GoliGoliGoli

And my posts are directed at guys considering using a drug for hair loss that transgender's use when transitioning from male to female. Good day to you sir.

Well, since this is clearly directed at me I suppose I will respond. You're not accurately representing what I said- classic Strawman argument. I did not say "the absence of side effects is potentially a negative thing". I said when you start on a drug and begin to experience a known side effect of that drug, and then that side effect dissipates over time despite continuing with the drug, that does not necessarily mean that everything is now hunky-dorry from a physiological perspective. It does not necessarily mean the root cause of your testicles aching is now gone. On the contrary, it could also mean that your body is compensating to overcome the noticed side effect and the damage is not continuing, or is continuing on such a level to not be especially relevant or on a level that makes it worth it to you when you weigh the cost/benefit of the potential for it to maintain your hair versus the physiological damage it is causing. Notice the word choice I use: "Not necessarily", "could be", "noticed side effect", "could also mean". It's an adage in science that "Nothing is ever proven or disproven". Studies come out that either lend support to a thesis, or lend support to a counter argument. Science is all about using data, first principle thinking, and correlation to lead you to the best hypothesis. Overall from the research I've done I think trying to lower your DHT to maintain your hair is a horrible idea and very much a roll of the dice, but there are plenty of people who have been on it for years that would disagree. I could link to tons of studies about the wide range of functions DHT has in your body (Many completely unrelated to libido or erectile function) and why I think raising DHT is actually a good idea as opposed to lowering it, but I've already stood on my soap box long enough. If anyone is interested let me know and I can DM them to you.

The implication here is that after time the side effects going away is a good thing. But have you considered the possibility that it's the opposite and the side effects going away is actually a bad thing? I'm not saying it is or isn't, but your assumption that the side effects going away with time might not be the correct one.

Doesn't necessarily sound normal, but could be any number of things including psychosomatic. I would go to a dermatologist and get their thoughts. Although it's likely they won't be able to help much.

Damn sorry to hear that mate. I would think after 3 HT's of 5300 grafts you'd have better coverage. All 3 places you went weren't' very reputable you said? Thanks

Ya someone in the Reddit AMA accused him of being anti Min because he's releasing a Fin topical but that sounds like nonsense to me. I imagine this guy is loaded and plus he seems ethical anyways so to think he's doing some sort of backroom propaganda campaign to knock Min in order to boost his Fin sales seems a bit ridiculous.

Wait, so you're saying you and the other guy had the side effect on the foam, but not on the liquid?

Are you doing FUT or FUE? Have any other Doctors besides Hasson made this comment on Topical Min? My Doctor told me to increase my dosage from 1 to 2 applications per day. This was Hasson's response in a Reddit AMA when asked about Topical Min. I can't tell if he's saying its only a problem for FUT or also FUE? Sounds like both? Dr. Hasson: When we perform surgery on patients who have been using topical minoxidil, we find that the tissue is incredibly fragile with markedly reduced tensile strength. This has affected the amount of tension the scalp can withstand during wound closure in FUT surgery and also the density that we can pack grafts into the recipient areas. In addition, I have had multiple patients complain of increased wrinkles in the face after using the drug (this suggests possible premature facial aging). It has now been shown that minoxidil inhibits the production of an enzyme, lysine-hydroxylase, which is responsible for the production of hydroxy-lysine which is of great importance in the cross-linking of collagen in the skin. In my opinion, this mechanism can account for my clinical observations.

You were using topical I take it? How long after using did you notice the irregular heartbeats? Did you have it checked out or just self diagnosed? Thanks

Why did none of the folks you consulted with want to work on the crown? Because of the diffuse nature of the thinning?

The consensus I've found is that it isn't very impactful.

OP sounds a lot like me. I am 33.5 and will be close to 34 when I got in for my HT. I am a NW 3V maybe NW 3.5. Started balding around 25 and loss has been fairly slow. I never have lost clumps of hair or looked down in the shower and seen a lot of hairs. No interest in taking anything besides Topical Min (Which from initial results I seem to be responding well to). It's important that whoever you choose for your transplant understands that you want a HT you can age into well. As someone else mentioned going with a fairly conservative/mature after restoration is a good idea as it preserves grafts and wont leave you looking weird if you continue losing. I am also going with Dr Nader who seems to be have the best quality/price ratio of anyone in North America. I just can't justify spending 25,000 for similar results in the US/Canada/Europe. So if I eventually need a 2nd HT, no biggie I'm still way under what a lot of people spend for a single HT.

Yes this is my experience too. Nader had a 6 month wait time but I was happy to book it

Arocha I think is considered a really good option in the US and had basically no wait time for consult or surgery when I consulted with him. I didn't choose him but take that info for what it's worth

The nicotine gum works well for me as far as quitting, but as nicotine is a vasoconstrictor so it probably is not the best to be chewing it either post HT. But do keep it mind down the road as I'm sure it's a lot better than smoking a cig

I have a cat and Min is supposedly quite toxic for them so I'd rather not risk it. But also supposedly 75% of Min is absorbed after 4 hours so I don't see the point of leaving it in. And if I'm going on that night I wouldn't want to leave it in because it leaves my hair looking ridiculous

Ditto, my first HT is about a week before yours

I'm not necessarily promoting or advocating his stuff, but check out Hans Amato's writing and podcasts on the topic if you are curious about some natural routes to mitigate hair loss. He believes that DHT has some role in hair loss but not the key role that most people think.

I've heard the 2x a day thing is unnecessary. I work from home so it's easy to just throw some in around 11am and wash it out around 5pm. But would definitely be annoying if I had to work in an office with it in.

Is this why you decided to jump off of Min in the first place? And if so did it go away when you stopped using Min?

I don't know the answer to your question but I will say I've been using Min for about 2-3 months now (Took a few weeks off because I was planning on getting off it but went back on). I have noticed I've started sprouting little ear hairs. Could be totally unrelated to the Min as I'm approaching 34 and have always had a incredibly thick beard and lots of leg hair, with decent amounts of hair on upper body as well. So could just be a natural development but seems odd it would coincide totally with starting Min. Edit: I think this suggests the Min goes fairly systemic. Their is no chance it's getting applied to my ears unless its during the shower perhaps when I'm washing it off. Maybe this is a sign that I will be a hyper responder who knows

Could you not contact the clinic and have them put some more grafts into the area directly above the lip? Or are they concerned with going too close to the lip? I understand you don't want to do anymore work but maybe they would do it for free?

The big concern I think is shock loss from transplanting grafts into an area that already has a lot of native hair

Thanks, and you said the pictures you posted earlier don't do full justice to how bald the crown was?

I mean if they get super wet they will wash out but generally they're fairly rain resistant. The less you have to use to more natural it looks, you could get away with using very little. I don't think you would have trouble finding one that will match your color and again since you don't have to use a lot it wont look unnatural anyways. Try Caboki. IIRC Toppik has some chemical in it that is thought to be toxic, whereas Caboki does not.