I knew it was going to happen to me, my dad was bald by 20 but I wanna see if I can save myself I’ve been doing research and stopped at minoxidil and Finasteride. but I’m wondering if I can just get away with using minoxidil I already know it’s a lifetime commitment and I’ll have to use it everyday for life but is Finasteride needed?
you are too young for finasteride likely my man. please go see an endocrinologist so your development can be assessed. no also you cannot get away with minoxidil, that is impossible, it won’t do anything to address the underlying cause that is DHT harming your hair follicles. You have to A)remove the genetic sensitivity of your follicles to DHT, which is impossible as of November 2025 or B)remove the DHT out of your system by using 5ARIs that prevent T to DHT conversion, for which finasteride/dutasteride are the options. I would say even saw palmetto is NOT good for you at that age, go see a derm and endocrinologist. Be careful getting on that stuff before 18 and only under a medical professional’s supervision.
Finasteride is the only thing that will attack the root cause. You’re rather young, though, so you need to consult a doctor who’s good at hair loss to see whether you can get on finasteride or not. If you can’t, then they will probably put you on minoxidil until they’re certain that you’re done with puberty, at which point they’ll put you on finasteride as well.
topical finasteride and/or topical anti-androgens may be used, if systemic exposure risk is deemed low, though how it can be quantified is not something i know. eg. topical finasteride or topical spironolactone, but whether a doc would prescribe it to someone <18 is another question, an endocrinologist’s assesment is not a choice but obligation at that point because low=/=zero.
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Yes, that’s true, some do feel comfortable prescribing topical finasteride at earlier ages. See for instance the Canadian dermatologist Donovan discussing the management of AGA in adolescent men in this post: Treating Androgenetic Alopecia in Males Adolescents vs Adults — Donovan Hair Clinic