2025 vs early June. Ages 48 vs 49. I noticed my hairline start to take off around age 41, but didn't start taking meds til age 46 because I was worried about side effects and was too stressed about trying to get out of Florida to focus (or spend money) on hairloss.
I've been on oral finesteride about 3 years now (so, 13 years on HRT), which has kept my hairline from creeping back further. It works by blocking DHT, which is a masculinizing hormone converted from testosterone that contributes to hairloss on the head.
Side effects for me are less body hair (counterintuitive, but yes) and some spotting (never enough to be a mess) every day of my cycle. My libido took maybe a little hit (refactory window was usually ~5-10 min, but now sometimes closes for the night), but that's sometimes a good thing, being so tightly wound. I also am lucky not to suffer from the depression/suicidal ideation side effects.
I am also about 5 months on oral minoxidil, which promotes hair growth through a few mechanisms. I am nearing the early side of max effects (around 6 months, may continue up to a year, mainly as the hair grows longer). Side effects for me were increased tachycardia (my doc cleared me for use as someone who already has this issue and is on propranolol) for just a few days, and then my body acclimated. I also saw some body hair regrow from loss to finesteride.
I don't have crown balding - just the receding hairline, which is *very* aggressive on my mom's side. My hair is about in the middle of both parents. (Dad's side wasn't too bad.)
These photos aren't quite the same angle, but you can still see how my temples and forelock are fuller and have more definition. I am pretty happy with this result, as I like having a somewhat "mature" hairline. But like a lot of my transition milestones, I wish I had started earlier. My 39-year-old hairline was pretty perfect. 🥲
I thought sharing would be good for setting expectations, as well as combating the myth that minoxidil is only for crown balding.
Who knows how long my hairline will stay at this point, but the meds are fairly inexpensive and as I said, I'm lucky where my side effects are manageable. This combo of meds is considered the most effective at hairloss, and is prescribed even if one opts for a hair transplant.
I feel like hairloss options are gatekept from trans men/masc folks who take T. "Just man up," "this is what you wanted, isn't is?" and so on. I wanted to show an option for those who have not considered it, or maybe who are not even aware of its existence. :)
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