Looking for advice...

[cook'n'milkies]

Allright, I'm in a bit unsure of what to do.

I've been on finasteride for 10 days now and I think I'm starting to shed a bit. I've delayed really starting to apply minoxidil because I'm mortified of more shedding. My hair looks really bad, especially since sept/oct. I have no bald spots but am thinning on top and front along with bad temple recession. I'm not the worst case of male pattern baldness but I should've been on finasteride a couple years ago if not sooner. Should I start apply minoxidil into the hairline and temples or should i forgo the minoxidil for now and see how i do on propecia in the next 6 months/year?

I'm really at a loss. If I do jump on the minoxidil, would it be worth my while to get a concealer to counter shedding? I'm worried about a concealer becoming a crutch.

I'm extremely depressed and anxious.

 

[Freestyle]

There's no way you can be shedding from Propecia after ten days. It takes weeks for anything to affect your hair like that. The shed you're going through now is either a natural shed that was due to happen anyway -- or you started on something 3-4 weeks ago that is now caught up and forcing the shed.

Start on Minoxidil.

It's going to get worse before it gets better, so strap yourself in for a bumpy 9-12 months.

Definitely buy a concealer. Either Dermatch if you wear your hair really short, or Kerasome if it has some length to it.

You don't need to use it every day. I only wore a concealer during sheds if I was going out for the night or to a formal situation. If I was just going down to the stores, I'd wear a cap and try not to look in any mirrors at home.

 

[cook'n'milkies]

thanks for the reply freestyle. I'll take what you say into consideration.

 

[Faston]

I think I'm starting to shed a bit

A common mania brought on by the start of treatment. The mind tends to get a bit ahead of the body in these situations. If you're taking finasteride now, you're doing just about everything you can to stop your hairloss. However, you will most likely not see any results for at least 6 months. Personally, I only began seeing real improvement after the 1 year mark.

If you have lost a significant amount of hair and need regrowth, then minoxidil is your best option. Most people advise that you wait to see if finasteride will give you sufficient regrowth before you begin to dump minoxidil on your head 2x a day. This is good advice.

 

[Britannia]

Propecia acutally lowers DHT levels in the body the day after you start taking it. If you were unlucky enough to have a large proportion of your hair follicles at a specific point in their growth cycle, it perfectly possible to experience a shed after 10 days. I had one after 3 weeks of Propecia use.

 

[cook'n'milkies]

unlucky or perhaps lucky? Maybe if those telogen hairs got pushed out by lowered DHT levels they'll come back stronger on the next cycle? how long is it on average for a hair to cycle from resting to being visible?

 

[Britannia]

unlucky or perhaps lucky? Maybe if those telogen hairs got pushed out by lowered DHT levels they'll come back stronger on the next cycle? how long is it on average for a hair to cycle from resting to being visible?

Its lucky because at least you know that youve responded to the finasteride. Yes the hairs that fall out will regrow, but as to how long it will take Im sorry I cant answer that.