u/ByteExploiter

Help me with the haircut please 😭!!

My college is starting soon

Hey all, long time lurker, first time posting.

I've been using minoxidil 5% solution, 1ml once daily at night, for exactly 1 year now. No finasteride, no other treatments — just minoxidil on its own to start.

Problem is... I genuinely don't see any improvement. If anything, comparing my before/after photos side by side, my temples look like they've receded more, not less. No shedding phase that resolved into regrowth, no baby hairs, nothing. Just consistent temple thinning the whole time.

A bit about my situation:

20s

Pattern seems to be temple/frontal recession, roughly Norwood 2-3

Applied consistently every night for 12 months, no gaps

Never combined with finasteride/dutasteride or microneedling

Questions for people who've been through this:

Is it normal for minoxidil to do literally nothing for temples specifically, even if it helps other areas for some people?

Anyone else been a "non-responder" and had it confirmed later (e.g. via derm or genetic test)?

If you added finasteride afterward, did the temple area actually respond, or did it just stop the progression?

Is it worth trying oral minoxidil instead before giving up on minoxidil entirely?