TommyLucchese

What's the 3rd product in the big 3...Nizoral?

Sorry to hear that. I've been using the Essengen 6 for the last 3 weeks, once a day every few days, to hopefully avoid any sides. What product of theirs did you use? Really hoped this would be a way to have the positives without the negatives...

It's been 3 weeks now... so far so good. Happy with the service, the presentation of the product and the ease of use. The end goal is basically for no change to my hair while completely eradicating the sides I got from a fin brand 2 years ago. I want to keep the results I've got from propecia / proscar and rogaine foam. So I doubt I'll be reporting any regrowth, no needs = good news in this instance.

Here's what I did and would recommend... Begin gradually. Cut up the pill and take half of the pill every 3 days for about 6 weeks. Let your body slowly adjust to the medication. You don't want to be taking the full dose daily for maybe 3 months or so. If you do that - and if you don't concern yourself with potential side effects - hopefully you'll see huge improvement in your hair, no change in your beard, and no other side effects. If you begin worrying about side effects and jump straight into the full dose, you may well get them even if it's just your mind playing tricks on you. Look into topical finasteride if you are worried about side effects. Propecia / finasteride is usually used in conjunction with minoxidil. 5% rogaine foam is good.

A clinic can't ensure or guarantee 90% growth... all they can do is promise to do their best for you, with any surgery there is always a risk and never a guarantee no matter how great and experience the surgeon is. From my own procedure, if I remember rightly, Dr Feller extracted the strip and made the incisions in my scalp and then his team of technicians placed the grafts on rotations of 2 techs at a time to avoid fatigue. It is..or at least was (8 years ago when i was on this forum all the time) pretty normal for a team of technicians to do a significant part of the surgery. There are some high profile exceptions where the named surgeon does everything though. The technicians are usually well paid and have been with a HT doctor for years honing their craft, because they're very important. You want to choose a place where you a) know the doctor themselves will be massively involved b) the team have been together a long time. The main thing to be concerned by is if the surgeon has very minimal involvement - or you don't know who will be performing the surgery at all, which is usually big branded clinics with multiple locations. One doctor may be the face of the business but might not have any involvement in your actual case. I must admit, I wouldn't like being presented with these options and being asked to pay more for the doctor to be involved more.

Amazing result, especially after previous attempts elsewhere. It's awesome to see names of clinics and locations become so highly esteemed that weren't even on the map (here at least) when I was researching 9 years ago.

Thank you! Yeah I think it's best to be cautious... I have huge respect for Dr Feller and he gave me a great result. Dr Bloxham seems to have a very good reputation too so I'm sure you'd be in good hands. If the line of thinking still holds up that you can utilise more donor with FUT and then use FUE to get even more after that, then your plan sounds good to me. All I can really say definitively is that FUT worked out well for me and I will have no problems having another strip taken when I want this crown sorted out. For that I have Hasson & Wong in mind unless the HT landscape seriously changes by then. Good luck - consult with some different doctors who have different opinions on FUE v FUT and your case. Make as informed a decision as you can.

Any updates? Eugenix is a new name to me but it seems they are held in high regard, this was a great write-up and the last update was looking great. I hope the result is a "home run" as it seems they treated you with first-class service, very impressive patient care. I suspect you've reached that point where you stop thinking about your hair and forget these forums even exist!

I'd pay for Farjo and ask beforehand for donor analysis etc. to make sure you get what you want out of it.

Good to see you back, Bill.

I'm conscious of the fact I've mentioned them a few times lately but Minoxidil Max offers a fin-only topical solution... I've just started their fin/minox combo and am impressed so far. Damn, that's a concern. I'll keep positive and starting with low doses a few times a week.

Classic Belgravia pics...my mug shots are in their data base somewhere too. I'm no dermatologist but I haven't had any noticeable difference when using on a pre-washed scalp or not. Interesting about minoxidil-direct not being the cheapest, I've been very happy with the price and service though and you can save more if you buy in bulk. Compared to Belgravia it's an absolute steal though eh? EIther way, it's good you've got a cheaper price. Will keep my eye out for news on that product, thanks for the info.

For me it's the same (if not slightly cheaper but not much) as buying both Proscar and Rogaine 5% foam, so I thought it was a no-brainer really for the sake of not taking the pill and all that has come with it over the last 2 years. I'd definitely recommend Rogaine 5% foam if you are going to give minoxidil a try. Minoxidil-Direct is a good source if you're in the UK. What's CB0301?

So you would say that using it on my crown and midscalp will still help the HT hairline and donor area? Haha yeah it's strange to feel completely new to something in this game again! After all the talk about it yesterday I couldn't wait anymore so gave it a go...my arm was ok from dropping it on the day before. It's a liquid, just like the original minoxidil. I had to use about 2ml rather than the stated 1ml to get coverage all over my scalp, letting it drop down and rubbing into the "safe" areas too. Bit of a light burning sensation for 20 mins or so but nothing bad or painful. Good point about using too much and getting sides. The current dose I'm using is 6% minoxidil and 0.5% fin, you're supposed to use it twice a day but I think I'm just going to do one full coverage every 2 days to start off with and see how that goes. Thank you so much for the link that's a big help.

I've been stabilised for over 10 years now, it was stable for 2 years due to fin/minox and then I had my HT age 23. Very conservative hairline to save grafts for down the road.....definitely will need this crown done at some point, but it's stable and concealer and longer hair is doing the job for now. You'd never know my hair loss background if you saw me walking down the street. I don't want to preach FUT - in my time away from the forums it seems FUE has really come into its own. All I can say is it's really worked out for me - my advice if you go for it is choose a top doctor, pay the money and hope for the best!

Hmmm my late 2000s weight gain and hair loss suggests otherwise

Big difference! To put it bluntly - your funds are better off being spent on finasteride and minoxidil than going into the hands of the bookies. Addiction is tough and to have rapid hair loss as well is a very difficult situation, but you know what the solutions are. Good luck.

I am trialling some topical fin/minox and the instructions say to apply to the problem areas. Does this mean there won't be any benefit to the "safe zone" area as well as areas that I haven't began losing hair from? I feel like my overall hair quality improved a lot by taking the propecia pill - not just the thinning areas. Will I lose this benefit unless I use a larger dose to affect the entire scalp? Thanks

2012... I went with FUT because of the advice of Dr Feller. I wear my hair longer so having a scar was never a concern - I've never noticed it and honestly don't give it any thought. I've had absolutely 0 problems as a result of my FUT procedure, the only effect i've had is a completely rebuilt hairline and thickening of the mid scalp. The procedure itself was painless and weirdly relaxing. There was a lot of short, sharp pain removing the staples, I did that myself / with family and it did hurt...but it wouldn't stop me going though it again for my crown.

I've seen a few different Morr F products - you can definitey get a fin and 3% minoxidil combo and possibly even a just fin solution. You can definitely get a fin-only solution on Minoxidil Max. I am following the advice of someone on here and trying it on my arm for a few days to see how my skin reacts. I've seen their website mentions that some products can irritate the skin so they have products that are advertised as NO PG which apparently deals with that problem? I'll be back with updates.

I've been on minoxidil for over 10 years and I can tell when I haven't taken it for a while - I love the 5% Rogaine / KIrkland foam. There is definitely much cheaper alternatives to Belgravia out there - for both minox and propecia.

Yeah wasn't good at all... Have you considered topical fin / minox combo that you rub into the scalp? I've just bought some and will be starting this week. I can't give many details on it as it was brand new to me once I hopped back on these forums a few months ago after a long time away - but apparently a lot of evidence says it is as effective as taking a propecia pill but with 0 chance of side effects. I've bought from MInoxidil Max and have been very impressed with the service, there is also a product called Morr F that a doctor on here recommends - search for it on ebay. I have never stopped taking minoxidil for long enough to lose hair so i don't know for sure - but I've read doctors say you'll lose that hair again yes. Transplanted hair is there for the long term, assuming it all grows properly to begin with. Fin will help you keep that hair because the "safe zone" at the back can decrease the older and balder you get. Rogaine 5% foam from Minoxidil-Direct is great and has kept me going for years.

Foam is much easier to manage, it dries quicker and I find it binds the hair together which gives it a temporary appearance of thickness. Cream just makes it wet and it the dose seems low when distributing it. No sides from minoxidil, I got sides from fin after 8 problem-free years when switching to a new brand that was quicker....search for my thread on Aindeem for the details. I think Belgravia is a great starting point for newbies to get them at least on the proper stuff.....you're right though it's ridiculously expensive!

i ordered topical fin and minoxidil combo a few weeks ago, waiting for it to arrive. Have been on propecia/proscar for 10 and a half years so it will be an interesting change.

I used 12.5% minoxidil cream with azelaic acid for about 5 or 6 years from the belgravia centre....no problems, can't say for sure how good it was since i also started propecia at this time. I switched to rogaine 5% foam a few years ago and much prefer it.