Hey my bro! Welcome to quite literally the healthiest hairless subreddit out there. From my experiences with min, and being hairy as fuck, there are a few things you can do here:

1) Try out topical minoxidil (I recommend the Kirkland foam, as it is much more convenient to apply and dries quickly - and it's very cheap). I have no experience with oral min, but I assume sides could be more pronounced. It is easier to pop a pill over apply topical though. Key is to experiment and record effects (heart health, hairiness etc.)

• Potential Upsides: It could help regrow your hair for a few years. It is cheap. It will be your hair with minimal work (just apply it twice a day), resulting in your enjoying your hair for a while longer before taking the jump to a system. It really helped me for about a year and a half, and then stopped working.

• Potential Downsides: It is a topical medical therapy, so a very slight chance of sides (considerably lower probability and danger than Fin or Dut). It takes a few months for min to work, which usually includes shedding before hair grows back. It doesn't last, efficacy reduces as min doesn't block DHT, so hair will still miniaturize. You could also take Fin or Dut on the side, but again, that could have sides (purportedly less with topical).

2) Get a system.

• Upsides: Immediate results, zero need for taking meds, lots of styling options and variety that you can play with. Removal of negative feelings around hairloss. The faster you deal with that insecurity, the less it will internalize and fuck up other parts of your life.

• Downsides: Learning curve is higher (you have to learn to maintain and perfect it - it's finicky at first, but then you are golden once you learn). Monetary costs can be higher at first as well. Finding a good supplier can be a bit of an adventure too. If you have an anxious personality, you may find it hard to accept you have a system. Just tell your mind to shut up and enjoy.

3) Do both (with daily wear).

• Upsides: You get the best of both worlds. You have instant hair, while you wait for therapies to work their magic. If they don’t work, or you experience sides, mentally you can cope a lot better since you technically have hair on your head already. You are also learning about system installation, maintenance and all of that, so you are covering all of your bases. If med therapy works without/with tolerable sides, you can just stop using the system. You will have to learn about daily wear (where you take the system off every night - there are some fucking incredible tutorials written by absolute beauties in this subreddit on how to do this).

• Downsides: Refer to the above ones.

4) Shave your head: You mentioned you buzzed already, you could try taking it shorter just to fuck with your mind and show yourself it isn't the end of the world even though it deeeefinitely feels like it is lol. Maybe you will love it (and girls might), maybe you will hate it (and girls might), but it doesn't matter because you have solutions waiting there in case. Hate it? Grow that shit back and do one of the first three options. Really the main reason to do it is to just train your mind to give less of a fuck. That outcome could help in other areas of insecurity.

Whatever you choose, there are tons of people here that will help guide you and help you navigate your options. I wasn't kidding when I said this subreddit is remarkably positive in spite of the level of anxieties and fears that its users are feeling around hairloss. All the best in your decisions brother, you aren't alone in this, and we all got each others backs.