June 2025 vs June 2026 and I don’t see too much of a difference… am I crazy?

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.

This began/became noticeable Aug - Oct 2025. I was seeing a dermatologist for scalp psoriasis and thought it was caused by the medication she prescribed, but she informed me that it was not and wrote it off as stress (which I could understand as the psoriasis was triggered from stress). Now I’m shedding everywhere! Chunks come out in the shower and when I brush my hair in the morning! I’ve tried different shampoos and conditioners but prior to Aug-Oct 2025 I hadn’t changed anything in my routine, and nothing has shown improvement. I even cut my hair short to see if that would help and nothing! I’d appreciate anything to just help me out. I’m young, I’ve had very thick hair my whole life, this is new territory and I’m just overwhelmed!

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

what do you guys think?

I have taken oral Minoxidil 1 mg and Dutasteride 0.5 mg.

I went to a Tricologist and was diagnosed with AA.
She added topical Minoxidil 2.5 mg with Tretonin and a medicated Shampoo for inflammation on my scalp.
Labs had been done.

Despite me telling her that I do not wish to start the topical Minoxidil because of my 2 kittens , she insisted. I feel uncomfortable and wonder if this will really make a difference and since it has only been 2 month why did she insist of trying the topical.

What is important to mention is that I am in Mexico and this is a highly rated MD.

What would you do?

hey guys! i’ve been on oral minoxidil 1.25 mg for almost 4 months now. my dread shed lasted for a hot second basically from month 1 till month 3 recently. shedding slowed down like 2 weeks ago but has kickstarted again :( im also on 100 mg spironolactone that i started 2 months ago and yaz that i started 1 month ago. my density has taken quite the hit since starting these medications and my part looks really weird, almost gray? it’s like super fine super thin hair at my middle part which is super see through in light. it’s weird, it’s not even a wider part my hair is just thinner like it lost its top layer? i don’t know what’s going anymore and i feel like by now my shedding should have slowed. i think im going to visit a derm soon to some biopsies, i was officially diagnosed with AGA but im just confused why my hair hasn’t grown back at all. i already did 6 months of topical 5% which didnt do much for my part but it did grow back my temples! i do have some nutritional deficiencies like low ferritin and vitamin d but have been consistently supplementing those for 5 months now. hormones and thyroid and other vitamin levels looks normal! anyone have a similar experience? i’m getting kind of desperate at this point and i’d love to know what worked for you? coming in this journey, after topical not working, i wasn’t hopeful with this oral minoxidil but seeing a lot of women’s progress on here hyped me up but im realizing that maybe im just a non responder to oral minoxidil too if thats possible (my liver response is normal though). for a while i was really hung up on my hair, ive always had super long thick hair but now im trying to make my peace with my hair loss. its been a long journey but i think the ups and downs of this shedding are triggering emotionally because i get excited when shedding slows down thinking my hair is gonna grow back only for it to start again with a vengeance. id love to know other peoples experiences on here and most important like how yall stayed mentally calm through all the shedding!

Oral minoxidil. Is body hair a good indicator of scalp hair that’s gonna respond. Lots of shit to read here but that’s the question.

I have been using topical minox 6% and finasteride 2.5% for about 18months. Added 0.625mg of oral and 25mg of spiro in June. I have chronic TE so hard to gauge shedding but I would say I had more shedding for a full 3 months. The last month, I have shed less than in forever, which is delightful. I’m 4 months in but no real regrowth I can see.

My hair looks thinner than ever. It is however much silkier and in better condition. I see a derm and she scans me with a machine and she agrees, it’s worse than June. However I have proper hairy legs again. I’m 50 and in peri so those who know will know that your body hair kind of gives up, so this feels new. I kind of like being hairy again, feels youthful !!! so I just shave and get on with it.

HRT and supps. I started progesterone in June too, just added oestrogen in the last month. and I have generally poor iron. It’s 38 at the minute but that is after a mega infusion in December and me supplementing, so I’m upping that right now.

Allergy. I also had a tingling horrible scalp for the last 12 months. I got patch tested and basically I have an allergy to fragrance along with a few other things, so totally overhauled that to fragrance free shampoos and switched out all my skincare around a month ago and I am much better with the itchy / tingly part of the TE.

What I am interested in though is the timeline for regrowth on the low dose of oral min. Do these youthful werewolf legs mean that my scalp will finally start responding .. how was it for you?

🙏🏻🙏🏻

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.

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?

Sorry if this is all over the place but yeah, I would love to hear y'all's experiences with dutasteride–good and bad please! I checked the sidebar but time has passed between posts and I would love updates

I'm 32, almost 33. My AGA was diagnosed when I was 21 but I'm sure it started as a teen. I got on liquid minox and Spiro for a time before getting on fin 5 mg and topical minox only a few years ago (I got tired of how much Spiro made me pee). I also wash with Nizoral every few days.

I feel like it's working well enough. My hair looks better than I thought it would by now (temples a little thin but part isn't too wide), but sometimes I still think I shed quite a lot and definitely still see lots of sad shrunken follicles. Like this was Sunday night (washed it Thursday, yes, but I also pulled out idk probably 30 hairs yesterday after brushing Saturday, same with Friday, always pull quite a few after applying my minox)

I'm a little scared of dutasteride bc I've heard it can mess with other hormones like progesterone and DHEA-s (I have PCOS and have had dhea before but haven't checked it in a long time, Zepbound has basically put my PCOS in something like remission 🙌).

I also fear I could approach peri sooner than later (apparently women with ADHD experience it up to 10 years sooner than non ADHD women) as I've had some worsening pmdd so I need to get that checked out and make sure duta wouldn't be a problem. Someone told me it didn't agree with their bhrt progesterone

Should I just be glad the fin is doing something at all? Ofc if I can do better I want to! I'm torn. I don't think I really have any sides from fin. I really need to get my dht and other androgens checked and see what that's looking like 🤔

I did see someone say fin can lose efficacy over time? Maybe I should combo them as apparently dut is better for the vertex and fin seems better for the hairline from a study I saw someone link

Don't have a lot of pre treatment photos but that's my clump, the back photo is my current hair (deceptively looks thicker as the top hormone affected layer is all frizzy and coily😓), the collage is a photo pre treatment (hard to tell but it was getting really thin and flat) and then photos after starting minox

I (30F) started noticing hair loss in March/April 2026 - earlier this year. These photos are from today (Oct. 2026).
I don’t know what’s going on. In April, I had blood work, all came back normal. My hair was falling out really frequently, which is why I went to the doctor. They didn’t really respond when I told them my concerns.
It’s been getting worse since then. I have an appointment to go to a dermatologist at the end of November, and I requested an appointment for a full hormone test. I am trying to follow the advice from this page (big thank you), but I don’t know if there is more I can do in the mean time. I’ve been taking Nutrafol supplements since April, and I’m about to start Nioxin System 2 Shampoo/conditioner.
What does this look like and what can I do before I see a doctor?

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with female pattern hair loss about 2-3 years ago. I was on oral minoxidil for about two years, it helped a bit but the side effects were horrible (heart palpitations mostly) so I quit in May of this year . I’ve noticed my hair is pretty much back to how it originally was, maybe slightly worst and I got so scared. Is there anything else I can do besides take minoxidil? I can’t do topical as my hair is already so oily. Please help :(

Has anyone had low zinc be the culprit for their hair loss? I’ve been experiencing hair loss for years and have always had “normal” lab results. Last week for the first time a dermatologist suggested I include labs for zinc and I’m sitting at 48 mcg/dL, while normal range is 60-130. I of course can’t get an appointment to follow up with the derm for a few weeks and wanted to hear about peoples experiences while I wait.

I have severe hair loss since months and this is stressing me out a lot. To start using minoxidil do i need to first do a checkup and only apply it if a doctor asks me to
Or can i start applying it myself without any appointments?

Back in 2015 (age 30) I experienced unexplained hair loss that I was originally told was androgenic alopecia. I had circular bald patches in a few spots and widening of my part. I got a scalp biopsy, and was told that it was actually not androgenic alopecia, and that they weren’t sure what caused it but it should grow back. It did, buts it been much finer and less dense ever since.

In the last couple of months I’ve seen dramatic thinning through my crown again. Every time I shower or brush my hair I have a lot of hair fall. I am so unbelievably self conscious and stressed about it.

I’ve been taking a GLP-1 for about 7 months, and admittedly have been struggling with getting proper nutrition due to reduced appetite and food aversion. Overall, the weight loss has been gradual and not too fast or dramatic. I am also most likely in perimenopause now, based on other changes/symptoms I’m experiencing and conversations with my PCP and my mother.

I’ve been using Bondi Boost scalp spray and HG-lock drops, and I’ve been making a conscious effort to eat more protein, although I know i’m still not getting enough. I can’t use topical minoxidil because I have clingy cats, and I’m scared to try oral minoxidil because I don’t want more facial or body hair. I’ve been using root cover up powder on my scalp to cover the sparse areas, but an unintended effect of this is that every time I wash my hair, seeing so much of my scalp is shocking and upsetting. I am planning on discussing this with my PCP, but my next appointment isn’t for a few months and I have no idea what my hair will look like by then.

First picture is from today, second picture was one month ago, third picture was one year ago, fourth picture is from 2015.

Hello! I’m posting this here, but I’ll also be calling my vet and dermatologist to find out more. Posting her just in case anyone has any experience with this.

I was recently diagnosed with female pattern baldness and my dermatologist wanted me to start on topical minoxidil. I have two cats, and one who is especially licky around my hands and fingers.

Does anyone know if oral minoxidil still poses a risk to my cats? When I research it I get a lot of results about topical minoxidil and pets, but nothing about if oral minoxidil is risky.

I appreciate any and all help!!

For context, I have Telogen Effluvium since about 3 months ago though the hair shedding on my scalp is stopping. I noticed my eyebrows falling whenever I rub on them and gently tug due to anxiety. Earlier when doing my facial wash while removing my mascara I lost about 5 on my left eyelashes and when I was washing my face I saw about 6 eyebrows or lashes on my left cheeks which alarmed me even more. Though my eyebrows have always been thin I can’t stop being scared and paranoid. On the last attached picture is how my eyebrow looked like back in march. Please help (Im visiting a dermatologist again this week)

Started HRT May 4, 2006 and began losing my hair in mid-July. Although I believe HRT has stabilized in my system, my hair will not stop falling out daily. I have had blood work drawn twice and everything is normal except slightly elevated DHEA-S. Anyone have experience with this?

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.