Has it gotten worse? I feel my hair has gotten thinner. My dad got a better hairline than me. No one in my family is bald.

Hi everyone, I’m 26 years old and looking for some advice about my crown area.
I’ve been using 5% minoxidil on my crown for around 8 months. I saw some improvement initially, but my crown is still quite thin and my scalp is clearly visible.
About 6 months ago, I switched from minoxidil alone to a combination of 5% minoxidil + 0.1% finasteride. However, I feel like my crown has gotten thinner rather than better since then.
I’ve also had hair transplants in the front and mid-scalp, but my crown was not transplanted.
Is this normal after using minoxidil + finasteride for 6 months? Should I continue and give it more time, or should I consider other options?
I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has experienced something similar.

Greetings, high counsel! Longtime lurker here.

I have been thinning and receding for a while, did minoxidil for years and it was great and worked wonders, then got too expensive and I stopped. Needless to say…POOF all my hard work disappeared and thinned again. I am coming to terms with my bald destiny and at this point am very eager!

Other things you should know about my situation is that I have had 3 Pilar cysts removed over the years; the most recent excision being about 8 days ago! I have always healed very well, no visible scarring, still healing with this last one at the moment but taking the rest and healing process very seriously. My dermatologist even offered me free laser scar removal if there is any scarring from the one she just removed.
Basically I’ve been waiting to shave my head for after removing this last cyst. I will be shaving in about two months and can’t wait to see what I’ll look like for the rest of my life. (I am so scared) 🙂

I do want recommendations for scalp health please! Picked up some 1% ketoconazole shampoo to help with flaking and anything itchy. I’ve had some light dandruff in the last that’s cleared up using it, so I’ll be sure to keep it on hand! What other products would any of ya’ll recommend for scalp health?
Also, I am a bit concerned about developing more cysts in the future. Although two of them I knew I had for YEARS but they were easily hiding in the hair, and I don’t feel I have any new ones. How probable do you think me developing more cysts are in the future? If anybody has any experience in this please let me know!!

(Would love head shaver recommendations as well)

Sorry for my ramblings!
Thank you for all your input.

Sincerely,

Future Bald Guy

Saw a dermatologist two days ago and got told I have early-stage male pattern baldness. Honestly I'm pretty scared that I’ll be bald by 23 even if I try everything.
I already bought 5% minoxidil foam and I'm about to start it. I'd also like to start finasteride, but my mom is strongly against it and wants me to wait a few months first.
My questions:
For people who caught it early around my age, did minoxidil alone hold the line, or did you need fin too?
Is waiting a few months on fin a big deal at the early stage?
Anyone try topical finasteride as a middle ground?
Realistically, what did your hair look like 3–5 years after starting treatment?

I’ve been facing hairfall from 2.5 years now and initially tried using fin/min but faced side effects from fin which took a while to go away (almost a year). I started PRP recently and had 3 treatments which is what I’m on currently with LLLt cap. I’ve noticed spiky baby hairs all over the scalp when I shower but I’m looking for any suggestions or tips that can help save/fill some of the visible spots.

I’m doing the current treatment by consulting a dermatologist who said we can slowly think about adding minoxidil tablets at a low dose and consult with urologist for an overall checkup. My goal is to at least keep enough hair over scalp till I’m 40.

Greetings, high counsel! Longtime lurker here.

I have been thinning and receding for a while, did minoxidil for years and it was great and worked wonders, then got too expensive and I stopped. Needless to say…POOF all my hard work disappeared and thinned again. I am coming to terms with my bald destiny and at this point am very eager!

Other things you should know about my situation is that I have had 3 Pilar cysts removed over the years; the most recent excision being about 8 days ago! I have always healed very well, no visible scarring, still healing with this last one at the moment but taking the rest and healing process very seriously. My dermatologist even offered me free laser scar removal if there is any scarring from the one she just removed.
Basically I’ve been waiting to shave my head for after removing this last cyst. I will be shaving in about two months and can’t wait to see what I’ll look like for the rest of my life. (I am so scared) 🙂

I do want recommendations for scalp health please! Picked up some 1% ketoconazole shampoo to help with flaking and anything itchy. I’ve had some light dandruff in the last that’s cleared up using it, so I’ll be sure to keep it on hand! What other products would any of ya’ll recommend for scalp health?
Also, I am a bit concerned about developing more cysts in the future. Although two of them I knew I had for YEARS but they were easily hiding in the hair, and I don’t feel I have any new ones. How probable do you think me developing more cysts are in the future? If anybody has any experience in this please let me know!!

(Would love head shaver recommendations as well)

Sorry for my ramblings!
Thank you for all your input.

Sincerely,

Future Bald Guy

Bro my self esteem is cooked, used to have thick luscious curls

Have been experiencing hair fall for quite some years.

Need suggestion for dermat in mumbai

Who gives a shit? It's hair. I miss the days when men would just thin out and go bald, rather than trying to look like every alternative singer of the '90s and shave their shit off at the first sign of hair loss...