Can you please assess my situation? 28 years old, DIFFUSE THINNER.

[Kraki77]

Hi guys,

I have been researching hair loss forums all over the internet for quite some time and finally decided to share my story over here.

I have started to notice my hairloss when I was about 21. At that time it wasn't something that created problems for me because it didn't happen rapidly. As time passed by it was beginning significantly harder to style hair in the way I wanted it. Still, it was hard for me to take a plunge and start taking finasteride because of some minor risks that are possible. Plus, I was involved in a serious relationship back then and I didn't want to affect my libido. However, hair loss played major role in affecting my confidence. Now, after at least 7 years since I've noticed that my hair is thinning I would like to do something about it. I'm awaiting topical minoxidil to arrive in the next few days and I was able to schedule visit with dermatologist so that she can prescribe finasteride for me.

I would like to hear sincere opinion from guys on this forum regarding my hair loss. For that reason I'll upload three pictures of my current state, taken today. Hypothetically, if finasteride stops my hair loss considerably after 1-2 years of usage is it possible to guess how many grafts I'd need in the future surgery.

P.S. English is not my first language so I apologize in advance if something isn't easily understandable.

 

[SD1984]

Well if you are open to Fin then I would definitely try it. Minox/Rogaine Foam can possibly halt the situation as well but less of a chance. Be prepared however to see a shed regardless of which of the two you use, or both.

As far as a potential future HT in the event the meds do in fact stop the loss, based on your (not so HQ photos) I would say something as low as 1500 grafts at most in that area would do the trick as far as creating a nice illusion of no balding.

[Kraki77]

Thank you so much for the quick reply. Decision to take finasteride did not happen over night, it's a rational option I think, because I can gain much more than I can lose. I'm aware of the shedding phase that comes with finasteride and minoxidil but perseverance is the key here, stubborn determination to succeed.

I'd like to point out my family history. Younger brother (22) has had incredibly agressive hair loss pattern and already shaved his head. I'd say that he reached NW5. And my father (NW4) had always thin hair since I can remember, but he somehow manages to style it quite effectively.

I just hope that I'm not too late with the decision to hop on finasteride because diffuse alopecia can often be deceiving. 

As far as expectations go, I try not to think too much about it. Knowing that I'm about to start with some kind of treatment, approved by FDA, gives me already peace of mind. If in next two years drugs stabilize or maintain hair loss I think that hair transplant would be fairly viable option for me.

Greetings from Croatia.

[Melvin- Admin]

You have what I would categorize as intermediate diffuse hair loss. It's not severe, but given your age it can progress rather quickly. You are definitely not too late for medication. I would say you're actually primed for medication. You could probably save a lot of your hair in the next decade. Sounds like your brother wasn't as fortunate. For some, the hair loss is slow, while others it's fast and aggressive. 

[Kraki77]

8 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

You have what I would categorize as intermediate diffuse hair loss. It's not severe, but given your age it can progress rather quickly. You are definitely not too late for medication. I would say you're actually primed for medication. You could probably save a lot of your hair in the next decade. Sounds like your brother wasn't as fortunate. For some, the hair loss is slow, while others it's fast and aggressive. 

Appreciate your quick response. After thorough research I consider this forum most helpful when dealing with themes of hair loss and balding. Compared with other online communities the overall feeling is more stimulating for young man in a positive way. Often, it's hard not to see utter despair and dark moods elsewhere which are even more exaggerated by people who are not sastified with their results. 

I definitely want to follow my future progress with finasteride using month to month analysis with pictures not only for my own gratification but also for other men that are dealing with the similar situation.

Is it true that diffuse thinners react better than usual to drugs or is it just a wild guess by people who are omnipresent on these forums?

[Kraki77]

Today I've visited private dermatologist hoping that I'll get prescription for some kind of finasteride (preferably Proscar). However, she told me that we should make DNA swab of my saliva and sent it to FARGON in Barcelona, Spain. Based on their analysis she'll decide what kind of treatment is the most suitable for me. Of course, up until that point I've never heard about it but I've accepted her offer even though I don't expect some miracles from it, that kind of procedure is fairly new and I'm not willing to experiment too much. Anyway, results should arrive in the next 3-4 weeks and I'll post them here so that people can educate themselves about it (I'm aware of the fact that attitude is predominantly pessimistic which is understandable). She said one thing in particular that caught my attention. In last two years significant advances were made in hair loss treatments and she prefers dutasteride over finasteride in great number of her cases. Topical dutasteride to be exact. What do you think about that, I was really surprised about how openly she spoke in favor of dutasteride. Trichoscopy was also done, I'll add photo of my results so feel free to comment on that. Unfortunately, it seems to me that I have too many single grafts and too few hairs per graft or cm2. Hair thickness seems to be good as well as number of follicular units per square centimeter.

[Curious25]

What’s the new procedure you are referring to? 

[Britanium]

@Ohohyesthought this thread will  interest you. As you was wondering about what a dermatologist does. 

[Kraki77]

7 minutes ago, Curious25 said:

What’s the new procedure you are referring to? 

I'm just talking about them genetically assessing you in order to establish exact treatment for every single person. It's something that's highly debatable at best knowing how unfamiliar we are about such topics. I'm not saying that it doesn't work I'm just saying that we don't have enough data or positive reviews to say anything conclusively. 

[Ohohyes]

On 4/17/2021 at 7:37 PM, JohnAC71 said:

@Ohohyesthought this thread will  interest you. As you was wondering about what a dermatologist does. 

Indeed it is interesting, I follow this thread now. Thanks!