Hey guys, as the end of 2023 nears, I thought I'd do a post for those coming to this sub in desperate need of help.
In this post I’m going to be talking about the science of hair loss and what to do if you are balding and want to stop it.
I’m a medical student and have donated a lot of my personal time to pharmacology, hormones and hair protocols through research and experimentation. There’s a lot going on here on Reddit, and as a beginner it can be very daunting to decide on what to do. Obviously everything should be discussed with your doctor, but below is my best attempt at a guide to explain a little bit about hair loss:
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I first noticed I was balding around 12 months ago, and rather than get caught up in the genetics of hair loss and trying to figure out whether it was Dad, my Mum’s Dad, my Mum’s Dad’s Dad or the goldfish he owned when he was 10, I thought to myself:
I can’t change my genetics. Whatever my DNA sequencing (genomic regions) has in store for me in regards to balding, that’s pretty much set. The best I can do is fight as long as I can using the highest quality science, products and methodologies to offset it.
And that’s what I’ve been doing, with good success, over the past 12 months.
Let’s get into it, and I’m going to do this in order of most important to least (in my opinion).
Getting to the root cause: DHT
Okay, so if we look at the entire testosterone/HPT axis pathway, cholesterol is converted to testosterone and some people think that’s the end of the line, but it’s actually not; 5-alpha reductase (5A1/2 in the image below) is the enzyme responsible for converting Testosterone (T) to its much more potent form DHT (dihydrotestosterone).
5-alpha reductase converts Testosterone to DHT, the hair killer.
Now, interestingly, 5-alpha reductase for whatever reason is very high prevalent in skin tissue - including the human scalp. And side note: this is why guys who take testosterone gel or cream often have very high levels of DHT compared to guys who take injections, because the cream is being converted through the skin into DHT at a much higher rate than injectable esters into muscle bellies. But, basically, it is this 5-alpha reductase activity in the scalp that is converting testosterone to DHT, and DHT through a variety of mechanisms leads to follicular miniaturisation (hair thinning, and eventual loss of your hair follicles).
But why? Well, there are hundreds of factors: hormonal (androgen receptor density & sensitivity to said androgens), physical, genetic, environmental. The list goes on.
Note; this study goes into a lot more depth for those of you interested.
But, how do we actually combat balding?
Most men tend to lose their hair in patterns as described by the famous Norwood Scale.
With how much I’ve spoken about 5-alpha reductase and DHT, it seems logical that stopping this conversion of Testosterone to DHT is the absolute first line of defence against hair loss.
To really, truly combat hair loss, the first mechanism is as follows: you absolutely need to reduce your hair follicles’ exposure to DHT.
And how do we do this? Well, finasteride is a drug that acts as a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. Sold under the name Propecia, the molecule is a strong 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, and has been shown to inhibit around 70% of serum (blood) levels of DHT from peak. The usual starting dose is 1mg daily. Dutasteride (sold under the name Avodart) is an even more potent inhibitor (usual starting daily dose is 0.5mg), and can block up to 98% of conversion from T to DHT: it is a much more potent inhibitor of the enzyme that converts T to DHT. Dutasteride would be an option if you wanted a nuclear option to block almost all DHT. In fact, one of my favourite studies compared the difference between Finasteride vs. Dutasteride, and as you can see below, the suppression of DHT levels from Dutasteride was significantly more than Finasteride. Not only this, but the half life of Dutasteride is significantly longer than Finasteride (~8 hours vs. 5 weeks!), and you can see that in the Dutasteride group after stopping treatment (Follow-up Period), DHT levels remained suppressed for a much longer time.
DHT vs. Finasteride - what a study.
Side effects from 5-alpha reductase inhibitors are rare, although we should speak about them. Online, through various forums, Reddit posts, YouTube videos and TikTok’s time and time again I see posts about nasty Finasteride side effects, post-Finasteride syndrome and how Rob can’t get his Johnson hard anymore because of Finasteride, so his girlfriend left him.
Now, don’t get me wrong, side effects have been noted, although current research puts the risk of side effects at around 1-3% of people, so even though online there is a lot of noise about finasteride and its side effects, I personally don’t think the research supports this scaremongering. There is also going to be a natural selection bias with the stories online, because the guy for whom Finasteride is working well and who is not experiencing any side effects, he isn’t really going to post. Because why would he? He’s doing fine.
However, I absolutely sympathise with the people who just cannot tolerate 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. Side effects can be very real, and this is why it is vitally important to always consult with a qualified doctor before deciding on any medication: I’m just presenting the science. Everyone reacts slightly differently, and these can be strong medications - so it's important to be well-informed and sensible with whatever path you and your medical practitioner decide to go down.
Topical Minoxidil 5% (Rogaine):
Minoxidil is a compound that has been shown to increase the rate of DNA synthesis in anagen (growth phase) bulbs of hair follicles. Basically minoxidil stimulates hair cells to move from telogen (resting phase) to anagen (growing phase) - so instead of having hair follicles resting, it is telling the body to move them back into a growth phase by shortening the resting phase. The idea here is that you get more ‘regrowth’ of hair follicles.
Minoxidil stimulates hair cells to shorten the resting (telogen) phase and go back into an anagen (growing phase). Often, progress pictures will show significant new regrowth or ‘baby’ hairs growing with minoxidil treatment.
I apply Rogaine, a 5% strength Minoxidil foam twice daily in areas that I feel are receding. The nice thing about the foam is that it isn’t super sticky (unlike some people report with the gel), and it also acts as a nice way to hold my hair throughout the day, like hair product.
As you can see from the photo below, there is a vast difference between telogen (resting phase) and anagen (growing phase), and the idea is that the more hairs you can keep in anagen, the more healthy your hair will be, by limiting the amount of follicles that inevitably go through an anagen restart and die off.
There is also the option of oral minoxidil, which anecdotally at least seems to be very powerful at regenerating ‘baby’ hairs (or, new regrowth). Again, oral minoxidil can have some pretty significant side effects and drug interactions with blood pressure medications, so speaking through with your doctor is key!
Ketoconazole Shampoo:
This shampoo is primarily an anti-dandruff shampoo, but research has shown it may increase the proportion of hairs in anagen phase (growth phase) - resulting in reduced hair shedding. This study showed that 1% ketoconazole shampoo increased hair diameter over baseline after 6 months of use and reduced shedding. Interestingly, participants’ hair diameter also increased over baseline, showing that it may play a role in creating thicker hair.
Nizoral is a common brand here in Australia of 2% strength ketoconazole shampoo.
What is good about ketoconazole, is that it’s also a weak androgen receptor antagonist. What does this mean? It means it competes with DHT and Testosterone for binding to the active binding domain on the human AR (androgen receptor). If a compound can bind to a receptor without influencing its usual effects, it is said to be an antagonist. Basically, if ketoconazole can get into an androgen receptor before Testosterone or DHT, it will occupy that site and block T/DHT from binding and starting their usual process of killing off hair follicles (follicular miniaturisation).
Goodbye DHT, nobody wants you here.
Dermarolling
Derma-what?
Dermarolling is the process of creating micro punctures in the scalp skin to induce a wound healing response, with an array of tiny microneedles.
In this study, the dermarolling + minoxidil treated group was statistically superior to the minoxidil only treated group in promoting hair growth in men with balding patterns, for all primary efficacy measures of hair growth. In fact, the microneedling group outperformed even the minoxidil group in terms of how much hair was regrown after 12 weeks:
The mechanism seems to be that continued microtrauma to the scalp skin leads to a release of platelet derived growth factors and other growth factors that are sent to the area of scalp, to aid in the skin wound regeneration. The added benefit is that there seems to be some carry over effect to hair growth, as dermarolling seems to activate stem cells or ‘unspecialised’ cells that are yet to be differentiated, and differentiate them into hair follicle cells, meaning more hair growth. Basically, its a wound healing response that brings growth factors to the area of the scalp to increase hair growth.
I have played around with a few different protocols, but I use a 1.5mm roller and roll horizontally, vertically and diagonally for about 30 seconds in areas where my hairline is thinning or receding. I do this every 10 days. You don’t want to press so hard that you draw blood, but it should also hurt slightly. I mean, putting hundreds of tiny spikes into your scalp isn’t really my idea of Sunday night fun. But hey, if it regrows some hair why not?
There are also derma-stamps and motorised tools, all of which assist with the end goal: creating a wound healing response to bring growth factors to the scalp, and potentially assist the penetration of Minoxidil deeper into the scalp skin tissue.
Natural DHT blocking compounds:
Natural DHT blockers are also options, although obviously the results aren’t going to be nearly as strong as what is mentioned above.
Some people have good results (anecdotally) with rosemary oil applied topically, green tea and saw palmetto are options here. However, the science is very hit and miss, and in any event, I can’t see natural compounds competing against the 'Big 4'.
RU58841:
Now, that’s all good, but what if you need a nuclear chemical. Something that would attack the androgen receptor at a direct level in your scalp? Well, that compound is below. But a quick warning: I do not recommend this compound. A lot of people use it, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. There is no (yes, zero) long-term safety data on the compound below, and whether you choose to take a completely untested chemical is up to you. But I don’t recommend it - have I said that enough?
Alright so, apart from sounding like a bunch of random letters because your cat ran over your keyboard, RU58841 is a strong DHT blocker (it has been shown to inhibit around 70% of DHT binding to the androgen receptor), but not in the way that Finasteride or Dutasteride work.
The chemical structure of RU58841.
Instead of finasteride and dutasteride which work on inhibiting the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, RU58841 works on the AR itself - occupying the active site, so that when DHT tries to get in and exert its hair destructive effects in the scalp, it can’t, it’s literally blocked from accessing the active site of the androgen receptor.
RU58841 operates like an androgen receptor antagonist (3rd receptor, on the right). It binds to the receptor and stops testosterone and DHT from binding, meaning that DHT cannot then exert its hair miniaturisation effects.
And in this study, RU58841 was found to inhibit 70% of DHT binding. Combining something like finasteride or dutasteride which attacks 5-alpha reductase converting T to DHT with RU58841 which stops ~70% of DHT binding to the androgen receptor, and you’d now be attacking hair loss from 2 vectors: T to DHT conversion, as well as at a receptor level. Now you can start to understand why this is a nuclear option for hair loss, and incredibly powerful.
However, despite how good all of that sounds in practice, just remember, RU58841 is completely untested in regards to side effects. There is no long-term safety data on how it may or can impact human health, so what I’m saying (for legal reasons) is don’t use it. Get what I’m saying?
Final Thoughts:
And, there it is guys. Now, just a quick note, this isn’t a super comprehensive list of all supplements for a hair regrowth/hair protection protocol, but is a solid start.
There are certainly more ‘niche’ options, or compounds in development now that may be promising (or not, looking at you Phase 3 of Pyrilutamide trials), but this guide was just the bare basics for a beginner to wrap his head around (no pun intended) the science and how to start combatting AGA.
In particular, if you want to save your hair, it’s going to be the ‘big 4’: finasteride (or Dutasteride), Minoxidil, Ketoconazole shampoo and derma-rolling roughly once a week to every 2 weeks.
This would follow the best possible science that we have at the moment, in terms of targeting as many vectors as possible:
T to DHT blockade (5-alpha reductase inhibitors, Fin/Dut)
Use this thread for general questions and advice,“Am I balding?”, “What are my options?”, “Does anyone else experience this?”, as well as discussing side effects, treatment experiences, or looking for opinions on your hairline photos and treatment options.
Please don't rely on other users to diagnose conditions or guide your treatment decisions. While you can share personal experiences, what worked for you may not be safe or appropriate for someone else. If you're experiencing symptoms, concerned about side effects, or considering treatment, please talk to a doctor rather than relying on internet advice.
If you want useful feedback on your hair, post good photos: high resolution, multiple angles, good lighting, and ideally both wet and dry.
Mention what changes you’ve noticed and over what period of time. Some people naturally have thinner hair, a higher hairline, or less density, so context helps members give you better feedback. It's vital to take identical photos every few months. Remember that consistent lighting is important.
Age and family history are worth mentioning.
You might not get an answer if your question is too basic or common. Nobody can predict if a treatment will work for you.
This is a community, and you can help out fellow members by commenting under their photos and upvoting people that leave you comments.
In summer of 2020 I was in denial about my hair loss and finally decided to cut it all off. My first 3 photos are my before pictures. You can clearly see the thinning of my hair and how undefined my hairline was at the time. Not the most recession as my hairline has never been straight, but just generally weak with no density. The longer hair made it look worse too.
I kept my hair buzzed for the next several months until in February of 2021 I decided to try out hair loss medicine and subscribed to one of the many companies that ship out fin and min. I began taking 1 mg fin orally, 1ml min topically, and dermarolling. Looking at people growing their hair out during the pandemic made me want to give my hair one last chance as I was still in my early 20s and wasn’t ready to let it go quite yet. I’m happy I shaved my head because going bald really boosted my confidence for when I’m finally ready to let it go.
The next picture is from August of 2021. I had some massive shedding over that summer, but began keeping it consistent from this point on.
The next few pictures are from October 2021. I grew my hair out some but soon had another nasty shed so I ended up buzzing my hair again. It was good to see density coming back though.
Had to take photos to update my prescription so the next 2 photos are from January 2022. The clearest way to see my hairline and overall density improvement so far in my opinion. This was the hair cut I maintained until April when I felt I was ready to grow my hair back out.
The next photo is from a random day in July 2022 where I can see the density increase compared to my earlier curly haired photo from October. This is about the time I switched to oral minoxidil and had stopped dermarolling.
I have my 2 prescription update photos taken in October 2022 here where my hair is looking wild but slowly growing out. 6 months of growth since my last haircut.
2 December 2022 prescription update photos where my hair is slicked back. This is about when I started to slick my hair back to keep it from falling down in my eyes. The density was looking great and my hairline looked better than I can ever remember it looking. I don’t know how I missed how much my hair had began thinning when I look back on pre fin/min photos.
This next photo is my first photo where I was finally able to tie my hair back in September of 2023. There are photos of me the 9 months between but they’re pretty much the same looking as December. Just with longer hair here and there.
May 2024 prescription photos, I was tired and my face was hurting as I had just broken my face at my eyebrow and was getting surgery the next day. My eye was hurting, but at least my hair looked good. They wanted me to shave my head to get easier access to my eyebrow when performing surgery but I managed to convince them not to.
Next photo from June 2024. 1.5 months post skull surgery.
Next photos are from May of 2025.
Last 2 photos are from this year 2026 show the length, density, and hairline.
As far as side effects go, I haven’t had any that are noticeable. No issues with libido or erections, my blood pressure is normal, and my heart is in good shape. I can say this all after coming from surgery where they ran all my numbers and after I now go to a cardiologist to check on my body routinely after someone young I know passed away.
Just my 6 year update. I try to keep my posts coming every year or so to continue to update the community. No transplant, just min and fin.
Been on oral minoxidil and finasteride for almost 2.5 years now and it genuinely saved my life. Just sharing my results from early 2024 till now. I’ve been balding since I was 16-17 and am about to turn 27 in a couple weeks and have better hair now than I did in high school. Personally I’ve seen zero side effects and had blood work done as well, everything has been consistent and healthy. If you’re considering hopping on, just do it.
Balding in Canada genuinely sucks. Topical minoxidil is ridiculously overpriced, dermatologists will straight-up reject your physician’s referral for male pattern baldness because it’s considered cosmetic rather than medically necessary under OHIP, and telehealth providers charge absurd prices for both oral minoxidil and finasteride.
You’re literally cooked if you’re trying to treat hair loss affordably in this country.
Thankfully, IndiaMART exists, but even that feels like a gamble since you never really know what you’re getting.
I had been on oral minoxidil (10Mg) dosage for a year and saw great improvements in hair density. Stupidly (I know) I mistakenly took a wrong pill for 2 and a half weeks instead of minoxidil. 6 weeks since I have had a HUGE shedding phase and am still losing hair every day. Do not stop taking minoxidil even if it’s for a week or so it’s not worth the risk.
It looks like we might have a newly identified hair growth stimulant; a protein called PTN (pleiotrophin).
Normally, supporting stem cells near the dermal papilla, the structure at the base of the hair follicle that helps regulate growth, release signals that communicate with nearby hair-making stem cells. PTN appears to be one of these growth-supporting signals.
In a September 2026 study, researchers found that PTN signaling was reduced in aging and balding scalp.
When they used PTN on the isolated human hair follicles in the laboratory, it stimulated hair growth and even reversed the growth suppression caused by testosterone over six days. In reality it wasn’t testosterone that was causing this hair loss. We know from bigger papers it’s still DHT. It’s just that the focus of this paper was not on 5AR action and it was easier for the authors to just use testosterone given how expensive the other aspects of the study were to conduct.
We know from previous studies that people with androgenetic alopecia still retain their baseline hair follicle stem cells in balding scalp regions. You can read more here : https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3026732/
However, the stem cells struggle to activate them.
PTN could potentially act as a replacement growth signal when the follicle’s natural signaling environment becomes impaired.
Doctor said I can take finasteride at 20 but I would have to get a blood test every six months. Problem is I have a crippling fear of needles. I would rather take pills that made me throw up blood than get a blood test. My hair is the only thing that’s ever made me somewhat attractive and every ounce of my self worth is tied to it. It’s to the point where I think people are starting to be able to tell and I am petrified to leave the house let alone my room. I want this medication but I feel immobile at the thought of a blood test. I’ve been trying to get myself to get a blood test since August and every day I just can’t do it.
I don’t know what to do I can’t be bald this early I just can’t. I am so incredibly insecure and being bald would ruin me. I don’t care about girls, I don’t care about anything I just can’t be bald.
The after is taken in front of a window so basically the harshest lighting you can get. The hair in the after photo is longer but regardless I think it’s clear to see there’s improvement.
I mean, the compound is public domain, a lot of people get amazing results, and yet some guys complain about chest pain. Why not start some new trials and use AI to figure this out once and for all?
Honestly, with AI around, we should just team up and do the legwork ourselves to find something better than fin/dut or minoxidil. And if not a new drug, at least a better vehicle with higher affinity so we get better results with fewer sides.
Hola! Esta es una historia larga... Quería dejarles mi experiencia con el tratamiento que llevo ya hace más de 16 años. Comencé a los 25 cuando empecé a notar que mi coronilla se empezaba a notar. Mi cabello siempre fue un orgullo y no quería que dejara de ser así. Mi padre, mis abuelos, todos son pelados y la ruleta genética no iba a jugar a mi favor. Comencé con finasteride, un dermatólogo me recetó una pastilla de 5mg que tenía que partir en 5. Imaginen esa incomodidad. Luego minoxidil tópico al 5%. Era novato en el tema y usaba las 10 gotas al la mañana y 10 a la noche. Eventualmente me cansé de eso y pasé a las 20 gotas sólo a la noche. Luego descubrí la jeringa con la medida exacta y todo resultó más cómodo. Tuve el tan temido shedding pero pude superarlo. También tuve mis abandonos temporales que al ver como retrocedía mi progreso, suspendía y me ponía las pilas nuevamente. Así continué con buenos resultados súper orgulloso de mi progreso, alentando y asesorando a personas que tenían los mismos miedos y angustias por perder su cabello. Transcurrido un par de años descubrí la pastilla de finasteride de 1mg y se imaginaran la alegría de poder tomarlo sin tener que cortar 1 pastilla en 5. Los años transcurrieron, tuve mis enemistades con el tratamiento porque a veces parecía retroceder y a veces avanzar mucho. Por un problema de dermatitis comencé a usar shampoo de ketoconazol. No noté diferencias en el cabello pero eliminó por completo mi dermatitis (que me estaba destruyendo el cuero cabelludo y la cara). Allá por el 2018 buscando información, descubrí el dutasteride. Con el fina estaba bien pero el dutasteride parecía ser una mejor opción según testimonios y estudios. Así pued me cambié al dutasteride 0.5. tuve un shedding nuevamente y desde allí, si bien fue relativamente bien, noté un pequeño retroceso en los resultados. Pero como dicen hoy en día "confiar en el proceso". En el 2025 abandoné el proceso. Estaba harto del minoxidil, el pelo grasoso, el no transpirar, el polvillo cuando se secaba y ni hablar del gasto. Si bien la obra social cubría un 40% de los productos, es una moneda. Tal como todos sabemos, a los meses volvía a esos momentos medios surrealistas de bañarse, pasarse shampoo y luego ver la mano llena de pelos. La almohada llena de pelos. Peinarse y ponerse a pensar que la cantidad de pelos que perdía por día estaban lejos de los que podían crecer. Claramente estaba en un proceso totalmente negativo de crecimiento. Y me asusté, y soñaba eventualmente con que me quedaba pelado. Y volví al tratamiento, pero esta vez busqué más info y conocí el minox en pastillas. Gloria al Señor. Volví a recuperar nuevamente lo perdido. Comparaba fotos y todo iba muy bien. Hasta que a fines de 2025 así nomás, de un día para otro casi descubrí que no eyaculaba más. Ni me lubricaba en los actos sexuales. No me asusté porque la verdad es que hijos no quiero tener. Pero obviamente me hice análisis y ecografías. Todo dió bien, me recomendaron suspender el dutasteride por unos meses y con eso seguramente recuperaba la eyaculación. Pero a los 2 meses de suspenderlo y viendo que volvía a perder cabello tuve que tomar una decisión. No fue una decisión muy difícil: prefiero tener pelo antes que eyacular. Total no soy el actor Jordi el niño polla, mi pareja no necesita un barnizado de chele y para lubrucar hay productos muy copados. El tratamiento sigue más o menos, ahora estoy perdiendo pelo, no sé exactamente por qué, pero se me aclara un poco la capocha nuevamente. Estoy contento por todos estos años de sacrificio, en general dieron muy buenos resultados. Quería compartirles esto ya que leo muchos testimonios pero hasta ahora ninguno con tantos años como el que comparto. Nada de esto que les cuento fue traumático. Ha sido en menor o mayor medida algo angustaliante pero no me ha condicionado la vida ni me ha deprimido.
No sé, quería compartir mi experiencia. No hay una conclusión sino una historia, un relato de otro cumpa que lucha contra el la alopecia genética. Ah, también me hice mesoterapia y eso de que te sacan sangre, la procesan y te la inyectan. Pero eso si me rompió las pelotas.
Les dejo un saludo. Si alguien quisiera preguntarme algo, estoy a disposición
I started this journey in July when I noticed my hair was falling ALOT, the dermatologist put me on dutasteride 0.5 minoxidil 2.5 and I derma stamp once a week on a 1.0 needle, I originally got the buzz cut to see how back my corners were and boy the were back😭 I think this is pretty good progress for 3 months. I’ll go back to buzz cut in January to compare howbi started to how it looks in 6 months. Also my shed lasted the first 2 months now when I shower the hair that used to fall is now un existent.
Was almost bald at 69 as shown in first pic taken in April of this year. Then I started topical finasteride and minoxidil of my own compounding by taking 10 5 milligrams fin and crushing them and mixing with a bottle of minoxidil. Applied daily with a dropper after showering then massaging it in with fingertips and doing microderm several times a week. I see lots of growth and many fine hairs getting thicker. Thinking of trying topical dut. Still have some work on the crown though. Any thoughts on this? Thanks
I want to buy real and authentic Minoxidil in Hong Kong under budget, I checked the Kirkland but it is out of stock everywhere and is available on lemon more but I doubt the authenticity. Can someone tell me where to buy it? or another Minoxidil you guys use in HK or Mainland china.
Si usas productos tópicos, sobre todo el Minoxidil pero fumas cualquier cosa pierdes el tiempo, sobre todo Minoxidil que es un vasodilatador, mientras que la nicotina es un vasoconstrictor, es decir se anulan, por lo menos debes dejar 3-4h sin fumar nada y lo mismo después de aplicarlo para que funcione al 100%, y lo mismo con Fin/Dut tópicos, si hay vasoconstricción no va a poder llegar bien al folículo.
Consejo final, no uses tópicos 3-4h antes y después de fumar cualquier cosa
I just started Dutasteride (0.5 mg) earlier this year in mid April and Im about to hit my 7th month mark. I was on Finasteride (1 mg) for 2+ years before making the switch.
It looks pretty gnarly right now lmao but I have faith it'll come back thicker... hopefully.
How have your gym gains, body composition, and overall fitness been? Any boosts or declines after starting?
Still have that drive to conquer the day, reach goals, and achieve? Or mellowed out a bit?
Curious about the over all “want” that “lust for life” if it’s changed over the ages. As keeping your hair kept that fire alive, as fin messed with it a bit, increased or reduced it?
Just wondering if any diffuse thinners have managed to hold on without losing ground long term. I’m 21M and while my hairloss isn’t too severe at the moment, the pattern is fairly aggressive (pretty much all over the top of my scalp and crown). Wanted to see if I have any hope for the future haha. Experienced sides on 0.5mg dutasteride every day so dropped it to 3x a week aswell as 2.5 oral minox daily. Wondering if this sort of regimen would be enough or if I need RU/Pyri (if this stuff even works). Any anecdotes/suggestions welcome!
Use the beauty mark circled in green as reference.
My story: started dutasteride at 19, topical Min some months After that and microneedling. Big improvements, I didn't notice It at the time but I was doing very good. Then I stopped microneedling and topical Min After 1 year cause I was tired of topical Min and switched to oral Min maximum dosage, thinking I would have improved even more. In 6 months I got worse (as shown in the 1st Pic, those hair were Better before) and restarted topical Min while continuing oral Min. Then I stopped checking my hair for years until today (22 yo).
Well It's clear that I had Lost ground After stopping topical Min, but as you can see in the pics I have Lost even more ground despite restarting topical Min and not stopping oral Min (never stopped dutasteride). I don't think stopping microneedling made me Lose those hairs.
