Progress thread. With Pics.

[gypsyrider]

Quick intro. I've been lurking on this site for quite a while whilst occasionally posting. I have been balding since my early 20's and possibly before. I started shaving my hair down with no guard around the age of 22, I am now 28 and quite happy to continue doing this as I think I can (almost) pull of the luck.

Around November last year I decided to start taking Fin and see if it could do anything for me. (Maybe I am not so happy to shave it down as I thought.) I'm now around the 6 month mark of Fin, I have experienced no side effects, sexual or otherwise. I am also around 6 weeks on Generic Minoxidil (Kirklands Liquid) for which I think I am experiencing a [pretty bad shed which may be evident from the pictures.

I feel as though the treatment may be working, I seem to notice tiny hairs sprouting around my hairline and over my head, they are thin, small but dark in colour and I don't remember them being there before.

What I am wondering is, what you guys think? Am I responding to treatment? Or grasping at straws?

I intend to keep up the treatment for a year and use this as some sort of progress diary. It may be interesting to see the effects of FIN+MIN on a balding pattern as severe as mine.

Cheers.

[gypsyrider]

The new tiny hairs on around my temples seem to be getting longer and a little thicker. There also seems to be more of them? but I could be grasping at straws.



Now, as for the top of my head, I seem to be not making much ground I have noticed a lot of miniaturized hairs that don't seem to grow, I'm around 9 weeks into kirkland liquid minoxidil and I haven't been the best at applying, I seem to apply twice a day through the week but forget to do applications at night over the weekend as I don't like to go out with a shiny oily head.



Will update again in around a month.

[gypsyrider]

Quick update with a few photos I took today, the tiny hairs around my temple seem to be getting darker in colour or maybe more of them? They are only visible through a close up and with the flash on and are unnoticeable to the naked eye. To be honest I am most likely grabbing at straws and imagining it.



The photo below is the top of my head, I think my crown may slowly be starting to grow a few more hairs, but again I could be imagining it.


I am currently taking generic 5mg Fin cut into quarters and taking 1.25mg every other day. No side effects to mention, I am going to continue and give it the full year.

I will post again in around a month or so.

[WHTC Clinic]

On top, you are showing the reduced effects (darker pigmentation, longer growth, and thickened hair shafts) of miniaturization. Keep snapping the photos because you are seeing benefits. The point is that your're maintaining your hair.

[pkipling]

Nice documentation and I see some slight improvement.

Out of curiosity, are you considering a hair transplant as well? Or are you doing this strictly as an experiment to see how much progress you can make with the Finasteride alone?

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

[gypsyrider]

On top, you are showing the reduced effects (darker pigmentation, longer growth, and thickened hair shafts) of miniaturization. Keep snapping the photos because you are seeing benefits. The point is that your're maintaining your hair.

Thanks, In all honesty I only expected to maintain if anything, but it will be interesting to see if I do regain any lost hair.

Nice documentation and I see some slight improvement.

Out of curiosity, are you considering a hair transplant as well? Or are you doing this strictly as an experiment to see how much progress you can make with the Finasteride alone?

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Hi, No I don't have any plans to have a hair transplant, I can't justify my vanity costing me that much money, that's a deposit for a House in the UK.

But I was interested to see what the current "Big two" (Fin & Minox) could do for someone whose baldness is as advanced as mine, maybe some readers may find it interesting.

I think I read that it can take between a year and 18months to really see results so I will continue until that point and then reevaluate and write up my experiences, both in terms of hair lost / maintained / possibly gained, and the psychological effects.