So Im 18 years old, I always had really thin hair and now I see my hairline slowly receding. I heard that it is always better to start with fin but I do not think it is a good idea to nuke my DHT at this age. I also cant go to a doctor at the moment because I do not have health insurance, but thats another topic. Do you guys think I should start with minox (preferably oral), or maybe even take fin/dut/ru? I really need to do something and hope someone can give me their opinion
Use topical fin/min, do cardio/run/some weightlifting, cold shower on scalp. Spicy food.
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If the cause of hairloss is AGA (if your hairline is receding, there’s a good chance it’s this) then minoxidil won’t be targeting the root cause of this. DHT is responsible for normal development and maturation of various male secondary sex characteristics [1].
By 18, your equipment should be more or less developed already, though further development can take place. So there’s some risk there, involving fertility. The tricky thing about taking 5ar inhibitors is they can either masculinize you further, or cause some very minor feminization. [2]
The good news is, if you delay a few years, you will be able to recover most of the hair that you lost. Taking some hormone tests can also help you gauge the risks of unwanted side-effects.
In summary, I advise you to wait until you’re a little older, have enough money to run some hormone tests (and possibly genomic tests) before you take fin/dut.
Footnotes
[1] - It’s also responsible for sex differentiation in-utero, but you’re not a fetus so that’s irrelevant right now.
[2] - Yes, you read that right. The 5ar enzyme converts T to DHT. So when you take 5ar inhibitors, that conversion doesn’t happen. So you end up with more T in your system. (About 10% more) BUT! There is a mechanism that causes excess T to turn into estrogen via the aromatase enzyme. How much “excess” is, is dependent on the individual. Further, how much the presence of estrogen affects you depends on the quantity and sensitivity of your estrogen receptors. This too, is highly individual. In short, the endocrine system is very complicated. For some people, there’s no problem at all; for others, their nipples itch; for the very unlucky few, they grow boobs. You can mitigate this risk by taking tests. If your test results show that your base T is in the median, then very likely any addition of T won’t activate the aromatase pathway.
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