PastaBoy

Hi guys. Many, many thanks for the very informative replies. To respond to a few of your comments: 1. Yes, I am aware that Fin is a lifelong commitment as much as Minox is. I guess it is just about perceived commitment. Popping a pill every morning after waking up doesn't sound so bad to me; I've been doing it with multi-vitamins for a while, so it really wouldn't be an issue. But the idea of systematically foaming my hair twice a day, every day, with the constant fear of shedding and/or losing the hair if I stop using it? I think it is a much greater commitment. Maybe I'm wrong and you guys have some experiences to share 2. I have searched this forum about Nizoral, and I must confess that I'm not wholly convinced about its use just yet. Again, maybe some of you could share your experiences? I have already ordered a thickening shampoo that comes highly recommended, as well as the Nanogen fibre crystals. Incidentally, those Nanogen and Toppik products look absolutely amazing, particularly for a guy with my situation. Hopefully they can help cover up the thin streaks of scalp which are exposed under sunlight or bright lights! 3. Unfortunately there is baldness in my family I have two uncles on my mother's side, and both of them are very bald! And on my father's side of the family I have another two uncles, both of whom are balding fast (my grandfather also lost his hair). Curiously enough though, everyone in my immediate family (mother, father, brother) have impeccable, thick sets of hair. Perhaps I got the rough end of the genetics once again

Hello everyone! New user here. I'm male, 27 years of age and live in the UK. A brief background: I always had thick, lush, black hair growing up. I spiked it up for years, but two things happened. I distinctly remember being at a nightclub with some friends when I was 20 years old. One of my friends was getting ribbed for his very obvious receeding hairline; but he then turned to me and said "Look, his is going too". This came as a bit of a shock to me, because I had never, ever fathomed the idea of losing my hair. Another of the friends present simply said "Nah, looks like a full head of hair to me.", but my other friend maintained "Look carefully, under the lights, just at the front, you can see some scalp." Well, he was right. In the years that followed I became ever-conscious of some of my scalp being exposed at the front when I would be under bright lights. But to all extents and purposes, I still had what looked like a full head of hair. However, it has come to crunch point in the last couple of years. The first thing I noticed was that the sides of my hair, which were always at a "45 degree angle" began to square off into a "90 degree angle". This isn't too bad actually; I quite like the aesthetic! But the more worrying thing was that I simply didn't have the density of hair to get a good, lush, spiked look. On top of that, the scalp became more evident and I find myself being much more cautious in brushing my hair forward. This brings me to today... Ostensibly my hairline is still good. I have looked at the Norwood scale and wouldn't identify myself as any of the early stages. The problem really seems to be over the top of the head, that kind of "middle to front area". My sides and back remain thick, my hairline is not receeding, but the scalp is becoming more evident in small "streaks" from a birdseye POV. I believe this might be "diffusing hair"? So I have researched the available treatments, and find myself caught between a rock and a hard place. I like the look of Fin, not least because it stands a darn good chance of retaining the hair that I have (which would be more than enough for most people), and the possible chance of some regrowth too. So taking Proscar/Propecia is going to be a no-brainer The real dilemma comes with Minoxidil. Rogaine is a lifelong commitment; I have to appreciate that if I stop using it, I lose the hairs that it has helped to regrow. If I was somebody who was losing the hair hard and fast, then I would start Rogaine because I realised I had nothing to lose. But with my hair "streaky at worst", I question whether it is correct to make that commitment now? I also wondered about the effects of shampoos to help. For example, would Nizoral help compensate for the absence of Rogaine? And would thickening shampoos, such as Aveda Pure Abundance or Jason's thin-to-thick, actually help to reduce the visibility of the "small streaks of scalp"? Sorry if this post is a bit jumbled and rambling. Newbie with loads of questions Thank you for any answers/insights/advice/observations/opinions you can give me!