96 citations,
February 2002 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”
Pseudofolliculitis barbae is a chronic skin condition affecting mainly African American and Hispanic individuals, caused by shaving tightly curled hair, and managed by prevention and treatment but not curable.
Accepting baldness and the various ways people try to cope with it, such as shaving, using medications like minoxidil and finasteride, or getting a hair transplant. Participants discussed how true acceptance of hair loss involves confronting difficult emotions such as grief for one's former appearance and identity, as opposed to simply superficially hiding it with a shaved head.
A user who has been shaving his head for 15 years looking for potential treatments to regrow hair; the replies range from advice to try out medications such as finasteride and minoxidil, to suggestions of changing up his look with facial hair or hobbies.
After suffering from hair loss and trying various treatments like finasteride, minoxidil, RU58841, and scalp micropigmentation without lasting success, the individual found freedom and a renewed sense of self by shaving their head and accepting their baldness. They encourage others struggling with hair loss to not waste years searching for a cure and to consider embracing a shaved head as a positive solution.
A user's results after 10 months of hair transplant surgery, which they had been taking care of with 0.5mg/day finasteride, 1x daily minoxidil and 1.5 times weekly microneedling treatments. One other user replied positively to the post.
The user experienced worse hair after removing a wig system and has been using Hairband 82 Comfort Flex, Hair Max supplements, dermarolling, and a scalp massager for 4 months without clear results. They are hesitant to use Minoxidil due to shedding concerns and avoid finasteride due to side effects, preferring Saw Palmetto instead.