The Desire To Be 17 Again

[CliffLee]

Hook, in the studies you looked at regarding keto, were the results (comparable to that of minoxidil) from the typical usage - 2/3 times a week, for 5-10mins on scalp?

I'm curious as I have read about a few German forum members who apply keto using a blunt syringe, leave it one for an extended period of time and have had decent success.

 

[Captain Hook]

I wanted to say you probably have OCD and need to see a therapist but seeing your latest update there seems to be recession although the picture is hard to evaluate. Dunno why some people these days still take bad quality pictures like that.

Nonetheless going on finasteride/dutasteride is a good move. Did you really think you were going to maintain on S5 cream lol. Classical noob mistake I guess.

If you are lucky you might regrow some of what you lost, if not at least you will stop Androgenetic Alopecia from progressing if you act now. It's still minor recession at this point. Good luck.

Not surprised at the bolded text, certain people do say this when I tend to catch issues like these early, I suppose it's their way of compensating for their own lack of attention to detail. Yet another defence mechanism employed by those who are bitter about treating their Androgenetic Alopecia too late, to the best of my knowledge you've had a hair transplant so you certainly fall into that category of people. It's understandable though. That being said, my GP even says while I may be a bit too cautious, he's noticed that I'm usually right about my concerns, so it isn't anything close to OCD or even hypochondria according to him, he's a physician and you're just some chap on a forum, so I'll take his word for it.

Regardless of picture quality, it's easy to see my temples have changed from 1 year ago, not only have I noticed it but my family members have as well, so it's not just 'all in my head'

Not sure why mocking me is in order either, I've read of some reports where people who couldn't tolerate finasteride have maintained on S5 cream, in addition to the Admin of this forum. So I figured it was worth a try but I wasn't going to delude myself into the fact that it was working, it definitely decreased my shedding though, so it's not completely useless. It's probably only useful for someone with an Androgenetic Alopecia progression much slower than mine. If you take a look around, most people don't make decisions this quickly, let alone want to jump straight to dutasteride, I like to think I am different than a lot of people who are new to dealing with Androgenetic Alopecia. Especially because most of them don't even decide to treat their recession this early, let alone with an oral 5ARI at this point in their journey.

Hook, in the studies you looked at regarding keto, were the results (comparable to that of minoxidil) from the typical usage - 2/3 times a week, for 5-10mins on scalp?

I'm curious as I have read about a few German forum members who apply keto using a blunt syringe, leave it one for an extended period of time and have had decent success.

To the best of my knowledge, yes, 5 minute applications 2-4x/week. I'm not sure using a syringe without a needle to apply it would make much of a difference as it is unknown whether longer epidermal contact times result in better outcomes.

 

[Swoop]

So you say that I need to compensate for my "own lack of detail". LMAO. Mate if I would take your pictures in your first post and undertake a survey with it 99/100 people would concur with me that you have no apparent hair loss and no recession. So that would make almost everybody have "lack of detail", besides you offcourse. In fact even in this topic we see that people seem to say the same. Open up your eyes.

You could have just said that you are scared that your hair will recede and that's why you are taking preventative measures. Because that is what is really happening here. I would still argue that it's a very premature decision, but it's a decision that is up to you. You decide what you want to do not me. However you clearly took offense in my message. So you reacted by reflecting it upon me and tried to hurt my feelings lol. Who is really acting from a defensive standpoint here? Hilarious.

I didn't mock you. S5 cream is just considered a very weak treatment. By my observations I just often see that people first try other treatments and "hope" that that will take care of their hair loss. This can be laser therapy, s5 cream, 17a-estradiol, supplements whatsoever. It almost always ends in dissapointment. Just like your regimen did. Clearly that's why you are exploring 5ar inhibitors now.

Lower your estrogen is my advice brah.

 

[Captain Hook]

So you say that I need to compensate for my "own lack of detail". LMAO. Mate if I would take your pictures in your first post and undertake a survey with it 99/100 people would concur with me that you have no apparent hair loss and no recession. So that would make almost everybody have "lack of detail", besides you offcourse. In fact even in this topic we see that people seem to say the same. Open up your eyes.

You could have just said that you are scared that your hair will recede and that's why you are taking preventative measures. Because that is what is really happening here. I would still argue that it's a very premature decision, but it's a decision that is up to you. You decide what you want to do not me. However you clearly took offense in my message. So you reacted by reflecting it upon me and tried to hurt my feelings lol. Who is really acting from a defensive standpoint here? Hilarious.

I didn't mock you. S5 cream is just considered a very weak treatment. By my observations I just often see that people first try other treatments and "hope" that that will take care of their hair loss. This can be laser therapy, s5 cream, 17a-estradiol, supplements whatsoever. It almost always ends in dissapointment. Just like your regimen did. Clearly that's why you are exploring 5ar inhibitors now.

Lower your estrogen is my advice brah.

All levity aside, you can see miniaturisation even in my original pictures, even some of the earlier posts in this thread have people commenting on it. No one said I was "NW1" a lot of people did say "NW1.5" or "mature hairline" and in my eyes a mature hairline is the beginning of frontal balding. Regardless of whether you want to see it or not, the only way I can prove it to you is if I experience regrowth after using an oral 5ARI and that's a pretty big "if" considering they really only are proven to provide maintenance, people who get regrowth are lucky. I only mentioned what I perceived because it usually is people who have/had major recession who dismiss my own recession as non-existent, apologies for coming off as defensive, but can you blame me, my Androgenetic Alopecia makes me livid, I'll admit that much.

My 17 year old hairline was pretty low, so I guess you could say I had a lot (and still do have a bit) of ground to lose before my recession really became apparent to others. That being said, since I did/do have time, I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to experiment and see if I was one of the few who could achieve results from S5 cream, but hey at least I wasn't delusional enough to continue, I've realised it is a very mild treatment.

I don't remember the value off the top of my head from my comprehensive hormone panel (the test results are at home in HK, I'll be sure to post them here just for you lad) but from what I remember my estrogen is already on the low normal end of the reference range. Unless of course that was a quip too, in which case...haha, how original! I can't agree with you that this is a premature decision as my temples keep getting worse by the month, I'm not about to sit around and do nothing about it. I'll try and post better quality pictures before I start dutasteride, as I have a better camera (DSLR) at home, as opposed to my mediocre iPhone camera that I have here.

 

[DoctorHouse]

All levity aside, you can see miniaturisation even in my original pictures, even some of the earlier posts in this thread have people commenting on it. No one said I was "NW1" a lot of people did say "NW1.5" or "mature hairline" and in my eyes a mature hairline is the beginning of frontal balding. Regardless of whether you want to see it or not, the only way I can prove it to you is if I experience regrowth after using an oral 5ARI and that's a pretty big "if" considering they really only are proven to provide maintenance, people who get regrowth are lucky. I only mentioned what I perceived because it usually is people who have/had major recession who dismiss my own recession as non-existent, apologies for coming off as defensive, but can you blame me, my Androgenetic Alopecia makes me livid, I'll admit that much.

My 17 year old hairline was pretty low, so I guess you could say I had a lot (and still do have a bit) of ground to lose before my recession really became apparent to others. That being said, since I did/do have time, I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to experiment and see if I was one of the few who could achieve results from S5 cream, but hey at least I wasn't delusional enough to continue, I've realised it is a very mild treatment.

I don't remember the value off the top of my head from my comprehensive hormone panel (the test results are at home in HK, I'll be sure to post them here just for you lad) but from what I remember my estrogen is already on the low normal end of the reference range. Unless of course that was a quip too, in which case...haha, how original! I can't agree with you that this is a premature decision as my temples keep getting worse by the month, I'm not about to sit around and do nothing about it. I'll try and post better quality pictures before I start dutasteride, as I have a better camera (DSLR) at home, as opposed to my mediocre iPhone camera that I have here.

Hook post some wet photos. It always shows the true Norwood level better. I think Androgenetic Alopecia makes us all "livid" especially when I see so many men over 50 that have no signs of it. I live in an area predominantly hispanic( mostly puerto ricans) and Androgenetic Alopecia is rare in their culture so it seems.

 

[Wolf Pack]

Yes, the temples are going/gone. Good news is you are no where near the point of no return. Medication can help you tremendously. finasteride/dutasteride could regrow hair at the front but the chances are it will mainly maintain. You may need Minoxidil/Transplant for the thinning areas in the future. All in all, don't worry. You will maintain for a long time hopefully due to being proactive. Your hair is thick like mine, which is also great.

 

[Captain Hook]

Hook post some wet photos. It always shows the true Norwood level better. I think Androgenetic Alopecia makes us all "livid" especially when I see so many men over 50 that have no signs of it. I live in an area predominantly hispanic( mostly puerto ricans) and Androgenetic Alopecia is rare in their culture so it seems.

Glad you mentioned this House, I was thinking of doing this when I got home and now I will make sure to do just that, I'll take wet photos straight out of the shower and then dry from several angles. I feel like it will better showcase my current situation too, while my hair still looks thick while dry, when wet you can see bits of my scalp in certain areas (not dissimilar to the way my scalp appears in harsh lighting like the recent photo I posted, just far worse), which makes sense because my hair feels thinner overall now compared to 2 years ago. I resonate with you, back home in HK most of the local Cantonese people don't seem to experience Androgenetic Alopecia until a much later age, around 40 is the usual age of onset based on an educated guess just by looking around when I'm out and about.

Yes, the temples are going/gone. Good news is you are no where near the point of no return. Medication can help you tremendously. finasteride/dutasteride could regrow hair at the front but the chances are it will mainly maintain. You may need Minoxidil/Transplant for the thinning areas in the future. All in all, don't worry. You will maintain for a long time hopefully due to being proactive. Your hair is thick like mine, which is also great.

Indeed, this is the only thing calming my erratic nerves these days--the oral 5ARI regrowth success stories. I wouldn't even be too upset with maintenance as I can always get a hair transplant perhaps when I"m 30-40. Minoxidil isn't something I'd want to pursue, for reasons stated earlier in this thread, the very same reasons you've stated too. Thanks for the reassurance, it helps heaps!

 

[CliffLee]

You guys are making me paranoid about using minoxidil. I understand your viewpoint, Hook. Wolf Pack, what are your reasons for not using minoxidil?

 

[DoctorHouse]

Glad you mentioned this House, I was thinking of doing this when I got home and now I will make sure to do just that, I'll take wet photos straight out of the shower and then dry from several angles. I feel like it will better showcase my current situation too, while my hair still looks thick while dry, when wet you can see bits of my scalp in certain areas (not dissimilar to the way my scalp appears in harsh lighting like the recent photo I posted, just far worse), which makes sense because my hair feels thinner overall now compared to 2 years ago. I resonate with you, back home in HK most of the local Cantonese people don't seem to experience Androgenetic Alopecia until a much later age, around 40 is the usual age of onset based on an educated guess just by looking around when I'm out and about.



Indeed, this is the only thing calming my erratic nerves these days--the oral 5ARI regrowth success stories. I wouldn't even be too upset with maintenance as I can always get a hair transplant perhaps when I"m 30-40. Minoxidil isn't something I'd want to pursue, for reasons stated earlier in this thread, the very same reasons you've stated too. Thanks for the reassurance, it helps heaps!

Hook, minoxidil isn't something you want to pursue but it may be something you may have to use as a last resort if you don't improve with finasteride/dutasteride. In desperation, we sometimes do things just because we see so many other people benefiting from it even if we know the possible consequences. Minoxidil/dutasteride or finasteride combo is responsible for the majority of success stories. But it is best to start with finasteride/dutasteride first to see how beneficial it is on its own. Actually, minoxidil foam is rather ingenious because its acts like a thickening styling mousse that is easy to apply and at the same time could actually thicken your hair however "it comes with a price" just like in Storybrooke. You may have to suffer thru a serious shed and there is no guarantee you will recover. And for some it may cause facial bloating and skin changes that might not be too favorable. And because it does not stop the fundamental process of balding, it will only act as a growth stimulant to give the "illusion" that you have more hair by synchronizing your growth cycle. And once you stop using it, you will be right back where you started as if you didn't use it at all. CliffLee, hope that did not make you too paranoid now.

 

[Agustin Araujo]

Thanks, that's the idea! From what I've read as long as the hair loss has occurred within the last 3-5 years then there's a decent chance of recovery and reversal when using oral 5ARIs. Hopefully this is the case for me. It's ironic, back in early September I was being mocked and was told I "have no hair loss" by a forum member named Xetudor. That kind of behaviour is unacceptable because it causes second thoughts and may delude people into thinking that they shouldn't seek aggressive treatment options early, just because people are salty about treating their own Androgenetic Alopecia too late doesn't mean they should encourage the same of others.

You should do well on an oral 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, it does after all work well for most men.

I've noticed quite an annoying occurrence that when someone comes on here asking for help about Androgenetic Alopecia but doesn't look like they have any hair loss, they get made fun of for it. But when they have visible hair loss, then those very same people who caused the ridicule say to the ones who were mocked then say they should have treated their hair loss earlier. It's a never ending cycle of inclination.

The individual knows their hair more than anyone else, and if they're sensing something's not right, then most likely there's something wrong. Like DoctorHouse, I now understand why you'd like to go straight to Dutasteride. Still keep in mind though Finasteride is still effective. At this point, perhaps you should give it a shot and ask your dermatologist if they'll prescribe you Dutasteride, it'd be awesome if you actually got on it, then you'd really won't have to worry about losing hair for a long time. It would be neat if that becomes a reality and you could document your experience with it if all goes well since not very many dutasteride-Users exist.

 

[TransientHair]

Hook, based on your age and aggressive loss at the front, I can understand why you want to hop on dutasteride right away.

That's not aggressive frontal loss. My hairline was worse at 17, and I still wouldn't consider my hair loss aggressive. In saying that, I do think that Hook should start at least Finasteride sooner rather than later.

 

[Wolf Pack]

You guys are making me paranoid about using minoxidil. I understand your viewpoint, Hook. Wolf Pack, what are your reasons for not using minoxidil?

I don't mean to hijack the thread but I've talked about it before. It is a powerful growth stimulant and the best we have, should you be the 1/3 that responds very well to it. I guess for a diffuse thinner, Minoxidil become a necessity if finasteride/dutasteride can't reverse the thinning. As a receder there is less need for me to commit to Minoxidil. I literally have all my hair except my hairline, either side of my forelock. I would rather permanently fix this with a hair transplant. Minoxidil is a life time commitment of X2 daily and seems hassle, for little return. I hate topicals and find it kind of depressing to use as well, feels stone age. Also better to be on one drug for life (finasteride) than two. Not to mention Minoxidil hairs are dependent on minoxidil, so even if a better treatment comes out, you will be on it still, its mechanism is not understood. Also I don't want to use Minoxidil due to the skin sides or anti cardio effects. I realise it's a topical but I don't want to apply that to my head and worry for these sides. I heard it also grows hair elsewhere.

 

[Captain Hook]

You guys are making me paranoid about using minoxidil. I understand your viewpoint, Hook. Wolf Pack, what are your reasons for not using minoxidil?

Please don't be paranoid for reasons stated by House and Wolf Pack below, it really is necessary for some of us. Thanks for understanding by the way!

Hook, minoxidil isn't something you want to pursue but it may be something you may have to use as a last resort if you don't improve with finasteride/dutasteride. In desperation, we sometimes do things just because we see so many other people benefiting from it even if we know the possible consequences. Minoxidil/dutasteride or finasteride combo is responsible for the majority of success stories. But it is best to start with finasteride/dutasteride first to see how beneficial it is on its own. Actually, minoxidil foam is rather ingenious because its acts like a thickening styling mousse that is easy to apply and at the same time could actually thicken your hair however "it comes with a price" just like in Storybrooke. You may have to suffer thru a serious shed and there is no guarantee you will recover. And for some it may cause facial bloating and skin changes that might not be too favorable. And because it does not stop the fundamental process of balding, it will only act as a growth stimulant to give the "illusion" that you have more hair by synchronizing your growth cycle. And once you stop using it, you will be right back where you started as if you didn't use it at all. CliffLee, hope that did not make you too paranoid now.

House if only you could've seen my face when I read the bolded text, a grin from ear to ear arose that I simply couldn't wipe off for a good 30 seconds

That being said you're absolutely right, just 3 months ago I was opposed to taking an oral 5ARI and here I am now counting down the days until I get to see my dermatologist and ask for a prescription. That being said 5ARIs can actually halt the progression of Androgenetic Alopecia by addressing the root cause, since minoxidil doesn't I can't see myself going on it in the foreseeable future. However, I do acknowledge that there may very well come a point in my life where its chance of benefits outweigh its risks and tepid efficacy. I guess I'll just take things one day at a time and see how far a 5ARI can take me.

I think with the whole risk/benefit analysis, the Michael Jordan quote as follows is a good analogy (I specifically remember a member named Rawtashk mentioning this):

"In their discussion about risk-reward, Reinsdorf offered Jordan an example of having 10 pills in front of him to help a headache, but one of the 10 pills would kill you. He said he didn't think it was worth the risk, however, Michael said "it depends how bad the headache is"

While extreme, it's a sobering truth. Our perspectives change when our circumstances and situations change.

You should do well on an oral 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, it does after all work well for most men.

I've noticed quite an annoying occurrence that when someone comes on here asking for help about Androgenetic Alopecia but doesn't look like they have any hair loss, they get made fun of for it. But when they have visible hair loss, then those very same people who caused the ridicule say to the ones who were mocked then say they should have treated their hair loss earlier. It's a never ending cycle of inclination.

The individual knows their hair more than anyone else, and if they're sensing something's not right, then most likely there's something wrong. Like DoctorHouse, I now understand why you'd like to go straight to Dutasteride. Still keep in mind though Finasteride is still effective. At this point, perhaps you should give it a shot and ask your dermatologist if they'll prescribe you Dutasteride, it'd be awesome if you actually got on it, then you'd really won't have to worry about losing hair for a long time. It would be neat if that becomes a reality and you could document your experience with it if all goes well since not very many dutasteride-Users exist.

Well said Agustin. The bolded information should be in a sticky for sure! It really is a malevolent cycle.

A prescription for dutasteride is the goal when I go to see my dermatologist. She's a very logical woman and even with topics she's unfamiliar with, she'll simply hop on the computer and brush up on them right in front of me. She did this when I suggested I remove timolol from my roster of ophthalmic medications, she had no idea it could cause hair loss but when I informed her that it could by showing her its package insert and a case study, she immediately told me to ask my ophthalmologist if it would be prudent to remove it (which he allowed and I still didn't improve, as it said earlier in this thread).

So as you can see she trusts my knowledge and I can tell she truly empathises with me and wants to assist me in any way I can to preserve my hair. I reckon if I show her some clinical studies regarding dutasteride's effectiveness, one of two things will happen:

1. She'll suggest I try finasteride first to see if I can tolerate 5ARIs. If that's the case she'll then give me the green light to switch to dutasteride after x amount of months if I so desire.

2. She'll tell me it's perfectly fine to give dutasteride a go and wish me the best of luck in doing so.

 

[Agustin Araujo]

Well said Agustin. The bolded information should be in a sticky for sure! It really is a malevolent cycle.

A prescription for dutasteride is the goal when I go to see my dermatologist. She's a very logical woman and even with topics she's unfamiliar with, she'll simply hop on the computer and brush up on them right in front of me. She did this when I suggested I remove timolol from my roster of ophthalmic medications, she had no idea it could cause hair loss but when I informed her that it could by showing her its package insert and a case study, she immediately told me to ask my ophthalmologist if it would be prudent to remove it (which he allowed and I still didn't improve, as it said earlier in this thread).

So as you can see she trusts my knowledge and I can tell she truly empathises with me and wants to assist me in any way I can to preserve my hair. I reckon if I show her some clinical studies regarding dutasteride's effectiveness, one of two things will happen:

1. She'll suggest I try finasteride first to see if I can tolerate 5ARIs. If that's the case she'll then give me the green light to switch to dutasteride after x amount of months if I so desire.

2. She'll tell me it's perfectly fine to give dutasteride a go and wish me the best of luck in doing so.

I think you'll maintain your hair well and go far with Finastasteride. If you do well on that treatment, then most likely Dutasteride will work really well for you. I'm glad you have a very understanding dermatologist.

 

[Captain Hook]

Update 13/11/2015

Half of today's pictures

 

[Captain Hook]

Update 13/11/2015

The other half of today's photos

 

[Captain Hook]

Update 13/11/2015

As mentioned in a previous post, today was the day I saw my dermatologist and sought her advice on my decision to pursue treatment with an oral 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. Here's how it went.

After broaching the subject she took out her ruler and compared today's measurements with the ones she took back in July. She said that there wasn't much of a difference but that if I was noticing more hair loss, especially since my hair appeared thinner, then something definitely is wrong. I brought up finasteride and she gave me a humourous look and said "you do know about the side effects right?" I nodded and told her I was well versed in the pharmacology of finasteride. She was glad and mentioned that any side effects I would get would subside after the discontinuation of treatment. She also asked about any blood work I've had done, I told her I had a comprehensive metabolic panel, liver values, thyroid function test and kidney function test all performed over summer. She was pleased and also agreed that since my serum estradiol was normal that I would likely not experience drastic side effects.

I brought up dutasteride as well and to my surprise she actually was aware of its off-label use for Androgenetic Alopecia. She told me that I should see how I fare on finasteride first, if I can tolerate it well after a few months to a year and I feel it would be a prudent option to switch then she said she will prescribe dutasteride for me if I so desire (she's honestly one of the sweetest and most understanding doctors I've been to, she really empathises with how much Androgenetic Alopecia has affected me, as well as the fact that she knows I'm a licensed and board certified pharmacy technician studying pharmaceutical sciences at university and hence knowledgeable about pharmacology). She just thought it was best to start with finasteride since she said '2/3 of men will see optimal results on it' and that she would prefer I see if I can achieve optimal results on an approved treatment before considering an off-label one. I was very impressed as she's a dermatologist at a laser centre, I wasn't expecting her to be this well versed in hair loss treatments. I was delighted to say the least. This also is fine with me just in case finasteride ends up being powerful enough to stop (and hopefully reverse) my Androgenetic Alopecia.

So there I was, with a smile of hope on my face and a prescription for 1 mg finasteride in my hand as I walked out, which I filled at the nearby pharmacy shortly after. $300 HKD per 28 tablet box of Maxteride brand generic 1 mg finasteride tablets, produced by Kern Pharma in Spain. This is rather expensive as dutasteride as brand name Avodart is $350 HKD per 30 tablet box (this is really cheap compared to most countries as far as I know), which I informed my dermatologist about, this is part of the reason why she's okay with letting me switch as it will be cheaper in the long run.

Speaking of price though, this may not matter as my insurance will possibly cover it entirely, since my hair loss originally arose from a bout of seborrhoeic dermatitis, my dermatologist may be able to clarify the diagnosis to my insurance as she wrote 'seborrhoeic dermatitis alopecia' on one of my receipts as the diagnosis. My insurance has covered various shampoos dispensed from her in the past for this exact diagnosis so they may very well cover finasteride or dutasteride as well. I'll keep you guys posted on this matter but I don't see why they wouldn't do the same as my health insurance is very extensive, if they do that'll be mint as (free finasteride and possibly free Avodart in the future, oh baby!).

I took my first 1 mg dose just a few hours ago. So Friday the 13th of November 2015 (lol how ironic) marks the beginning of my treatment timeline for finasteride. My current treatment regimen is simply just 1 mg finasteride daily. No more S5 Cream and no more 2% Nizoral. I'll still be using either 2% Nizoral or 1% selenium disulphide (Selsun Blue, I recently have been using it a bit due to the fact that I love the way it smells and makes my scalp feel, not to mention its ability to inhibit PGD synthase which means lower scalp PGD2 levels, check the Wikipedia page on PGDS and look at the references under prostanoid signalling, you'll see selenium disulphide listed as a known inhibitor of PGDS) once weekly as a prophylactic measure against seborrhoeic dermatitis as per the recommendation of my dermatologist but I will no longer be using Nizoral twice weekly for Androgenetic Alopecia purposes. I want to see how far I can get on finasteride alone. Hopefully it will be enough to halt my Androgenetic Alopecia and maybe even get regrowth if I'm lucky but if not I'm elated that my dermatologist will be able to write a prescription for dutasteride immediately if and when the moment arises that I notice that finasteride isn't powerful enough.

As for anxiety or whatever, I don't feel nervous at all, actually to be completely honest I haven't been this happy in a while. Knowing that I'm beginning treatment on one of the most powerful Androgenetic Alopecia medications currently approved really makes me feel positive. Not worrying about side effects should certainly help avoid any possible nocebo effect too!

For those curious here are the results from my comprehensive hormone panel, blood was taken back in June before I was on any treatments, analysis was performed by PathLab Medical Laboratories LTD. in HK at the 95% confidence level:

Estradiol (E2): 31 pg/mL (normal reference range for males is <56, keep in mind that zero patients as per this study had serum E2 levels above 45 pg/mL, even while on dutasteride for over a year: http://i.gyazo.com/dbbc762b031e11387805edd0605aedf1.png)

Follicle-stimulating Hormone: 2.1 mIU/mL (ref: 0.7-11.1)

Luteinising Hormone: 2.8 mIU/mL (ref: 0.8-7.6)

Prolactin: 7.6 ng/mL (ref: 2.5-17)

Total Testosterone: 591 ng/dL (ref: 160-726, median 323) (high test oh BABY)

*Finasteride Crew*

 

[DoctorHouse]

Hair does not look bad at all wet but it does show diffuse thinning but your hair may be fine in texture too. I am glad you found a doctor you like and understands your situation.

 

[I.D WALKER]

Nice attention to detail there Hook. I'm satisfied with your strategy against combatting your Androgenetic Alopecia as it looks like all your bases are covered.
Good luck and happy growing.

 

[Captain Hook]

Hair does not look bad at all wet but it does show diffuse thinning but your hair may be fine in texture too. I am glad you found a doctor you like and understands your situation.

Cheers House, my hair definitely is thinner compared to a year ago, it definitely is confusing as my hairline hasn't receded as fast as my hair has thinned overall. I appreciate the sentiment as good support from our doctors really helps the mental aspect of treatment.

Nice attention to detail there Hook. I'm satisfied with your strategy against combatting your Androgenetic Alopecia as it looks like all your bases are covered.
Good luck and happy growing.

Thanks Walker! Your approval means a lot, I appreciate the kind words too!