BeardedOne

Nothing much to add really except that Ernie your results are absolutely spectacular and by your interaction and constant updates here you seem like a very positive, stand up guy. Congratulations, well deserved!

I am yet to have a HT but have been considering FUE for about 4 years. I started fin 4 years ago though (36 now) and I've barely lost any ground since then so it's definitely delayed my decision. I'm glad it did - as I'm now seriously considering FUT!

What a fantastic repair job. The original work was absolutely criminal - I wish we could name and shame the "doctor" responsible for that.

Go on ebay, find a reputable seller and your order should be fine. I've never encountered problems. Avoid buying it in a pharmacy at all costs - I saw 1 months' supply of rogaine at my local pharmacy for 43 euro!

Hi Maccer,

I have been on fin for nearly 6 months. After my first script (given by a HT doctor) ran out I was recently prescribed fin by my (NW7) GP who has no affiliation to the hair loss industry. He possesses a range of knowledge about fin and also my own medical and psychological history, and he knows full-well that over the years I have periodically struggled with depression and anxiety. He had absolutely no problems doing so. Quite simply I place a lot of faith in his word on the matter.

The study you have posted is disingenuous to say the least. All it really asserts for certain is that 61 people have experienced side effects, among them depression and anxiety. I can say that, from my own experience with depression, finasteride has in fact helped me greatly. It has allowed me to combat my hair loss, which has significantly improved my overall positive frame of mind. I take no medication (save for vitamins) to combat depression. I am not saying this proves finasteride assists in fighting depression, not at all, but it has assisted in fighting my depression. Besides, I am merely highlighting that there is no one-way causal link between finasteride and depression as you declared to be evidenced by the original study.

I would also like to state that Spanker's participation on this forum should be beyond reproach at this stage, he has always engaged with every thread and discussion in an honest, knowledgeable and open manner.

Hi Steve,

many thanks for this detailed and valuable understanding of how and why hair loss affects us. I admire the goal of your research and hopefully it will bridge the gap in understanding that currently sees hair loss as, at best, a symptom of a wider problem (depression, anxiety, stress etc) rather than a causal factor of the problem in the first place.

My question is: how would you like us to present you with our own experiences?

thanks and all the best!

WHTC, what do you mean by cell therapy? Do you mean an approach to hair regeneration using stem cells?

I've definitely noticed a lot of hairs appearing around the hairline, and I think my hair is overall thicker. I definitely worry about my hair a LOT less, even if it's far from perfect.

The hairs at the hairline look better in some of the photos - I can't really style them yet and they're much shorter than the rest, although I hope they will grow out to match. The main difference, so far, that the hairs at the hairline make is that they create a sort of shadow of a hairline. They definitely make the receding far less noticeable. It's not like my hairline always received a lot of attention but there were a few glances here and there, and I've noticed far less of that.

I'm very happy with how things are going so far. Sides have been practically negligible.

NOTE

I ran out of my script for (proper) finasteride and I ordered some off the internet - bad mistake, I will NOT be doing that again. They were basically duds and I felt horrible on them, and I noticed a return of the MPB itch. I was on them for 2 weeks or more. I noticed my hair getting worse during this period - just generally unhealthier. I went to my GP here and he gave me a new prescription and happily things are getting better again.

I've included my before shots and also my 5 month update shots:

really good result as usual from Dr. Bisanga. I also think this patient could rock the Samurai haircut in the second photo!

congratulations FX301, Feriduni is a fantastic surgeon, you're in good hands. may I ask, when did you make your appointment? How long was the waiting list? Many thanks!

oscard89, I noticed a shed for about a month after I started fin, so yeah you probably will experience that too. But it's positive, I thought of it as a way to make room for new, healthier hairs.

Fin - 1mg per day, 4 months. Very mild sides, possible slight drop of libido at times but no ED, possible desensitised at times, and the odd bit of ball ache. All very manageable.

minox - morning and night. No sides anymore, but used to get heart palpitations a bit after use. My skin may look a little older too but that could be other factors.

cheers! I'm rationing out my last bit of Finasteride and hoping that 1) the new order arrives soon and 2) it's legitimate!

I have a way to test it now anyway - the MPB itch. I have totally noticed that it's gone away since I began fin, and at times where I have skipped a dose (to ration out my pills) I have felt the MPB itch return slightly. So hopefully I will know almost straight away if I've been sold dodgy pills.

Brilliant, you really would hardly notice you've had any work done at all! Have you noticed the nettle root working for you? And what sort of sides were you getting on Fin?

I didn't consult with a physician before beginning meds but I wish I did, I think fin works well for me and no real sides as yet but I would still have preferred to establish a baseline, for peace of mind!

I take it in the morning with other vitamins. I've only taken it a few times at night and found I had an absolutely dreadful sleep every time, very fitful.

Paulygon, the problem in Ireland is that you can't get a prescription for finasteride from a regular GP, only through a private clinic. Don't look so shocked, we're always way behind the times, sure you couldn't legally buy condoms here until the 1980s!

The only clinic I know costs 200euro for the first visit. On principle I won't pay that, even if in practice I don't actually have the spare change.

So unfortunately I've had to run the gauntlet of online pharmacies myself. I'll let you know how I get on.

Hello all, thought I'd share with you my update/progress on the meds. There doesn't seem to be too many logs on just meds here but I think this should be the first port of call for anyone considering a HT.

The Background: I started finasteride on 21 November so I'm creeping up on 4 months now. Touch wood but I'm beginning to see some decent regrowth - whether the smaller, darker hairs become fully terminal again I don't know. My initial desire was to go straight for the HT but that was in my ignorance, really, and I'm glad I opted for the meds first.

First, a caveat: Until today I have been taking photos with a good Canon SLR camera, and it just seems to penetrate right through any smaller hairs as if they weren't there. I thought that it would be best to use maximum light exposure etc but it just whitewashed the smaller hairs in favour of the skin and didn't pick up any of the new little fellas. I have recent enough pics with the SLR as well so you can compare my progress with that, but I believe that today's photos, with my iPhone, capture quite well the progress made. Anyway, it's not like I'm cheating. It's one of those things your teacher used to say to you about school exams, 'you'd only be cheating yourself'! I think from now on I will take only iPhone shots, they're far easier to take than with a larger camera and I can keep track of the new guys better. There is also a discrepancy with some of the SLR shots as I used flash in one set.

I have attached the progress photos to this post but if it's easier I will break down the posts according to the months taken?

The difference: it's not like I'm able to style any of these new hairs yet, but I believe they do make a cosmetic difference, in terms of the 'shadow' of a hairline. Hopefully, hopefully, they thicken up a little more and become part of my actual haircut! Further, I don't feel that MPB itch anymore - unless I drop out of a dose. I decided to cut down my dosage to just under 1mg a day (I cut a 5mg tab into 6), and the fact that I'm waiting for delivery of my next batch means I'm just trying to stretch out my last few tabs to make it over the line. It took a few months to actually realise but noticing that the MPB itch was gone was perhaps the best signifier that it's working for me.

The Emotional/Confidence difference: well, right now I'm doing everything I can. Seriously. In my line of work I am just not sure I will be able to get a HT. So I take my fin, I apply rogaine twice a day (now doing foam in the morning and liquid in the evening before bed), I use a 2% ket shampoo a couple of times a week, and I take MSN and biotin. Already, this has done a lot for my confidence. I've mentioned before that it's not really about attracting girls or whatever, it's a deep down 'how I see myself' confidence, and I do think that doing what I can has worked. I feel just, better. Because I'm doing something for myself that requires discipline. I still get that hair anxiety from time to time, but more and more I am getting to know myself (my hair?) like this and accepting it.

The Sides: I have noticed, from time to time, that I've had slight ball ache. Nothing too serious. It's probably happened for a grand total of 4 or 5 days over the last 4 months, and only really slight, and only for a short period of time. I have possibly experienced a drop in libido at certain times (and definitely a rise in libido at the start), but I know how psychosomatic libido is so I'm just trying to ignore it. I'm in a steady relationship and, it sounds funny, but every time I get any sort of doubt I 'test myself' with my partner and so far all seems well! On the whole sensitivity thing down there - I have noticed too, sometimes, that it feels a little different. But it's not like that all the time, it's not bad at all and not very different. Besides, I reduced the dosage somewhat and feel better for it. So on the whole, and I hope I'm not jinxing myself, the sides have been easily manageable.

I'm such a waffler. Sorry for the long post! Now to the pictures. As I mentioned I tried to organise them so you can see the pre-finasteride pic first according to each angle:

Amazing result.

Paulygon you must be thrilled with these results, that's a pretty big transformation! I'm also really happy that you've had such a personal, positive change. I still get these waves of anxiety every few weeks about my hair loss, does this happen to you still?

Congratulations again.

Hi Chrisdav, many thanks for that. I will send him an email now. Cheers!

bump bump

Doc, while this is a fantastic transformation, did you really mean that the patient began using finasteride at 12??? I was under the impression finasteride can massively impact male hormonal development - but only becomes safe in adulthood?

Hi all,

I need to re-up my Finasteride but I don't really fancy paying for a doctor's visit to get a new prescription - how does everybody else do it? Are there any reputable online Pharmacies delivering to Ireland?

thanks

This just keeps getting better and better. Nice one Matt!

this is an unreal result!