elduterino

I would choose a place or option where they use the LION implanter pen, this gives better results if you want high density and better angles at the temples . May cost more as they cannot divide the work between teams. I had two FUE, the one with the implanter tool was much better

No side effects but not effective at all. I even tried 3 times the dosage, at 8 hours interval and after 2-3 months still continued to lose hair. it did halt shedding but not miniaturization. And its expensive, has been around for 20 years..If you want effective stuff with no side effects nothing beats Clascoterone, in my experince

i used it for months, its very weak seems like it does nothing..has been around for 20 years. Very expensive too

I buy from Chinese suppliers on Alibaba. 

If you have blood pressure issues, you need to watch your minox usage, it will lower blood pressure. I doubt Stemox has any effect on blood pressure. I also took oral Minox 5mg a day and it gave me strong heartbeats due to low pressure at times.

I use topical Minox in the morning, Stemox in the afternoon and Clasco at  night. All 3 are ethnaol based topicals so they make the scalp more porous over time which means you need less Clasco powder to have the same effect

It means Stemoxydine is working for you.

These drugs are for life..I would start shedding pretty bad if I ever stop Clasco, or Minox, or Stemox.

What Stemox does is to greatly lengthen the growth phase.

A shortening of the growth phase is one of the symptoms of MPB. Plus the drug has zero side effects unlike Minox.

I have been using CB aka Clascoterone for 4 years now, it works well at keeping hair without side effects. I use ethanol 96% as well - the Polmos rectified spirit, that's all for vehicle.

I don't add PG as I don't like how it makes my hair greasy but at bit of PG may help. I apply small bits then massage hard as it dries fast. I don't use FIN or DUT, the 2 other are Minox and Stemoxydine. Stemox helps the minox works better IMO. all 3 are topicals.

no one will ever notice anything special at the back of your head..only guys on these forums and barbers will !..everyone else will either not know or not care or both..I would focus on how the front turns out

38 minutes ago, duchaine said:

What kind of skin issues?

https://thebaldchampion.com/minoxidil-wrinkles-dark-eye-circles-facial-bloating-deal-side-effects-minoxidil/

depends on dosage, but at high levels it can have an impact. I had these on 5mg oral

4 hours ago, Blower said:

if this  is the case ? then the DHT topical products would not be worth bothering with and just stick to Minox then?

Because of the side effect profile of the drug.

5% topical used twice a day gives about the equivalent to 2-3 mg oral minox a day in terms of systemic absorption, and that is not sufficient to cause androgenic side effects in most men, you would need a lot more Minox to reach the DHT reduction equivalent of 1mg of FIN, and by then you would run into potentially dangerous blood pressure issues, heart issues, water retention, and also cosmetic skin issues etc..which will make it unsafe and not suited as a lifelong hair maintenance drug.

The main mode of action of Minox at the regular topical dosage, is thought to be its potassium channel opening properties

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15816824/

In fact, while it may not be its main mode of action,  Minox does have DHT blocking (anti androgenic) properties as per several studies

Minoxidil Acts as an Antiandrogen: A Study of 5α-reductase Type 2 Gene Expression in a Human Keratinocyte Cell Line

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30064598/

Here are two videos illustrating the two methods, notice how fast the docs can do the incisions at 0:47

At the bottom is DHI by another top worldwide doc, Dr Lorenzo.

In this video,  the doc is doing the implantation and each slit/graft stick is taking more time, plus he has to switch tools each time

It looks like the doc from the top video can easily do 3 incisions during the time it takes to do just 1 implanter pen graft placement, so multiply this by 2000 or 3000 and you can quickly see why a single doc will not be able to use DHI  as method  to operate on a multitude of patients in one afternoon.

When we started looking into RU back in 2008, the assumption based on the then available studies and Bryan Shelton numerous posts, was that RU has a such a short serum half that it is side effects free．

Once I noticed the first side effects, I made sure to inform everyone on the forum that it is not side effects free, but that the effects quickly go away after a day or two, and these posts were written years ago not sure why you always dig into the old history, we learn as we go with these experimental drugs...

RU was the best we had back then even though it was far from being perfect, but we do have have better options now.

I was wrong on minox, many posters wrote that It works at the beginning only, gives sheds etc.. but I tried it myself after a while and it worked great for me so It completely changed my opinion of it, and I updated my post accordingly, again that was years ago.. - I only discuss the drugs that I used on myself , Minox was the exception.

So what are the Canadian docs required to do by law ?

The study on DHI highlights some valid advantages over the lateral slit method

The issue with North American clinics, is that by Law only doctors can do the cuts on human skins, so in the case of using the implanter pens the doctor would have to do all implantation work himself because slit and implantation is done manually by the pen in one step. This is how Dr Couto in Spain works, he uses implanter pens and he has world class results, but a long waiting list as he does most of the work himself.

A large clinic like H&W runs several surgeries in parallel and the docs only do the minimum required by law, which means that the techs do the implantation by forceps and the docs won't be able to use DHI as they would be limited to only one surgery per day, meaning less revenues, and a lot more work by the high payed docs.

In other countries the laws are not as strict or enforced, so clinics offering DHI can have a larger teams of techs pre-loading a multitude of implanter pens at the same time and helping the doc in implantation work at a faster pace, or doing most of it.

RU give side effects, although it does not affect androgen levels. We know that already, from studies. 

I used RU for 9 years, everyday, on myself, that Youtube guy should stick to bodybuilding advice.

RU or CB bind to the androgen receptor (AR)  so that DHT or testosteone cannot bind and cause hair loss.

But RU has a serum half life of 1 hour which is sufficient to circulate in the blood stream once its inside the dermis, then bind to other AR in the body and cause androgenic side effects due to the lack of androgen biding to the AR, regardless of the serum level of DHT/T, which remains the same, or  be slightly elevated like in using FIN.

The side effects I experienced were difficulty maintaining erections, numbness of the penis. Weird feeling for sure, but which went away after a day or two of stopping RU at least for me. I never got the PFS so its only my expericene. Others have reported potential heart issues, brain fog etc..

RU has never been fully studies in humans and there may be other unknown side effects. No need to use it now anymore, its dead as future treatment now that we have CB aka Clascoterone

I had two FUE, one with the traditional lateral slit method and one with the implanter pens aka DHI.

In my experience DHI was much better, angle control at the side of the temples was much better, density was better and cobblestone/avocado skin was diminished, healing better

Here is a good study to read 

https://www.ishrs-htforum.org/content/27/3/96

Rogaine foam, rogaine liquid, genuine merck propecia pills, proscar pills cut in 4, dutasteride capsules.. all of these I stored in the fridge over the years since I started meds in 1998 and those worked fine over extended periods. Nothing is going degrades faster than room temp if its below 25c and above 2c, it may be overkill or unnecessary at most, but its not going to make meds loose potency if stored in the fridge. There is zero science behind meds loosing potency if stored too cool, in a dry stable temp environment above freezing temperature. 

The manufacturer wants to make money selling drugs, they often rely on expiry dates for that. Therefore drug manufacturer will never advise on the best way to store drugs, only the acceptable and convenient way to store until the expiry date

Research drugs sold as raw powder , are often frozen at -20c at the manufacturing site and can be effective for years. I stored my RU, airtight , in the freezer for 5 years and the powder still worked fine.

I stored all my meds, mostly in the fridge since 1998 without issues in terms of effectiveness, but I live in a hot and humid climate for half of the year. Depends where you live.

Storage of drugs also depends on humidity, that's why it says room-temp and dry, because moisture will pass through plastics

The more expensive meds. are stored in glass containers with aluminum caps

https://repair.geappliances.com/resources/faq/what-is-the-average-humidity-level-in-a-refrigerator

• Relative humidity: Humidity is actually a measurement of how much moisture is in the atmosphere compared to how much moisture there could possibly be at that temperature. For example, 50% humidity at 35° F is actually a lot less moisture than 50% humidity at 70° F because warm air has the potential to hold much more moisture. The humidity levels in your fridge are always proportionate to the interior temperature, which fluctuates several degrees over the course of a day.

the foam dries fast I do rub it quite thoroughly because it won't penetrate once its dry. I do use nitrile gloves to do that though, because it does reduce systemic absorption. Minox does affect/reduces collagen production.

I use larger size "mechanic" gloves which are thicker than regular ones and those can be used many times over

Very satisfied, but I had realistic expectations and went for FUE both times starting as a Nw 2.5 only... I also make full use of hair meds so I don't have to rely on HT alone

5 hours ago, LonelyGraft said:

I’d follow what the label says (they did develop the drug after all), not what a random forum bro tells you

What would  be the point of going on forums to ask advice from other members, just be told "read the package"..I'm pretty sure he is aware of this option.

And yes, I also did store my Flutagel, - which was the topical flutamide in a gel, to reduce systemic absorption - in the fridge back then as well, around 2008 .and  it did work for hair , but gave me strong sexual side effects after a while, which I also documented on the forums. We have better options now. 

I always stored all my meds in the fridge - steady, low temp cannot hurt drug molecules. Still have my native hair so it must be ok

8 minutes ago, Cristero said:

HPTA suppression is way worse than any sexual side effects. It seems you don't know much about it and I'm glad for you that you didn't experienced it, but that basically means you don't have any considerable amount of sexual hormones running in your body anymore, both androgens and estrogens.

Not only you will be unable to perform sexually, but you will experience a terrible depression and sometimes even suicidal thoughts. Try to ask any bodybuilder who failed to do a proper PCT protocol after a steroid cycle.

In any case, we will discuss again when we will have the data from the completed phase 3 of the hairloss topical.

Suppression of the stress or HPA axis results in inadequate cortisol production. Cortisol is the natural stress hormone found in humans. When this hormone is produced insufficiently, response to stressors (e.g. trauma, surgery, inflammation) may be impaired and defence against infections may be inadequate. 

>Does not mention sexual hormones. This affects cortisol not male hormones

According to research, chronically elevated cortisol levels can produce impotence and loss of libido by inhibiting testosterone production in men. 

>so how having low cortisol does seem to lead to impotence 

11 hours ago, LonelyGraft said:

Wtf you’re brushing off hpta suppression Bc it’s not a “sexual side effect?” Is this real life?

sexual side effect have a very strong fear effect for guys, imagine spending all this money and effort on looks and hair, finally getting the girl of your dreams in bed and struggling to getting it up..a nightmare for most guys. Some even killed themselves over this.

HPA suppression, most older guys have no idea how this translates to practice.. and this is a lot more prevalent in children than older adults. Again, this was not reported in the hair loss age studies, 95 to 99% of guys will be just fine and EVERYONE will have rock hard erections