r/tressless • u/Easy_Bathroom4598 • 9h ago
Shaved/buzzed Embraced the inevitable and went for it was thinking either shaving or trying to start fresh and second chance my hair growth any advice
60
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r/tressless • u/thatdocman • Dec 15 '23
Research/Science A Complete Guide to Hair Loss for Beginners
522
Upvotes
Hey guys, as the end of 2023 nears, I thought I'd do a post for those coming to this sub in desperate need of help.
In this post I’m going to be talking about the science of hair loss and what to do if you are balding and want to stop it.
I’m a medical student and have donated a lot of my personal time to pharmacology, hormones and hair protocols through research and experimentation. There’s a lot going on here on Reddit, and as a beginner it can be very daunting to decide on what to do. Obviously everything should be discussed with your doctor, but below is my best attempt at a guide to explain a little bit about hair loss:
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I first noticed I was balding around 12 months ago, and rather than get caught up in the genetics of hair loss and trying to figure out whether it was Dad, my Mum’s Dad, my Mum’s Dad’s Dad or the goldfish he owned when he was 10, I thought to myself:
I can’t change my genetics. Whatever my DNA sequencing (genomic regions) has in store for me in regards to balding, that’s pretty much set. The best I can do is fight as long as I can using the highest quality science, products and methodologies to offset it.
And that’s what I’ve been doing, with good success, over the past 12 months.
Let’s get into it, and I’m going to do this in order of most important to least (in my opinion).
Getting to the root cause: DHT
Okay, so if we look at the entire testosterone/HPT axis pathway, cholesterol is converted to testosterone and some people think that’s the end of the line, but it’s actually not; 5-alpha reductase (5A1/2 in the image below) is the enzyme responsible for converting Testosterone (T) to its much more potent form DHT (dihydrotestosterone).
Now, interestingly, 5-alpha reductase for whatever reason is very high prevalent in skin tissue - including the human scalp. And side note: this is why guys who take testosterone gel or cream often have very high levels of DHT compared to guys who take injections, because the cream is being converted through the skin into DHT at a much higher rate than injectable esters into muscle bellies. But, basically, it is this 5-alpha reductase activity in the scalp that is converting testosterone to DHT, and DHT through a variety of mechanisms leads to follicular miniaturisation (hair thinning, and eventual loss of your hair follicles).
But why? Well, there are hundreds of factors: hormonal (androgen receptor density & sensitivity to said androgens), physical, genetic, environmental. The list goes on.
Note; this study goes into a lot more depth for those of you interested.
But, how do we actually combat balding?
Slowing Down Male Pattern Baldness
5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors (Finasteride, Dutasteride):
With how much I’ve spoken about 5-alpha reductase and DHT, it seems logical that stopping this conversion of Testosterone to DHT is the absolute first line of defence against hair loss.
To really, truly combat hair loss, the first mechanism is as follows: you absolutely need to reduce your hair follicles’ exposure to DHT.
And how do we do this? Well, finasteride is a drug that acts as a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. Sold under the name Propecia, the molecule is a strong 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, and has been shown to inhibit around 70% of serum (blood) levels of DHT from peak. The usual starting dose is 1mg daily. Dutasteride (sold under the name Avodart) is an even more potent inhibitor (usual starting daily dose is 0.5mg), and can block up to 98% of conversion from T to DHT: it is a much more potent inhibitor of the enzyme that converts T to DHT. Dutasteride would be an option if you wanted a nuclear option to block almost all DHT. In fact, one of my favourite studies compared the difference between Finasteride vs. Dutasteride, and as you can see below, the suppression of DHT levels from Dutasteride was significantly more than Finasteride. Not only this, but the half life of Dutasteride is significantly longer than Finasteride (~8 hours vs. 5 weeks!), and you can see that in the Dutasteride group after stopping treatment (Follow-up Period), DHT levels remained suppressed for a much longer time.
Side effects from 5-alpha reductase inhibitors are rare, although we should speak about them. Online, through various forums, Reddit posts, YouTube videos and TikTok’s time and time again I see posts about nasty Finasteride side effects, post-Finasteride syndrome and how Rob can’t get his Johnson hard anymore because of Finasteride, so his girlfriend left him.
Now, don’t get me wrong, side effects have been noted, although current research puts the risk of side effects at around 1-3% of people, so even though online there is a lot of noise about finasteride and its side effects, I personally don’t think the research supports this scaremongering. There is also going to be a natural selection bias with the stories online, because the guy for whom Finasteride is working well and who is not experiencing any side effects, he isn’t really going to post. Because why would he? He’s doing fine.
However, I absolutely sympathise with the people who just cannot tolerate 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. Side effects can be very real, and this is why it is vitally important to always consult with a qualified doctor before deciding on any medication: I’m just presenting the science. Everyone reacts slightly differently, and these can be strong medications - so it's important to be well-informed and sensible with whatever path you and your medical practitioner decide to go down.
Topical Minoxidil 5% (Rogaine):
Minoxidil is a compound that has been shown to increase the rate of DNA synthesis in anagen (growth phase) bulbs of hair follicles. Basically minoxidil stimulates hair cells to move from telogen (resting phase) to anagen (growing phase) - so instead of having hair follicles resting, it is telling the body to move them back into a growth phase by shortening the resting phase. The idea here is that you get more ‘regrowth’ of hair follicles.
Minoxidil stimulates hair cells to shorten the resting (telogen) phase and go back into an anagen (growing phase). Often, progress pictures will show significant new regrowth or ‘baby’ hairs growing with minoxidil treatment.
I apply Rogaine, a 5% strength Minoxidil foam twice daily in areas that I feel are receding. The nice thing about the foam is that it isn’t super sticky (unlike some people report with the gel), and it also acts as a nice way to hold my hair throughout the day, like hair product.
As you can see from the photo below, there is a vast difference between telogen (resting phase) and anagen (growing phase), and the idea is that the more hairs you can keep in anagen, the more healthy your hair will be, by limiting the amount of follicles that inevitably go through an anagen restart and die off.
There is also the option of oral minoxidil, which anecdotally at least seems to be very powerful at regenerating ‘baby’ hairs (or, new regrowth). Again, oral minoxidil can have some pretty significant side effects and drug interactions with blood pressure medications, so speaking through with your doctor is key!
Ketoconazole Shampoo:
This shampoo is primarily an anti-dandruff shampoo, but research has shown it may increase the proportion of hairs in anagen phase (growth phase) - resulting in reduced hair shedding. This study showed that 1% ketoconazole shampoo increased hair diameter over baseline after 6 months of use and reduced shedding. Interestingly, participants’ hair diameter also increased over baseline, showing that it may play a role in creating thicker hair.
Nizoral is a common brand here in Australia of 2% strength ketoconazole shampoo.
What is good about ketoconazole, is that it’s also a weak androgen receptor antagonist. What does this mean? It means it competes with DHT and Testosterone for binding to the active binding domain on the human AR (androgen receptor). If a compound can bind to a receptor without influencing its usual effects, it is said to be an antagonist. Basically, if ketoconazole can get into an androgen receptor before Testosterone or DHT, it will occupy that site and block T/DHT from binding and starting their usual process of killing off hair follicles (follicular miniaturisation).
Goodbye DHT, nobody wants you here.
Dermarolling
Derma-what?
Dermarolling is the process of creating micro punctures in the scalp skin to induce a wound healing response, with an array of tiny microneedles.
In this study, the dermarolling + minoxidil treated group was statistically superior to the minoxidil only treated group in promoting hair growth in men with balding patterns, for all primary efficacy measures of hair growth. In fact, the microneedling group outperformed even the minoxidil group in terms of how much hair was regrown after 12 weeks:
The mechanism seems to be that continued microtrauma to the scalp skin leads to a release of platelet derived growth factors and other growth factors that are sent to the area of scalp, to aid in the skin wound regeneration. The added benefit is that there seems to be some carry over effect to hair growth, as dermarolling seems to activate stem cells or ‘unspecialised’ cells that are yet to be differentiated, and differentiate them into hair follicle cells, meaning more hair growth. Basically, its a wound healing response that brings growth factors to the area of the scalp to increase hair growth.
I have played around with a few different protocols, but I use a 1.5mm roller and roll horizontally, vertically and diagonally for about 30 seconds in areas where my hairline is thinning or receding. I do this every 10 days. You don’t want to press so hard that you draw blood, but it should also hurt slightly. I mean, putting hundreds of tiny spikes into your scalp isn’t really my idea of Sunday night fun. But hey, if it regrows some hair why not?
There are also derma-stamps and motorised tools, all of which assist with the end goal: creating a wound healing response to bring growth factors to the scalp, and potentially assist the penetration of Minoxidil deeper into the scalp skin tissue.
Natural DHT blocking compounds:
Natural DHT blockers are also options, although obviously the results aren’t going to be nearly as strong as what is mentioned above.
Some people have good results (anecdotally) with rosemary oil applied topically, green tea and saw palmetto are options here. However, the science is very hit and miss, and in any event, I can’t see natural compounds competing against the 'Big 4'.
RU58841:
Now, that’s all good, but what if you need a nuclear chemical. Something that would attack the androgen receptor at a direct level in your scalp? Well, that compound is below. But a quick warning: I do not recommend this compound. A lot of people use it, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. There is no (yes, zero) long-term safety data on the compound below, and whether you choose to take a completely untested chemical is up to you. But I don’t recommend it - have I said that enough?
Alright so, apart from sounding like a bunch of random letters because your cat ran over your keyboard, RU58841 is a strong DHT blocker (it has been shown to inhibit around 70% of DHT binding to the androgen receptor), but not in the way that Finasteride or Dutasteride work.
Instead of finasteride and dutasteride which work on inhibiting the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, RU58841 works on the AR itself - occupying the active site, so that when DHT tries to get in and exert its hair destructive effects in the scalp, it can’t, it’s literally blocked from accessing the active site of the androgen receptor.
And in this study, RU58841 was found to inhibit 70% of DHT binding. Combining something like finasteride or dutasteride which attacks 5-alpha reductase converting T to DHT with RU58841 which stops ~70% of DHT binding to the androgen receptor, and you’d now be attacking hair loss from 2 vectors: T to DHT conversion, as well as at a receptor level. Now you can start to understand why this is a nuclear option for hair loss, and incredibly powerful.
However, despite how good all of that sounds in practice, just remember, RU58841 is completely untested in regards to side effects. There is no long-term safety data on how it may or can impact human health, so what I’m saying (for legal reasons) is don’t use it. Get what I’m saying?
Final Thoughts:
And, there it is guys. Now, just a quick note, this isn’t a super comprehensive list of all supplements for a hair regrowth/hair protection protocol, but is a solid start.
There are certainly more ‘niche’ options, or compounds in development now that may be promising (or not, looking at you Phase 3 of Pyrilutamide trials), but this guide was just the bare basics for a beginner to wrap his head around (no pun intended) the science and how to start combatting AGA.
In particular, if you want to save your hair, it’s going to be the ‘big 4’: finasteride (or Dutasteride), Minoxidil, Ketoconazole shampoo and derma-rolling roughly once a week to every 2 weeks.
This would follow the best possible science that we have at the moment, in terms of targeting as many vectors as possible:
- T to DHT blockade (5-alpha reductase inhibitors, Fin/Dut)
- Anagen/telogen manipulation (Minoxidil)
- Localised scalp tissue androgen receptor antagonism (Keto, RU58841)
- Wound healing response cascade (physical microneedling/trauma)
Hope you enjoyed and got something out of this guide! My social links are on my profile if interested in more.
r/tressless • u/AutoModerator • 3d ago
📸 SELFIE THREAD 📸 Oct 13, '26 Monday Mega Thread: ask general questions, share hairline photos, side effects, “Am I balding?”, “What are my options?”, and more
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If the date in this post's title seems old, look for the newest thread here.
Use this thread for general questions and advice, “Am I balding?”, “What are my options?”, “Does anyone else experience this?”, as well as discussing side effects, treatment experiences, or looking for opinions on your hairline photos and treatment options.
Please don't rely on other users to diagnose conditions or guide your treatment decisions. While you can share personal experiences, what worked for you may not be safe or appropriate for someone else. If you're experiencing symptoms, concerned about side effects, or considering treatment, please talk to a doctor rather than relying on internet advice.
If you want useful feedback on your hair, post good photos: high resolution, multiple angles, good lighting, and ideally both wet and dry.
Mention what changes you’ve noticed and over what period of time. Some people naturally have thinner hair, a higher hairline, or less density, so context helps members give you better feedback. It's vital to take identical photos every few months. Remember that consistent lighting is important.
Age and family history are worth mentioning.
You might not get an answer if your question is too basic or common. 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.
r/tressless • u/AtlasExiled • 7h ago
Progress Pictures 2 years on hims topical monoxidil and finasteride, what do we think?
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The first three are the before and the second three are the after. These are my results after 2 years of very consistent use. My progress has plateaued at this point. I'm not all that self conscious about it and think it looks fine, but a couple of my buddies have been razzing me about it recently making me feel more self-conscious. What do you guys think? Does it look bad enough to buzz?
r/tressless • u/miibro • 11h ago
Research/Science New topical treatment launching tomorrow from Anagen
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I just saw this in my Twitter feed today. Anagen is a startup-adjacent biotech company that is releasing a new topical named diazoxide.
Diazoxide, from what I’ve read about it, acts very similarly to minoxidil but also a little differently. Some science behind it I’m not privy to. But it’s interesting!
I didn’t see anything from anyone on here about it. We’re all waiting for PP405 and clascoterone and etc. I’m wondering how much more effective this could be for male pattern baldness compared to minoxidil. I have a ruined hairline, for instance, and if this stuff could induce regrowth in my temples I’d probably buy it immediately.
Any thoughts on this stuff from anyone more versed in the science behind treatments like this than I am?
r/tressless • u/Deadeye420 • 3h ago
Chat This isn’t a mental health sub but I’m at my wits end and I need help
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I started to notice my balding around my 21st birthday. I am going to be 25 pretty soon. The balding has derailed my life so bad I can’t even fully explain the extent of it. I am of course on dutasteride and oral min for the past 3 years.
I have had severe OCD my whole life and I was sexually assaulted as a child. However, On the surface my life is near perfect, I have many friends, a family that loves me, a really well paying work from home job, I’m told I’m good looking, etc. but the OCD is crippling and I feel helpless. I have spend everyday these past 4 years looking in a mirror for a minimum of 3-4 hours or ocd google spiraling and crying myself to sleep.
My girlfriend of 7.5 years left me earlier this year, in large part due to my mental illness. I don’t blame her an ounce, she deserves a normal life. But I feel like the most broken human to walk the earth.
I know my hair isn’t that bad. It’s not bad at all even by most people’s standards. But I can’t stand the high corners and thinness of my hairline. I already got a hair transplant and it still looks so thin and receded.
I know my battle is with my OCD and not my hair but I can’t win. I have been in therapy twice weekly since I was a child and I can’t seem to break out of this. I’ve tried damn near every antidepressant or pill in the book but the obsessive loop is just always stronger.
I want out of this hellish loop. Everyday looks the same and I’m terrified of both living and dying. I’m only staying for my mother, but once she goes.
r/tressless • u/Confident_Clothes_63 • 1d ago
Satire Believe in the hair that believes in you
527
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r/tressless • u/90sMofo • 7h ago
Is this regrowth? I need opinions if this is actually growing or if I’m just coping
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So I went through a traumatic experience last year. Was home bound for 3-4 months and during that my beard became patchy and started shedding a ton of hair.
BUT now it looks like it’s growing back but I need a 2nd opinion if it’s really growing back.
I did go to a dermatologist and she said it’s stress induced alopecia. She said it can grow back in weeks months or even years. I thought she was just giving me false hope. But now it looks like it’s growing back but just wanna confirm if I’m coping or not .
I’m not asking for medical advice.
I’m just asking does it look like there is progress
r/tressless • u/IllustriousBank5941 • 15h ago
Minoxidil Minoxidil 2.5mg caused me pericardial effusion
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Hello everyone,
I started taking a compounded prescription containing 1 mg of finasteride and 2.5 mg of oral minoxidil, prescribed by my trichologist.
The problem is that I experienced very severe dizziness and strong palpitations when lying down or reclining while taking minoxidil. Over the past few weeks, I also started experiencing pain.
My tests came back excellent and within normal ranges. I happened to undergo a comprehensive medical examination, but my echocardiogram revealed a mild pericardial effusion. This was yesterday, and I stopped taking the compounded medication that same day, even though it had actually produced very good results over the past two months. My hair had gained significantly more overall volume.
After skipping yesterday’s dose, I noticed that the palpitations, which had been making it almost impossible for me to sleep, suddenly decreased significantly.
I will not take oral minoxidil again, following my cardiologist’s advice. My trichologist did prescribe a lower-dose formula containing 1 mg of minoxidil and 1 mg of finasteride, but I would rather avoid minoxidil until at least the pericardial effusion, hopefully, resolves on its own.
After discussing this with my trichologist, I thought I could continue taking 1 mg of finasteride daily on its own and start applying topical minoxidil lotion to my crown, which is the area affected by hair loss.
What do you guys think? My treatment had been going well, and I had reached day 58, but I genuinely prefer to prioritize my heart health.
r/tressless • u/ZestVK • 11h ago
Is this regrowth? Over a year on Finn/Minn topical spray. What do you think? (Last two photos are from 2024)
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Is this progress? Any advice on hairstyles, styling or other things I should be doing? Thanks
r/tressless • u/Resident-Capital-273 • 16h ago
Finasteride/Dutasteride Still shedding on month 6 of daily .5mg Dutasteride
26
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So this drug works in kinda weird way i'd seen multiple sheds and improves in 6 months! Months 3_4 was good and density was ok and then month 6_5 I'm on massive shed like around 200 grafts daily..so i don't know what's gonna happen i hope things go well..
The photo without shirt is for month 3 and with shirt is month 6 also I've done a blood work in moth 5 and it says my dht is 377 pg/ml(normal range 110_455 pg/ml)
r/tressless • u/Tall_Sink8917 • 1d ago
Progress Pictures 7 months fin/min. First pick day one to now
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r/tressless • u/MrLabubu500 • 8h ago
Chat Tressless Indiamart Pricing Index
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Indiamart sellers are super aggressive in messaging and hound you for a sale. This makes people vulnerable to overpaying for meds. You'll notice how some of them throw out crazy numbers expecting you to pay it but can be brought down with haggling
People who have purchased minoxidil/finasteride/dutasteride/tretinoin/ketoconazole please state the quantity and how much you paid for each. It is in all of our collective interest to know the lowest prices so we don't get fleeced by some middleman lmao
I will edit this post accordingly with updates specifying the lowest costs people have found
r/tressless • u/ipemelendez • 14h ago
What should I do? 2 years on finasteride, almost 1 on minoxidil. I think hair is thinning again.
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First pic - November 2024
Second pic - March 2025
Third pic - December 2025
Fourth pic - February 2026
The rest of the pictures start in August of this year, when I shaved my head, to current time when noticed my hair was growing back very thin
I started taking 1mg oral finasteride in November of 2024 when I was 22, then started topical minoxidil October of 2025.
Finasteride had slowed down my thinning a lot, and I had no side effects. After the first year I decided that I wanted a little more fullness on my head and beard, so I started using minoxidil once a day right before bed.
I honestly have not seen ANY results from minoxidil, don’t know if I’m not a good responder, have been getting bad brands, don’t apply enough, or if this is the dreaded shed I never got, just seems weird after a year.
I am not the most responsible when it comes to taking my medication, I probably miss a day or two a month, however this is the most consistent I’ve been and haven’t missed a day in a while, so I am confused as to why it’s thinning now
Please tell me other people have come back from this 😞
r/tressless • u/notworriedbutkinda • 5h ago
Minoxidil Dermarolling vs tretinoin and minoxidil
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I'm very new minoxidil and am seriously planning to begin. I'm afraid I won't be a responder, for no reason at all, but just bc i heard a statistic it doesnt work for like 40% of people due to the lack of a enzyme or smthn in your hair. The minox response test is no longer being sold. I have a 1 and 3 year old and have to be super careful as they come into our room at night, so would need to apply minox start of my day. And then of course, be super careful through my day not to get it on something. And I just don't like the idea of doing this every single day till they're like 10 where then I can be maybe just a little less careful.
But anyway, I'm also keloid prone, i think - i got a cartilage piercing on 1 ear and the back keloided. I had a surgery on my ankle and it keloided. So it sounds like dermarolling to improve efficacy is not an option.
I've heard tretinoin could be good. Any derms/trichs/general minox users of both, can testify if one is better than the other? Do i need to get a prescription for tretinoin beforehand? What routines do you all do? Should I actually avoid dermarolling altogether?
Also a bonus q, anyone know how long minox needs to stay on your head till it's safe to get on others (not that im going to rub it, but so i can be less careful)
r/tressless • u/Orenjihibana_ • 38m ago
Minoxidil Fellow diffuse thinners help….
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How do you guys apply topical minoxidil to make sure whole scalp is fully covered? Oral min is not avaliable where I live and not interested on drinking topical…
r/tressless • u/korektan • 1d ago
Satire Pouring one out for the fallen soldiers in the drain cover
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
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r/tressless • u/maddgun • 1h ago
Chat Is maintaining/regrowing hair the most important part of looksmaxxing?
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Particularly for dating and attracting women
r/tressless • u/Silent_Habit11 • 5h ago
Treatment <M27> Persistent Hair Loss Despite Treatment
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I'm looking for advice from people from this subreddit.
TIMELINE
- May 2021: Shaved my head.
- July 2021: Noticed reduced hair density on the top of my scalp and increased hair shedding.
- June 2022: Started finasteride 0.5 mg/day under a dermatologist’s supervision.
- August 2022: Increased finasteride to 1 mg/day.
- September 2022: Hair shedding stopped.
- December 2022: Added topical minoxidil 5%, but noticed no regrowth.
- November 2023: Hair shedding started again.
- January 2024: Blood work was normal and DHT at 233 pg/mL (Lab A).
- February 2024: Retested DHT at another lab, which showed DHT 564 pg/mL (Lab B). My dermatologist prescribed vitamins/supplements and oral minoxidil 2.5 mg/day.
- October 2024: Since the shedding continued, my dermatologist replaced finasteride with dutasteride 0.5 mg twice a week.
- June 2025: Total testosterone: 603 ng/dL; free testosterone: 19.4 pg/mL; DHT: 384 pg/mL (Lab A).
- July 2025: Increased dutasteride to 0.5 mg three times a week.
- November 2025: Noticed that Viagra was becoming less effective than before.
- February 2026: Experienced weaker erections and difficulty maintaining them.
- July 2026: Testosterone was 740 ng/dL and DHT was 386 pg/mL (Lab A). Another lab (Lab C) reported testosterone at 917 ng/dL and DHT at 375 pg/mL. I stopped taking dutasteride.
- October 2026: My erections have improved, and Viagra works normally again, but hair shedding continues.
Current treatment status (October 2026)
- Oral minoxidil: 2.5 mg daily.
- Topical minoxidil: Currently using before bed.
- Dutasteride: Discontinued in July 2026 due to concerns about sexual side effects.
My questions
Questions
- Why is my hair loss still progressing? Finasteride initially stopped my shedding, but it returned despite continued treatment. I later tried dutasteride and have been using oral minoxidil 2.5 mg/day plus topical minoxidil 5%, yet I haven't noticed significant regrowth. Should I reassess the diagnosis or investigate other causes of shedding before changing treatment?
- How should I interpret my DHT or testosterone results?
- Were my sexual side effects caused by dutasteride? My erections weakened and Viagra became less effective while taking dutasteride, but both improved after I stopped. How likely is a connection, and what should I consider before trying another DHT-blocking medication?
- What are my best treatment options now? Given my persistent hair loss and concerns about sexual side effects, how can I prevent further thinning and potentially regrow hair.
I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has experienced something similar or has insight into what I should discuss with my dermatologist.
r/tressless • u/Glum_Success9905 • 18h ago
Treatment I finally found something that saved my hair, but it came with a side effect that terrifies me. I don’t know what to do anymore
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I’m honestly exhausted mentally, and I really need advice from people who have been through something similar with finasteride.
I started taking finasteride in 2025, 1 mg daily, along with topical minoxidil twice a day. You might not believe me, but after just 18 days, my forehead was already filling with baby hairs. I was shocked because I always heard that results take months. I didn’t experience any shedding either.
Unfortunately, I started noticing discomfort in my breast and nipple area, along with swelling and redness. I searched online and became terrified that I was developing early gynecomastia because of finasteride. I couldn’t take the risk, so I stopped.
I continued using minoxidil alone for about a year, hoping it would be enough, but my hair kept getting worse. Day after day, I watched my hair become thinner until my scalp started showing through it. It really affected my confidence, and I felt like I had to do something before things got even worse.
Then I heard that topical finasteride could work with fewer side effects, so I decided to give it a try. I made my own solution by crushing finasteride tablets into my minoxidil.
Things got even worse. My hair started shedding like crazy, sometimes hundreds of hairs a day, even though I never experienced that with oral finasteride. After around 10 days, I started having exactly the same breast and nipple symptoms I had experienced before. I got scared and stopped again.
After two months, I decided to give oral finasteride another chance, this time taking 1 mg every two days. Unfortunately, after around 10 days, the same symptoms came back again.
Now I’m honestly lost. My hair keeps getting worse, my confidence has dropped to almost zero, and mentally I’m exhausted from constantly worrying about my hair and the possible side effects of the treatment.
I really don’t know what to do anymore. I want to save my hair, but I’m scared of sacrificing my health for it.
Any honest advice or personal experiences would mean a lot to me. Thank you for reading.
r/tressless • u/Sufficient_Catch_996 • 15h ago
Finasteride/Dutasteride 4 Months After Switching from Fin to Dut: More Than Just Shedding
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Honestly, I regret switching from finasteride to dutasteride. I made the switch four months ago, and since then, it hasn’t felt like just a shedding phase—it feels like my hair has completely changed. It looks and feels weaker, thinner, and even lighter in color. I’m also shedding heavily and very frequently.
I’m really sad and disappointed. I knew shedding could happen, but I never imagined such an overall change in my hair. Over these four months, all I’ve seen is worsening, with no noticeable improvement. It’s been much harder emotionally than I expected.
And no, I’m not posting this just to bash dutasteride or add another negative post to the pile. I’m being honest about my experience and how this has affected me.
r/tressless • u/Fun_Temperature_2273 • 15h ago
Finasteride/Dutasteride My hormone test results during the use of Finasteride and Dutasteride
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The hormone test results I obtained in 2024 were measured after using finasteride for two years. The results from 2026 were obtained after using dutasteride for 10 months. There has been a noticeable decrease in all hormone levels except prolactin. Dutasteride is generally known to increase total testosterone levels, but in my case, it seems to have had the opposite effect, causing a decrease. My DHT results are still pending. Do you think there is anything abnormal about these values?
r/tressless • u/Squashnugget73 • 4h ago
Chat Is the consensus that scalp massage and red light is cope
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On fin, with min and tretinoin. Wondering if there’s anything else that’s actually worth doing. Used to micro needle but haven’t been doing it recently.
r/tressless • u/Gloomy-Formal1868 • 10h ago
Minoxidil Is this legit? Minoxytop 5mg tablets
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Does anyone know these and if they are legit?
Any info would be nice!
r/tressless • u/Ok-Initial579 • 10h ago
Minoxidil Oral Minoxidil Dosage and Body Weight NSFW
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To get an overview of the dosages and body weights of people taking oral minoxidil and to establish a possible link between side effects and these factors.
In my case, I weigh 80–82 kg,,1'80 tall and have a stocky build, and take a 2.5 mg dose. No side effects so far, but I’ve only been taking it for 24 days.
What about you guys?