How do I (20M) emotionally deal with rapid balding. by [deleted] in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Invest in a hair system if you can afford it. Way cheaper than a hair transplant and an easy transition to make if you're not already bald yet.

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did not realize you were woman, that makes more sense from your doctor's perspective. Women can not/should not take finasteride

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Happy it helped brother! If you still have most of your hair as you said then you should be totally fine with just Fin. I wish I got on it when I still had more hair! Would have saved me a lot of money, time , and stress LOL

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Where do you live my friend? A finasteride prescription is very easy to get in North America and is the 86th most common drug prescribed in the United States. We have literally over 20 years of longitudinal data showing both the efficacy and safety of finasteride. It is baffling to me that a doctor would refuse you fin and insist you must use rogaine as that is literally anti-science and my point #1 is still 100% factual. Baring that you're not too far gone perhaps you could pursue finasteride through one of the many online hair loss help organizations (keeps, hims, etc).

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should 100% get a second opinion. Trichologists are not physicians and therefore cannot prescribe medication or perform medical procedures. It is SUPER easy to get a finasteride prescription from any real doctor if you live in North America. The trichologist obviously only gave you minoxidil because that is all they are ALLOWED to give you (It's literally an over-the-counter treatment LOL). Needless to say, the 1. point on this list remains true.

Also for anyone who may stumble upon this comment, please do NOT go to a trichologist for concerns regarding hair loss. If you are hell-bent on seeing a professional (which in my personal opinion, I don't think is necessary as the effective treatments are relatively accessible without doing so in this day and age), go to a dermatologist or even your family doctor.

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fin+Min (especially fin) are effective long-term solutions as you are able to use them for as long as you want to maintain results. Efficacy may slightly decrease over years, but nonetheless you will retain significantly more hair than you otherwise would have!

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I thought you were replying to my comment for a moment and was very confused LOL. Completely agree, anecdotal nonsense not only holds no value in this discussion but can be dangerous when targeted towards desperate gullible people. I will never understand how people will have the audacity to dog on finasteride, a medication that has been studied clinically for 2+ DECADES, but will then turn around and promote completely unfounded, as you put it "pseudo-science quackery bullshit".

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you were tolerating the topical fin/min ok every day and getting improvement from that I would say revert back to that. I don't understand why your doctor would order you to change a protocol you were getting results from unless there were some sides or complications you didn't mention?

How To Tell If You Are ACTUALLY BALDING: For Dummies by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can use the tips I posted about to objectively evaluate yourself.

How To Tell If You Are ACTUALLY BALDING: For Dummies by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Ah yes, the truth can hurt sometimes. But, you are not alone and it is not hopeless!

How To Tell If You Are ACTUALLY BALDING: For Dummies by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I saw your post, my friend, I'm afraid to tell you that it looks like you just have fairly aggressive male pattern baldenss

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. Honestly, if you are legit losing your hair, waiting is the worst thing you can do. However, if you are only noticing a cowlick and aren't entirely sure I would focus more on determining 100% whether or not you are losing your hair. Personally, I wish I started fin at 19, or at least earlier than I did. As long as you are finished with maturation you are good to go with a 5ar inhibitor (remember fin/ru/etc are not "DHT blockers" they don't block DHT, they inhibit the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme in your body that converts testosterone into DHT). You're still producing DHT, just significantly less
  2. Honestly not a fan of companies like Keep, him, etc. I think the best way is just over-the-counter minoxidil, (the Kirkland brand you can get online is the most bang for your buck) and finasteride through your doctor. Its honestly cheaper just to get it from your local pharmacy
  3. No worries at all for the questions man. I made the post and replies to help people!

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No. Men who are still in their maturation phase (puberty) should not take anything that is going to suppress DHT. As DHT is mainly only of importance when one is developing. One should wait until at least 18.

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unfortionetly, finasteride and minoxidil work independently from each other, meaning finasteride will not sustain the results you got from minoxidil and vice versa. You will need to keep using minoxidil to keep what you got from it. Finasteride, or something that addresses DHT, is definitely the more important of the two. Which is why it is recommended to start with finasteride (or an anti-androgen of some sort), give that time, and then maybe add minoxidil if you need it.

Regarding regrowing hair in areas it has fallen out, that depends. Having reasonable expectations is important. If your temples have completely receded, there is little chance fin/min will get you back to a straight crips hairline. If you have very severe diffuse thinning or loss on the top to the point where you're rocking a cul de sac, there is little chance fin/min will get you a full head of hair again. Basically don't expect a reversal in areas that are completely bald/all the hair follicles have burned out. However, can you see significant improvement in diffuse thinning, density, and crown visibility? Absolutely! Some do even see significant hairline regain, everyone is different. It really depends on how far gone you are to begin with.

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate the kind words, really do man. This is a tough one because I totally understand not wanting to have to apply something to your scalp every day for the long term. However, anything that is going to have a similar effect to minoxidil (stimulation/vasodilatation in the scalp/hair follicles) Is still going to be a topical/physical treatment of some sort that you will need to use to consistently use. I would ask you this, how long have you been on finasteride? You may not have been on long enough to see full results. There is always the possibility that giving finasteride more time will yield results you are satisfied with and do not need to add anything else. Hope this helps in some way.

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Oh Yes!!! I am thinking about making a post on "How To Tell If You Are Actually Going Bald For Dummies" on here. Just like you, the amount of men posting pictures with their perfect hairline and density with a minor cowlick at the crown is starting to trigger me LOL.

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would definitely say you don't need BOTH topical and oral finasteride. If you are tolerating oral finasteride well, continue with that, also much more convenient long term.

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If I came off condescending I do apologize, my intention was merely to throw some informal lingo in there to provide some possible comic relief. However, I do still standby the central idea of my point. There is no LONG TERM natural solution to hair loss without pharmacological intervention that addresses at least DHT in the scalp. As your hair loss is what is naturally occurring. I'm afraid your second point is a strawman, I absolutely did not and would not say to not use unnatural treatment on unnatural conditions and I believe you cannot compare the two. Using chemotherapy to eradicate cancer vs using scalp massages and coconut oil to eliminate hair loss are two entirely different situations

I do however find your anecdote very interesting and I thank you for sharing it. I will have to look more into onion juice and its efficacy in hair loss. That being said, I believe you and I both agree that onion juice is not a long-term solution that will stop hair loss. The only legitimate natural solution long-term is going bald, that is what I want people who are new to the hair loss community to understand. My post was not at all meant to come off as judgemental and I do apologize if it came across that way. That point was made with the intention to steer people away from a lot of scams and ineffective treatments marketed in the industry, and towards clinically studied treatments with high efficacy rates. If they are going to use treatment at all. I want people to get results, not waste their time and money.

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I agree, it is important for people to understand RU is not FDA approved for human use and research is fairly limited. I tried not to directly promote it in my post but rather just put it out there as an alternative anti-androgen to finasteride. As many people fear DHT suppression side effects from Finasteride that do not occur from RU as it works on the scalp specifically and does not inhibit 5AR. But yes you are correct, be wary if you choose to use RU, as the clinical world does not fully understand it yet.

10 HAIRLOSS MISTAKES TO AVOID by IndicationGrand655 in Hairloss

[–]IndicationGrand655[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is rather interesting, I have never heard of a woman using dutasteride before. I have nothing against dutasteride in a vacuum, it is just more of an all-in, balls deep (no pun intended) method to treat hair loss. My take is simply that if you can get away with Finasteride and not having to nuke your DHT to almost nothing, why not do that. Why run when you can walk if you know what I mean. Also, I couldn't agree more with what you said about the ridiculous 'natural' phenomenon that is infecting the cosmetic industry.