Well boys, it is happening

Whelp, I started noticing thinning in my frontal area and bald spot within the past 6 months. I am not sure what extent it is at this point and have just recently started minoxidil foam 5%, I will also be starting on finasteride by next Monday, based on the pics that I am going to post, where would people say I am at on the NW scale right now? I am curious because I am not sure. https://imgur.com/a/1VXzeEF I have some thinning in the typical swirl spot too, is it salvagable? please lemme know, thanks in advance!

Also, I am 23

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Originally Posted by Mattlh95

Whelp, I started noticing thinning in my frontal area and bald spot within the past 6 months. I am not sure what extent it is at this point and have just recently started minoxidil foam 5%, I will also be starting on finasteride by next Monday, based on the pics that I am going to post, where would people say I am at on the NW scale right now? I am curious because I am not sure. https://imgur.com/a/1VXzeEF I have some thinning in the typical swirl spot too, is it salvagable? please lemme know, thanks in advance!

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Minoxidil likely does not stop the progression of mpb. It most likely keeps follicles out of the resting phase; and last I looked, the booklet contained in every box of rogaine says as much--but even that effect is likely to wear off after a couple of years. Do your research.

Thank you for replying, however that doesn’t exactly answer my question. Also, I have researched quite a bit, I know it does not stop the progression, that’s why I’m about to take finasteride to hopefully “halt” the process. I am trying to figure out where I am on the NW scale. I don’t see much receding in the hairline, however I am “thinning” on the front of my hair through my swirl, hair everywhere else, had long hair before my haircut on Monday of last week and got the haircut to reveal if I was balding, but I am thinning on the front so just seeing where I am at the moment based on other opinions, not necessarily professional opinions.

Based on the crown, it looks like a Norwood III V (vertex). Hard to tell, since the hairline is hard to see.

I'm glad you're getting on Finasteride and giving that a go, as that's really the only thing that's scientifically proven to buy you some time. It won't "halt" the hair loss, but it will slow it down quite considerably.

Keep an eye on it and see how it progresses. Depending on how it continues (or slows down) you could set up an appointment with a HT specialist within the next year or two to start weighing options and to see if a Hair Transplant would be a viable option for you at some point down the road. At 23 though, you really wanna make sure you're taking your time and doing research and not jumping into anything too soon.

And lastly, I would highly suggest that should things not turn out the way you want in terms of slowing down your hair loss and being able to manage it, consider a buzz cut before you start pursuing a hair transplant, as that will be much easier (and cheaper) and potentially something you would be very happy with should your hair ever reach that point.

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.

Update everyone, this was my crown 3 months ago when I made this post: https://imgur.com/a/2cxdI3t and this is my crown now after everyday of the following:
1x1mg finasteride
2x minoxidil foam 5%
1x biotin 5000mcg
1x iron supplement (I have an iron deficiency)
Let me know what you think! https://imgur.com/a/quRDf6P