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MyNameIsRich

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Posts posted by MyNameIsRich

  1. I've been using this stuff for years now,

    I recently stopped taking Propecia a few months ago, but I don't think this is the cause of my 'issue';

     

    I'm finding that when i wash my hair, i get the usual couple hairs on my hands when i run my hands through my wet hair, after shampoo/before conditioner, or after conditioning. no biggie, i guess.

     

    But When i use the Keno shampoos, either my 1% or 2% stuff, if i run my hands through my hair, immediately after shampoo, and before conditioner, and especially in a forward motion, i seem to get a more noticable amount of hairs, with each run through. maybe 7-10 hairs some times. Because of this i stopped using the stuff so much, and for so long. After i condition though, i don't seem to have the problem...

     

    I can't comment on how it was before, because i never really noticed, i just washed it out and then went on to conditioning.

    Keno makes my hair, understandably, very static, and dry feeling, even right after washing it out, i'm thinking maybe this is why it pulls the hairs out? I just want to know if this is doing my hair more bad than good.

    I use it maybe twice a week now, for anything from 4-8 minutes, aprox.

  2. Not surprising since they advise women not to use the 5% kind because of possible facial hair growth. Question though, have you noticed any puffiness or swelling in the face?

     

    No, it dries my skin out pretty badly sometimes, and flakes off when i rub my hands on my face, but this is easily treated. i just put some moisturiser on, about 30 minutes to an hour after it has dried.

  3. I can assure you that it definitely does do some marvellous things regarding hair.

    I'm sure this isn't anything new to everybody on here, but there is another forum online for beards (I can't remember the name and don't think i'm allowed to hotlink anyway, but just google beard minoxidil), and the one thread on this site is almost 10 years old, with 100s of pages.

     

    I'm 24 next week, and have pretty shitty luck when it comes to facial hair, it's here and there, but not enough of it. After reading said thread, and seeing how much fast hair some people were getting, I decided to give it a go...

     

    For a few months I'd been applying 1ml once a day, or every few days... it seemed to do a little, but when i stopped using it, the hair went.

    About a month and a half ago, I decided to commit to this experiment full force, applying 1ml twice a day, like you would on your head for hairloss. The results are amazing. I have about twice as much facial hair, all over, I couldn't even grow a hint of a moustache before, and now it's there in all it's glory.

    But it doesn't stop there, when i'm in the bathroom and I look in the mirror, with the bright lights from above, i can see hundreds of little, white/yellow 'velus' hairs on my face, and those are the hairs that are sure to come in the next few months.

     

    Figured this would be interesting for those of you who aren't too sure if minoxidil is doing anything for you :)

  4. Interesting, 0.33mg every three days is probably not very effective. So if you were mostly on that during your ~1.5 years on Fin, it may have helped less than you think.

     

    It may also not have been good for your body's DHT levels to constantly fluctuate like that either, because by day three after taking the 0.33mg your DHT level is probably back to normal... then you take your dosage, it goes down drastically, and this repeats over and over. I don't know, something to think about.

     

    Either way, assuming your side effects are not placebo it sounds like Fin is probably not going to work with you. It's good you've been on Minoxidil and Nizoral though. The next best alternative to Fin might be a non-systematic DHT blocker, such as S5 Spiro which is a cream you apply on your head (can be used with Minoxidil).

     

    I've never heard of anybody suggesting that before, in relation to fluctuating levels of DHT. I've only ever heard that it takes time for levels to rise back to normal, so didn't see a problem with non daily dosages. Maybe you're right, I dunno. The sides were worse on every day though.

     

    Is there any proof that this topical stuff even works though? I want to see people who couldnt take Finasteride for the same reasons as me, and managed to get good success over many years through topicals and shampoo, alone.

  5. Sucks doesn't it? I was on it for 5 months and literlly had no boners randomly.

     

    Been off it a month or so now, and im pitching a tent every morning for the last week or so... No exageration unfortunately.

     

    Its a toss up between hair or boners. (no pun intended)

     

    Well yes, but now i'm off it for a month and i'm not back to normal, where as in the past when i've stopped taking in the past, all function came back after a few days - weeks

  6. How long were you on Fin, what was your starting dosage, and did you experience these side effects the entire time you were on it or?

     

    From September 2012 till about a month ago, and i was on various dosages but for the most part, around 1/3 of a 1mg tablet every 3 days.

    Yes I always experienced slight mild sides but i need my hair.

    I still have some sexual function but my libido is pretty much gone, morning wood is still rare also.

     

    The sad part is that my hairline seems to have gotten a lot worse in the last few months, and i'm considering going back on an even lower dosage. I don't know what to do anymore. I've ordered a load of vitamins but i think i'd be kidding myself in believing that people can maintain hair from taking them.

  7. Hi Rich,

     

    Switching from generic to brand name Proscar should not - in theory - make any difference. What's more, it is my understanding that generic drugs are only required (by US FDA law) to contain 80% of the active ingredient of the brand name drug. In this example, if Proscar contains 5g of finasteride, generic proscar is only required to have 4g. So, in theory, switching to a brand name drug may actually increase the level of finasteride in your blood.

     

    Have you considered minoxidil (Rogaine)? It, like finasteride, is proven safe and effective for the treatment of androgenic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) and most hair restoration experts recommend it.

     

    Eating an appropriate diet is important. Hair follicles require adequate amounts of iron, protein, vitamins, etc, to function properly. However, diet doesn't usually dramatically affect hair loss; especially when compared to the use of drugs like finasteride and minoxidil. Having said that, many members do supplement their diet with vitamins and minerals known to support healthy hair growth (like biotin, msm, vitamin A, B(s),D, and E; iron, selenium, and fish oil).

     

    Have you spoken with a physician about the issue? Frankly, I think this might be the first (and most important) step in "sorting this out."

     

    Good luck!

     

    I've been using minoxidil twice a day for 3 years almost,

    As well as Nizoral type shampoos for 2 years.

    Nope, I've never seen a physician but then I never imagined I'd get any sound advice from one. I'm trying to get an appointment in meeting Dr hasson when he's next in London, to find out the full extent of my hair loss, but I worry that I already know the answer (Norwood 5a destiny).

    I just want to really change the course here, I'm fed up enough Knowing that I'm unlucky enough to have this at 24, and then to make matters worse, I can't even take the one drug that has fixed it for so many

  8. Hey guys, I've been off Finpecia for about a month now, due to side effects getting to the point of problem, even though I've only been on about 1/3 1mg tablet every 3 days. The side effects problems have gotten a bit better now, but it's still about, and my sex drive is drastically lower than it should be. Before anybody tells me it's all in my head, I can assure you that it isn't.

     

    The other problem is that I'm now worried that my hairloss is gonna rapidly increase, and i really want to curb all my problems here. I'd like to think i'm pretty well researched, but is there anything I can do here, or am I all out of options now, in terms of stopping my hairloss, so i can be a better candidate for HT?

     

    If I switch from generic to branded proscar, will that help with sides?

     

    Diet? Other treatments? Any new news?

     

    Really want to sort this out

     

    Thanks

  9. Then why don't I see pictures of aggressive hairlines using SMP? I wonder whether there is a reason for that. Hairlines like the one that of Will Smith in buzzed hair would be great. I am yet to see those examples with SMP.

     

    Are you kidding me? pretty much every single SMP i've seen looks very much unnatrual on most caucasians, down to the fact that it's always a black guys, straight across hairline.

  10. Can you name few good surgeons in India who are equivalent to best ones in UK? I am in India and I have always grappled with this question.

     

    i wouldn't go to india for any surgery at all personally. as i said earlier there are right surgeons in belgium a fraction of the cost in the uk, message me if you want any further information

     

     

    edit: sorry! just realised you are in India! in which case I definitely see the advantages to your consulting indian doctors :P

    • Like 1
  11. Wow. Your hair already looks great man - seriously it's fine. Maybe cut your hair short and style it differently...

     

    I'm about to have my second hair transplant in a months time to get it to look like what you have now. I hope it turns out to look like what you have anyway!

     

    Serious dude I wouldn't worry about that at all - your hairline isn't exactly high either...

     

    Cheers man, but i'm still not happy with it - i've never had the best hairline in the world anyway, but over the last few years it's gone back at least another half an inch, and isn't really showing any signs of stopping.

     

    Just trying to figure out if i'd be a safe candidate with all the meds i'm on, at the age of 26 or so.. obviously that would give me another 2 years of planning and what not. Doubt i'll ever get anywhere near a norwood 5 anyway, so...

  12. The bit below the blue chart about 2/3rds down:

     

    As seen in the graph above, patients with low hair density will have fewer hairs per follicular unit (with a preponderance of 1- and 2- hair follicular units) and those with higher density will have a greater proportion of the larger 3- and 4-hair units.

    Other characteristics of the follicular unit; such as hair color, wave, and hair shaft diameter; are important in determining the outcome of the hair restoration. Hair shaft diameter, which differs significantly among individuals, is particularly important in affecting the degree of fullness that can be obtained from a follicular unit transplant. In fact, hair shaft diameter contributes more to the look of fullness obtained from a hair transplant than hair density (number of hairs per cm2). See Measurements in Hair Restoration."

     

    Your coarseness of hair puts you at a big advantage if you ever need a HT.

    Recorded this the other day between a couple car journeys - figured i'd talk on it to explain somewhat, my hairlines really pissing me off.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8WNaZlSGJ0

     

    Any input at all, from anybody, would be great. If I could plan to have a hair transplant on the hairline for 2 years time, would that be appropriate?

  13. I looked at your youtube video from early 2013 (of which there is a link to on your blog).

     

    I'm not seeing any hair loss. You just appear to have low density and very course hair. According to Dr Bernstein's site, those with thicker calibre hair tend to be in the lower density range.

     

    There's likely to be some subtle changes to your hairline in your 20s and 30s but I don't think you have anything to worry about!

     

    So i'll have a lot less hair to play with, when it comes to having HTs in the future? T_T

     

    Yep, I try to update my youtube page (though all set to private or unlisted) every few months, perhaps i should record something tomorrow and upload here to show you the difference? Even if it's subtle, it's still getting worse :/

  14. Hey gang.

    Haven't been here in a while, hope everybody is doing well :)

     

    I'm 24 in March, and unfortunately, i am still losing hair. it's only at the front (on the hairline), this is really frustrating as most people my age have no hairloss, what so ever, but also because I've been on minoxidil twice daily for over 2 years (when I first noticed very slight thinning on the hairline), i've been applying azelaic acid once a day at night for over a year, kenocotozal shampoo several times a week, and most notably, even WITH slight side effects, i've been on Finasteride for well over a year now (once every 3 days, 0.5mg, to best deal with the sexual sides).

     

    I don't really display any hairloss because I spray a concealer on every single morning after my shower, however when you have a day at home, and don't bother putting any concealer in for a few hours, it really is apparent that my hairline has gone back over the last few years...at least an inch now, i'd say.

    Could I jump onto Dutasteride once a week at 0.5mg, or would this be a dumb idea, because of my side effects with finasteride?

     

    Also, i do suffer with quite a bit of social anxiety and have been in and out of depression quite a bit since my teenage years, however i'm getting better and learning to live without stress (getting a decent job has really helped my gain confidence and clarity in my life).

     

    Has anybody really found that stress causes hair loss, i'm still skeptical, but i'm running out of options now. i just wanna stop my hairloss, so when i do go for a HT, i won't have to worry too much about more hair falling out.

     

    /rant, thanks a lot :)

  15. Hey MyNameIsRich,

     

    Your experience with with Finasteride seems like mine. I tried taking Finax made by Dr. Reddy labs in India over the past 3 years. I tried in different doses like 0.5 mg every 3 days etc. I was having severe "brain fog" which I could not tolerate.

     

    But things changed completely when I started taking Propecia instead of Finax. I recently visited a HT doctor and he gave me a sample of Propecia. I tried it and there were no side affects at all. I have been on Propecia for the past 1.5 months, 1mg/day. No brain fog, not much depression (only for few hours after taking a pill), and not much sexual side affects. All this time I was thinking Finasteride is same every where. But does not seem so from my experience. I lost 3 precious years, loosing a lot more hair.

     

    I see that you are taking Finpecia, made by a company called Cipla in India. My advice is to switch to Propecia or Proscar. I doubt the quality standards in making Finpecia.

     

    I can't afford to switch to Propecia, it's far too expensive if I'm getting towards the 1mg daily dosage. Maybe Proscar in the future, but for now, as i'm cutting under 1mg, I'll stick with Finpecia. You could be right, but I don't want to be sceptical about something that seems to be working.

  16. Just so you know, reduced ejaculate is not exactly a side effect, rather a consequence of a shrinking prostate, I believe, something that the drug was designed to do!

     

     

    Have you had other sides?

     

    Wouldn't reduced ejaculate mean less chances of getting somebody pregnant, though?

     

    Other sides I've had have just been with erections, but this is much less of a problem now.

  17. Hey everybody,

     

    Just wanted to check in and see what was going on , but also figured I should post update as I feel it could help benefit quite a few people, and wish I had known this from day 1. Apologies if some of this isn't worded too well, I'm tired as hell and feel a bit under the weather today.

     

    I first started taking Finpecia (generic propecia brand) in October 2011, And within days I was getting the dreaded side effects, so I stopped taking it a few weeks later. Within an few weeks, my sexual function had returned to normal and I just stuck to using Rogaine foam for a while.

     

    Over the course of the next 6 months or so, I experimented with different dosages, but still kept the mindset that "I'm just not suited for this drug" because of the sides, but after more research, and the realisation that "A tiny bit of finasteride is better than no finasteride at all", I started taking the drug again, and have since not stopped. This was early August 2012, so basically a year ago.

     

    I stated my dosage off at something like 1/3 of a 1mg pill, every 3 days, and with this, I was experiencing side effects, but, they were a lot less troublesome and worrying for me, and having been in somewhat of a sexual relationship at the time, it was the perfect test to see just how much it would affect me, if at all. I definitely found that, in a 'bedroom situation', there really was no problem.

     

    As time went on, understandably, I wanted to increase my dosage, just to see if the side effects would worsen. I wanted to find the highest possible dosage I could get on to, before it became too much to deal with. I experimented with 1/2 mg every 3 days for a while, and with this the side effects did seem amplified, so I would switch back and forth every few days and take 1/3 mg if I felt I needed less of the drug in my system.

     

    Over the course of many months, i'd grown used to the regime, and it didn't bother me as much - I wasn't worrying about the what ifs, I'd just grown to accept that this was probably doing some good for me, and I could still have sex, so why complain? I also have been somewhat depressed over the last few years, and I really believe that this, paired with the anxiety of propecia has made it harder to become aroused, and to accept that I probably won't be as sexually promiscuous as the 16 year old version of myself who didn't have a care in the world.

     

    More months passed, and I had just started watching Spencer Kobren's 'The Bald Truth' show, as well as reading his book. This really helped me, as it made me realise that even if I was part of the small percentage getting side effects; I was very much aware of them before ever taking the drug, and was no doubt expecting them to occur. Research of Propecia scares a LOT of people off ever looking at the drug again, but I'm part of the mindset that would take it, and tolerate some side effects, rather than suffering with hairloss.

     

    By very gradually (I'm talking months at a time, and without any planning other than 'When it feels safe to do so') increasing my dosage, I am now at 1/2 a mg every day. Yes, I am still getting some side effects (mainly reduced ejaculate, not a lot else going wrong now) but I'm sure that with time this will become less of an issue, and within another year I should be on 1mg daily.

     

    My advice to anybody who feels they can't take Propecia, is to just start off on a really small dosage. DON'T have a plan, of a few weeks/months to get upto 1mg, this can cause you more harm than good, and it isn't a race. if it takes you two years to get to 1mg, that's better than never at all, right? I'm not a doctor, and I don't take 'bro-science' too seriously myself, but surely a bit of Proecia every 3 or so days is better than nothing at all, considering it can stay in your system for up to a week, or so. I'd also recommend people spend less time on forums, because it can be a breeding ground for unintentional negativity, the negativity that will probably make a worrying users side effects much worse. The best advice I ever got was from Spex, and Spencer Kobren's show. Go read his book, go watch his show, and I'm sure that you can change your underlying worries about taking this drug.

     

    Peace

  18. I've been using dermatch and more recently a GLH 'hair'spray concealer for a while now to thicken up the density of the hair directly behind my hairline for over a year now, recently i've been using my free caboki sample, which is great stuff! I do notice that it doesn't stay in all day, though, so i was considering starting using dermatch as an underlayer, and a little sprinkle of fibres right in the middle of my hairline, where it seems thinnest (this looks completely undetectable when i've applied it at the start of the day, compared to dermatch which is probably somewhat more noticable to an observant eye in very unfortunate lighting)

    But fibres seem pretty expensive, has anybody any experience with buying refill packs online? there are so many on ebay, and the sellers all seem to have really good, high numbers of feedback; The one I'm looking at is called "50g 100% natural Dark Brown Hair Fiber Refill Bag for Toppik, Caboki, and Samson" from a company called KK Gadgets.

     

    figured I'd give you guys a quick spin before I plunge and waste my money/spend my money wisely!

     

    :)

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