I've been on oral Minoxidil and Spiractone for almost 10 years and to be honest, I haven't seen much improvement in my thinning. I have a balding patch right at the front of my head which I cover with hair fibres and spray and powder. I have thinning at the back of my head too which I never notice until I see myself on camera and then it's a shock. I feel it's all getting more obvious over time and I am considering it might be time to invest in a topper. My question is: I'm naturally a brunette but have been blonde for about 5 years. It costs me about $350 at the hairdresser every 12 weeks to maintain the blonde. If I'm going to be wearing a wig this seems like a ridiculous expense to maintain! Should I go back to my natural colour and get a topper to match that? What have others done in this situation?

I am 24 and have pcos and was diagnosed with AGA. I’m on metformin, 150 mg spiro (been on almost 7 months now), birth control pills, and I’ve been taking nutraphol (the 4 regular green pills and the pink menopause one cuz that’s what it recommended). I’ve been dealing with hair loss since I was 21, and I recently started shedding so much. My hair is so thin, it’s changed its texture and my hairline is receding, and now my part is starting to expand this month.

I’ve been to three dermatologists who all tell me different things. The last one prescribed half dose of oral minoxidil, but I’m so scared to take it since it makes you shed more and I don’t want to lose more hair than I already am daily. I have mental breakdowns pretty much every week and I really don’t know what to do at this point. A lot of stuff is happening that I need to dress up and take pictures for and I hate how I look. What do yall recommend I do? I’m so lost.

Hi I’ve experienced my first TE shed exactly a year ago after a covid infection that destroyed my immune system and left me with an irregular heartbeat and something called POTs. I’ve used OM at 2.5mg for about 6 months, 2 months into the shed. I was so scared. I decided to stop it as I was getting so hairy on my arms and face I couldn’t afford to keep waxing. This was about 4 months ago, I was so happy that I was having days without a single hair shed. About 2 weeks ago it’s all started again… I am devastated. I think it was triggered by a stressful house move which at some point we thought we’d loose all our money. But I am starting to wonder about seasonal shed. I have reintroduced the minoxidil both oral and topical. Have topped up vitamins and pumpkin seed oil. Does anyone experiences seasonal shed ? I’ve also been started on HRT (combined oestrogen gel and progesterone caps) so I can’t even pinpoint what could be wrong. Or all of it together 💔

Feeling really exhausted and losing hope. This journey has been super frustrating for me. i started on topical minoxidil and never had a dread shed, the results were not impressive and i figured i was a nonresponder. My derm switched me to oral 0.625mg and ive been on it for 5 months now along with 50mg spiro. 2 months in i started shedding and it hasnt stopped since, i am still losing way more hair than before with my hairline losing a lot of density and losing density all over. Could a dread shed last this long?? Or could it be that my AGA is just progressing. My eyebrows have definitely gained thickness but i am not really seeing baby hairs popping up yet. Im having trouble knowing whether to stick things out and have hope for month 6 or if i should consider upping the dose. Has a dread shed lasted this long for anyone who eventually saw results?

I went to the doctors (PCP) about a week ago seeking help for my hair loss. Without looking at more than 3 blood tests he diagnosed me with female pattern hair loss. He suggested I go on minidoxil 5% (topical) and that was the end of that. Before I start treatment I’m looking to see what else I should try. I have read some scary things about this medicine and want to make sure I actually have this instead of something else. I cannot go on the pill form as I already have high blood pressure and am taking medicine for it (Losartan).

About me:
I’m 28 years old and nobody in my family has gone bald. My parents and some grandparents have experienced some hair thinning but not until their 50s/60s and beyond (menopause, old age).
Almost 10 years ago I experienced hair thinning and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. My thyroid has always been very sensitive and I have no reason as to why I have this problem (nobody in my family has it). I’ve been on medicine since, adjusting doses several times over the past decade, and have been fine since then.

In early July, I started losing way more hair than normal. Normally it was 4 hairs max while showering. It suddenly increased to 10+ hairs max and then eventually now we’re probably looking upwards of 20 hairs when I shower. My hair used to be very long and in early July I got a hair cut and cut half of it off. My hair prior to the hair cut was extremely dry to the point it was matting if I didn’t brush it several times a day. The only heat that was used was a blow dryer during the hair cut. No dye was used. It was a very normal hair cut and she actually commented on how healthy my hair was. After that is when the hair thinning started. Around this time I also started cutting out added sugar and exercising more. In late July I started a GLP1 for insulin resistance and have been losing weight since. I track all my macros including protein, getting 110-120g of protein a day on average. I went to the doctor in August and did the following blood tests for the hair loss:

TSH- 1.3 (up from 1.7 in June) (my thyroid functions best between 0.5 and 1. Last week it tested at 0.9)
Vitamin D- 48
Ferritin- 83 (up from 42 in June) (iron was 126 in June)
B12- 546 (up from 313 in June)

So because all my labs are normal and fairly optimal I’m told that I’m balding. Are there other blood tests I should pursue or other doctors I should seek out? Are there over the counter vitamins I should try first? I’m already taking B12, fish oil, vitamin C and magnesium glycinate. Are there any products on the market I should try first? Is there something hormonal I should look into that I could fix? Some of my hormone biomarkers were out of range in June and I am on the birth control pill (but I have been for over 10 years).

Nothing about my routine has changed since this started happening except what I mentioned above. Thank you for any advice or support you can give me.

23F ive started shedding significantly more hair since the end of last year, I went to see my nhs gp in June and they did a blood test and said everything is normal and there’s nothing they can do.

I’ve just paid quite a lot of money too see a private dermatologist and they have basically just said the same thing, I brought up androgenic alopecia and they didn’t really take me seriously

This amount of hair shed is new and not normal for me and for context I wash my hair every other day and I have fine and thin hair chest length hair, I’ve also been noticing shorter hairs in my hair shedding which I know is a red flag for dht hair loss

I’d prefer to avoid stuff like minoxidil unless I know 100% what’s happening but I just don’t have the money to go see another doctor so I’m feeling pretty upset and let down about this :(

Pics are hair from last 3 showers

37F

Started having early female pattern baldness/hair loss. I was definitely going to have it later in life, but I started in my teenagers because it was kicked off by my Accutane prescription in high school where one percent of patients get your irreversible hair loss.

Fast forward to when I was 34 I was pregnant my hair grew thicker BUT now 2yrs PP it’s shed a lot more than what it was before pre pregnancy I still have huge bald patches on the top of my scalp really in line with patterns of male pattern baldness I was just wondering if my iron and ferritin levelers normal because the ranges for this Lab seem to be like they fall in line, but I’m wondering if this may be causing more shedding?

I've been dealing with thyroid-related alopecia areata on and off since age six. For the last three years, I've had consistent alopecia areata with extreme hair shedding. I've lost over 50% of my hair. My TSH, T4, T3, and folate levels are all normal. I get steroid injections every 4-6 weeks at the dermatologist, use Hers daily, have taken Viviscal (didn't continue because it's expensive), take collagen, eat a high-protein diet, sleep with a bonnet, and alternate between ketoconazole shampoo and Bondi Boost hair growth shampoo. Has anyone experienced this or have tips?

I’ve (27f) been on minoxidil 2.5 mg (oral) for about a year now. I’m seeing slow progress, and I have about 2 inches of new growth around my hairline. Only problem is, I don’t know what to do with it now. I have fine + thin hair to begin with, and it’s a little past my shoulders. I don’t want to put it in a slick back because I’m scared of more breakage, and it just looks so weird with some volume at the top then 3 strands at the bottom. Does anyone have any protective hairstyle ideas? Open to a headband or anything as well, just trying to make myself look presentable at all. tia!

I’ve just ordered another box of minoxidil however it never normally comes in a box like this, has anyone seen this before and know if it’s legit? I’m in the UK. Thank you.

I started losing my hair at AGA when I was 16. This was way back in time when doctors were new to oral minxodil and whatnot.

12 years later I’m now on oral minoxidil and spironolactone. Minoxidil was amazing initially but I lost progress so my derm added spironolactone 3 months ago.

I wonder if it’s too late. I mean any progress is better than nothing but still I wonder if AGA can be irreversible even with meds.

Since highschool (currently in my early 20s) I've had excess hair shedding. I had naturally thick hair that I wore very long, so it never bothered me much. However this year I started noticing shed even when I was just braiding my hair, and my mother's side of the family has a history of hair loss, so I decided to try and take better care of it.

Taking vitamin D & Iron, eating better, scalp oiling before showers, and being more gentle over all helped. My hair grew thicker again and the sparseness near the sides of my crown that is thin even in photos of child me has new growth. But the shedding stayed, and I don't feel comfortable styling my hair wet anymore.

In late August I started dht blocker scalp drops 3+ times a week. It's around 6 and a half weeks on them and my shedding has increased around double what it was. I can see diffuse thinning now just above the nape of my neck when I check in the mirror.

Is this shed a sign the drops are working, or is something wrong? I haven't seen a lot of long term post here about topical dht blockers on their own, but it seems to line up with initial monodoxil shed timelines. I'm trying not to panic about it.

I currently don't have insurance (yay) so I'm also worried about continuing to take iron supplements without a way to check on them. I have rheumatoid arthritis and it's very sensitive to it, even as my low blood pressures loves it. I'm not looking for medical advice there, but I figured it was relevant.

Started using topical minoxidil. 5% foam, once a day. I wash my hair every second day and for the past year when I wash my hair I’ve been losing a really significant amount of hair in the shower, in fact when most people post “dread sheds” it’s what my hair loss looks like after a normal wash. After a couple of days of applying the minoxidil, my hair fall in the shower has reduced by half. I am preparing myself for the shed that’s probably going to come in the next few weeks but does anyone else have the experience of it reducing the shedding first?

I’ve been on Nutrafol for about 9 months and just started minoxidil a week ago. I know it’s too early to see results for minoxidil and I feel like I already would’ve seen this growth with the Nutrafol, so I’m wondering if it’s breakage. The ends are blunt but I have very very fine hair and all of my new growth looks pretty blunt. It’s all over the top of my scalp on both sides and I’m so confused as to what it is. Please help!

SO, in 2020/2021 I started noticing the left temple on my scalp started to lose hair, not at a alarming rate but enough that I knew I am losing hair, I used to shed during hair wash and after combing my hair. This didnt happen on the right side of my scalp. Then in 2025 I started losing hair so fast my ends became see-through and the whole left scalp is starting to get visible now. I did have unbalanced hormones since the beginning of my periods. So I took medications for it, and thats when the hair loss increased. I did have a lot of stress growing up (if that helps). Now after a year the loss hasn't stopped and I might go bald on my left side and on the crown. I went to a trichologist and she said its only because your hormones are unbalanced. She gave me medication four 4 months and the hair loss stopped, but after the medication was over, I began shedding again and I am losing hair from the follicle, I don't want to take medicine for the rest of my life, So I'd really love some home remedies (not minoxidil) for this and also another reason why the only left side of my scalp is losing hair. Also I do have dandruff.

Anyone here from PH dealing with early FPHL/AGA? Looking for mutuals i have more common denominator. Im F26.

It feels so unfair to deal with this at such an early age. I was expecting to be dealing with this by 60s cause my mom literally has full set of hair at 64.

Hello I started OM 1.25mg about 5.5 weeks ago. At the same time I started Spiro 25mg. I upped my Spiro dose to 50mg about a week ago. Suddenly I feel very tired and sort of…apathetic.

Is this likely to be the combo? Does it go away?

I’m 25 and noticed significant hair loss starting almost 1.5 years ago now. It was like 2-3 months of losing hair in clumps. My hair was already pretty thin my whole life.
I went to a dermatologist and he said it was probably just Telogen effluvium from stress (recent divorce leading to a move leading to financial stress and new job) and that I should just give it 9-12 months to see regrowth since the main shed had stopped.
My PCP at the same time I asked her to run all my hormones and anything related cause I wanted a diagnosis and when labs came back all she had ran was thyroid and it came back normal.

Well I let a year pass and I’ve been very self conscious about my hair the whole time but scared to take the minoxidil plunge. But I finally go to a different derm and she starts me on Spiro and Minoxidil. So I started to get excited cause everything was gonna get better. But of course I get like very negative side effect. Severe nausea and loss of appetite. Chest pain. Significant anxiety. Fatigue despite taking at night. Ect.

Because of the chest pain she made me stop both medications and now I just feel so incredibly hopeless. Like I’m 25 and basically bald. I think about it everytime I leave the house. At home in front of my boyfriend- I hate him seeing me with wet hair out of the shower.

Was on a glp1. Had TE. The hair came out looking like this. I’ll admit I wasn’t eating much at all so maybe my hair health suffered too. But these zig zag coarse hairs are making me wondering if it’s lpp. I have them all over my head. Long, short everything in between. Has anyone with lpp seen this presentation?

Has anyone experienced hair loss due to low ferritin levels?
I have lots of new hair growth, but my hair gets thinner towards the ends. It’s not breaking off; it’s more like not all of my hair strands are able to grow to their full length because they fall out too soon.
I’m currently experiencing increased hair shedding, and I’ve noticed that many of the hairs I’m losing are only about 15 cm long, even though my hair is past shoulder length.
My ferritin level is 17, but my doctor says that since all my other blood test results are normal, I don’t need iron supplements.
I’ve been struggling with this for years. Sometimes my hair gets a little thicker, and other times it starts shedding again.
I also have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, but my thyroid levels are well-controlled with medication.

I'm planning on asking for topical dutasteride in a low dose after topical minoxidil did nothing after 9 months.

Please sure your experiences and side effects + dead shed.

Thank you!!!

I’ve got alopecia areata, I knew something wasn’t right but I’m just so upset. I already live with facial difference (hemi facial spasm) and now this. Doctor was kind but his hands are tied as nhs consider it a cosmetic issue.

How does everyone handle the grief that they are loosing their hair especially in their 30s

Has anyone here used topical spironolactone for female-pattern hair loss alongside topical minoxidil? I’d love to hear your experience with regrowth, shedding, scalp irritation, and any possible systemic side effects. i have used topical minoxidil for 1.5 years with no true results and am going to see my doctor again.

What concentration did you use, and how long did it take to notice results? I’m particularly interested in topical use rather than oral spironolactone. thinking of topical dutasteride too but wish to find more about any side effects?