RecycleBin

On 11/12/2023 at 12:51 PM, TheDarkHour said:

I'm on the verge of deciding between finasteride or RU, but I'd like to establish my baseline hormone levels before starting either treatment. Some recommendations suggest testing around 20 hormones to determine baseline levels, but this could be quite costly, especially if I plan to retest later to assess the impact of finasteride or RU. Additionally, being in the UK, it seems that only testosterone testing is available through the NHS.

I've found a package from Medichecks that covers testosterone, free testosterone, estradiol, and DHT for approximately £200. Would this be sufficient, or should I consider testing other hormones as well?

It should be sufficient to get a decent baseline of where you stand you should definitely do it its worth it in the long run knowing where your levels were before you start inhibiting one of the most androgenic hormones in the body. Go with sensitive e2 test if you are given the choice. If you could also include prolactin in there it would be a bonus. 

3 hours ago, Grouse said:

@RecycleBin thanks for posting! Did you get side effects from fin or any other treatments in the past? I agree, I'm hesitant of the megadose too.

Hard to say without your baseline, but 38 seems kind of low - I was at 80 before starting a different version of dut. Mine went down to 50 - 60 from once a week application. As long as you don't feel sides that's what matters tho!

I've tried finasteride both topical and pills and while sides weren't necessarily bad rather subtle they were still present. I didn't like how much effect the drug has on the endocrine system maybe if I was in my 30s or 40s it wouldn't bother me as much but for now I'll stick to this product and try to maintain my current hairline. In terms of DHT I'm assuming since its a topical it'll locally block it since scalp levels are the only thing that matters for hair loss. 

4 hours ago, hairman4321 said:

this looks good - given the fact we're suffering from MPB it makes sense that we'd have above average DHT, but here you have average DHT. Perhaps it was mildly reduced as a tiny bit has gone systemic? But nothing I would worry about, since you're mid range now. Does it seem to be helping your hair at once a week application?

I do think a very small % does go systemic but not enough to make a difference in day to day life. In terms of results its hard to say for me since I had a HT 6 months ago Im trying to use it to just maintain what I have at this point. Im not seeing any shedding as I used to overall my hair seems healthier and I don't seem to be losing anymore ground. I think if they lowered the dose it'd make it much more tolerable for daily use 

On 9/17/2023 at 11:13 PM, FinallyHT said:

It gave me pressure over my eyeball. Do not try it. 

Did you use it topically for hair loss or the eyedrops for glaucoma?

Just wanted to share blood test results 6 weeks into topical dut treatment. Surprisingly everything is normal and right where it should be unfortunately I don't have baseline DHT data to compare to but the fact that it's not suppressed to the max should be a good indicator of how much it goes systemic. The test was taken about 24hrs after last application. My treatment protocol is 1x a week application Xyon topical dutasteride im still not happy about the megadose in the product or else I would feel comfortable applying it once a day. 

I've been looking into using latanoprost foam made by my compounding pharmacy but reviews on it are rather limited. It's basically a glaucoma drug that was found to promote hair growth as a side effect. Mechanism of action is stimulating the anagen phase increasing the conversion of short and thin hair into thicker and more mature hair.

There are some studies on it that look very promising when used as a topical. There are some personal reviews on other platforms that state it does work but are rather vague. Has had any personal experience with it?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21875758/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/dth.15450

"Conclusions: Latanoprost significantly increased hair density (terminal and vellus hairs) at 24 weeks compared with baseline and the placebo-treated area. Latanoprost could be useful in stimulating hair follicle activity and treating hair loss." 

Do you mind sharing the dosage and how long you used it for

Appreciate the input I'll try to keep my mind off it and give it more time before making a judgment. Pre-surgery me and the doctor agreed to only focus on the front half and not the crown so not expecting a full set of hair but hoping for decent density on the front. Topical dutasteride also seems to be doing pretty good job on the crown giving me at least some regrowth. 

I'm at 3 months post op 2500 grafts starting to get concerned about density. I'm not sure if I should expect more in the upcoming months or the 2500 weren't enough for good coverage 

Prior to HT

At 3 months 

Just looking to get some input to see if something went wrong or I just need to give it more time 

21 hours ago, Joseph James said:

I just received it today.

Keep us posted man

You need baseline levels of testosterone, E2 (estradiol or also estrogen), prolactin and free testosterone before you start on oral fin also if you have the extra cash it's always nice to check serum DHT levels. 

Finasteride blocks the conversion from testosterone into DHT which is the hormone responsible for hair loss. Once that happens you will have higher levels of testosterone in your body which often times aromatises into estrogen. If the levels of E2 get too high that's when people start experiencing side effects so it's good to know where you stand. 

I really hope this isn't another topical treatment where you apply it and pray it doesn't go systemic. 

Does anyone know how long you need to wait after a HT to begin using topicals again

On 4/11/2023 at 4:01 PM, Jlb said:

Ok. Well I’m considering Dr Dorin as he has very good reviews. Dr Danyo also has good reviews online. Beard to scalp for density is my goal. Donor area almost depleted. 

Dr Danyo is definitely worth looking into especially since you're doing beard to scalp transplant I know it's a very common procedure for him

If you can tolerate dutasteride which seems like the case then take the 0.5mg daily. Both drugs are 5-AR inhibitors finasteride targets type 2 only while dutasteride blocks both 1 and 2 so I don't see the point of taking fin a well. Dutasteride is known to block more than 90% of DHT so if you're still losing ground taking it I'd look into other causes and consult with a dermatologist. 

8 hours ago, HHH said:

Depends which way he styles his hair. Density at the very front looks good, if it's (photo left) to right, it should look good.🙏

HAirline design looks natural

Thank you I'm hoping it'll turn out natural and density looks pretty good to me as well and towards the back I have pre-existing hair the doctor he'll fill in as needed 

Okay about 2 days post HT and everything went better than I could've asked for except the fact that the one side of the hairline seems visibly crooked. When we drew the line it didn't appear that way and it was further up where I wanted it but for one reason or another it ended up being much lower on one side and I can't stop stressing over it. Is this something that will be very noticeable when it grows out? 

10 hours ago, 12345 said:

any follow ups regarding your xyon dut use? are you still side effect free with the reduced regimen?

Im still using it once a week and I haven't noticed any sides since but I'll definitely ask Xyon for much lower dosage once the three months is over. I got a blood panel done prior and will be doing another one in a couple of months to make sure nothing is off hormone-wise

I'm sorry to hear that it did not work out in your favor. The blood test results don't seem all that surprising for fin I believe even Xyons very limited and vague studies showed steady decrease in serum DHT from people using their finasteride product. I think you should have chosen the topical dutasteride given that supposedly due to its heavy molecular weight it does not go systemic to such an extent compared to topical fin but again very limited data on this. I wouldn't call this a complete failure given the fact that taking the pills gave you severe side effects vs the topical application which is what most people are indeed looking to get out of it.

It looks great besides the few grafts that have been implanted wrong but can't say that you've had a bad result. It is as realistic as it gets even if one side has slightly less density thats how the natural hairline usually is for most people. Not sure if you're on any medications but I'd definitely advise to do everything you can to maintain what you have.

2 hours ago, Follicle1984 said:

Hi RecycleBin,

Thanks for sharing. That's interesting.

I've heard about the xyon products. They seem interesting, but the fact many people seem to be reporting side effects does rather put a downer on their supposed system which should be reducing/eliminating systemic absorption. And their dosages seem scarily high I agree. What is the dose of their topical dutasteride?

It does always make me wonder when people say sides from dut went away after days, if some of the sides were slightly nocebo (no offence...im just trying to process all info critically)...surely with dutasterides monumental half life of 5 weeks, sides would take a lot longer to go away? ...saying this I did read that the half life and clearance of dutasteride was dependant on dose, and smaller doses were cleared much quicker. Read about it first on follicle thought.

Thanks again for sharing mate 

They generally dose their topicals at 2% meaning 20mg of dutasteride per use which they recommend daily. I still use the product just at half a pump only once a week and haven't had problems since. In terms of sides I rather not go into too many details and deter people from using it because I genuinely believe topical dutasteride if dosed appropriately can produce results with no side effects I just think Xyon megadosed their product relying too heavily on their delivery vehicle. 

On 1/22/2023 at 9:08 AM, Follicle1984 said:

Anyone else any updates, experiences or thoughts on topical dutasteride to add? 

Would be particularly interested if anyone had any input as to side effects (or lack thereof) of topical dut ...especially if they had sides with fin previously ? 

I used to take fin and discontinued due to sides. Recently started using topical dut and with the proper dosage I don't experience any negative effects. If you're considering a product like Xyon keep in mind the insane dose they use and I'd advise to go with lower concentration and would apply 1-2x a week at most. I tried using their product daily as prescribed and sides were almost immediate and went away in 4 days. I now use half the dose once a week and so far no side effects everything seems normal.

Do you mind sharing the price per graft for Dr. Nadimi just trying to make sure it's within my range before I schedule a consultation 

8 hours ago, Ronnieman said:

A weird question guys, but relevant for me:

 

Could topical dut go systematic through a cut in the finger? I slightly cut my finger yesterday while opening the FUEclinic topical dut bottle. I used the other hand for the dropper and massaging the Dut in, but when I washed my hands, my finger touched the other hand.

I felt mild ED today but 1) That could've been the topical fin I used 2 days before, or 2) a nocebo

Yes there is a warning on finasteride that states women should not touch broken tablets as it can be absorbed by the skin and cause birth defects. I think it's safe to assume it applies to topical dut even more since there is no kind of protective coating and it was exposed directly to an open wound

7 hours ago, Ronnieman said:

20mg per application? Why would they dose it so high? That's unbelievable.

 

I just started 0.5mg Topical Dut from Farmacia, I'll let everyone know how it goes.

I think they were just too confident in their delivery vehicle to slow down the absorption of it. I cut down to half a dose at 1x a week and experienced no further side effects