JohnS

Cycling different shampoos is very much advised, this avoids the continual residue from using the same everyday.

Personally I think Revita is a waste of money, it is grossly overpriced and will likely do nothing other than a cosmetic difference the same obtained from much cheaper shampoos.

May I suggest you consider Nano by Dr. Proctor, it is an excellent thickening shampoo and may promote hair growth as a bonus. Another would be any shampoo containing piroctone olamine, this is even more effective as a hair growth synergist than Nizoral. Lastly a combination lavendar/tea trea oil has been found to be highly estrogenic and may contribute to enhancing growth also. Check around.

That seem to be a common misconception. Many doctors are really in the dark when it comes to the pharmacological aspects of hair growth. They assume that since Rogaine Foam is newer it is also better, not true in this case.

Sorry to disagree but as per the clinical trials, minoxidil liquid is clearly superior to the foam. Anecdotal evidence supports this also. Too bad, the foam is so convenient!

In theory free fatty acids, ie GLA, the main component in Revivogen, have pronounced effects on DHT. Unfortunately Revivogen has never lived up to scientific studies.

Scalp laxity is a very important factor. It is best to make sure about this when consulting with your surgeon. If it is inadequate you may need to begin exercises before scheduling a surgery.

Bald men are also more aerodynamic!

I slept practically upright for the first few nights, to control swelling. Never had a problem.

EOD is just fine, finasteride has a nearly straight line dose curve.

Glad they could make things right for you, too bad you had to go through your ordeal.

Originally posted by Gorpy:

The best way is to see patients in person from each doctor you are considering.

I would have to agree 100%, in person is the way to go. Pictures can be misleading!

I am glad to see some world class doctors believe excellent results can be obtained without shaving. This makes the procedure much more pleasant.

To a certain degree, but don't look for quality with bargain basement prices!

Nice work, keep us updated.

Its never OK to stop propecia, the balding process never takes a vacation!

Originally posted by hairhelp6:

is there any evidence using more than 5 percent or using minox more than twice a day is helpful in growing more hair?

You get to a point of total saturation in the case of minoxidil, from what I understand 6-7% is pretty much the limit. These 15% concentrations products are definitely not worth the money. If you want a higher concentration, just use more of the lower concentration, same difference.

I go along with this, everything that is applicable to the crown works on the hairline, but to a lesser degree, only way to find out is to try it.

IMO, finasteride and minoxdil should be used right up to surgery with minoxidil being discontinued and resumed within a few day after surgery.

Very nice! Wear it in good health.

Doubtful any of these really has an impact, IMO, minoxidil would be best.

The correct hairline density is determined by hair quality and overall scalp density in non balding areas. This can range from 40 graft cm2 up to 75 cm2. Everyone is different.

Not much data is being released, no reason to get ones hopes up too much.

Originally posted by Rick055:

 

@ John S. - I agree with everything you say except that DHT is more anabolic than test. While I believe DHT is much more androgenic than testosterone, I believe testosterone is more anabolic than DHT.

 

 

It is more anabolic, ie protein sparing than testosterone. As far as androgenic, it is also much more androgenic as opposed to testosterone.

One other point, DHT is of paramount importance in the area of neurological efficiency, ie recruitment of muscle fibers as well as adaptive response ie recuperation.

Originally posted by dr. lindsey:

Take a chance,

 

There is the additional benefit with proscar/propecia of prostate health, thus lots of guys in their 50's and on, get on and stay on proscar for decades.

 

But, there is some controversy that early studies suggested that while the incidence of prostate cancer was decreased with proscar, the cancers that did develop were more aggressive. Various propecia reps have told me that is not true with longer studies, but something for a patient and doctor to discuss.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

Dr Lindsey,

Perhaps this info will assist in your understanding of the finasteride/prostate cancer relationship as per Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Cancer..this is their newest info

BTW, I would not believe anything a pharmaceutical rep told you normally, they are worse than used car salesmen!

Studies Support Use of Prostate Cancer Prevention Drug

Recent research revealed that the drug finasteride, commonly used to treat enlarged prostates, decreases the risk of prostate cancer by nearly 25 percent. When the original results of the study, known as the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, were initially released in 2003, the good news was tempered by the fact that the study also revealed a small but statistically significant increase in the number of aggressive, high-grade prostate tumors in the men from the study who were taking finasteride. But two new analyses of the study's data show that finasteride decreases the risk of all types of prostate cancer, even for those men with high-grade tumors.

Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial

Sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) was designed to determine if finasteride could prevent prostate cancer in older men. Available in both brand-name and generic forms, finasteride works by blocking the conversion of the hormone testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, a hormone that fuels the growth of all prostate cancers. The drug was developed to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition affecting older men in which the prostate enlarges, making urination difficult. Begun in 1993, the randomized, multicenter study followed approximately 19,000 men aged 55 and older, half taking finasteride pills on a daily basis, the other half taking a placebo. Neither the study participants nor their physicians knew who was taking finasteride or the inactive placebo.

The study was halted early in March 2003 when it was determined through the use of annual PSA screenings and digital rectal exams that men taking finasteride were 25 percent less likely to develop prostate cancers than men taking placebos. The results were as follows: 18 percent of men taking finasteride developed prostate cancer versus 24 percent of men taking placebo.

Troubling High-Grade Tumor Results

A note of discord was introduced, however, when it was determined that while finasteride reduced the overall risk of prostate cancer, it also appeared to cause a slight increase in the incidence of the high-grade forms of the disease, which are defined as tumors with Gleason scores of 7 to 10. (The Gleason grading system characterizes the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, providing an estimate of the cancer's potential to grow and spread to other parts of the body, where it is more difficult to treat successfully.) The increase in high-grade tumors -- 6.4 percent of the men in the finasteride group versus 5.1 percent of the men taking placebo -- was considered small but significant.

As a result, few physicians recommended using finasteride as a prostate cancer prevention drug, basing this decision on the belief that the drug was preventing harmless prostate cancers that would never require treatment while potentially encouraging the deadlier versions. Still, the study's researchers wondered if the increased number of high-grade tumors was due to the fact that finasteride was shrinking the prostate, making it easier for doctors to find aggressive, high-grade tumors during needle biopsies.

"These important studies put to rest our original concerns that finasteride could cause more harm than good."

-- Peter Scardino, MD, Chair, Department of Surgery

New Studies, New Thinking

In the years following the PCPT, two separate studies conducted by investigators both inside and outside that trial have sought to clarify the issue. The results from both were published in the May issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

The studies analyzed 500 pathology samples that were removed during prostatectomy from the more than 2,000 patients in the PCPT diagnosed with prostate cancer. (The majority of patients in the study diagnosed with any grade of prostate cancer opted to have the cancer surgically removed, in a procedure called a prostatectomy. This allowed pathologists to compare the "true rate" of high-grade tumors, compared with the grade assigned through biopsy at original diagnosis.) Both studies found that those men in the PCPT who received finasteride had no overall increase in high-grade disease. Among those men treated for the full seven years of the study, the investigators found no significant difference in results: 92 men in the finasteride group developed high-grade tumors compared with 89 men in the placebo group.

"These important studies put to rest our original concerns that finasteride could cause more harm than good," says Peter Scardino, Chair of the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a surgeon specializing in prostate cancer. "We were delighted to see such convincing confirmation that prostate cancer can be prevented safely."

The Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve the use of finasteride for prostate cancer prevention. However, doctors can prescribe drugs for off-label use when appropriate. Men interested in considering the use of finasteride as a prostate cancer preventative should discuss the issue with their physician.

Dr. Scardino advises that men over the age of 50 who are at increased risk of prostate cancer -- African-American men, those with a family history of the disease, or those with an elevated PSA test but a negative biopsy -- should consider taking finasteride or a related drug after discussing the risks and benefits with their physician.

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/86364.cfm

Congratulations. Clean work and a fair amount of graphs for the area, appears to be approx 40 cm2. Depending on hair quality it may be enough to pull off a full look, if not you can alway add next time. Be sure to post your 6 month photos so we can review your progress. Grow well.

Originally posted by latinlotus:

By blocking DHT production, your testosterone may actually increase abit.

well this may explain why the NHL has Propecia on its banned list of drug. It may give some advantages to the athlete.

Incorrect. It is a banned substance in sports, because increased DHT is used as an indicator of steroid use. Finasteride is used to mask steroid use and because of this, it is a banned substance.

Though testosterone levels increase transiently when you begin finasteride it becomes negligible over time as extra Test is converted to estradiol via aromatase. This conversion to estradiol (estrogen) coupled to a decrease in DHT, an estrogen antagonist, is speculated to play a role in side effects such as gynecomastia and other problems such as erections, testicular pain etc.

Bottom line, athletic performance suffers when inhibitng DHT, since the small increase, ie 15% in Test does not nearly make up for the 70% or more decrease in DHT, which by the way is at least 3x more anabolic than Test to say nothing about the higher estrogen levels which hamper athletic performance even more.