New guy advice

[recedingone]

Hey all,

Hair has slowly been receding since my late 20s and Im almost 40 now and just really realizing and caring in the last year or 2. I have always been a head shaver even back when I was a teenager. I liked the clean look and have a decent head shape for it. Anyway, as you can see, i have frontal recession and now temples are going further and further back. Top is thinner than the sides but not too bad. I have used Rogaine for the last year, just started Nizoral again and am on the fence about .25 or .5 mg finasteride. I only want to try it if i have a high likelihood of improvement. If not I will just keep shaving or buzzing and using the rogaine and nizoral. What are your thoughts?

[Notcoolanymore]

You are around the same age as I am, only your hair is in way better shape. Looks like you still have good coverage besides the recession. You should give fin a try. Might thicken up what you have and regrow some also. I am starting to see some regrowth in the recessed area, we will see if those hairs thicken up.

You seem willing to shave your head, so might as well try to see what treatments can do. If they don't work, go back to shaving and being a bad ass.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

It might be a good idea to add Finasteride t your regimen for a while to see if you get any improvement. You can always s consider hair transplantation or the shaving the hair like you have already been doing.

[recedingone]

You are around the same age as I am, only your hair is in way better shape. Looks like you still have good coverage besides the recession. You should give fin a try. Might thicken up what you have and regrow some also. I am starting to see some regrowth in the recessed area, we will see if those hairs thicken up.

You seem willing to shave your head, so might as well try to see what treatments can do. If they don't work, go back to shaving and being a bad ass.

Thanks for the response man. Saw your pics in your post and it looks like you got some great results on fin, of course like everyone else, Im concerned about side effects. have you had any? I was thinking I could start at .25 mg and start working my way up and see what happens. I usually keep my hair no longer than a 1 blade, sometimes a zero and I usually bic it every couple of months just for fun.

[recedingone]

It might be a good idea to add Finasteride t your regimen for a while to see if you get any improvement. You can always s consider hair transplantation or the shaving the hair like you have already been doing.

Thanks Doc. I will probably try Fin. I have never considered a transplant but the pics of the new techniques are pretty amazing compared to just 10-15 years ago.

[Notcoolanymore]

Ease your way into fin like you have planned and you should be good to go. If you get sides then drop it.

[recedingone]

So i got some Finpecia online and sat on it for a while... Finally decided to give it a shot and took my first .5 mg dose yesterday. Will see what happens. Hopefully sides are minimal and I can get some regrowth on the side and hairline where it is thin, but not completely bald yet. not sure how much effect it will have since Im almost 40. I have read that propecia was only tested up to age 42.

Besides the potential for sexual side effects, Im also concerned about performance in the gym, specifically effects on muscle mass. Been weight lifting for almost 20 years on and off and i have read conflicting studies that finasteride actually can increase serum T levels or that it will greatly reduce it and you will lose muscle mass. Would hate to lose strength and mass as much or more than losing my hair.

[Notcoolanymore]

Good to here you're finally giving fin a try. One side that I did get that I hear is pretty common is the mild ball ache. I did get it and it happened on and off for the first couple of months. It was not severe and did not keep me from having sex. I stuck with it and now I don't feel any sides at all. As far as the working out and muscle mass concerns. I have been working out since my early 20's and I am in my late 30's now. I am not huge or anything like that, but I am in better shape than most guys my age. I would have not noticed any difference in my strength or muscle mass since taking fin. Not saying that it cannot happen, just that it hasn't happened to me.

[huawei]

Good to here you're finally giving fin a try. One side that I did get that I hear is pretty common is the mild ball ache. I did get it and it happened on and off for the first couple of months. It was not severe and did not keep me from having sex. I stuck with it and now I don't feel any sides at all. As far as the working out and muscle mass concerns. I have been working out since my early 20's and I am in my late 30's now. I am not huge or anything like that, but I am in better shape than most guys my age. I would have not noticed any difference in my strength or muscle mass since taking fin. Not saying that it cannot happen, just that it hasn't happened to me.

Same!

[redy]

Hey, see your concerns about muscle.

Just my experience, being on it for 4 months now only though, it hasn't affected the rest of my body or muscles.

I'm slowly recovering from a herniated disk (year later now, damn!) and in the last few months I've really upped my gym game as the pain is becoming more and more bearable - gaining at least 10-15lbs of muscle in that last few months.

I'm only 21, though, so it might affect you differently..

[recedingone]

So Ive had increased libido for a while and then slight libido loss recently and maybe a bit on the "grumpy" side. Not sure if it has anything to do with fin and nothing that is affecting me in a major way. Haven't lost strength in the gym. I'm taking .5 mg per day and sometimes 1mg, rogaine 5% twice a day and nizoral every other day.

I know its probably not possible after such short time on Fin, but I have some tiny dark hairs within my hairline. I'm not sure if they are coming or going Lol. i suspect they might be miniaturized hairs that were leaving but may have become stable? I Still buzz or shave my head occasionally and these hairs are obviously cut at the same length, but they grow more slowly so they are shorter and thinner.

[recedingone]

About a year on the big 3 results. Definitely filled in on top where I used to be able to see a horsehoe forming. It is much less visibile now. taking .5 mg fin, Niz daily shampoo and rogaine 5% foam twice a day. No real sides other than slightly less libido. No loss of strength in gym, no impotence, mood is good. Receding may have slowed but hard to tell. Im 40 and been slowly receding since 30. I shave or buzz at 0 frequently. Overall this is a cheap regiment and seems worth it to slow the loss. Some pics below. Hair is a bit longer in 2nd pic so hard to tell improvement.

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