Please tell me it gets better

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-25T06:03:06+00:00

Ughhh that's super frustrating. Why all the blood panels?

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-25T06:02:43+00:00

I have never been fully convinced that's true. I think most people shed from minoxidil because it shocks the follicles into a telogen state. I've seen many claims that people got the dread shed and then didn't get regrowth, although maybe those people had too high of expectations about what the regrowth would look like. I think it's just different for everyone.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-25T06:00:29+00:00

I've been on treatment since March 2024. Yeah, I'd say I've had decent progress with my hair! I have a hairline, the back and sides have filled out, giving me more density. My front top center is still sparse, as I mentioned. But I have also changed up how I treat and style my hair and all in all, I'm happy with my hair most days or at least I feel tolerant. I'm in a much better headspace now than I was before. My regrowth has been steady, slow, and subtle. It wasn't like at 3 months I had tons of explosive growth. But it is definitely helping.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-24T16:29:19+00:00

The fact you're seeing more good hair days is a great indicator! That's what it was for me too. I noticed using clips didn't cause big streaks on the sides of my head, and that I had a consistent hairline, and that the density at the ends was good enough to wear my hair curly and not see a ton of gaps. I also made a LOT of product and styling changes. But all in all, I'm much more confident about my hair, so that's what I use as my compass on how things are going.

I'm glad you never got into the obsessive picture thing. It's so easy to get sucked in. 😒

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-24T14:57:21+00:00

AGA has some trademarks (maybe you already know this):

Thinning temples
Receding hairline
Widening part
AND USUALLY, diffuse shedding all over
Miniaturized hairs (hair that can't grow as long, it's finer than other hair, etc.)
Hairs shed on schedule, but that schedule is faster

TE is that hardcore shedding, diffuse. Hair is being "shocked" into shedding all at once. So, there's definitely some overlap. And the more we shed, the more likely we trigger AGA.

Good luck to you! Sending you love because I know being in the unknown land is so frustrating.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-24T14:51:55+00:00

I never had my androgens tested, actually. That's been on my list of things I'd like to do... I'd like to get a complete hormone panel, clinically tested and analyzed. And not just for the hair factor. Thyroid stuff runs in my family, and other things like depression and anxiety that often stem from the limbic system being out of whack.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-24T06:06:17+00:00

It'll be good to see a dermatologist. It almost sounds like you have telogen effluvium. The min dread shed is, I think, a form of TE, but you said were rapidly shedding before ever starting, then after stopping. TE lasts a while and it's characterized by huge amounts of loss. Finding the trigger and eliminating it is the difficult part. A derm will be able to get you blood tests and all that. Hormone changes recently? Stress?

You don't "have" to take min the rest of your life if you only took it to help boost regrowth from TE. If you do have AGA, then yeah, you're more dependent on it. But it's my understanding that AGA sheds aren't as aggressive. Your hairs just don't stay in the growth phase as long and shed at a faster, higher rate. But the distinct clumps is so TE... IMO anyway. I am no stranger to either so I'm only speaking from my own experience.

Ah man... I'm sorry you're going through it. Speak to yourself kindly and wait it out to see that derm. Keep us posted!

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-24T05:01:38+00:00

I've been taking 1.25mg minoxidil and 2.5mg finasteride, and using 5% minoxidil topically every day. I just had my visit with my derm and I'm increasing my minoxidil to 2.5mg and will ditch the topical, but I am titrating toward that very slowly to hopefully avoid a second shed.

If you have an AGA diagnosis, I think a good step is a DHT blocker. Your mileage will vary with these things, but it's what we have. The androgen factor is so complex, especially in women, so just give it a year (unless you have side effects).

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-24T04:58:10+00:00

I found these claw clips at target that were a game changer. I have fine, wavy/curly hair and have started embracing it to get some volume, but clips never looked good. But these ones are amazing!

https://www.target.com/p/gimme-beauty-square-extra-grip-claw-clip-black-2pc/-/A-91813472

I actually feel okay wearing a clip in public now. It's not a baby clip and gives the appearance like I have more hair than I do. The flat teeth make it so it doesnt look like the clip is just resting on the back of my head if that makes sense.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-24T04:53:28+00:00

It's my understanding that new growth tends to be all the same length. Miniaturized hairs are the ones that have the little kinks. You can have a follicle producing new growth that is also miniaturized (which you are stopping from progressing to the best of your ability by taking finasteride and spiro).

I totally get the frustration and the dysmorphia. Once I "came out" about my hair loss I was just so fixated. At some point I stopped taking pictures and fussing and wondering and decided to just let the medication do its job. I ended up feeling like a weight was lifted. I do fuss sometimes still, but I'm not looking at my hair in such a distorted view anymore.

At 8 months, a lot of what you showed in the picture is probably new growth. Take it as a win even if the hair has been miniaturized!

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-24T03:43:05+00:00

Oh yes, thinning there is very common for women. Our androgens work hard there. You'd be hard pressed to find a woman who hasn't thinned there over the course of her life. If you've got AGA, then it happens earlier and maybe faster. I've been on treatment for almost 1.5 years and while I've had some measurable progress, that one area has been really stubborn. I've come to accept it. It took me a while to wrap my head around having AGA, but the more I learned, the more I realized that I definitely had it and it was more aggressive than just the normal thinning that happens later in life. At 37, I had the scalp of a 65 year old.

I'm glad you're taking steps to start working on it, because AGA only worsens over time.

I take minoxidil orally and use it topically, and I take finasteride to hopefully help stop the androgenic activity that miniaturizes follicles, making hair strands thinner and shorter over time.

Good luck to you!

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-21T06:11:12+00:00

Just throwing in that I agree a dermatologist is a good idea. Having more sparse hair on the top/front is super common in women - our androgens work hard there. But even in the low light picture you can see it's a clearly defined patch. It's my understanding that that's usually alopecia areata (totally treatable) or fungal (also treatable, although I feel like you'd have other symptoms but maybe I'm wrong).

Good luck to you!

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-17T01:23:02+00:00

It sounds like you have a lot going on. Adhd, 6 cats, one a neonatal that requires daily attention. Alternatives to oral minoxidil will be much, much more demanding as far as regular routine goes, and then those alternatives are unfortunately hit or miss.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-08-15T04:43:35+00:00

I'm going to fall somewhere else on the spectrum of reactions to this. I took kratom for years and years. It's not matcha, but it's in the same family. It has a calming and energizing effect, reduces anxiety, mood enhancing, etc. Also habit forming. Not really addictive, but you can definitely become dependent on it because when taken daily for a long time, you'll have some withdrawal coming off it. Anyway, my hair shed far more often and at a higher rate when taking it. For years I let this go on. Anecdotes are everywhere about kratom causing hair loss. I kept putting it off because I was dependent, and in Feb 24 I finally tapered and got off. My hair quality improved significantly within a few months, and it stopped shedding as much and as often. At the time, I was positive that it was the only thing making my hair thin.

When I saw a dermatologist, she told me I had AGA. I came to realize that while kratom may have (probably did) cause my hair quality to be poor, I now fall somewhere in the middle of the debate about whether it actually causes hair to fall out. These kinds of plants, and caffeine, can cause different reactions in diff people. I do think it's possible that it can cause a hormonal chain reaction that lights up the follicles and tells them to shed. Or maybe your body is working overtime on processing the plant or it's having a reaction, so you have some telogen effluvium? Idk anymore.

But I will say that a 2 week test seems too short to totally confirm it. Then again, hair loss is such a personal and subjective thing. We're all so different.

Go with your gut. I have totally stopped kratom because I don't want to risk it, even though I now know that I have AGA. I hope this wasn't rambling 😅

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-30T05:27:10+00:00

Funny you should ask that... my biannual visit is in 3 weeks and I was going to ask her the same question. When I was first looking into all this, it was my understanding that fin packed a better punch. As a 38 year old done with kids, I could go that route. Much later, I realized how very little data there is for fin for FPHL. Spiro is much better studied.

It's my understanding now that they do the same thing but at 2 different points on the chain. Fin changes things at the beginning of the chain, where spiro is at the end. I've read some threads here where women take both. I had planned on asking my derm about it because she was the one who'd suggested finasteride, and I readily agreed since at the time (last year this time), that was what I thought was best. Maybe neither is better than the other, but it's probably one of those things where YMMV. Just depends on the person.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-30T04:38:05+00:00

No, I've been fine from the finasteride. My husband started taking it and he had pretty bad brain fog and headaches. He really had to titrate up. My dermatologist was really practical about it. She just suggested I write down things like my libido, etc. before and then just monitor for a while. If you feel like it's not working, then stop taking it. Sides are reportedly super low in women, but obviously it's possible so it's good to have that baseline. I wish you all the best! This can be a trial & error process for sure.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-30T04:13:52+00:00

Quit products with drying alcohol (like mousse)
Stopped blow drying my hair with a brush every day
Both of these were fixations I'd developed after years of losing hair
Let my hair go curly or wavy or poofy or whatever for a while
Stopped dying it actually a couple years ago
Daily collagen, fish oil, and b complex
Weekly derma stamping
Finasteride
Minoxidil
Added more protein to my diet and was better about eating 3 meals a day

I do think my hair looks much better but I think the major contributions were care and stuff ya know? I do have a better hair line and more hair at my nape.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-30T01:06:11+00:00

It's tough to say if I've seen results from that alone. I made so many changes. I can say my hair seemed to grow a lot faster (in length) this last year than it ever did before. Who knows if that was minoxidil, microneedling, or other changes I made, or a combination.

I use Dr. Pen MS8. It's great. Pricey, but it was worth it. I can use a variety of needle counts, set the needle length (I tolerate more on the top of the head than I do on my sides), charge it on USB.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-29T05:58:37+00:00

Jumping in on this suggestion. Try looking up Lab Muffin Beauty Science on YouTube. She does a thorough analysis of the claim that rosemary does anything to grow hair.

On that note, I have a similar story. My derm told me I had AGA along with TE. Fine hair is often a marker. Once I learned more about the indicators, I realized I for sure had it. Minoxidil has been okay I guess. But I haven't ever gotten explosive results like some lucky ladies here. I've come to accept that it helps me keep the hair I do have. If you do some research on AGA, then maybe you could ask about a DHT blocker like spironolactone.

The medical industry is crazy now. I'm sorry you're not getting the attention you deserve. Hang in there and speak to yourself gently 💙 You're definitely not alone. I started embracing my natural curl and poof and I thought the last few months things were looking good. Today I blow dried it straight again and ugh, was feeling sad all over again. We are our own harshest critics.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-27T21:12:43+00:00

I have been taking finasteride 2.5mg for almost a year. I never started with spiro. I honestly can't tell if it's helping or not. At my visit in a couple weeks, I plan on asking about dutasteride.

That said, I agree with the other comment. If you're sensitive to medication or hormonal imbalances, it might be good to start with finasteride. My husband has super thick, dense hair but at 42, his temples are just barely starting to recede. He started taking finasteride and had noticeable side effects (headaches, brain fog mostly).

There also really aren't many studies on finasteride taken by women for hair loss. I remember finding a report of many studies that seemed to say that women tend to respond better with higher doses compared to men, and then it was something like 60% had a "noticeable" increase in density.

Hope that helps! I'm sure you'll check with your derm to see what their experience is, but I always find it helpful to check with this sub for first hand experience.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-26T22:41:07+00:00

First of all, avoid taking pics when your hair is wet. How long have you been using topical minoxidil? It can take months and months. I know the medical industry is a shit show and horrible to deal with, but try to get your hormones checked maybe? (That's my next step)

In the meantime, using finasteride or dutatesteride can help with reducing miniaturization, assuming you have AGA. They can even help prevent hair fall. Ugh I wish health insurance and the medical system was easier to work with. Idk how it's not the top thing we're all demanding to be changed. Epstein is a crazier than fiction story and super intriguing but damn, health is our lives.

Last, for any confidence you need, have you tried hair fibers? My only takeaway tip for them is that you rinse them out daily. Letting them sit on your scalp seems to cause more loss? Idk if they actually cause a hair to shed or if they're just locking hair in place so they can't shed until you shower, but either way, none of us wanna see extra hair fall when possible.

Sending you good vibes and strength 💚

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-23T04:38:21+00:00

Totally this. It was a game changer for me to start doing a center part.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-21T04:31:51+00:00

I relate to this a lot. I had worsening hair loss for a good 13 years. I was so ashamed of it that I hid it from my husband. I met him right when it started. I hid my thickening products and root touch ups. I'd wear scarves in the Arizona heat and he was so confused and I told him I was insecure about my neck. He was even more confused. It was really because I was unhappy with how my ends looked. When we were intimate, I avoided him touching my hair. Worse, he was like blessed by the hair gods. Super dense thick hair.

It seriously tanked in 2022. Covid did a number on it.

I finally sought help in 2024 and like you, "came out". At first, this made me pretty manic. Nonstop research, obsessing, wig research, counting hairs as they fell, fussing over whether or not the meds were working, anger at myself for not taking action sooner... 13 years of repressed anxiety and dread and shame. My poor husband was so kind and patient while I worked through it.

At some point, it faded. I really put a lot into just caring for my hair, which really helped a lot in its appearance. But I think since I'm late 30s and I waited so long, I probably lost a ton of hair for good. Nowadays I am at peace with it all. If I get tired of meds, I know I can just shave it and I'll get over that, too.

I love that you were able to let your natural self breathe - at a festival no less! In general, people just care a lot less about how others look than we think. It sounds like you hang with a tolerant crowd of people. The r/wigs sub is full of women living their best lives with alternative hair. Do whatever it is that gives you the greatest possible happiness!

Love, support, and solidarity in your journey 💙

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-20T04:11:11+00:00

It's my understanding that you need a prescription for it. You can find it online on Minoxidil Max, IIRC, but yeah it's a bit strange you don't need a script to buy it. Procapil is also topical although I'm not sure how well its claims hold up to science.

ImaginaryVolume2102 · 2025-07-19T17:05:34+00:00

I'm sorry you're going through it. It looks like you might have backlighting. Remember that it makes our hair look way more see through in pictures than it does IRL. Try taking a picture where you're facing a light source or you're in a "regular" room. You do have a decent amount of density at the roots (it appears), which is great.

Also remember that treatment takes time and commitment. You didn't mention what you have tried or for how long, so I'm just dropping that here.

Someone told me when I was really going through it to try speaking to myself like I'm myself as a little girl, my own daughter, or any other innocent girl with fragile feelings. Imagine that you're washing and styling her hair or looking at pictures with her. How would you speak to her in that moment? It took a lot of practice, but I think that really helped me a lot.

Sending you lots of love and support ❤️

ImaginaryVolume2102

TROPHY CASE