What Would You Do In My Situation? (26m)

[Itsnotoverforyou]

Hello, new here. Wasn't sure where to post this so if it's in the wrong spot sorry!

After about 4 months of finasteride I wasn't sure where I stood. Couldn't tell if I had gained, maintained, or lost at that point, so I decided to try minoxidil foam. I gave it a good go for 10 days, twice a day on my hairline and temples. I stopped using it because I got a bit of redness and itching where I applied it, which went away after about 2 days of stopping. So here is where I am. Is it possible I put too much on? I'm not sure how much I was using but I wanted to make sure I covered the problem areas and it's hard to quantify with the foam. Would one application a day suffice or should I try switching to the liquid? I don't think it's an allergic reaction, the redness was more pronounced in the edge of the hairline where it's thinner. I'll also attach a couple comparisons to see if you guys think I've lost hair since starting finasteride. The inset or smaller pic is the "before". This is how I compare, if that doesn't work for you I can upload them separately.

Thanks for the help!

 

[theblitz6794]

I use foam once a day with no ill effect. It'll be less effective but still work

 

[Kambrira159]

Not sure what your question exactly is but minoxidil is far less effective overall than finasteride.

For best results use both finasteride (use up to 0.25mg per day) and minoxidil. Some scalp irritation from minoxidil is normal.

 

[OldnBald]

Obviously you have some miniaturization in the front, but whatever isn't in the hairline is pretty much gone. What you'll probably experience, unless you have a crown just starting to thin, is just a cessation of hair loss, more or less. You probably won't gain much ground.

Someone with diffusion n a lot of shorter, thinning hair will probably get the best regrowth results.

I wouldn't expect very much.

 

[Itsnotoverforyou]

Obviously you have some miniaturization in the front, but whatever isn't in the hairline is pretty much gone. What you'll probably experience, unless you have a crown just starting to thin, is just a cessation of hair loss, more or less. You probably won't gain much ground.

Someone with diffusion n a lot of shorter, thinning hair will probably get the best regrowth results.

I wouldn't expect very much.

I appreciate the reply! I'm not expecting to return to Norwood 1, I'm not even sure what Norwood I'm at, but I'd like to thicken up what I have now.

I'm also not sure how my hair has changed at all since I started finasteride. Do you think you can make an accurate judgment on that based on those pictures?

I tried foam minoxidil but it irritated my skin on the hairline. It is possible I was putting too much on but I wanted make sure it made contact with the skin. Maybe with the longer hair, foam was not a good call. Should I give the liquid a shot?

 

[Who Farted]

I appreciate the reply! I'm not expecting to return to Norwood 1, I'm not even sure what Norwood I'm at, but I'd like to thicken up what I have now.

I'm also not sure how my hair has changed at all since I started finasteride. Do you think you can make an accurate judgment on that based on those pictures?

I tried foam minoxidil but it irritated my skin on the hairline. It is possible I was putting too much on but I wanted make sure it made contact with the skin. Maybe with the longer hair, foam was not a good call. Should I give the liquid a shot?

You won’t get an accurate picture of what affect finasteride is having until at least 12 months. As for irritation, it’s very common. Some people are more sensitive to its allergenic properties than others. You could continue normal use for a couple of weeks and see if they resolve, try a lower dose, or simply decide if it’s something you can live with or not.

 

[Itsnotoverforyou]

You won’t get an accurate picture of what affect finasteride is having until at least 12 months. As for irritation, it’s very common. Some people are more sensitive to its allergenic properties than others. You could continue normal use for a couple of weeks and see if they resolve, try a lower dose, or simply decide if it’s something you can live with or not.

It feels like I'm maybe losing hair still. I think I'm gonna try liquid minoxidil once a day. Or ask my doctor if it's gotten any worse and bring up dutasteride. Could derma rolling without minoxidil be feasible too?

 

[Itsnotoverforyou]

I think I'm losing it from the sides too

 

[Inigo1202]

Antiandrogens are the key to fight Androgenetic Alopecia. Keep on using either Finasteride or Dutasteride, the one your dermathologist tells you.

Even if some people see some results as soon as the third month, I wouldn't be sure about its effects till one year has passed. One year after starting Finasteride should be enough to know whether its working or not.

And keep in mind "working" doesn't necesarily mean regrowth. Some people will get new hair, but most of them just will keep the hair the already have, with some minor regrowth, on the crown area usually.

 

[justbeconfident]

i have the same hair loss as you do but far more agressive diffuse thinner
thats where i started
https://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/threads/what-would-you-do-in-my-situation-26m.125623/

now i look even more diffused than you do on your pictures and i also ironically lost ground on the sides too, which usually never happens in male pattern baldness

also i got scary side from finasteride, so might even have to quit..

 

[Who Farted]

It feels like I'm maybe losing hair still. I think I'm gonna try liquid minoxidil once a day. Or ask my doctor if it's gotten any worse and bring up dutasteride. Could derma rolling without minoxidil be feasible too?

You can definitely do the dermaroller on its own and it is still beneficial and it could help, but you’re not going to get anything dramatic out of it. It will be less effective than Min on its own, but I still think it’s worth giving it a go independently.

Dermarolling compliments Min really well and vice versa; given that they both work by increasing circulation to the area and the former increases the absorption of the latter, there’s a natural synergy there.

That being said, I would be cautious about dermarolling on a sensitive scalp as it could easily make things worse. If I was in your spot I’d try the reduced min dose, see if it’s agreeable to your scalp, and if it is consider adding the dermaroller. If the lower frequency doesn’t improve the situation I would discontinue the Min, wait for the irritation to subside, then give the dermaroller a go on its own.

Edit - if you’re losing hair from the sides as well then you’re diffusing. finasteride should help stop the progression and ideally Min/Derma would help you thicken up what’s left. I you can tolerate one or both you could have great results if you’re a responder.

 

[Itsnotoverforyou]

Thanks for the responses everyone! So I just got back from the doctor's office and he said continuing once daily doses should be fine. Keep in mind this was an internist and not a dermatologist. I've used the liquid 5 times and haven't had any issues so far. I also kinda pussied out on asking for dutasteride. I haven't had any sides from finasteride I think but I'm kinda nervous to almost eliminate DHT from my body.

I think what my plan is going to be is to use the minoxidil once a day and see how my situation is progressing before I add microneedling. I'm just kinda hesitant about stabbing myself with a bunch of little needles, I feel like I could mess that up, especially with my hair length, so I'll probably go with a pen if I add that.

But here's also a little bit of a plot twist. I think I might be seeing some "regrowth" on the temple though but I'm not entirely sure. It looks like some very fine white hairs that go to about a centimeter down from my hairline may have more pigment now. I also have a mole on my right temple that seems to be slightly less visible as well.

Here is a comparison. Please tell me what you think of these pictures. One is unedited and the other has the contrast boosted to make the aforementioned hairs more visible.

Thanks for the help, guys!

 

[Who Farted]

Best of luck!

 

[Itsnotoverforyou]

Has anyone noticed any difference between generic or name brand when it comes to hair looking greasy? Does one dry better? Any tips on how to apply it to avoid getting it in the hair as much as possible? Is it also permissible to dry your hair with a napkin after applying making sure to to touch the scalp?

 

[Itsnotoverforyou]

I use foam once a day with no ill effect. It'll be less effective but still work

How has that worked for you?

 

[Who Farted]

Has anyone noticed any difference between generic or name brand when it comes to hair looking greasy? Does one dry better? Any tips on how to apply it to avoid getting it in the hair as much as possible? Is it also permissible to dry your hair with a napkin after applying making sure to to touch the scalp?

I think you meant to say making not to touch the scalp. Yeah man, do whatever you need to as long as it gets on the scalp and gets absorbed it’s fine. It doesn’t do anything for the hair itself, so there’s no need to worry about removing it if you can.

Unfortunately the greasy hair kind of comes with the territory although the foam is supposed to be less so, but with the caveat that it doesn’t absorb as well as the liquid.

 

[Itsnotoverforyou]

I think you meant to say making not to touch the scalp. Yeah man, do whatever you need to as long as it gets on the scalp and gets absorbed it’s fine. It doesn’t do anything for the hair itself, so there’s no need to worry about removing it if you can.

Unfortunately the greasy hair kind of comes with the territory although the foam is supposed to be less so, but with the caveat that it doesn’t absorb as well as the liquid.

Yep I meant to say "not to touch the scalp". If I dab it out with a napkin/paper towel after it almost looks like I didn't even mess with my hair. I wait around 30 minutes if I even do that. I've heard of people using a syringe instead of the dropper so I could experiment with that too. This is quickly becoming a hassle, but so is losing your hair lol.