mrmajified

Month 11. Selfies are hard.

10 month update!

Looking good, sir! Now is when you start worrying about how to style, instead of worrying about not having hair

Appreciate the comments! 

9 month update. 

Still trying to figure out a style, so I'm growing it out.

11 minutes ago, JohnnySins said:

Looks amazing man! how short did you cut your sides/back where your scar is? I believe I can barely see the scar in the photo of the back of your head, but it looks great. Your scar healed really well.

Thanks dude!

I think the barber went a bit short at a number 2. It should be concealed in a few days of growing.

8 month update. No natural light, since there is basically no light in Canada :😜  

8 minutes ago, Heisenberg said:

I don't think I ever noticed much of a difference when using MinoxidilMax products either, and minoxidil hasn't really done much for me too. I still use the Hims alcohol-free serum even though I am not convinced it is actually doing anything. In fact, I am worried that the constant rubbing, even when done very gently, may just be making matters worse.

I am now going to try taking oral dutasteride once a month to see if that helps.

I guess everyone reacts differently. Sucks that you are not a strong responder.

Just now, Heisenberg said:

Can you not give the bottle a good shake before each application? I tend to do that anyway.

Fortunately, I have been able to take oral finasteride without experiencing any significant side effects. I've been taking it for around 8 or more months, and can't see any increase in hair density though sadly. It may, however, still be early days .

I actually do shake the bottle before each use, after noticing my first bottle separated.

Surprised oral hasn't shown results at all for you. I noticed a big difference just a few months after using minoxidilmax. Now it's hard to say if my new solution is doing anything, since I had my HT 7 months ago and new growth is still happening from that.

As an update, I've been using 5% minoxidil and 0.25% finasteride from my pharmacy. I've used 2 bottles so far, and each one left a white crusty residue on the bottom of the bottle after a few days or weeks. I'm guessing that's the finasteride separating itself from the rest of the solution. So, I feel like this might be worse than just using the MinoxidilMax formula. Then again, the MM bottles are solid and you can't really see into them very well, so maybe that was happening with theirs too. Really not sure what I should do going forward.

19 minutes ago, Melvin- Admin said:

It was both, so anyone who was either 12 months in 2023 or had their HT in 2023. That’s why this year, we’ll do separate categories. To open it up to more members.

That's a great idea! Thanks for clarifying.

I completely missed this poll. Congrats Gatsby and everyone else nominated; you all look great!

Out of curiosity, were considerations just people who had their transplant in 2023? Or were some nominees' transplants later in 2022, with results achieved in 2023? 

Thanks all. I guess worrying about wavy hair is a good problem to have, compared to the alternative

3 minutes ago, Chrisno said:

The hairs will also soften and relax as they further mature towards 18 months

1 minute ago, BeHappy said:

Looks pretty good the way it is.

 

Appreciate the input. 

2 minutes ago, jjalay said:

It looks great man, this is the way to handle a NW 5 case. You can use wax to handle curly hair on the front.

Thanks man.

Looking closer at my own photos, it seems pretty curly everywhere. I have tried wax, pomade, and even today tried a low temperature beard straightener on it. Maybe I'm not using enough product, or maybe I should try a bit shorter of a hairstyle. 

7 months, 1 week update. 

Looks pretty similar to 6 months. 

I've been growing the top of my head for 3-4 months. I now remember how curly my hair gets up front. Will have to figure out how to tame it or work with it somehow. Any suggestions?

18 hours ago, hockeyman said:

Unreal result. You look fantastic. That was a good decision to opt for fut as your donor area looks untouched and will provide a lot more grafts should you ever need them. Did Dr. Wong ever mention your total donor capacity? Are you on finasteride?

Thanks! 

He did not mention my donor capacity, but I do expect I've got a lot remaining.

I am on topical finasteride 0.25% with minoxidil 5%, taken at 1mg per day.

On 11/23/2023 at 8:02 PM, duchaine said:

This work shows how much temporal peaks matter!
Your face looks "smaller" (in a good way) and you have a better frame to your eyes.

I love rounded HL, If I was you, I asked for a "flatter" frontal hairline. But it is just a matter of taste

I will see how the end result looks, then decide if I want to fill in the front a bit. I think it looks like a natural NW2 now, which while isn't perfect, is far better than where I was at. If I can keep most of my native hair going forward, I believe I'll age gracefully with what I've got.

Hi all,

6 month update. Looks very similar to month 5, but hairs might be thickening up a bit.

Mine was really red until about 4 months and slowly has been subsiding. 

I don't recall feeling numb in the front, but that could be because I had FUT and the back was really numb which may have taken away from even thinking about the front.

Best of luck sir.

13 hours ago, wprevil said:

Appreciate that Gatsby. The thing is, if I withdraw from surgery, I lose the $7k paid to the clinic. So I'm stuck as mentioned. If shock loss werent a thing I wouldve had this done years ago. So its damned if I do, damned if I dont.

I dont mean to force an answer out of you for me. Just nervous about outcome which you explained everyone normally feels.

Appreciate again your response.

As someone who underwent surgery just over 5 months ago, I can offer you my advice:
If you do plan to go through with the surgery, make sure you UNDERSTAND and are PREPARED for the process. I went through hundreds of results on this forum so I knew there was a chance of shock loss, slow growing, undesired results, etc. I also knew there was a very high chance I would be happy with everything at the end of the road if I chose a great doctor. 
The first few months did not look great, but I trusted the process and made sure not to worry about something that's out of my control. After only 5 months, I'm already extremely happy with my results. Do you think you're capable of just trusting the process and not worrying all the time? If the answer is no, then I would suggest not going through with it. Stress could also have a negative effect on results.
Best of luck with whatever you decide.

9 hours ago, Spidey said:

This is a slam dunk already. You could technically be one and done it's you can live with some minor loss in the future since this procedure yielded a lot of grafts. If anything just a minor fue procedure down the road but imo I think you're set. 

Thanks man. I hope the rest of my hair holds up for 10ish years and I won't need to revisit surgery until at least then!

5 month update. 

Couldn't get natural light photos of the sides/back as it's dark and snowy out today. Took the natural light straight-on photos when I was alone a few days ago. 

It's really starting to come in now!

On 9/13/2023 at 10:34 AM, Melvin- Admin said:

The dosage doesn’t matter as much as the vehicle. If you’re in the US, Xyon is what I use. If you’re in Europe, check our Farmacia Parati. 

Hi Melvin. 
Curious how you're supposed to know what the "vehicle" is, unless it's advertised. As an example, I have topical finasteride/minoxidil from my pharmacy, but it doesn't say much else. The numbers I look up from the bottle don't tell me anything. Do you think it's possible what I'm taking is actually doing nothing based on the "vehicle"? Is there something specific I should be asking for in addition to the finasteride and minoxidil?

Hello all,

I've been using Minoxidilmax DualGen-15 With PG Plus for about 2-3 years now without any side effects that I'm aware of. I have read they possibly use lower grade ingredients that may have cross-contamination in the lab it's formulated in, and have heard of a few people having some side effects and needing to discontinue use. My doctor recently prescribed me a mixture of finasteride (0.1%) and minoxidil (5%). The biggest difference between what I was prescribed vs what I was already using is the minoxidil concentration (current 15%, new 5%). They are both liquids, but my new prescription also doesn't have Azelaic acid (5%), ABN Complex (0.8%), retinol (0.025%), caffeine (0.001%). 

What I'm worried about:
Going from 15% to 5% minoxidil. I have read there doesn't appear to be much benefit at higher concentrations than 5%, but I am worried about some shock loss by reducing to 1/3 of the dose my body is used to. 
The additional ingredients in the Minoxidilmax product may have some benefit in the delivery into the body. My new prescription doesn't have these ingredients. 
I had a hair transplant 4 months ago and am concerned about changing what seems to already be working. I don't want to lose what I've been so patient to obtain.

My questions:
Should I be worried about the change in minoxidil dosing? Perhaps I should order minoxidil on it's own at 5% and use it once a day on top of my new prescription?
Would there be any benefit anyone is aware of with the additional ingredients in the Minoxidilmax product? My doctor doesn't seem to think so, but she's not a hair expert. My hair transplant doctor (Dr.Wong) recommended Xyon, but his partner (Dr.Hasson) is one of the creators of the product so there is some vested interest there. I don't feel like I can talk to him about my new prescription.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.