finasteride and hair cycles - advice needed.

[brib]

Hi there,

I have been on finasteride for 11 months and need some advice please. I have about the same amount of hair since I started finasteride, cant really tell if it has improved or got worse and god knows I have looked. However, in the last few months I am shedding loads of short hairs maybe about an inch an half or two inches long from the top frontal section of my hair.... maybe intermediate hairs, but my hair is about 6 inches long and I never get any of the longer hairs falling out.

What I am wondering is this finasteride working by getting the weaker follicles to regrow and will they come back stronger or is my hairloss progressing and my hair is getting miniaturized?

I would really appreciate advice as this has been driving me mad, and I just don't know where I stand.

Thanks

 

[TheGrayMan2001]

It's quite possible.

There's no scientifice evidence to back it up, but your idea is one that a lot of people suspect is happening with finasteride.

I would stay on finasteride and hope that it's something like that.

 

[brib]

Thanks for the reply.

So you think it is more likely the early stages of regrowth rather than hairloss progressing?

 

[brib]

Anyone?

 

[brib]

60 people have viewed this but only one answer common, help please.

 

[floatingfm]

I think the general consensus here is that there's really no way of knowing it but I could be wrong.

I'm currently in the exact same situation as you except I'm in my 7th month. Mostly losing hair that grows for 1 or 2 inches and then fall off.

Could be miniaturization, could be the process reverting.

 

[brib]

Yeah, did this happen to you before you started finasteride?

I am sure this didn't happen before I started finasteride and my hair looks roughly the same since it started so am hoping it is reversing the miniaturization process.

Does anybody know that when miniaturized hair starts to regrow under treatment - does it regrow straight away as thick long terminals or does it grow a little bit longer thicker and fall and then regrow stronger each hair cycle? What have most people experienced?

Thanks

 

[floatingfm]

Yes it was that way even before I started treatment. As miniaturization goes on, the hair growth cycle is reduce and the hair loses thickness and coloration. So it's pretty normal to be losing shorter hair frequently when you have male pattern baldness. I think it all depends on the current stage you're in.

What I have noticed though is that there's a lot of hair that seem to be terminal that just fall out after 1 inch worth of growth. Back then it usually was around 3-6 inches before they fell... to me that's kind of strange. I guess you have the same thing happening on your end.

From what I read though : if it's sudden, it either means male pattern baldness is accelerating or that you're experiencing a shed from your treatment. If it's progressive I wouldn't like that.

Best of luck!

 

[brib]

Thanks man,

I have went back to my baseline photos and my hair looks the same if not slightly thicker now, so I am hoping it is regrowth as it has been happening for 3 to 4 months at the start it was inch long hairs and now it is about 2 inch long or maybe slightly longer hairs that are being shed, so hoping finasteride is improving these weak hairs, also I never had this before I started as I receded and slightly thinned at the front about 5 years ago but my hair has been stable since then. I have noticed that my hair looks more healthier so hopefully in another 6 months to a year all will be good.

Goodluck to you too!

 

[HT55]

60 people have viewed this but only one answer common, help please.

I didn't reply becuase I don;t think you're going to like what i think.


I have had great results from the big 3 and have been on Propecia since 1997, my feeling is that when I lose a long hair it's at the end of it's cycle and when I loose shorters hairs it's because my male pattern baldness is progressing.

I have no proof to back this up but it's been years since I have seen any short hairs fall out and my hair is fuller than it was at age 24 ( 42 now) so take it for what it's worth

 

[floatingfm]

HT55, I think the concern applies more to the earlier stages where the miniaturizing process is supposed to backtrack. In that sense, did you notice during the early stages of your treatment that shorter hair where still falling out?

Logically, if a finasteride shed causes weaker hair to fall, then it would only be normal to see shorter hair fall out for a year or so... At least that's my understanding of the process. I imagine that in rare cases, the hair just stops falling altogether.

What did you notice during the first year?

 

[irishpride86]

Ht55,


When I go through a shed I only mostly shed long thick hairs, so if your correct then my shed is a good shed, correct ?

 

[irishpride86]

Bump for ht55

 

[HT55]

Ht55,


When I go through a shed I only mostly shed long thick hairs, so if your correct then my shed is a good shed, correct ?

That's my feeling but I have no idea if it's correct.


Even after 14 year of Propecia I still go through periods where I see the short hairs falling out and I think my hair looks thinner during those times but it could be me just looking harder

 

[HT55]

HT55, I think the concern applies more to the earlier stages where the miniaturizing process is supposed to backtrack. In that sense, did you notice during the early stages of your treatment that shorter hair where still falling out?

Logically, if a finasteride shed causes weaker hair to fall, then it would only be normal to see shorter hair fall out for a year or so... At least that's my understanding of the process. I imagine that in rare cases, the hair just stops falling altogether.

What did you notice during the first year?

My first year on Propecia was 1997 so I have no idea what happened that far back. I still see the small hairs falling out from time to time 14 years after starting Propecia and that is what concerns me.

I have no idea if my theory is correct or not but during the time those smaller hairs are coming out my hair appears thinner to me so who knows.

Take a lot of quality photos under the same lighting and compare them month to month

 

[brib]

Quick update guys, I think I have been definately looking for hairs... still shedding but have cut back on finasteride and the other crap and my scalp doesn't hurt anymore... don't think I needed finasteride in the first place as my hairloss has been stable since I was 17 and maybe finasteride messed with my hormones... should have went to a derm when I started.

I have decided to get two small temple hair pieces to cover my temples and move on with my life, as I have spent nearly ten years coming my long hair back and staring like a weirdo into the mirror looking for the slightest change and counting every hair... there has to be more to life than that surely lol! I have honestly had enough I am have practically the same hair as years ago and this has become an unhealthy obsession.

Going to comb my hair and some poor indian ladies hair forward and move on!

Goodluck to all you guys hope you find a happy place!

Ps I ain't worried about folk saying anything about the temple piece, as I have 3 bald patches at the right side and back of my head that fell out when I was little so I will just say it returned at the front and I got a piece to cover it up and my wife doesn't care as long as I aint hogging the bathroom coming my hair and nagging her to check my hairline... poor women.

Sorry if this has been long winded... all the best folk!

 

[HT55]

you don't think you will be lookingat the hairpiece all the time and wondering if it's on straight or looks natural


How long were you on finasteride ?

 

[brib]

11 months on finasteride, wasn't losing hair when I started, only took it as a preventative measure. Don't have a family history of baldness except from my mums dad who receded like me in his late teens but still had the same amount of hair and hairline when he died. finasteride gave me a sore scalp,that has decreased and is stopping as I lowered the dose about 3 weeks ago and have now stopped...never had anything similar before in my life, also shedding of short hairs is decreasing as the scalp pain clears. I really wished I had seen a derm and got blood test before I started.

It is only to sit on my receded temples so will not go across my hairline so no reason it should not look straight. It will only be about an inch or so by two inches wide to fill in the sides,so it is not going to be a huge change. I also have always wore my hair forward, messy and long to cover my hairline.... nobody ever gets to see the widows peak - god bless hairspray! Also, if it doesn't work I can take them off... and I bet they will look more natural than concealer and all that over crap.

It isn't about what over people think...passed the stage of caring, its about giving myself some peace from 10 years of madness and being able to style my hair more easily.

 

[HT55]

11 months on finasteride, wasn't losing hair when I started, only took it as a preventative measure. Don't have a family history of baldness except from my mums dad who receded like me in his late teens but still had the same amount of hair and hairline when he died. finasteride gave me a sore scalp,that has decreased and is stopping as I lowered the dose about 3 weeks ago and have now stopped...never had anything similar before in my life, also shedding of short hairs is decreasing as the scalp pain clears. I really wished I had seen a derm and got blood test before I started.

It is only to sit on my receded temples so will not go across my hairline so no reason it should not look straight. It will only be about an inch or so by two inches wide to fill in the sides,so it is not going to be a huge change. I also have always wore my hair forward, messy and long to cover my hairline.... nobody ever gets to see the widows peak - god bless hairspray! Also, if it doesn't work I can take them off... and I bet they will look more natural than concealer and all that over crap.

It isn't about what over people think...passed the stage of caring, its about giving myself some peace from 10 years of madness and being able to style my hair more easily.

It will take about a year after stopping the finasteride to se how much if any hair you lose, if you confident you won't lose any more hair then get some FUE in the front, I guess my biggest concern would be the piece coming off somehow.


I never heard of a sore scalp from finasteride

 

[brib]

I never lost or gained anything whilst on finasteride, however as I reduced the dose from 1mg to .25mg the scalp irritation has slow decreased and now cleared up. I am thinking about maybe just taking .25mg daily or E.O.D. To be honest, the scalp pain was driving me mad and I am relieved it has gone and an added bonus as the scalp pain goes I am shedding less - especially the tiny hairs. I don't know if the higher dose increased my test or estrogen levelsor if it was some kind of Telogen Effluvium. I am not against meds, I just don't know if I needed that much finasteride.

Regarding the FUE, there is nobody decent here in the UK to go to and I would be more concerned of shock loss. I would rather try something that is reversible first. So, going to try the small temple pieces as I tried a home made version a couple of weeks ago and it looked good, so with professional help and the best materials it should be unnoticeable. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and if it was to work it would be a huge relief.

Not embarassed to do something to fix a problem, either surgery or wig. Hell, look at guys like Matthew McConnaughy, Tom Brady, Jeremy Piven, Ashton Kutcher who have had surgery or wigs or both to fix their hair and it looks perfectly natural and better. Hell, one of my friends wears a wig and it looks better and more natural than my real hair....lucky b@stard lol!