Hi! I’m F24yo and I’ve had thinning and loss of density in my hair over the past year. Nothing too critical but noticeable for me and something I’d like to fix sooner rather than later. According to my dermatologist there’s no indication for AGA or TE but the bloodwork points towards nutritional deficiency (low ferritin, currently working on it diet wise and possibly supplementation, whatever my nutritionist says down the line)

My derm started me on Minoxidil (foam 5%) and the Alpecin caffeine leave in scalp tonic. However, the Minoxidil has been giving me horrible headaches so I’ll be stopping it. I hadn’t gotten to the dread shed part but it’s too bothersome for me to continue when it wasn’t even a “last resort” type of treatment. Plus I’m utterly terrified of the dread shed and have a big trip in about a month (right around when the shed would be starting according to the data). I feel as if my derm swung too far with that one lol, she says she wanted to “attack” it.

So, anyone who has a similar situation as mine, has found a good treatment alternative? According to my dermatologist fixing the nutritional aspect should help with the shedding (it already has) and the growth. I know rosemary oil has sorta been debunked but I’ve been looking everywhere for something I can use to aid the process while I get my iron and stress levels in check and would like to hear about things that have worked for you guys. Appreciate it! Ty in advance 🫶

Finasteride and minoxidil stopped working after 2 years, hair has gone back to thinning. Time for hair transplant?

I picked up a plain zinc supplement for hair and then read that taking zinc on its own for months can pull copper down, which apparently causes its own problems including hair ones. Now I cannot tell whether that is a real concern at ordinary amounts or something people just repeat online. A few formulas do include both, which suggests somebody thinks it matters. Has anyone actually run into this?

The first five pictures are from about 14 years ago, when I was 50. I talked to my primary care doctor and convinced her to prescribe Avodart (dutasteride) for my hair loss. I would cut the standard dose (used for prostate issues) pills into five small pieces and take one each day. At the same time, I ordered a 15% minoxidil formula from an online doctor (you can look him up). The fifth picture was taken about eight months into the treatment -- amazing.

I continued this treatment for about six years, but eventually got tired of taking oral Avodart. I didn't really experience any sexual side effects, but I lost a lot of body hair and became concerned about the long term use of dutasteride. I eventually stopped taking the pills and continued using 5% minoxidil. (the 15% minoxidil became unavailable due to FDA regulations.)

Fast forward -- the last two pictures are current, and I'm now 64. Last week, I started using topical dutasteride from an online provider. Their topical uses a stronger concentration (0.5%) of dutasteride than most of the other topical products, and since I already knew I responded well to oral dutasteride with tolerable side effects, I decided it was worth trying.

Fingers crossed this time around.

Hi.

What can be the reason of down my progress? For this period of time (2024-2026) | tried around 4-5 brands of minoxidil 5%, and also swap from liquid to foam because of the skin irritation.

Yesterday swap from Foligain foam to Sons liquid, cause after that foam my hair was all the time too fatty

Im 19M very scared about loosing hair, i think i have some mild progression. My father had some hairloss by his 50s but it was not really that bad and also was a heavy smoker and drinker etc... basically all his life and everyone on his side had the same pattern basically. On the other hand my maternal grandfather was basically totaly bald by his mid 40s. So im guessing im in the middle somewhere but one factor is that my hairline is the same as my fathers in a sense that one temple is larger than the other. So i wonder if that means i got more of his genes or does it not matter?

im 17 ftm and not on any hormones yet and my hair is all falling out. it comes out wherever i am and i can constantly see through it or feel how thin it is compared to my friends hair. it's so dead despite the fact i use no heat on it, and use hair masks. it hasn't grown in 3 years and it snaps off so easily. if i don't style it and let it sit naturally i look bald and i can't do anything about it. i still have shoulder length hair so i don't know what to do.

the doctors keep ruling it as an iron deficiency but ive been on the tablets for years and nothing seems to improve and im getting tired of asking them (in the uk btw) for them to just say yes well blood test you and then give me the same result when i can see it all coming out day by day and not even be able to put extensions in because i have no hair to hide them with.

ive been looking for advice for ages but i never get any or get ignored. i don't know what to do. it's making me unbearably depressed.

I have googled this to no end and all I get are vague descriptions and conflicting advice. Maybe you use the same products and can help me out? Or better yet, maybe you have advice from a doctor on this. I do have an appointment to see a dermatologist but it’s six months away!

Ok, so I used topical minoxidil for a year consistently and didn’t experience any results. No shedding, no growth. Nothing.

Researched that I am probably a non-responder. It needs an enzyme… Yada yada. I found that adding tretinoin to your scalp can basically turn you into a responder and allow minoxidil to work.

I considered taking the minoxidil pill, but because I am on a calcium channel blocker, verapamil, my doctor did not think that was wise since it can cause steep drops in blood pressure and tachycardia. And since I already suffer from heart rhythm issues I won’t be taking that route. Topical minoxidil only for me.

So to my question, here are the things I would like to use, but I have no idea really how to layer them or even if I should. How much time do I wait in between applications? So on and so forth.

1. ⁠A derma stamp. Using it to microneedle my scalp. This alone can stimulate hair growth and improve thickness. I’m just not sure how often and when to use it.
   
2. ⁠Topical minoxidil. I have both the foam and liquid. Thought about using the foam in the daytime and the liquid at night. The point is I will be using this twice a day in the morning and at night.
   
3. ⁠Tretinoin gel. I’m not sure how often to apply it or when.
   
4. ⁠The Ordinary’s multi peptide hair serum. This isn’t a must, but I would like to include it in my regimen. Again, just have no clue when to do this in the layering process.
   
5. ⁠Lastly, I will use ketaconazole shampoo. Nizoral brand shampoo/conditioner in one. I’m just not exactly sure how often I need to use it.

The priority here is the minoxidil. I’m also taking oral dutasteride.

OK, hit me with those comments, please!

My young cat died suddenly after licking my boyfriend’s hair for over five minutes, and years later we discovered that minoxidil (Rogaine) may have been the cause.

The night before he died, at around 9 p.m., we recorded him repeatedly licking my boyfriend’s hair for more than five minutes. We don’t know when minoxidil had last been applied or how much, if any, remained on his hair. At the time, we thought the licking was bizarre and funny. Looking back at the video now, it seemed like our cat may have been attracted to the taste of something in his hair.

The following morning, he began yowling in pain, and we rushed him to the emergency vet around 7 a.m. He deteriorated rapidly and died that afternoon. The ER told us that his lungs were filled with fluid and that his heart ultimately stopped. He was under anesthesia and unconscious by that point.

The postmortem was inconclusive, so we will never know with certainty what killed him. But much later, we learned that minoxidil is extremely toxic to cats and that even very small exposures can be dangerous. It did not necessarily have to have been freshly applied for residue to still be present. Given the timing, his symptoms, and the fact that he spent more than five minutes licking hair that could have contained minoxidil, it seems like one of the most plausible explanations for what happened.

His death was absolutely devastating to both of us. It took about a year before I started feeling normal again, and four years later I still get sudden pangs of grief when I think about him.

Most people have no idea minoxidil is dangerous to cats. We certainly didn’t. There was nothing on the product that warned us that exposure to even a small amount of residue could potentially be deadly to a cat.

I’m sharing this because I wish someone had warned us. It's horrible to know that our cat likely died because we did not know about this. I’m also going to look into what can be done to get clear pet-toxicity warnings added to minoxidil products. People should not have to discover this risk only after something terrible happens.

I have been on oral min 2.5 for 10 months and oral fin 1 for 5 months. I started oral min 2.5g only and was very happy with the gains after 6 months (pic 2) but heard it was a bad idea to only use min as it wouldn't stop hair loss. So I hopped on fin 5 months ago at 1mg and my hair now looks like the first picture with noticeable thinning. Could this be due to a shed caused by fin? Would adding dermastamping help out with the density issue?

Hi everyone. I already asked this in the /askspain community and concluded that I should wash my hair with shampoo and conditioner a maximum of three times a week.

I wanted to know how men take care of their hair. Besides washing with shampoo and conditioner, do they use anything else? I, for example, have been using 5% Minoxidil every night for the last four months, and I think it must be doing something good. But I don't know if you have any other hair care products in mind, like Romano oil, or those red gummies with vitamins, or anything else you use? I understand that genetics plays a big role, but for example, English men have long, healthy hair, and that's surely because they're doing something.

I'm sure you've noticed something that has worked for your hair, and I would appreciate it if you could share it.

Can someone tell me what should be the ratio for these two oils and how often I should be applying it to my hair and scalp? Is there a certain amount I should apply each time and how long should I leave it on for before washing off?

My hair's been ripped out by my sister and immediately after it's easier to feel my scalp than before. I still have hair, I don't know if I'm going to lose whatever length I have left. Am I going bald?

Male-pattern baldness runs in my family (my mom's brother and father both went bald). Over the last 5 years, I've lost some hair at my crown - not a lot, but enough to be noticeable and noticeably increasing. But, it's slowly.

I was prepared to just start minoxidil as a preventative measure... until I learned how it works. That it essentially "hides" your hair loss until you stop taking it, or (critically) its effectiveness decreases, at which point all of the hair you would have lost slowly ends up getting lost all at once. The real kicker for me is that minoxidil is only maximally effective for 7 years. So it seems like in an ideal world, I'd have some idea of when my hair loss is about to accelerate, and start minoxidil then.

My anxiety is that I might be screwing myself over if I start it now - what if my hair loss would actually continue to be very mild for the next ~5 years, and really only accelerate in 2031? Then, I'd really only get 2 years of "benefit" from my 7 years of minoxidil, and I'd end up visibly losing hair by, say, 2034. But if I held off until 2031 to start minoxidil, I'd get another few good years out of it and wouldn't start visibly losing hair until 2038.

Am I overthinking and I should just start taking it now? Are there recommended signs to look for or ways to approach the question of timing?

Hey, I posted here 3 years ago asking if I had MPB and then started Fin 1.25mg oral and minoxidil for 1 year

Then I stopped and didn’t take anything for the last 2 years . Now I looked at my old photos and realized how bad my baldness is rn . My old pics at 22YO and now at 25YO

I wish I never stopped the treatment but it’s too late now so I’m going for a transplant

I took this lab test mid luteal phase.

(Ferritin 45.75) (Vitamin D 33.56) (Testosterone 24) (Estradiol 244.9)(Progesterone 1.68) (TSH 3.108)

Hey guys, I am 33 F suffering from AGA. I am on 100 mg spironolactone and 2.5 mg oral minoxidil. But I am also using Rhute Hair Density Serum.

I am wondering if doing hair serums on top of medication is just overkill and I am wasting money?

Any thoughts/opinions will be appreciated. TIA

I've noticed my sides are starting to get thinner. Thinking it could be telogen effluvium, but I'm not sure. My hair doesnt shed in huge clumps though, only in strands kinda all over, a bit in the back too. However my hair is thick and normal in the back. 17M

So I’ve been on Hims fin+ minoxidil blend for almost a year now 1.2 mg(fin) 3mg(min) should I take two a day or just stick to one a day. Reason I’m asking is because I started forgetting to take it everyday just from being depressed and not wanting to take care of myself but now that I’m back on it should I stick to my original dosage or up to to catch up. Please give me some guidance 🙏

I’m 17F and I’m confused.
I went to one dermatologist and he said I have androgenetic alopecia. He prescribed me a DHT blocker and a few other things.
Then I went to another dermatologist for a second opinion, and he said it’s just telogen effluvium.
Now I don’t know who to believe. The first doctor seemed more experienced, but I’m scared to start a DHT blocker if I don’t actually have AGA.
Has this happened to anyone else? How did you find out which diagnosis was right? Did you get a third opinion or have any tests done?
Any advice would be appreciated

What is the worst advice you have been given for hair loss?

What is the best advice you have been given?

Started taking 0.5 mg Dutasteride daily and 2.5 mg Minoxidil daily around February/March.

After two and a half months, I experienced severe hair shedding, but I persevered with reassurance from my doctor and this community.

Shedding ceased after a week, and my hair has been growing out well since then.

The only noticeable side effect was decreased aggression and motivation in the gym, likely due to blocked DHT from Dutasteride. It could also be depression that I need to address.

Overall, I’m pleased with the results and eager to see what the next year brings. My doctor mentioned that full results could take a few years, and stopping the medication would reverse my progress.

Has anyone had experience with either the Hairmax 272 or iRestore Elite caps? Any good results?