My 5 year journey with genetic hairloss (from age 25 to 29).

Male, unmarried btw. Started noticing a bald patch in my crown during January 2021, I was 25.
Started Minoxidil and Ketoconazole shampoo at Febuary, not sure if that was doing anything.

• June 2021, start taking Hairfin (local pakistani finestride), first few weeks were fine, then i start noticing a loss of libido and erection troubles. I tried everything to minimize side effects, lower dosage (0.5mg instead of 1), lowering frequency (x4 a week instead of everyday), i kept experimenting with doses and frequency, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, sometimes it stopped working, I would also take breaks and that would remove all side effects. I was also doing 1.5mm microneedling fairly consistently throughout.
• In 2024, I switched to Propecia, the american finestride brand, and with a frequency of 4mg/week it worked way better than local brands, side effects were managable, i could deal with that amount of them, unlike with Hairfir. But then the supplier who i was getting propecia no longer supplied it, he was dealing in smuggling i think, so i switched another finestride brand that he suggested, i dont know what brand it was there was no label or anything, so i tried it and it turned out to be just as bad as Hairfin. This continued till November 2025. I took the whole december off, removing all side effects from my body.
• December 2025 - Feburary 2026, I switched from pills to a topical Finestride+Minoxidil solution from a local brand. And the topical solution really helped with side effect management, but then i made a mistake in March where i also bought their Dutestirde+Minoxidil topical solution (Dut is a much stronger version of Fin), that was not a good idea, despite it being topical I got my side effects back. So i quit taking it by April.
• June 2026, I moved back to Topical fin+min, and realized i was applying too much at a time, so that made the side effects persist.
• July 2026, take 2 weeks off, started the fin+min topical again except only 4 times a week, and thats how it stilll is presently. The side effects exist a little, but they're not completely gone. I dont wanna quit cuz if i will i will lose my hair easily.

Conclusion: This entire 5 years, this strong hairloss regime did not help me regrow back any hair, nor did it stop my hairloss from progressing completely. All it did was slow down my hair loss progression. But thats just for me, im not a good responder to medical therapy. This same regime could help other men completely regain/keep their hair. It all depends on your genetics. Even side effects are related to genetics, you may not get them. In fact percentage wise its pretty rare to get side effects, so i was just unfortunate to have the rare wrong genetic makeup.

However, for me, one thing is for sure, if i was not on this regime in the past 5 years, I would be bald right now. Probably wouldve been bald by 2023/24. This regime has helped keep me somehwat presentable hair. That isn't to say i havent lost hair, Ive lost a shit ton, probably 70% density is gone, but this regime has helped me still have hair right now in September 2026, I can still make them look kind of good with a hairspray + a little hair fibres + blowdrying them, I can still get rare compliments on my hair if i do these things, which i do at least 3 times a week.

My current plan is just to keep using the topical min+fin solution, plus keto shampoo and microneedling, until I eventually have to get a transplant, or until a future cure to hairloss arrives. I can manage the the little side effects i still get. Ill stop the routine if i get married. Because I know from past experience that quitting finestride always leads my body to flush away all the sides and heal.

P.S. there was also a 5/6 month period in between there somewhere where i was taking PRP sessions, and while they were happening - it really helped my hair a lot, like they got really good. But its only temporary, the effect only lasts while you're routinely getting the sessions each month, once you stop, you lose everything you gained from the prps.

Hope my journey was able to help my fellow pakistanis here reading this, who are also suffering from the curse that is androgenic alopecia.
Also, wouldn't mind any tricks/tips/advice that might work for me, that worked for you, besides all this.