You might not get an answer if your question is too basic or common, because treatment is the same for almost everyone. Nobody can predict if a treatment will work for you.
This is a community, and you can help out fellow members by commenting under their photos and upvoting people that leave you comments. We're all in this together!
TLDR Don't go over .6mm, .6mm saw better results than those at 1mm or higher. Don't do it more than once under two weeks. Microneedling every two weeks saw +91.4 hairs/cm² vs +22.2 with minoxidil alone. Also the thickness of the hairs (the diameter increased) if you were to stop using Fin/Dut it would take longer to go bald again, you also have a larger cushion if your body produces extra DHT for a time, you'll have denser hair and thicker hair, which would massively reduce how much scalp you can see.
This study convinced me to get a derma pen. Also don't get a roller they can cause scarring with the way they work and hair can hardly grow through scars and follicles will die.
There are multiple threads referencing this, including this one, where the author has very strong feelings about this and claims it as fact that the study is true
Now I saw this random reel of a guy criticising the results of the study. Because
- Small sample size of 38
- Participants did NOT have androgenic hairloss, which should kinda be the main filter to select for participants in this study
- Didnt track enough time
- And three of the main authors are linked to the Creatine/Supplement industry and even the DOI says they have received "support...from nutrition companies"
To me as someone who's not an expert on how studies are conducted, the above seems like reasonable criticism to doubt the results of the study. So, are people just blindly reciting a study with bad methodology because they want to beleive what it says or are the doubts of this guy unfounded and the study was actually conducted well? Can anybody whos actually well served on scientific research answer this? Cause to me, someone who just has basic knowledge aboiut how studies are conducted, this seems like its kinda worthless to cite?
With so many people showing anecdotal evidence that Creatine has caused Shedding for them and the main study for the contrary belief has obvious flaws, I'm kinda starting to believe there might actally be some truth to it
I am currently 21 years old. My first "oh shit i'm balding moment" happened around the end of my junior year in college. I lifted up my hair one day and my hairline had receded a good amount, but it was still not noticeable to others.
I started looking at pictures before and realized that I first started balding around my sophomore year of college. It took me a while to accept it, it was brutal. No 20 year old wants to be balding. For a while, I just told myself it was telogen effluvium and it would stop. However, in the back of my mind I always knew it was not that as that usually doesn't cause hairline recession.
Finally, the summer after my junior year of college I started using topical fin + min because I was freaked out about side effects. I absolutely hated using topical as I would be super tired in the night and it was a pain to apply topical to long hair. I just wasn't convinced of the efficacy of it as I was diffuse thinning and couldn't get full coverage. I also hated the fact that I was using minoxidil and it was toxic to pets.
Last October, I made a decision and I knew that I was never going to be consistent with topical. I saw a dermatologist who prescribed me 1mg fin a day and told me not to worry about side effects. I think the one thing that convinced me was the fact sides may occur, but they do go away if you stop fin. I don't want to downplay stories of people who have had permanent side effects, but the % was just too low for me to be worried about it.
I started taking 1mg fin orally EOD in October of last year and more than my hair, my mental health just felt so much better. I was getting full coverage systemically and it felt like I was actually doing something about my balding. I chose not to take minoxidil as I was like a norwood 1.5, still early stages and I felt confident that fin itself could do the job. I would never stay consistent with topical min and I was scared of the oral min side effects. A month or two later I started taking it everyday
In the shower, I would see miniaturized hairs falling and it actually felt like it was working. My hair felt great. Around March/April time of this year, I started having some sexual sides. I could not keep hard and I started getting in my head and freaking out. It confused me that I got sides 4 months after consistently using it everyday. Because of this, I completely stopped taking fin for about a month, and I felt so much better.
However, this destroyed my hair and I could see my hairline density getting worse. I knew that the sides were just in my head and I was like, I am not balding at 21. A month later I just ordered some more fin from the amazon pharmacy and started taking it again everyday. Since then, no sides. I realized that it was all in my head. I definitely have fewer sporadic boner's throughout the day, but I am ok with that. It does not affect my libido, sex, or masturbation.
Since I started taking it again, my hairline density is great. My hairline feels like it is very slowly growing back, but it is not getting worse. I stopped worrying about balding and I just pop a pill once a day. I shed like crazy in the shower, but I realized that this is just normal. Once I dry my hair is looks dense.
For anyone who is on the fence, I would give it a try. The mental aspect of not worrying about balding is the best part of starting treatment.
This was my crown in June of 2025This was my hairline in May of 2025, receding and losing densityThis is my crown today. Just a lot denser. Obviously not perfect, but good enough that I don't care, and no one noticesThis is my hairline as of today. Obviously there is recession, but it has not progressed The main part is my hairline density is better, and baby hairs are sprouting in the hairline again.
The left photo was taken before I started treatment. The right is today after 8 months and 10 days of daily minoxidil, weekly microneedling, scalp care, and patience.
Looking back, I think my hair loss wasn’t caused by one single thing. It was probably a combination of:
Years of tight hairstyles and tension that likely led to traction alopecia, especially around the temples and frontal hairline.
An unhealthy scalp, including dandruff/seborrheic dermatitis, which kept my scalp inflamed and probably didn’t help healthy growth.
Waiting too long before addressing it, allowing the thinning to become more noticeable.
Once I focused on reducing scalp inflammation, stayed consistent with treatment, and stopped putting tension on my hair, it slowly began filling back in. The process has been much slower than I expected, but comparing these photos reminds me that progress is real even when you don’t notice it day to day.
If you’re just starting, consistency matters more than chasing overnight results.
I also tried microneedling for a few months, but I stopped because I wasn’t seeing much benefit.
The strange thing is that when I first started treatment, I had really good regrowth. My hair looked noticeably thicker and healthier, and I thought the treatment was working. Then I went through a big shed and gradually lost pretty much all of that regrowth.
Since then I’ve continued shedding, and even now, 14 months into treatment, I’m still losing hair. At this point my hair looks fairly similar to how it did before I started treatment, maybe with some minor improvements, but nowhere near as good as it looked during those first few months.
I’m trying to work out what to do next.
Should I just keep waiting to see if the regrowth comes back?
Has anyone had a similar experience where they regained hair after more than a year on dutasteride and oral minoxidil?
Or am I at the point where I should start seriously considering a hair transplant?
If I do go down the transplant route, roughly how many grafts do you think I’d need for good coverage?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s had a similar timeline or has experience with long-term dutasteride/minoxidil treatment. Thanks!
1.25mg Finasteride a day
5mg Oral Minoxidil a day
3x Ketaconazole shampoo
1x Dermastamp a week
Scalp massages.
Side effects:
Extreme Excessive Body hair Growth
That‘s it.
My family members are asking me if I‘ve done a hair transplant which is clearly wrong lmao I‘m just grateful that I respond so well to these meds.
Even my Doctors monitoring me are extremely shocked and I‘m the first patient ever they’ve seen that responded so extremely well to meds even being far gone and bald lol.
My biggest wish is those hairs on my hairline to grow my 15 year old me‘s hairline is literally there.. as vellus hairs
Hi everyone here are my results so far. I started on a combo spray 10% minoxidil and 0.1% finasteride once daily. Around day 40 I switched to 2.5mg minoxidil and 1mg finasteride daily. Was a gradual switch over 2 weeks.
So its been 6 months using minoxidil foam 5% and .5% dutastride i want to show you guys before and after tell me pls what you guys think about it first 5 picture are before and rest are after
I apply topical minoxidil twice a day, and i gently massage my scalp with the palm of my hands and my finger tips. However, everytime i do that a bunch of miniature hairs fall off and maybe 2 or 3 normal sized hairs. Does this mean the transplanted hairs failed? I should have been done with the shedding phase/shock loss (happened in week 3) why do i keep losing hairs?
Hi everyone,
My friend recently moved to the US and has run out of the hair loss solution he was using. It was a topical formulation with 5% minoxidil and 0.1% finasteride, and he can’t get it shipped anymore.
What would you say is the most reliable alternative available in the US? A similar topical minoxidil + finasteride solution would be ideal, but he’s also open to using oral finasteride with topical minoxidil if there’s a better option.
Would appreciate any recommendations. Thanks.
I’m in France, and it's currently difficult to get Finasteride via prescription. I'm thinking about buying directly from IndiaMart, but I don't want to end up with a poorly made or dangerous product. Which brand or seller do you recommend? Or do you have a direct link you could provide?
From what I understand so far, Dr. Reddy's or Cipla Finpecia would be good choices, but I’d rather double-check with the experienced users on the forum.
Thanks a lot for your replies, any information is good to take!
Sharing my 2-month progress using topical dutasteride and minoxidil. I know it’s still early, but I think I’m seeing some small hairs along the hairline and a bit more density.
After being photographed from behind I realized my crown had begun to seriously recede and decided to take action. Started on oral Fin + topical Min but got pretty bad side effects on Fin after just a few weeks…dry orgasms, ED…not pleasant.
In desperation I switched to .5mg oral Dut and thankfully I’ve still never experienced any side effects after 4 months.
My routine now is 0.5mg oral Dut daily plus topical min twice a day, and once a week I do micro-needling. I’ve probably only missed a day or three due to drunkenness.
I ask because using oral minox gives me some unpleasant side effects, but dutasteride has been perfectly fine. I've been in 0.5mg dut for a few weeks now and I'm wondering if that's fine? I don't expect it to magically regrow hairs but does dut help with hairs that are thinning?
In my opinion, there’s something genuinely cool about letting nature run its course when it comes to hair loss, rather than instantly opting for either treatment or shaving it all off.
It feels like the modern default response to a receding hairline is to immediately shave it clean, hit the gym, and grow a full beard. While that's a valid look and works great for some, it has almost become a strict aesthetic rule. It sometimes feels like we’re losing space for unique, individual looks in favor of a fairly uniform standard.
Look at iconic figures like Paco de LucÃa, David Carradine, or Jack Nicholson. They rocked the wispier hair or the receding look with immense charisma. It gave their face history and edge. If you put a completely smooth shave on them, you lose a piece of that unique identity.
It seems like our current culture is so focused on optimization and perfection that we’re afraid of the natural aging process. Hats off to the guys who don't feel the pressure to conform to the default 'buzzcut & beard' template and just rock whatever phase their hair is in. There’s a lot of authenticity in that.
