Advice please, 36m and scared!

[blendah]

Hi everyone,

I am a 36yo guy who has been experiencing hair thinning/loss. I started noticing it about a year ago, and it seems to be getting worse. I am scared because I never had any issues throughout my 20s and early 30s, always had hair thick enough to never notice, and now all of a sudden I am here. I am specifically worried about the diffuse thinning on top, the receding on the temples doesn’t bother me given my age, and has been there for many years.

I recently cut my hair short to see how bad the damage is, here are some pictures pre and post cut. What do you think? What Norwood would you say I am?

I ordered Finasteride and will be starting taking 1 mg 3 times a week once it arrives, planning to stick with it for 6-12 months before judging results, really hoping for no side effects (I’m generally healthy). Then I’ll add topical minoxidil so I know which agent works vs not. Do you think I will be able to experience thickening/regrowth given my pattern?

If things stabilize, I am also not opposed to getting a transplant, my donor area is super thick. Though I don’t know if it’s even practical with this diffuse thinning.

Please be brutally honest. All my family kept saying they didn’t notice anything different but there is clearly a huge difference, in my pictures from just a couple years ago I had like a huge thick brick of hair on top, whereas now I can see the scalp!

Thanks

 

[blendah]

Anyone? Thanks for reading.

 

[King Norwood]

Anyone? Thanks for reading.

Just get on min and finasteride. No further advice can be given. U a nw3. After u stabilize get a hair transplant. And u got this bald at 36 so u probably will respond well

 

[WendyPayne]

Why don't you just visit a doctor to consult with?

 

[blendah]

Why don't you just visit a doctor to consult with?

This isn’t the advice that should be given on an Internet forum regarding hair loss, otherwise your canned response should be applicable to every other thread.

I am confident that there are people in this forum that can provide reasonable guidance regarding expectations.

 

[losingbattle88]

Tranny regimen it is.

 

[blendah]

Tranny regimen it is.

Thanks. I started this week with Finasteride every other day (1mg). I’m on my second pill. I hope this is what you mean with “tranny regimen”.

I saw some incredible progress on people just on finasteride, so, while I understand those are a very small minority, I can just hope to see the same results in 3-6 months…

 

[losingbattle88]

Thanks. I started this week with Finasteride every other day (1mg). I’m on my second pill. I hope this is what you mean with “tranny regimen”.

Well almost. I also meant bica haha but that sh*t grow tits.

 

[blendah]

Well almost. I also meant bica haha but that sh*t grow tits.

Are you suggesting that because my current situation looks particularly bad, or just general advice? Thanks.

 

[losingbattle88]

Are you suggesting that because my current situation looks particularly bad, or just general advice? Thanks.

Pretty bad tbh. I never got any regrowth or thickening from My regimen this sh*t mostly maintains. But transplant can save you.

 

[20YearsOnFin]

Thanks. I started this week with Finasteride every other day (1mg)

See how you get on with it every other day, but later on if you are still declining, considering your age and type of loss you maybe beter off long term just taking 1mg a day.

 

[blendah]

See how you get on with it every other day, but later on if you are still declining, considering your age and type of loss you maybe beter off long term just taking 1mg a day.

Thanks. Just to make sure I understand, are you suggesting a heavier dose because my pattern is so aggressive?

 

[losingbattle88]

Thanks. Just to make sure I understand, are you suggesting a heavier dose because my pattern is so aggressive?

Get on oral minoxidill also

 

[blendah]

Get on oral minoxidill also

Yeah I’m planning to do that, but first want to see if a miracle can happen and I am one of those super responders to finasteride. I saw some incredible progress on people just on finasteride, so, while I understand those are a very small minority, I can just hope to see the same results in 3-6 months… most likely now, but at least I’ll know if it’s finasteride before minoxidil.

 

[losingbattle88]

Yeah I’m planning to do that, but first want to see if a miracle can happen and I am one of those super responders to finasteride. I saw some incredible progress on people just on finasteride, so, while I understand those are a very small minority, I can just hope to see the same results in 3-6 months… most likely now, but at least I’ll know if it’s finasteride before minoxidil.

Very true.

 

[20YearsOnFin]

are you suggesting a heavier dose because my pattern is so aggressive?

It's not that its necessarily aggressive, but you have already gone well past the 'am I balding phase', and are at the point where you don't want to lose anymore, so if you don't get any sides, sometimes its not worth risking slowly declining further over the next couple of years.

but see how you get on, its fine to start off how you are doing first to see how you respond.

 

[Moz5x]

Hi everyone,

I am a 36yo guy who has been experiencing hair thinning/loss. I started noticing it about a year ago, and it seems to be getting worse. I am scared because I never had any issues throughout my 20s and early 30s, always had hair thick enough to never notice, and now all of a sudden I am here. I am specifically worried about the diffuse thinning on top, the receding on the temples doesn’t bother me given my age, and has been there for many years.

I recently cut my hair short to see how bad the damage is, here are some pictures pre and post cut. What do you think? What Norwood would you say I am?

I ordered Finasteride and will be starting taking 1 mg 3 times a week once it arrives, planning to stick with it for 6-12 months before judging results, really hoping for no side effects (I’m generally healthy). Then I’ll add topical minoxidil so I know which agent works vs not. Do you think I will be able to experience thickening/regrowth given my pattern?

If things stabilize, I am also not opposed to getting a transplant, my donor area is super thick. Though I don’t know if it’s even practical with this diffuse thinning.

Please be brutally honest. All my family kept saying they didn’t notice anything different but there is clearly a huge difference, in my pictures from just a couple years ago I had like a huge thick brick of hair on top, whereas now I can see the scalp!

Thanks

Your vertex hairloss might have started years ago once you started showing signs of recession at the temples. The difficulty with catching male pattern baldness early is that miniaturization is not noticeable to the naked eye until nearly 50% of the hair is already gone. Good news is you still have enough hair to provide coverage when it’s grown out longer.

Sounds like you have a good game plan with Finasteride. Keep in mind, with finasteride maintenance is a victory and any regrowth is a bonus so manage your expectations accordingly. That being said time will tell how you react to it and anything is possible. If you find that you tolerate the drug well, just switch to taking it daily. If you don’t respond to topical min + Tretinoin then consider oral min.

At some point have your scalp/donor area evaluated under magnification by a good hair transplant surgeon so you know how extensive the miniaturization is and what your surgical options really are.

 

[jazz1]

Ketaconazole and derma roller/hair oils with the BIG3 will also assist.