Leftwithrope

Hey guys, Not sure if anyone has posted this here before, but a study conducted late last year seems to prove that oral minoxidil 5mg once daily is vastly superior to our usual methods of treating hair loss (minoxidil foam/liquid, 1mg finasteride, 0.5mg dut). What do you guys think? Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13555-020-00448-x#:~:text=Oral minoxidil is an antihypertensive,AGA) is receiving increasing attention. I've personally tried oral minoxidil and the hair growth from it was astounding - every hair on my scalp became thicker and healthier. I was forced to stop because covid-19 stopped orders from shipping out of India and I suffered a brutal shed. Will be jumping on it again. Regards, Sean

Hey @Kraistoff, could you let us know how the progress is so far. I'm anxious to find out too.

I'm actually looking to thicken up the thin miniaturised hairs, not so much looking for regrowth on bare scalp. Right now the hairs are weak and don't have much weight and bulk hen grown out. Am definitely not going the transgender route but might consider taking an even lower dose of oral minoxidil then what I've been on before if I need that extra push. Cheers!

I absolutely agree with you on the lack of information regarding dut on the internet. Could you share a bit about how one should go about transitioning from fin to dut? I heard of something called a loading phase and am curious at to whether there is any need to do that. Well, if meds don't work, there is always the option of a hair transplant

How noticeable were the gains from dutasteride for you as compared to finasteride? Finasteride has definitely thickened up the miniaturized hairs in the area behind my transplants, but it's still not very cosmetically viable and I'm hoping dutasteride can be the solution here. Good luck with your transplant! I also had one done in 2018 and you can see my results in the last page of the 'Hair Transplants are an Illusion of Density" thread.

Do you take both concurrently?

Looks like the sexual side effect you got was a good one How are the gains? Have you also been on finasteride before? I have been on fin for close to 2 years and would love to get some advice on how to transition to dut. Regards, Sean

Hey guys, I've had a great hair transplant result and have been maintaining my hair well on finasteride. The thing is, I'm still not quite satisfied with the regrowth of the area behind my transplants, as it's relative thinness of the hairs make for some styling issues. I've tried 5mg oral minoxidil and was blown away with the results, but had to stop because I wasn't comfortable with taking a medication that might cause complications for my heart. Having had no sides on finasteride except for some changes in the consistency of my semen, I am strongly considering taking the plunge with dutasteride to solve my issue with the thin hairs once and for all. I know there probably aren't many in this forum who are on the drug, but am hoping someone could shed some light on how safe it is. I've read that dutasteride inhibits the production of more than 90% of DHT in the body and am wondering if this would feminize me. I'm not really sure how anti-androgens actually NOT feminize a person, seeing as they reduce male hormones in the body. Hope to hear from you guys, Sean @spex

Hey guys, Sorry for the late response. Have been busy with my new job. I had my surgery done at an Indian clinic that is locally renowned. The doctor is skilled with using high-powered microscopes to do his work and that's about all I can tell you. Regards, Sean

Yikes! Some people apply foam in the morning and liquid at night. I'm thinking that might reduce the chance of a bad shed. Honestly, I'm not digging applying minoxidil every day. I am contemplating going off it in the near future and just get a 800-1000 graft transplant to thicken up the area. I'm just not sure if surgeons are willing to transplant into my existing thin hairs. There's plenty of them but without minoxidil, I doubt they'll be of cosmetic effect. What do you guys think?

Hey Ciaus, Thank you for the informative response. You've really convinced me to give the foam a try. Would switching from foam to liquid usually trigger shedding? I've seen on forums elsewhere that some people experience shedding when they switch their solution/foam to the other. Regards, Sean

I guess the foam wouldn't be more convenient as there's still plenty of hair where I'm applying the solution, weaker as they might be. I'm still curious as to whether the idea of getting a transplant for the sake of going off minoxidil would be a sound idea.

Hey Ciaus, I've been on propecia for close to 2 years and it's worked well at preventing further loss as well as provide some regrowth. The oral minoxidil I took in the past has helped to thicken up the regrown hairs which by themselves aren't as strong as my healthy hairs. I have now switched to 5% topical minoxidil twice daily and what I hate about it is that I can't see how I can use dermmatch with it. I do feel that minoxidil is best used with finasteride, as there is both a regrowth and anti-androgen factor. I'm always surprised to see people get stellar results from minoxidil monotherapy.

Hey guys, Thanks for all your responses. I've decided to leave my scalp damp with the application. I do some rubbing just to ensure that it doesn't drip down onto my face. Also, how viable is the idea of getting a transplant if I'm sick of using minoxidil to support minoxidil-dependent hair? I would imagine I would have to take a break for a period of time to allow these hairs to shed in order for the doctor to have a better picture of the treatment area. I'm thinking of visiting India again for the transplant if this is a sound idea. Regards, Sean