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Viney

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  1. The results have been amazing, but I started oral dutasteride at the same time so it's very hard to distinguish whether it's the sublingual min, dut or both which has given me great results. FWIW I got noticeable improvement on 1mg dut daily and 0.9mg sublingual minox within the first 4 months. Here's my thread with before and after pics... I'm probably due to post some updated ones which I'll do in the next few weeks:
  2. I had no issues commencing on a lower dose of sublingual (oral) minox and working my way up over a 12 month period to a higher dose. Fingers crossed I can continue with it, smooth sailing so far based on 2 years of use. Admittedly I probably didn't do a whole lot of research on it, my dermatologist prescribed it and said he uses it a lot with patients and doesn't encounter issues. I might be a bit lazy but the efficiency of taking it orally is a massive plus for me as applying topical seems like a hassle to do.
  3. I've put it on hold for now but if you saw my hairline it's still very receded particularly in the corners or when I pull my fringe back. I can mostly hide it by bringing my hair forward or sweeping it across but when it's windy outside it gets really exposed. I'll do updated pics from more angles early next year and you'll probably be able to see what I mean. Regardless of the hairline issues above, I'm extremely happy (and grateful) and currently not looking into getting a transplant. Fingers crossed these meds keep working.
  4. Thanks for the tag @Gatsby Looking at your pics I think under the guidance of a knowledgeable dermatologist you could see some good results from medication alone. Once stabilised you could then think about pulling the trigger on a hair transplant if needed. Personally I started oral dutasteride and oral/sublingual minoxidil at your age and haven't yet experienced side effects (it's been almost 2 years). I thought I was going to have to shave my head, and now I'm not thinking about shaving my head and I don't even want to get a hair transplant. Hair transplants are the very last resort if you aren't willing to shave it off. Happy to help with anything if you're curious about the medication, I'm also located in Aus.
  5. Are you sure the brand supplied by your pharmacist hasn't changed?
  6. I may have made a subtle change to the hair salon behind you in the pic if you didn't notice...😅
  7. Not me. How long has the dry throat been a thing for you?
  8. Back with another update. Medication and Timeline (remains the same as my last update): 15 January 2022 - 16 March 2022 - 1mg Oral Finasteride daily. 17 March 2022 - 24 July 2022 - 0.5mg Oral Dutasteride daily, 0.9mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily 25 July 2022 - 7 February 2023 - 0.5mg Oral Dutasteride daily, 1.8mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily 8 February 2023 onwards - 0.5mg Oral Dutasteride daily, 2.7mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily I saw my dermatologist recently at the end of August. We compared the clinic controlled pictures against those taken back in January 2023 and there was an ever so slight improvement through the midscalp, crown and hairline. This was only slightly incremental so I didn't bother paying to get these pictures from the clinic as tell a whole lot new data since the last pictures from January 2023 which I have. My dermatologist said that at this point, 18 months into taking medication any further gains are likely to be very slight and not as dramatic as I had previously experienced in the first 12 months. He asked if I wanted to increase my minoxidil dosage but I said I'd rather maintain the current dose to leave room up my sleeve to increase if needed in future. We took donor density counts again. I wanted to see if we 'lucked out' last time he counted my donor density and to get a better view of what's actually happening. Again he stressed there is variability in the counts as he can't ever know he's counting from the exact same location as last time. The results from this were a slight decrease on last time but well above the initial base line so I think we're getting a decent view at this point of what my actual donor density is on average. He didn't see any concerns with the decrease on the last count and put this down to the inherent variability. He said my donor was definitely well improved from baseline when he first saw me back in March 2022. He said it was darker and there was more double and triple follicular units rather than the high percentage of singular units I previously had. Data summarised below: Density cm2 Donor area: Mar-22 Jan-23 Aug-23 Gain (on base) Supra-auricular (above ear) 50 70 60 10 Mastoid (behind ear) 50 60 70 20 Occipital protuberance (back of head) 60 80 70 10 Average: 53 70 67 13 I told him someone should publish a study on donor density and its response to medication and he said "thanks for the idea, I might do that", so fingers crossed he actually follows through as I think this could be an interesting study. We took pictures of my donor areas under dermoscope and although I have the images I don't think they're worth sharing here as I doubt they're very informative to anyone apart from dermatologists and hair transplant surgeons. My own pictures outside in the light tell me my hair hasn't really changed since May 2023 which I think is a good thing (at least I'm not losing hair!). I'm still well above my base when I started medication in January 2022 so I'm stoked. Left pic below is December 2021 right is September 2023: Left pic below is May 2023 right is September 2023: Still undecided if I want to pull the trigger on hair transplant and this uncertainty means it's a firm no at this point as I want to be absolutely certain when (or if) I do decide to get one. Side effects seem to be staying away but I really am starting to think some of my eyebrow hairs are getting abnormally long and thick. Is this just evidence I'm getting old or is it the minox/dut causing it 😅? I am fairly certain there is more vellus hairs than previously around my face but I'll take the trade off and this definitely hasn't translated to increased body hair, only the hair around my upper face. I'll try do an update with pictures comparing more angles at some point in the next 6 months as at this stage I should be more interested in tracking my hairline and midscalp rather than my crown.
  9. My understanding is that minox is the drug that can potentially make you feel dizzy, rather than fin. Do you take minox OP?
  10. Can't say I've had that side effect before 😂
  11. I take 0.5mg Avodart daily. If you're only going to take it twice a week without taking another 5ar inhibitor like Fin, then wouldn't it make more sense to spread the tablet across the week. So e.g take it Monday and Thursday or Friday?
  12. This podcast explains it (I recall watching this a while ago and it was painful to listen to). The Hairy Pill is basically the common hairloss drugs (oral min and/or fin) customise dosed and branded with the hairy pill. The patent holder of oral minoxidil Rodney Sinclair is affiliated with the Hairy Pill but some other guy who is invested seems to be behind the marketing. It seems like you're paying a premium for probably some more anonymity and easier access to common hairloss drugs your doctor or dermatologist can get you cheaper.
  13. I think oral minoxidil is worth trying if you feel up to it. Personally I'm willing to take it and think it's given me some improvement. You could also try switching from fin to dut if you wanted to really have a decent go at saving your existing hair and trying to get a little bit of improvement.
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