Finastride Is Demotivating Me - 6 Months In

[londonhairlossvictim]

Hey guys, I'm getting demotivated with my Finastride approach.

I have been on it coming to 6 months soon - 1mg / 1 a day.

Minoxidil Form Kirkland twice a day (Over a year, tried solution first but left me with bad scalp so switched to foam which improved my scalp condition)

In the first 3 months of Finastride it seemed it was working, I have a Dr I visit and with an extra zoomed in lens he can show me my hair shafts and there was definetely a difference to when I first went to see him before Finastride. Basically darker stronger shafts growing after 3 months and clearly visible then before where my hair that was growing was a very light red weak looking color.

I'm going to see him again this Friday for my next check up but I feel somewhere in the last month or weeks I've been shedding and it's moreless in my opinion back to where I started from. On top of that I have naturally wavy thick hair and my hair is so hard to style and manage, even haircuts doesn't help.

My concern area is mainly me left tempe as I've exposed here in pics.

When I go out I have to use hair fibres otherwise it just makes me self conscious will it get exposed.

When I style my hair I sweep my hair over not to expose that which also makes people question are you losing your hair?

Before I would wear my hair up more naturally.

Is this normal 6 months in finastride to be like this? Should I be more patient? What other solutions do I have "Except surgery" to fill in my temples

Thanks for any advise or tips

 

[londonhairlossvictim]

IT's 6 months...on it. Not 2

 

[londonhairlossvictim]

Oh man, that's really not motivating - i hope these don't get worse

I saw improvements in 3 month mark, but then I definitely feel some shedding has taken place in last month so it feels like it went back to where i started

 

[londonhairlossvictim]

Our bodies all react differently to meds so because I got worse doesn't mean you will. Some people on here say they regrew their temples on finasteride and minoxidil.

Just pay close attention to the remaining part of your hairline. I use to have thin temples but the rest of the hairline (hair from end of temple to temple of other side) was quite thick. But then I started losing that too and its a nightmare, its very hard to apply fibers to that area cause it much more visible than the temples and it makes your scalp show which is horrible. Pay close attention to that, if you start losing hair in that region then finasteride is not gonna work and you need something else.

Ok well in my pictures, personally I have seen the front of my hairline get effected. For example just like you, my hair on the front was fine and thick but I do feel that, that has taken a hit too in the last month.

For example when I apply some sort of hair product now when I try to style my hair up when I go out, then I do realize it and have to fill in a few hair fibres there too on the front and I know before I never used to need to do that -

If you see my pictures it might be able to show the hairline isn't amazing either right?

 

[londonhairlossvictim]

This pic is me Sept 2017, before I used Finastride. If that helps to see my hair or compare anything?

What do you think?

 

[soitbegins]

You definitely have less loss than I did when I was on finasteride, I maintained my hairline at this level but then kept losing more hair plus I started losing hair where the blue arrow is pointing which what led me to get on a stronger regimen.

View attachment 84717

Like I said, you may react differently to it but for me finasteride just slowed down hairloss, it didn't stop it or regrow anything especially at the hairline. Your hair is actually pretty decent, use concealer and it should be good, if you maintain on this level and get a hair transplant down the line you should be fine. If it doesn't get worse stay on what youre on in my opinion.

Bdw Ignore the blue dot on top my ear, I did that by mistake, just look at the blue arrow pointing to my hairline.

How much growth did you find on a stronger regime? Any sides etc?

 

[AnxiousAndy]

This pic is me Sept 2017, before I used Finastride. If that helps to see my hair or compare anything?

What do you think?

Dude shave your hands. Also if you feel finasteride isn't doing it for you then why not kick it up a notch with dutasteride? You still have amazing hair for someone in their mid 30s and I doubt you will ever be completely bald.

 

[Unlucky93]

This pic is me Sept 2017, before I used Finastride. If that helps to see my hair or compare anything?

What do you think?

You literally have the same hairline as Cesc Fabregas and he's had a transplant so I'd say your hair looks pretty solid.

 

[londonhairlossvictim]

Hey guys, any help would be appreciated

This is me 6 months into Finastride...I definetely feel it's worse then when I started from a visual point of view. There was a period 3 months in where I really felt good about it but then recently it's like looking worse then my hair has ever looked. I can tell as now I just find it hard to do any hairstyle, and now when I go out I have to use concealer/fibres more than I have had to. Now I even have to use it into my hairline wheras before I used to use say 6-3 months ago only in the temple region.

Nothing has changed from my routine.

I visited my Dr. also who examines my hair every 3 months and he keeps saying there are now growth it's just a slow process but this just feels worse and with the sun coming out now it seems to be showing it even more to me.

Obviously in the pictures attached here I have done something extreme just to be completely transparent by dividing my front part to show how it looks and then the other pics is just "trying" to have my hair up but you can see it seems to be receding deeper now then before.

This is my worst time ever and I don't know what to do, if to persist or to get some type of transplant (Which i can't really afford to spend 2-3K right now)

Any tips if anyone has gone through this or can advise anyone would be great

 

[londonhairlossvictim]

You definitely have less loss than I did when I was on finasteride, I maintained my hairline at this level but then kept losing more hair plus I started losing hair where the blue arrow is pointing which what led me to get on a stronger regimen.

View attachment 84717

Like I said, you may react differently to it but for me finasteride just slowed down hairloss, it didn't stop it or regrow anything especially at the hairline. Your hair is actually pretty decent, use concealer and it should be good, if you maintain on this level and get a hair transplant down the line you should be fine. If it doesn't get worse stay on what youre on in my opinion.

Bdw Ignore the blue dot on top my ear, I did that by mistake, just look at the blue arrow pointing to my hairline.

Thanks for the post/reply. Do you think I should notch my strength up like you did? I find it so hard to style this hair. I can't do anything with it and I don't want to go short as I'm afraid to expose more and no way I can style it up now.

Concealor I use, I'm definetely using it more than I did before I was on Finastride (Which worries me but I'm hoping it seems everyone says you have to give it a year but I'm at a point where I can confidently say it's worse then 6 months ago)

 

[brahmabull117]

OP you have good thick hair, what are you complaining about? you're like a Norwood 1.5 to 2

 

[londonhairlossvictim]

OP you have good thick hair, what are you complaining about? you're like a Norwood 1.5 to 2

But can't you see my temple and also front hairline? My concern is that it is worse then when I started Finastride, and especially very recently in the last month it's effecting into the hairline.

 

[brahmabull117]

But can't you see my temple and also front hairline? My concern is that it is worse then when I started Finastride, and especially very recently in the last month it's effecting into the hairline.

95% of men have some recession in the temples. You're making a mountain out of a molehill. You have great hair.

As far as styling it goes - do shampoo, then conditioner then blow dry it and put on American crew grooming gel. I have very similar hair to yours (wiry, curly hair) and that's the easiest way to style it

 

[londonhairlossvictim]

If you keep receding hop on dutasetride. It depends how far you are wiling to sacrifice some things for your hair. If your hair is what matters most to you than you could hop on aggressive antiandrogens but that has a lot of side effects. You should try dutasteride first, its a very good drug and the sides are manageable

In my situation from seeing my posts do you recommend it?

Does it basically replace Finastride? And what is the difference?

When you say sides are manageable, what do you mean specifically?

The same Dr. that told me to get onto Finastride, I'll pass it by him and see what feedback he gives too.

 

[Alphalete]

What did you found out when you revisited him on friday? What did he say

 

[londonhairlossvictim]

What did you found out when you revisited him on friday? What did he say

He said there is still new hair growing, he seemed ok about it. He inspected my hair and it was the same as my last visit where it's clear there are some darker shafts emerging and he could see regrowth but to me personally, it looked better then first time, but not as much as the second time and like I am saying, in the last month I have to put more fibres in my hair then ever before. I never had to go into the hairline now I have to conceal that too so I know something is not right.

However he told me there is growth, it's a matter of patience and what I want to do.

He knows it is bothering me and he said he could do a transplant of 600 grafts (2000 hairs) and it would be something like this - https://www.instagram.com/p/BexdSFxhOEU/?taken-by=treatmentroomslondon

But of course he said the option is with me if I want to wait for the 12 month mark then review or if I'm in a hurry to fix it

 

[Murkey Thumb]

I found that Finasteride & minoxidil only helped on my mid scalp area didn't help at all with temples. I switched to RU but that only seemed to work on my temples didn't help the midscalp or crown. I have no idea why but if i had enough hair for maintenance I would use both RU for temples and finasteride & minoxidil for mid scalp & crown.

 

[londonhairlossvictim]

I found that Finasteride & minoxidil only helped on my mid scalp area didn't help at all with temples. I switched to RU but that only seemed to work on my temples didn't help the midscalp or crown. I have no idea why but if i had enough hair for maintenance I would use both RU for temples and finasteride & minoxidil for mid scalp & crown.

What is RU? Maybe I could use both in my situation where I have a full head of hair style.

My temples are most effected and my crown is thinning but not bald.

 

[Murkey Thumb]

https://www.gourmetstylewellness.com/interact/threads/ru58841-the-popular-alternative-to-finasteride.103255/

If you are aggressively going bald you have to nuke the DHT! They will both reduce it one topically one orally. may take 3 months before you will see a difference but if you have been on finasteride for 6 months i recon you will see results sooner.

 

[brahmabull117]

In my situation from seeing my posts do you recommend it?

Does it basically replace Finastride? And what is the difference?

When you say sides are manageable, what do you mean specifically?

The same Dr. that told me to get onto Finastride, I'll pass it by him and see what feedback he gives too.

dude are you drunk?

You have excellent hair, stop freaking out. If you're 35, you probably have better hair than 90% of the world

You're not losing any significant amount of hair. You have very minor recession. You can get a transplant done maybe when you're 45 and you'll still have better hair than 95% of the world

Why are people giving this guy serious replies?