u/NOT-4-BOT

I'm looking to hear from long-term practitioners about changes you've noticed in your hair (scalp and facial), nails and overall physical appearance since starting retention.

Specifically interested in:

• Androgenic alopecia + male pattern baldness: Has anyone noticed thickening, slowed shedding or re-growth? Did retention change the trajectory and if so, to what extent?
• Premature graying: Any reversal or slowing of graying?
• Beard / facial hair: Did patchiness fill in? Did growth rate or thickness change?
• Toenail fungus & nail health: This one's niche but I suspect more common than discussed. Has anyone cleared up fungal infections or noticed nails strengthening during extended streaks?

I'm asking because I've personally noticed correlations between seminal loss and certain symptoms worsening (nail fungus flaring, hair feeling thinner, etc.) as well as possible improvement during longer retention periods. I'm guessing there's a depletion/repletion dynamic at play that doesn't get enough attention.

If you've put in the time and paid attention to these markers, please answer. What did you notice? How long before you saw changes? Did anything come back that you thought was gone for good?

Appreciate any firsthand accounts.

I'm in the gig economy (rock bottom, I know). I notice that when I'm engaging in p/m/o on a regular or semi-regular basis, my tips are generally better and more consistent. When I retain, they are smaller per transaction and noticeably more infrequent. That's at least the case in the early stages as I generally don't ever get past the two week mark.

My best ever "streak" of abstinence was 42 days. That ended a few months ago. Since then I've only been able to string together maybe a week at a time. Currently, I've got 12 full days under my belt with no intention to fuck up any time soon. My goal: 120 days.

I don't want to be one of those guys who overthink and overanalyze and I know this may well be happenstance but gratuity on the job is important to me given everything. I'm wondering if this might be tied to an energy shift or something. I'd more than likely just brush this off but it's truly happened a few times this way in recent months so I'm doing a bit of putting two and two together.