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The story
On 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” board, a poster who announced plans to start online treatment for AGA (male pattern baldness) the next day received a wave of advice from fellow thread members drawing on their own experience. The poster said they’d “gotten about as bald as Tsurube” (Shofukutei Tsurube, a famously bald Japanese comedian/TV host) but had decided to make one last stand with treatment. The discussion expanded into how to pick a treatment approach — covering minoxidil’s side effects and impact on liver function, the differences between finasteride and dutasteride, comparisons with hair transplants, and how to safely handle topical medication in households with pets. Opinions also diverged on effectiveness: early treatment tends to work better, but the receding “M-shaped” hairline is said to be much tougher to treat.
What people said
I'm already about as bald as Tsurube.
Thought I'd put up one last fight.
LOL
If you're as bald as Tsurube it's hopeless, just give up.
By the way, how old are you?
All it does is create a record that you had a consultation — they don't actually examine the state of your hair.
Sounds like it didn't work out for big bro…
Isn't a transplant actually worse value since you need maintenance for life?
I don't have a cat myself, but there's one at my parents' place, so I'll have to be careful.
Feels like it's already been about 4 years since I started going bald.
Do I still have hair follicles left?
Short hairs keep falling out bit by bit, so I'm hoping that means the follicles are still alive.
Could a topical treatment save it?
There's 24-hour online consultation available.
It's probably just a few thousand yen anyway, so why not give it a shot?
I think it was called something like "DMM AGA."
Don't say such awful things, man.
Apparently the oral meds are bad news if your liver's weak.
I've got fatty liver and I'm actually being treated for that too.
My numbers have improved a lot — is that still a problem?
Just don't become one of those bald guys pathetically trying to hide it.
True, I won't end up as the kind of bald guy whose last few strands flap in the wind.
How long did that take?
Yeah, true.
On top of that, I feel like cleaning up your diet and exercising can make a real difference too.
I wasn't organized enough to start prevention that early.
Isn't it basically finasteride's upgraded big brother?
I feel like the side effects can be pretty rough when they hit.
Though apparently the effectiveness is outstanding.
Give up on the M-shaped hairline.
I see.
At least if my sideburns and beard get thicker I could pull off being a "good-looking bald guy," so I'll try applying it there.
Mine's due to make its grand debut right after New Year's.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
AGA (male pattern baldness) treatment generally combines oral medications like finasteride and dutasteride with topical minoxidil, and keeping the effect requires continuing to take and apply them long-term. In recent years, more clinics have started offering online consultations that let patients get a same-day prescription, but since oral medications can burden liver function, a blood test beforehand is recommended. The cost — several thousand yen a month, ongoing — can also add up to a real burden. The old legend that comes up in the thread, that “castration prevents baldness,” has spread as something of an urban myth and isn’t an established modern treatment, which is easy to misunderstand. Also, the point raised that topical minoxidil can poison cats on contact, so pet-owning households need to be careful, is something that’s genuinely said in real medical settings too.
※This article is an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (“Nandemo Jikkyo G”) thread “I’ve decided to get AGA treatment.”
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