FDA approves first systemic treatment for alopecia areata
fda.gov
fda.gov
A 10 year study published by the Tokyo Medical Clinic of finasteride carried out in Japan found that more than 99 percent of men with male pattern baldness experienced no worsening of their hair loss during treatment [1]
Tons of additional clinical evidence showing that Finasteride works.
[1] - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337105943_Long-term...
There are ad campaigns from male order providers such as Hims and Keeps around this, I wonder how effective they are.
I take it, and it stopped the balding progression as far as I can tell, but I had to get an FUE hair transplant to get some lost hair back.
So you need endless treatments, or else take testosterone blockers.
It's a meme at this point, but for most people shaving their head is the right option.
1. even back of head hair thins eventually in balding people, but generally many decades later than the front or crown. By the time you're losing that hair, you're probably a lot older and care much less
2. taking finasteride indefinitely is supposed to drastically slow or stop further thinning or loss. Of course as in point 1, you're probably going to lose that battle eventually, but again you'll be much much older when the damage gets serious than you would have been otherwise
So, you measure hair loss with the Norwood scale. You don't go from 100% hair to bald spots immediately.
First, you'll see diffuse thinning where the thickness of your hair drops significantly.
In the first stages of diffuse thinning, it won't be apparently to 99% of people that your hair is thinning but you'll immediately notice when you take a shower / apply shampoo (it's really obvious when your hair is wet).
I'd say that's when most men realize they're losing their hair and that's when they should get on Finasteride.
I've known two women that mentioned they'd rather date a man with a full head of hair who shaves his head than a balding man who shaves his head. I pressed it as far as asking "Well, what if they keep shaving it for life?" Same answer.
Personally I just felt like the relatively small amount of recession I had looked terrible on me because I already had a tall forehead to begin with, and I'm still in my 20s.
For some reason actors get a pass.
Keven Smith was tired of Bruce Willis talking about his weight. So, in a friendly guy's banter, he started calling him Cue Ball on a set.
Everyone said Bruce can make fun of us, but never mention his hair.
Whomever did Elon Musk's hair line did a good job.
Being able to spend a lot of time and money to look good does wonders to help take the sting out of whatever physical flaws one might have.
Not to mention most of them are generally attractive which also helps in a similar way.
The only other people that might actually be able to tell it are my parents. Except for that, every other person to whom I mention I use finasteride and minoxidil says something of the sort: "wtf, you have a full, dense head of hair, why would you take anything?".
How well did the hair transplant work?
Hair transplant worked really well. Natural-looking hairline, which is the most important part. You'll see a lot of before and afters where the hairline looks like a Lego block hair piece was snapped into place - choose your doctor carefully here.
You'd only notice if you're looking really closely, where you'll see that the hairs are quite a bit thicker, as they were transferred from the back of my head where everyone's hairs are thick, but I have especially thick hair in general.
I don't think I could pull it off though, at least right now. I have a taller, lankier statue and I worry I'd look like a skinhead.
I've seen some smaller guys pull it off as well, but they're usually shorter. Most guys that go clean shaven with my kinda build end up looking goofy.
On the flip side, long hair on bigger guys always looks odd to me.
And that's all fine and good, but having 'just enough' DHT is important for good health. (Psychology, sexual function, etc)
If you're on finasteride, do yourself a favor and consult with a TRT ('low T') doctor, have your DHT level tested, and consider modulating your finasteride dosage according to its effect on your DHT level.
A good balance is worth working towards. Don't blindly take finasteride without keeping an eye on its effects to your DHT.
"I'm proud of myself, for the way I accepted my baldness." - Larry David, the president of bald people.
So yeah, not really concerned and will definitely keep taking Finasteride.
upper respiratory tract infections, headache, acne, high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia), increase of an enzyme called creatinine phosphokinase, urinary tract infection, liver enzyme elevations, inflammation of hair follicles (folliculitis), fatigue, lower respiratory tract infections, nausea, genital yeast infections (Candida infections), anemia, low number of certain types of white blood cells (neutropenia), abdominal pain, shingles (herpes zoster) and weight increase.
- Olumiant comes with a boxed warning for serious infections, mortality, malignancy, major adverse cardiovascular events and thrombosis.
I hate that we are relying on anecdotes, and for recreational state level approval we have approved for every use case and that this is the best we can do while debating the polar opposite style of federal prohibition
Federal FDA approvals for everything else are for a single use case or ailment at a time, and then we get all the side effects they found for an informed decision.
States approvals have…. nothing. California industry just throws a random “maybe cancer” logo on it and calls it a day!
I was on an injection for a different disease with a similar side effect profile (sans high cholesterol and a few of the others) and (fortunately) didn't have a single side effect other than some swelling at the site of the first injection.
Then again, I was taking it for something possibly degenerative (psoriasis with signs of psoriatic arthritis). I stopped around COVID time out of an abundance of caution, and the joint pain hasn't come back, so I haven't started up again.
On the other hand, I certainly wouldn't risk it for something like hair loss. Getting a wig and some therapy (or even skipping the wig!) is a whole lot safer than potentially permanently upending your immune system. I hate how insensitive that sounds, but doctors really shouldn't be treating vanity with drugs like this.
PS: Anyone in the know who wants to give me the straight answer to whether or not I should be expecting more holes to pop up?
I also have almost no hair on my legs below my mid-calf, and I did when I was younger.
I agree with the sibling advice to see a doctor. Please don’t take what I’ve written as medical advice.
I had periods of regrowth, and new patches, as well as long periods of steroids to try and spur growth. I just accepted it, and lived life.
There were periods where I should have just gone bald, as it would have looked way better. So it goes.
It will be annoying, but I never felt like it really held me back, just my "thing" that I pay attention to, like others with their "thing".
The treatments at the time were mostly steroids, which did not help and caused all sorts of other problems.
This is an immunosuppressant, so I am curious at the long term implications of this. The current list of side effects is pretty scary.
Just a reminder, Google is watching.
I’d rather have no hair than cancer.
Yes he is. Watch the video again.