite long and i'd look ridiculous with it buzzed. Probs one of the reasons I panic so much about it falling out.

 

[person_123]

It's good to hear that you are starting to recover.

I hope I do soon as well. How did you stick with finasteride for 8 months if you didn't see it was helping? I'm planning on sticking with it too, but it's depressing when I don't see any obvious benefit yet.

 

[CD79]

Guess I figured that it was shedding far too fast to be just male pattern baldness and the shedding was concentrated in the areas where most regrowth is supposed to occur.

If it doesn't shed it's not gonna grow back. Just gonna ride it out and see. Will keep this upto date cos i've felt like quitting a few times and if I am starting to show improvement I hope it will be encouraging to others.

 

[person_123]

Guess I figured that it was shedding far too fast to be just male pattern baldness and the shedding was concentrated in the areas where most regrowth is supposed to occur.

If it doesn't shed it's not gonna grow back. Just gonna ride it out and see. Will keep this upto date cos i've felt like quitting a few times and if I am starting to show improvement I hope it will be encouraging to others.

What if I'm not shedding? Are you sure that no shed means no regrowth? I've never heard of this before? I'm not sure if I am shedding, I know that hairs keep falling out in shower, so I assume so.

I don't think this is true, people who don't shed have had decent results, so they say.

 

[JDW]

This sounds encouraging man...
Can you describe your shedding as well as you can please?

 

[klink]

You guys need to take pictures at least every 6 months.

 

[CD79]

Basically my hands were covered in the shower for a long time and it's got to the point now where it's greatly reduced.

Thinnest areas are around the Crown/Vertex and in patches but typically that is also where I can feel the new hairs coming through.

I'm reasoning that if these are the areas where finasteride is most effective then they should be the areas where the most shedding and therefore potential regrowth is observed.

 

[Far Too Young]

What if I'm not shedding? Are you sure that no shed means no regrowth? I've never heard of this before? I'm not sure if I am shedding, I know that hairs keep falling out in shower, so I assume so.

I don't think this is true, people who don't shed have had decent results, so they say.

I've read it multiple times here, though not in research, that for a follicle to either expand or shrink, it must first shed the hair that's currently growing. I.E. thickening cannot occur while in the growth phase. Therefore some from of shedding will occur on a scalp with many intermediate hairs that are thickening back up.

 

[CD79]

I'm taking encouragement from the fact that the major shed is in the area known to be responsive to finasteride. Basically I noticed I was thinning and started treatment but once on the stuff it accelerated tenfold. I'm now starting to see something in those areas although the very back of my head is yet to respond. I'm positive the regrowth is due to the medication because i've basically got hair of two different lengths in the same area on my head. Only way I can reason it is that some stayed put and some shed and grew back thcker which it has. It's very difficult to judge but i'm hopeful now after months of shitting myself over the sheds.

 

[barcafan]

We need pictures. Preferably with clothes off and in the fetal position. Thanks.

 

[JDW]

We need pictures. Preferably with clothes off and in the fetal position. Thanks.

wrong forum mate.

 

[barcafan]

We need pictures. Preferably with clothes off and in the fetal position. Thanks.

wrong forum mate.

SH*T so you mean this isn't peewee's playhouse?

 

[klink]

Y'all need pics just so you can track your results. Do you own a digital camera? It's very easy to download them.

I think at 8-9 months you should see some results, hair grows a half inch a month, so assume that by 8 months you have had enough time to lower DHT enough to see growth.