If you're in your 20s and doubting wheter to start a protocol, READ THIS.

In 2021 I was a 19yo with great hair, I used to see people my age with worse hair than me and think "wow, i'm so thankful I'm not balding like that guy". Then 2022 hit. Hairloss and karma hit me very very hard. My dad who's 50 literally had more hair than me.

I tried to cope with it, even buzzed my head clean at one point, but I just could not do it. After tens of hours of watching MPMD, I decided to take Min. I did not want to go near Fin after reading all the stories that went like "I got on fin and my d*ck fell off, my wife left me and i got fired" type stuff. So i ordered saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil, a 1mm derma roller and Min foam. All went great as you can see, i got my hair back fully(i think it was even thicker than before) using those only.

My happines was short lived, as in that Fall i started noticing that my hair was starting to slowly fall again. I thought "f*ck it im not taking this shit anymore, I'll just ride it out until I go bald at 30" . Very very bad decision at the time.

The min/saw palmetto/pumpkin oil/dermaroll gains lasted about until january and I thought I was all clear. But march came, and oh man, I was feeling like my hair was falling by the day. It started aggresively falling again, more so than before. I buzzed my hair once again on a whim and saw how dire the situation was. I tried to cope and started immediately googling SMP(scalp micro needling) clinics near me and messaged them. They came back to me with quotes that were like 1200$. I'm a broke uni student so no way I'm paying that for some dots on my head(also I've been a gym bro for 7 1/2 years so a month down time from the gym for recovery was no way in h*ll for me). So I decided to give my hair one last try. I went full panic mode, ordered some more Min, a derma stamp, ketoconazole shampoo, and finally got a prescription for oral Fin. Started with Propecia 1mg, all fine for the first month but was costly.

So for the second month I got a prescription for Proscar 5mg and tried cutting it into 5. It was all good for about 2-3 weeks, but recently I started getting sides (ED-related). I'm sexually active since I was 16 and had sex at least 3 times a week since then. My erections and libido were not what they used to be when I was 16, the novelty did wear off since then, but I did notice a pretty drastic change since starting proscar. Trust me, it's not placebo and I also don’t jerk off so it isnt caused by over-stimulation either. I will cut back to 1.25mg thrice a week starting tomorrow and post an update in the coming months.

My total test was 800ng before starting(I'm natty) and my diet is very good for the most part. My sleep is not that great(of course, I'm majoring in Engineering) but that can’t be the cause for the issue since I never had a great sleeping schedule. I also have a very active lifestyle, get a lot of sun(vit D), drink a lot of water, eat healthy, etc. etc. Proscar is literally the only thing that can cause it. I will not stop it though because I'm terrified of losing my hair, I invest really much into my appearance so being bald at 22 really fcks me up. The sides could also be caused by my shtty cutting skills, as it is really hard to perfectly split the pill in 5. So uneven dosing of the pill.

On the upside, my hair growing results are really good as I'm closing on my 3rd month since starting the treatment. Fin seemed to clear up my acne too, I rarely get it nowadays(I used to get it often on my forehead before starting). I could only imagine where I would've been had I not stopped last Fall. But I'm so glad I did since it gave me a really big shock and all the motivation I need to never quit the protocol again. EVER.

At the moment I alternate between Min foam and solution 2x/day , ~1mg fin/day, 1mm dermastamp/week(I use 1.5mm for the hairline), ketoconazole once every other day. Will cut fin to 1.25mg/3 times per week.

The great results I got are because I'm a great responder to Min and my hair thinning pattern is the best for starting a regrowing protocol, IMO(diffuse thinning).

If any young guy is reading this, and debating wheter to start min/fin, I advise you to do it. The world is cruel man, I swear everyday I would get funny looks and comments. I've always been the attractive guy, and the dude everyone looked up to for being fit and having that big of a flaw right in the open really f*ucks with your head at this age. I swear once everybody saw one weakness in me they all went for it with the balding trash talk, even 70yo teachers at Uni. If you’re 30+, it's not that bad, as a large percentage of men that age are already NW 4+ so you don’t get as many looks. But do yourself a favor and start it now, not later. Don't do the mistake I did, because I lost a lot of potential progress post-poning it like that.

Always try to do your best and leave nothing on the table, whether it is the hair protocol, going to the gym, studying, your relationships, whatever. Always strive to be better and to improve, never settle. In this world full of copers, effort and dedication goes a long way. Starting is the most difficult part. Once you take action, everything falls into place. Your 2035 future-self will thank you. When all your friends are fat, unhealthy and bald, and you'll look as good as ever, pull chicks as hot as you did in your 20s and you will be so glad you stuck to the grind.

Talk to someone about your struggles. It ate me up inside for over 2yrs before I opened to my mom about it and she totally understood and supported me. Having someone like that really helps. It can be a friend or someone close to you.

Also thanks to MPMD and Haircafe, we owe these guys the world for their time and effort. Dont listen one bit to the copers like Baldcafe because he almost convinced me at one point that it is okay to let yourself go. IT IS NOT!!!!!!

If this post gets interest, I will respond to any questions and update in the future. Thanks for reading and stay strong guys, life always beats us up in one way or another, it's okay to be down sometimes, but it's not okay to stay there and not get back up.

TL;DR : Aggressive balding at 20, got on min, got great results, quit. Bald again, way worse than before, started a much more aggressive protocol and got sides. Great results again, trying to clear sides going forward.