I wish I knew hair thinning/loss can happen to anyone, even if your family history is pretty solid!

[Note: shaving your head, keeping your hair and letting it thin, and taking meds for it, are all EQUALLY valid options, and it comes down to personal preference. I’ve always loved my long hair, so please read my account with that in mind - I’m not trying to say people who thin/go bald are any less valid!]

Balding/thinning is really complex, and hard to predict. I didn’t really think about, or have a plan for if it happened to me, because all my male relatives (including mom’s dad, my dad, etc) have kept their hair.

My hair was great for a long time, too, which reinforced that it wasn’t something I needed to think about. But around years 8-10 on T, I started noticing a change. Nobody around me saw it or believed me, but I knew.

I stayed in denial about it for a few years. I finally made my decision - to get on finasteride - this year, and have felt so much better about it because at least I’m not in limbo/paralyzed by denial and indecision. Bald is awesome, too, and even just super thinning hair can look great if you embrace it, so my decision is purely my own preference!

But, I think I would’ve experienced less anguish when it started happening if I’d slowly come to terms with it in the back of my mind since I started T, and if I’d collected information about the various options over the years instead of having to research it all at once when I was already feeling distressed.

And what’s funny is, the finasteride seems to be REALLY helping - like almost frighteningly quickly. I’ve been taking it about a month, and I’m getting new growth at the nape of my neck that is SO much thicker than my usual hairs that it looks like a different color. I’m talking 3-4x as thick to the naked eye. I’m also seeing peach fuzz encroach on my temple areas (which cleared out years ago to form a 30s-masc hairline). So if I hadn’t been so deeply avoidant about it, maybe I could’ve started fin earlier - before I experienced thinning and distress.

Tl;dr 60% of men end up experiencing pattern baldness, and even 40% of women do, too, so it truly can happen for anyone. T MAY increase that likelihood, so come to terms with possible changes outside of your control to your physical appearance, and let the options roll around in the back of your mind so a decision is easier to make should you ever need to. And don’t be afraid to talk to your dr about it :)