js1283

On 11/30/2019 at 10:19 PM, CosmoKramer said:

Interesting study...I do like the end point they state that switching to topical Finasteride could help keep the progress gained from having used oral Finasteride and then stopping its use but continuing with topical.

I think they said the hair loss stabilized after switching to topical from oral, but only after some loss. i.e., there was some net loss immediately after switching to 0.1% topical. 

0.25% topical finasteride is probably more effective though.  

According to this trial, switching from 1mg finasteride pills to 0.1% topical finasteride led to a slight hair loss: 
http://www.idoj.in/article.asp?issn=2229-5178;year=2015;volume=6;issue=1;spage=17;epage=20;aulast=Chandrashekar

@CosmoKramer the flaking occurs because minoxidil dries out your scalp.  If you apply a moisturizer like castor oil once a week this should help alleviate the dryness.  I soak rosemary leaves in my castor oil. 

On a side note, rosemary oil can be as effective as 2% minoxidil:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25842469

Mine is being made at a pharamacy.  My only concern is the amount of absorption of finasteride into the bloodstream. Since microneedling dramatically increases the absorption of topical solutions into the bloodstream, I wonder if this would result in the topically applied finasteride becoming too potent and unsafe.  

@CosmoKramer I've been advised to switch to a topical finasteride / minoxidil mix, replacing finasteride pills.  Do you apply topical finasteride while microneedling?   I wonder if I should stop microneedling while applying topical finasteride. 

I'm about one month into microneedling and have experienced a lot of shedding. On my comb alone I counted 150 hairs after three combings this morning. I guess this is normal and expected. 

@CosmoKramer have you considered using 10% minoxidil? 5% has been clinically proven to be superior to 2% so it would make sense that 10% is even more effective. 

 Is it okay to dye your hair while microneedling?

On 10/3/2019 at 1:07 AM, CosmoKramer said:

Yes, gently on 1mm needle setting and once every 7-9 days at 2mm but a bit more firmly also 10-15min and in always in a stamping motion not gliding or dragging the pen across the scalp.

@CosmoKramer are you sure you are giving your scalp enough time to heal if you are performing microneedling it 3 times a week? 

It may also help to take collagen supplement powder.  I use this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Grass-Fed-Hydrolyzed-Collagen-Peptides-Unflavored/dp/B071VGJTBH

In clinical trials, it looks like microneedling + minoxidil resulted in significantly more hair growth compared to just minoxidil:  
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5556180/

@CosmoKramer I just read this thread.  Very encouraging results!   I am going to buy the A6 pen on Amazon.  There is a 12 pin and 36 pin option.  I have a low pain threshold so I am leaning towards the 12 pin.  What is your preference?  Thanks!

A 2006 study produced the following results in 24 weeks for men:

Has anyone tried taking finasteride and low-dose dutasteride simultaneously? Given that finasteride's effectiveness can diminish over time for some people (like me), I am wondering whether either supplementing it or replacing it with a 0.5mg dutasteride dose would be a good idea.  I have had zero side effects on finasteride.  Propecia has dramatically slowed down my hair loss rate but it is not growing my hair.

Here is an Australian case with very positive results on a dutasteride + finasteride combo:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22686691

Thanks!

_______________________________

1mg finasteride daily, last 10 years (with a disastrous 6 month break)
5% minoxidil last 12 years

I visited 2 very well known US surgeons. Neither thought I had DUPA. One said if I had it, I would have lost a lot more hair at this age. I'm 38.

One recommends FUE, the other FUT. They both said 1500 to 2000 grafts should do it. The surgeon who recommends FUT warned that FUE may result in patchiness in future.

What are peoples' thoughts on this?  should I be wary?

Is a body hair transplant viable?  I have plenty of unwanted body hair.

Assuming I don't have DUPA, and given both the density of the donor and recipient areas, what would be a rough number of FUE grafts to start with?  I can't donate from the sides of my head unfortunately.  Also, there is a lot of unwanted hair at the base of the back of the head (occipital area?).  Can this hair be extracted or is it considered too thin? Thanks.

I am a 38 year old male.  I have been taking propecia (1mg) and rogaine (5%) for over the last decade.  Over the last 6 months I made the mistake of stopping propecia and significant hair loss on my crown/vertex increased accelerated significantly. 

My goal is to recover thick density in the crown/vertex area through FUE with a highly reputable surgeon in the US.  How many grafts (very rough range) would be optimal for me?  I can only extract from the back of my head; the sides are thinning out too.