Hair Loss & Re-Growing Hair?

Hi all,
So I'm currently 19 and losing my hair - its ridiculous that its happening at this age but it actually started when I was around 17.

Just wanted to hear everyone's experience in relation to the effectiveness of finasteride and minoxidil in re-growing hair? Been on finasteride for 2 months and just started minoxidil (foam) a few days ago. The minoxidil has been making me a little more tired than usual I think, but hoping this goes away over time.
Hoping that these do something for a few years until I can accept baldness

POLL: So, did using both of these treatments re-grow any hair for you?

Cheers

Poll Options

  • 43
    YES
  • 124
    NO

Comments

  • +2

    35 here and my hair has been thinning for about 5 years. It accelerated recently and I decided to get minoxidil after reading about the side effects of Fin.
    I’ve been on minoxidil for 2 months. Noticed no difference so far but apparently it can take 3 months. It’s only $25 a bottle for 3 months worth so it’s not particularly expensive.
    I have my fingers crossed, I do not look good with no hair, but it might be the future!
    Good luck to you.

    Also, some awful advice in this thread. People are harsh.

    • Keep us updated.

    • $25 from where?

  • Welcome to the downward spiral of your self esteem.

  • +3

    This is a really good fact sheet I refer people to: https://www.healthymale.org.au/files/resources/hair_loss_and…

    :)

    • Thanks for posting that link, very interesting read.

  • I was you 10 years ago. I ended up giving up and accepting the hair loss. Ended up buying a 300$ cordless oyster hair cutter. Save thousands over the years and the cutter is still going strong.

    Be careful with finasteride/Propecia it's known to cause irreversible impotency. Is a small glimpse of hair really going to outweigh a risk of you having the worst sexual life.

  • Is it genetic/ hereditary?
    I stopped using my normal shampoo for a few months to try a different one and could pull my hair out in clumps.
    Once I changed back it’s much stronger and healthier now.

  • Do you smoke or drink? Stopped both for years and my hair loss stopped. More tired than usual means it could be affecting your testosterone, which is a common side effect/how they work. I'd shave it or get a $20 wig or hair plug. You can get cheap ones on eBay. People don't really notice or care unless they are trying to put you down.

  • Hey dude, Australian doctors in the video said using minoxidil will usually requires at least 4 to 6 months to see the results.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jztEaZKVz1Y
    Why don't you give it a go for 6 months.
    Also try not to worry too much. Stress will increases hair loss.
    So try everything you can, give your self some time. No rush. lets say, give yourself a year.
    Might even try go to a specialist and see what they says about it.
    Just try before giving up. You are still young. There is no harm to try.
    Good luck mate. I might also give it a go with minoxidil too.
    Both i and my girlfriend have hair loss problem. Will give it a go for 6 months.

  • +4

    It cannot be cured. Proof: Jeff Bezos

    • It can be cured. Proof, Elon Musk. He can afford to spend millions on his hair tho. But look at him in his PayPal days, he’s practically totally bald skinny geek. But now he looks like super man.

      • You are both correct.

        Musk has a lot less hair loss than Bezos.

        You only have so many donor hairs. This will be solved with cloning eventually, but not currently.

  • Choose your parents more wisely. Prevention of hairloss is key.

    • From memory it's a mitochondrial issue, so choose a better mother

  • Visit tattoo parlour and turn your scalp into a work of art.

  • +2

    Just become athletic. Athletic guys can get away with it.

    • This.

      A guy with a 6 pack and shaved head > chubby dude with hair

  • +2

    Nizoral 2% shampoo has a significant, if small, effect too according to UpToDate. For a cheap, available remedy it never gets much of a mention, though I do recommend it for milder cases.

    • +1

      It contains Ketoconazole, which is questionable "proven" to reduce hair loss. On paper it acts as an AR5 inhibitor, so not much difference in function to finasteride.

      Ketoconazole 2% is recommended as a secondary treatment option with a primary option (finasteride). I believe the studies were done in the 90's and not a lot came out of them (study size was also very small). Just a general recommendation as a side treatment to complement the primary.

  • I’ve started to go a bit thin on top as well. Looking at a Hair Growth Derma Roller. I’ve read some background on them and they appear to provide decent results. It’s a worth a go and doesn’t cost much. Only downside may be a bit of pain in application.

    • Look into Dr Pen!

  • I didn't go on any treatments after a close friend experienced a side effect due to their treatment (impotency, erectile dysfunction). It was one of those frank and upfront things. Even for him the treatment had minimal gain and once he stopped taking the treatment he didn't regain any performance.

    I don't have kids yet so that's really important for me. Spooked the hell out of me so I just use clippers. For both of us, losing hair did have a big effect on our confidence but that was also because at the time, potential partners were very superficial.

    My personal biggest annoyance with losing hair was that it was not uniform or consistent, just a match round patch. I'd rather be fully bald, than just the patch.

  • If all else fails, just hit the gym and grow a beard. I hear Kratos is cool now because of God War 4

  • +3

    While I feel your pain. I too started losing my hair in my late teens. I tried minoxidil, and yes it did work to an extent. However after 6 months or so I wondered about the long term effects of using something that was invented to treat some sort of heart condition. Also it was a lifetime commitment.
    In the end I just accepted that I was going bald and went with the #1 clipper. Remaining hair is pretty much instantly dry after a shower and I haven’t combed in 20 years. To be honest I really don’t think most people care or judge you. However if they know it’s a sore point your mates will stir you no end.
    Maybe grow a beard if you have some funny shaped head to compensate for it. Good luck with whatever you decide, it’s a tough decision.

  • Time to invest in a top quality peruke.

  • I was in the same boat. I was 18 when I started to lose hair and the doctor prescribed me with finasteride 1mg at the time and recommended using together with 5% minoxidil. I've been on the tablets ever since (31 years old now) and only apply minoxidil at night. I've retained enough of my hair for the baldness not to be too apparent thankfully. Most of it also comes down to styling - my balding is mainly around the crown so I style my hair and let it grow long enough to cover that area.

    Haven't really experienced much of the side-effects thankfully (or at least hasn't been too noticeable). That said, I'm a gym buff and primarily do weight-lifting 5 days per week. At one point, I thought the finasteride was actually boosting my gym performance as I was getting quite lean while gaining muscle. However, it may have just been a mental thing.

    Just my perspective if it helps :) Good luck!

  • Shave it + scalp tattoo.

    Cheapish….

  • +3

    Think of it this way. Rich dudes like Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson, hell even Prince William, couldn't save their hair with their millions and millions of dollars.

    The sooner you shave it all off and accept it the better off you'll be.

    Instead focus on your fitness and parts of your body you CAN control. Hit the gym.

  • Tonics don't work. The only way to get back hair is to implant it like Shane Warne. Strand by Strand.

  • You can try using natural/home remedy like Onion Juice. I am applying it once a week and can see the benefits.

  • Your only two proper options are HT and hair 'system' / piece (fancy wig - I'm serious).

    Fin and Minox are a hassle and Fin can and do cause sexual side effects (libido loss, no boner).

    If it were me, I'd keep your hair short (think Bruce Willis), wait until your loss pattern has been established (at LEAST late 20's) and then get a HT.

    Where are you on the Norwood scale?

  • Toppix is an excellent temporary measure to cover things up until you get a HT or hair system. (HT is the pick IMO).

    Statically charged sprinkles you shake into your hair just before a date, going out or other special occasion. You can get it from Priceline, cheaper via eBay. Also, get the squirter attachment.

  • I've been using minoxidil and Nizoral since 2011 and finasteride since 2018.

    I feel that minoxidil alone was just slowing the process and no regrowth. But man, when I started combining with fin 2 years ago I got major regrowth happening.

    You can save money by buying 5mg fin and using a pill cutter to split it in 4 instead of buying the expensive 1mg tablets.

  • +3

    Started going bald when I was 15. Wasn't fun in the pressure-cooker environment that is high school, girls and "coming of age". I tried Rogaine (at great expense of my parents) for a few months and it was pointless.

    Around 20 it looked absolutely awful so I shaved it off. Haven't looked back since, in fact I've forgotten what it's like to go to a hair dresser, and i'm now 37. I just use a Gillete Fusion power razor and do the face and head at the same time.

    A comment above around the sooner you accept it the sooner you will be happier is bang on. One advantage that I had is that I went through the distress in my teens, got over it, and by early 20's when some other mates were going bald I was well beyond caring.

    We are lucky that the bald/shaved head look is fashionable enough in this age and nobody things twice about seeing someone with that "hair" style.

  • wish Musk spends few hours on finding solution to this problem.

    • +1

      He has found a solution. Compare his photos from the early days with more recent ones. lol

  • Three easy steps to save it naturally:
    1) Get your cortisol (stress and sleep) under control
    2) Increase natural Vitamin D3 (via sunlight - supplements are biologically inactive)
    3) Increase bio-available essential amino acid intake (hair is collagen and needs 19 amino acids, most people are short on glycine and proline)
    Completely reversed my hair loss, but took 12 months :/
    7ek

  • +1

    Your 20's are where it counts man.

    Fight the good fight and keep that hair for as long as possible, even if it's a losing battle.

    Throw in the towel mid 30's.

  • +1

    If anyone is serious about looking into this further then look up the effects of Titanium Dioxide on hair loss which is found in many cosmetics and sun creams.

    A female friend of the family went to see a dermatologist because her hairline was receding and her eye brows were falling out.
    As it was she was applying OLAY face moisturising cream with UV protection each day and had been doing so for years like many millions of other women do.
    This product had quantities of Titanium Dioxide listed in it which they believe could have been a primary cause of this.

    Whilst balding in men is more common and acceptable it is more frightening for women and I know this lady is traumatised by the thought of what is happening to her.

    Apparently there is a great deal of research going on with the effects of Titanium Dioxide on the human body as it is quite widely used in the cosmetic industry.

    • +2

      Speaking of frightening, you might want to look into dihydrogen monoxide.

  • +1

    go to turkey in a few years, get a cheap and quality treatment, travel a nice and cheap country as well.

  • I tired Propecia and Minoxidil for my receding temples for about a year and it did nothing.

    Fortunately the hairloss isn't that bad for me.

  • -2

    Lot of people may not like it , but try yoga. There is special yoga exercise for hair regrowth called balyam yoga which is simply about rubbing nails 10-15 minutes a day.
    There are people who have seen results from it. Anyhow, its free, doesnt take lot of time and effort so no harm trying.
    Afterall thats what ozbargain is :) free and no harm in trying.

  • I have thick, lush hair - No greys or thinning at 36.

    My mate has been thinning and receding since mid 20's. After a divorce he was even more worried. He has used many interventions.
    He could easily rock a shaved head and just own it, which i told him to do. In the end for him it was a confidence thing.

    Easy to say when it's not you, is the point I'm making.

  • be like prez. trump, wig it.

    • He probably has a transplant. A wig would look more natural and wouldn't require that styling to hide the low density

  • Hair transplant maybe? Elon Musk and Gordon Ramsay look alright lol. These meds will cause too many side effects.

  • Had a similar situation to you but was never going to risk erections by taking hair growth stuff. A guy at my work used a group of stuff and said he had trouble now sexually.

    So I just cut my hair short and then eventually a number 0. Nothing looks worse than someone trying to cling to their thinning hair. If treatment was effective than you would see all balding celebrities with heads full of hair. It shows a lot of confidence to have a bald head and is very liberating. Accept the situation and be thankful of what you do have. Your life could be a 100000x worse. You could have something much more seriously wrong with you. Sure it would be nice to have a thick head of hair to style but it would be also nice to be more handsome or taller or a different bone structure. Look at what you can control. invest your time and money into going to the gym if youre worried about the way you look.

  • I had long hair in my late teens and early 20s . But in my mid 20s i noticed that i was starting to thin out on the top and back of my head. I tried joining one of those hair regrowth clubs to re grow my hair. The treatment included taking meds, shampoos, frequent visits to the centre and sitting under wierd mechines and getting massages etc. I think it may have helped a bit delaying the process. But eventually I gave up as it was very costly and i couldnt keep up with the routine. Im not sure if the meds have side effects.
    I shave my head now. I started years ago with using the machine on no 1 and then 0. It is much more easier than going though all the procedures etc. I usualy wear hats or caps when I go out. Im not sure if I have embraced the boldness, but it doesnt bother me anymore.

  • As someone with long hair for most of my life I've been slightly stressed at the thinning up top.

    I did look into ways to prevent it. One doctor recommended some tablets but one of the side effects was "sexual dysfunction". After a bit of research, while the risk was considered low, I read cases of guys suffering from the side effect and not recovering after stopping the medication. This was enough to put me off.

    There is also the option of hair transplants, but they are expensive and generally not permanent so could require follow up treatments, which, if you can't afford or they don't work, you will then be sporting some fashionable scars on your newly shaved head when you eventually decided to accept the baldness…

    I've been trying to hold on to my hair for as long as I can but it's sped up a lot this year and I think by 2021 I will sadly be saying goodbye to it.

  • +1

    I'm late to the party.

    I'm currently using finisteride, been about 1.2 years now. Being 28 years old now I've been (very) slowly receeding hair (around the crown/vertex area) since 16 when my parents started picking on me about it lol. It started to get distinctly obvious around 26-27.

    I can confidently say the hair follicles I managed to save around my crown area is far more thicker than prior to treatment, for the first few months I took a photo a month to see change and it's far more obvious the longer the months are apart. For me there's a difference every 3 months. I'm assuming you know what finisteride and monoxidil do to hormones? I won't explain here but my family on both sides have a terrible history with prostate cancer and I guess this is an added benefit of taking finisteride. The only downside is once you stop taking finisteride you're resuming your balding pattern and I like to look at my yearly spending…it's so much money I could've spent on ozbargins lol.

  • you're not bald, you're clean cut.
    The routine of keeping your head looking clean is much more satisfying than maintaining hair.
    Feel good with it.

    If anyone asks why you're head is so clean, say it's because you hate superman so much.

  • Regrowth is hard but maintaining the current load of hair is the aim. You are already taking Finasteride, which works as a competitive inhibitor (competitive for a chemical receptor). Hair loss is generally caused when your body converts higher levels of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is caused by an enzyme that gets more effective the older you get.

    Summary 1: older you get the more DHT your body produces, the more hair you lose

    So now for the drug. Finasteride blocks the production of DHT in your body (Stops conversion from testosterone), and therefore with less DHT production, should halt the damage that is being done to your hair.

    Finasteride is basically the gold star. It reduces DHT on the scalp by to 70%. In many of my patients, they notice a reduction or a slowdown in hair loss with very few reporting major regrowth.

    You best bet is talking to a doctor. You should already have a treating doctor as you are using Finasteride. I recently also did a hospital placement in Thailand (western hospital). Hair transplants were the most common procedure being done there for men. Most were around their 50's and had not had luck with Finasteride (long-term). I guess what I am saying is there is many other options. I would keep on with medication from a GP and then maybe look at places that do those glue on wigs or if you can afford, then hair transplant or go bald.

    Hope I explained this in a way you could understand. You could also go and talk to your pharmacist. There is more than 1 type of hair loss and different products for different loss.

    Also consider lifestyle factors, like smoking, stress etc. A lot of info online. Best bet is always prevention and to rule of any lifestyle factors before treatment.

    Good luck

    • Finasteride isn't a competitive inhibitor its permanent. Thats why it has such a long effect and can cause permanent effects in some people. Recptors get replaced over time

      • +1

        Finasteride is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor and it's certainly not permanent, as the medication needs to be taking regular to work. It will also stop working if the medication is stopped. It primarily treats enlarged prostate in older men and has the benefit (wanted side effect of reducing DHT production, but the medication is required to do this). Look at any medical or pharmacology textbook

  • Ive had decent results with the laser hats from ebay (https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p233452…) , no ongoing costs though will likely need a new battery one day, regaine foam and biotin. Finasta works very well but the side effects aren't worth it.

    • What did you notice? I bought a big brand helmet(Igrow), but got it off Gumtree for $150 and didn't notice much.

      The research I did, you need different wavelengths for the hair benefits and only a few companies make those units and their $600-1000usd.

      • A lot less fallout, maybe 20% improvement… I got this blue one for about $150 ….. . It may be similar to regaine where it can only keep your existing hair rather than making new follicles….

  • Do people care about balding men? I certainly couldn't care if he had hair or didn't. Then again, it's easy for me to say

  • -2

    Wow so many sheep comments on here. Look guy, everyone you know will tell you it's hereditary and won't look under the surface. I'm here to tell you not only can you reverse it, but you can also reverse greys as well.

    1 - Get a full blood work panel. Not just standard stuff. Read some biohacking books to get an idea of what to test. Esp full thyroid, coeliac and testosterone levels. Just to give you an idea I get 17 different blood tests done every year. Don't listen to your dinky GP that you don't need them.
    2 - Supplement like a mofo. Use the blood tests to guide you. Not those pissy little recommended amounts you get from the local chemist. Go online and buy large doses in bulk from iherb. Learn to megadose C, D. Add Magnesium and Potassium as a start.
    3 - You are intolerant if not allergic to lots of things. Everyone is! Think not just what you eat, but also what you touch and wash yourself with everyday. It's up to you to figure out what those things are for you and avoid them completely. Not just reduce them but eliminate them completely. Think of it as if you fall off the bandwagon it is death.
    4 - Just on that, avoid gluten/grains, preservatives, dairy and sugar completely. This is a must and hard one. Read up on why. But once you understand why your eyes will open as to how much damage you are doing to yourself and how we are being conned. Many autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, dementia, diabetes are being reversed by eliminating these!
    5 - Eat lots of good meat, eggs and especially lots and lots of healthy fats. Learn to cook at home. Fat is good for you. Don't listen to the sheep.
    6 - Only drink filtered water.
    7 - Exercise to sweat regularly. Yes go to the gym if you can afford it, otherwise regular home workouts, or team sport.
    8 - This is a big one - Get lots and lots of sun on your bare skin.
    9 - Be happy even when you don't feel like it.

    In a nutshell this is the secret to life that I wish I could tell myself 20 years ago. Yes it's expensive and requires a lot of sacrifice initially.

    But how bad do you actually want it?

    • yeah get sun and get also skin cancer even before you go fully bald.

    • I think I need to sweat, as I never do and definitely stimulate more blood flow to the scalpe.

    • mega doses is really bad advice, considering that most modern supplements are cheaply made. "megadosing" C will give you an illness.

      • In what way? Which illness?

        • So 1 in 200 Northern European people will have haemochromatosis and cannot tolerate it well. Symptom lists are online. It's more vitD, b3 and B6 that have harmful effects at large doses.

          • @Cave Fire: For sure, people with pre-existing conditions would need to cater for that and to test it out themselves to see the effectiveness on their own body. Personally I take 3000mg of Vit-C a day and have tested up to 10000mg in the past with no ill effects, but I don't see any difference above 3000. I was worried when you said that I might be setting myself up for something!

            Now Vit-D though, yeah I do start to see some "wierd effects" if I take more than 5000IU, like something doesn't quite feel right, like I'm not all there. So I've settled on 5000IU a day. I personally don't take any B's as my testing didn't show any value for my body.

            And yeah, you are 100% about different companies making things cheaply. I certainly have my favourites and have tested different brands over many years so I know when something isn't made right. It's just a matter of testing constantly and listening to your own body.

            Cheers for the feedback.

  • Anyone tried tropical Finasteride? A chemist said I could get a script and they could make it up.

    I wonder if that would work using it 2-3x a week, and much less side effects?

  • +2

    Heres my comment after so long of postponing to read this thread. Gluten intollerances lead to inflammation which then causes hairloss. Is your scalp flaky?
    Just go gluten free for 2 months and see how far that gets you. Also I have been told that castor oil and coffee helps retain what is left on hair.

    • -2

      Ok Pete Evans, your cover is blown.

      • It's hard to understand or be convinced that this is true unless you actually know someone who has deteriorated from these intolerances and then you have personally watched them reverse their symptoms and pain by simply changing their diet. Heck even 5 years ago I thought this was all woowoo.

        @tee123 is 100% correct. Read my post above again especially point 4. My belief now is that everyone is intolerant to gluten and dairy. Whether we realise it or not, it is doing us damage.

  • Dunno if anyone cares but might as well drop my 2c.

    I was also losing hair in high school and eventually accepted it. I shaved my head a few years later to see what it was like and it was great (other than the sun burning you in summer).

    I'm on Finasteride right now and my hair seems to have grown back. It was definitely much thinner earlier but seems to have some fullness and a much denser crown. I've never tried the other drug that you've mentioned. I've also experienced no side effects so far.

  • +1

    Totally depends on what you look like bald. There are three general rules for looking good bald:

    1. the more tanned you are the better;

    2. the stronger your jawline or the longer your face the better; and

    3. the more muscular you are the better.

    Of course, the older you are the less strange it looks also.

    I'm 27, pasty, have a short baby-face with dark eye bags (genetic) and no jawline and have always been skinny. Unless I start fake tanning, taking steroids and getting facial implants, I'm in the bottom 1% of men who would look good bald. When I've raised the prospect of shaving my head, people including exes have said that I would look like a malnourished Uncle Fester or terminally ill. So the general advice to just shave your head and own it is only helpful for the luckier among us.

    As such, and given my Norwood 2.5 status, I take finasteride and use Nizoral-based shampoo. The former definitely causes side effects concerning brain fog/memory formation, some numbness during sex and climax, reduced libido, and myalgia (and perhaps sperm count and quality, I haven't checked), but they're likely long-term effects now and as such that's water under the bridge. The latter probably doesn't do anything, but I use it anyway.

    Given the profound effect that balding can have on the mental health of those who suffer from alopecia (genetic or otherwise), especially young people, it's sad that the government doesn't help to fund research into cures and treatments in the same way it does for other medical conditions.

  • +1

    Side effects. That’s the biggest problem. Man boobs and limp dick. So you keep your hair but can’t get the ladies. Shave your head and own it.

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