mrmajified

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.

2 hours ago, Trobs4 said:

I have an opportunity to get the procedure done Oct 11 now in Vancouver with Dr Wong. Right now I’m trying to decide between Dr Wong or Eugenix FUE (they proposed 4500 grafts, 1200 of which would come from beard). 
 

I’m going to visit my wife’s family for Christmas and am a bit concerned about how I’ll look at that time if I do the surgery with Wong in October. I’m afraid I’ll be very self conscious. 
 

I think I will have a high likelihood of success with either clinic, but FUT does concern me more than FUE. Dr Wong would be more expensive (~$20-25k) vs Eugenix ($10-15k including travel). 
 

If anyone has thoughts on how goofy I’d look 70 days after surgery, or what you’d do in my shoes, I’m all ears. Thanks. 

It's not going to look great after 2 months. But really, it would be silly to base your decision off something like being self-conscious for a few days. I personally found it easier to be open about it than try to hide it around friends and family. You'd be surprised how interested people are to hear about the decision and journey. 

Whatever your decision, I wish you the best of luck!

4 month photo update. Natural, with no product or styling.

Had a haircut about 3 weeks ago. Thinking about letting it all grow out for a couple of months, except for the sides to see how it looks.

2 hours ago, Trobs4 said:

Thanks to all who recommended Hattingen, I’ve looked into this clinic a bit more and the results appear to be fantastic across the board, especially for higher NW cases like mine. 
 

I emailed Hattingen about my situation and hope to hear back this week to initiate further discussion. Waiting until August 2024 for Dr Wong would be challenging, so I’m very hopeful that Hattingen has availability towards the beginning of the new year. I’ll follow up with their thoughts and ultimately what my decision is. 

My surgery with Dr. Wong was scheduled for November of this year (1 year after consult). I sent an email in January asking if they had any cancellations and was lucky to get it rescheduled for May. Worth checking in next month if you haven't booked anything with another surgeon yet.

I'd say do it all in one go. I'm 3.5 months post surgery and the waiting game is horrible. I couldn't imagine having to do that twice.

13 hours ago, wayek said:

Dude!!! your pharmacy is willing to compound you pretty much the same stuff as minoxidilmax but guaranteed quality ingredients then I'd get that filled ASAP! count yourself lucky that your doctor/pharmacy is even willing do that for you ... if I went to my doctor with a bottle I highly doubt she would do the same thing for me 

I wonder if they'll compound it with the tretinoin and the other stuff too or if it will just be 15% minox 

 

be aware though that any time 15% legal stuff has hit the market it was pulled pretty quickly due to rash and skin irritation I think

that's probably the worst that could happen is my guess 😕 

She wouldn't do more than 5% minoxidil, but did match the finasteride. I will have to go down to the pharmacy this week and at least see what it looks like.

20 hours ago, arthurSam said:

If you have a prescription just go to your local pharmacy they will compound this for you.

I guess it just worries me that the delivery method won't be great or even have negative effects. Only one way to tell, I suppose.

19 hours ago, Heisenberg said:

Personally, I would stick with a brand like Hims, as they are completely open and honest about what goes into their products, and they actually bother to put an expiry date on them. My only worry, though, is that they do seem to contain a fragrance/perfume, and I'm not sure that's okay for people who may be inclined to develop irritation or dermatitis.

Unfortunately, as a Canadian I don't have access to Hims so that's not even an option. I definitely did look into that.
Also, all my bottles have expiry dates on them.

So, I got the prescription from my family doctor for minoxidil/rogaine at the same strengths used in Minoxidilmax Dualgen 15 PG plus. I am a bit afraid to get it filled and try using it, because it's not something this pharmacy would be compounding every day.

Reading Xyon reviews actually scares me more than the few bad Minoxidilmax reviews I've seen. I've actually read a lot of good on Minoxidilmax in some Reddit forums.

So now I've got a lot of consideration to do:
Do I continue using Minoxidilmax dualgen 15 PG plus? I have been on it since late 2021 and I haven't had any side effects. I BELIEVE it to be working, but my mind may just be playing tricks on me. Afraid to continue losing my hair due to a product doing nothing for me. 
Do I try the prescription I was just written? It could do nothing, could give me side effects, or could be amazing.
Do I switch to Xyon? Very expensive and mixed reviews for most of the products. However, I have no doubt on the quality of the ingredients used.

Tough choices ahead.

2 minutes ago, Heisenberg said:

Is it possible to test the purity, though, and what is really in those products? 

I was hoping it would be, but after making a few calls it seems nobody really does testing around me.

According to the pharmacy compounders I called, they are happy to make the same product as Minoxidilmax for around the same price. Unfortunately, Dr. Wong disagreed with some of the ingredients and promoted Xyon instead. This makes sense because his partner (Dr.Hasson) is heavily invested, but feels very biased to me. I will need to go through a family doctor to get the prescription if I'd like to get it locally made.

I did a bit more research last night, and it seems most people are satisfied with the results and don't experience the side effects noted by some. I'm considering bringing a sample into a local lab to get tested - will let everyone know what the results are if I am able to do so.

I've been using minoxidilmax dualgen15 w/ PG plus for about 2 years now. My GF and I both think it's made a pretty big difference (positive) and I am not aware of any side effects. 

It is a bit concerning reading these posts. Does anyone else have any more information on the company/products?

I am surprised you needed almost 5k grafts; your photos don't show much balding.

Thanks for sharing your journey. It's always a bit of a wild one!

I am 3 months ahead of you for basically the same surgery with the same doctor.  Best of luck!

On 8/26/2023 at 11:16 PM, hockeyman said:

This is coming along nicely. Personally, when I look at your head-on pictures I think your hairline is in a good spot. Not too high. That tweak to your temples was a good decision. Apologies if u mentioned this already, but I was wondering how many grafts went placed in the crown?

Here is the breakdown. 
S = single

D = double

B= big (3-4 hairs)

Not sure what AR and RP mean.

Just now, Chrisno said:

Yes, but I think your hairline suits you very well!

Thank you! Really looking forward to the end result.

1 hour ago, Chrisno said:

He's saying it will make your face look smaller, and frame your face better. And I agree

Oh, so if I want to lower the hairline, the temples are already in a good position. 

Thanks

Found an old photo from about a year ago that is very comparable to one of the photos I took last week. Just 3 months after the surgery and I think I'm already winning.

On 8/27/2023 at 1:57 AM, TemplesOfPeace said:

Having your temple points fully reconstructed in that manner will augment the size of your forehead by bringing it in at the sides. This is always the hardest part of a hair transplant to execute. Thus, if you are striving for perfection, you are in a really strong position for a second FUE procedure on the rest of the hairline to achieve such. 
 

Just my 2 cents. 

Sorry, are you saying having my temples done will make my forehead look larger?

On 8/26/2023 at 2:42 PM, hongkongfue said:

@mrmajified I think you are looking good.  With all of the real estate you and I needed to cover with our surgeries, high density and low hairlines were never going to be an option! And it seems like sometimes anything short of that is not considered a success! I know my second surgery is not going to be a mind blowing result, because I wanted coverage and not density, with our light hair and skin and needs, I just know I personally feel like I look better with thinner overall hair then if I went in with load up the front and let the rest be totally bald.  I think like you said it will continue to look natural as you age. And for me I have had a high hairline for ever it seems like now so it would have looked funny if the temples were all the sudden filled in.  Keep up the good growing!

You made it almost 2 decades before needing another surgery; that's a win in itself! 
My hairline has also been high for as long as I can remember. Honestly, not much has changed since I was mid 20s in that regard, so lowering it might have been a bad idea. At least starting with FUT, if I do want to lower it I should have quite a few useful grafts remaining in the bank.

Missing the one month update!!!

1 hour ago, hockeyman said:

This is coming along nicely. Personally, when I look at your head-on pictures I think your hairline is in a good spot. Not too high. That tweak to your temples was a good decision. Apologies if u mentioned this already, but I was wondering how many grafts went placed in the crown?

I wish I could say how many grafts were put into the crown; I'd have to ask. I will send an email to the doctor to find out if that was even recorded.

13 hours ago, Emiry said:

Very very conservative hairline. I guess density is more important to you than lower hairline.

It should be very dense.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with the hairline to start with. I have seen a lot of posts in this forum since then, really pushing the conservative approach. I'm hoping it will be a big improvement from where I was and continue to look natural as I age.

Hello all,

3 month update! 

Lots of redness/pimples on the temple area, with some residual redness/itchiness throughout the recipient area.

I have noticed a fair amount of early growth, though most of the new hairs are wispy as expected.

The FUT scar is fading slowly.

I am looking forward to the next few months, where I expect everything to really fill in!

What does everyone think?

26 minutes ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@mrmajified,

More isn’t always more. In other words, just because 15% minoxidil is offered, it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily any more effective than the 5% minoxidil. It may be more potent but you’re interested in knowing about efficacy rather than strength of the solution.

in my opinion, I’ve never seen any evidence to suggest that 15% minoxidil is any more effective than The 5% solution. Instead, you may want to consider using the 5% twice a day if you’re only using it once today. If you’re already using it twice a day, You may want to consider adding another hair loss treatment to the regimen such as finasteride if you’re not already. Also consider platelet rich plasma (PRP), ketoconozole cream or shampoo (depending on what you get your hands on such as Extina, Revita or Nizoral).

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Trandplant

Hello and thank you for your response. This solution has finasteride in it already. I'm mostly concerned that 15% minoxidil could be more harmful than helpful.

On the topic of shampoo - do you recommend using any of these after a hair transplant? I had a transplant close to 3 months ago now.

Thanks!

I've been using Minoxidilmax dualgen15 for about 3 years now and have definitely noticed improvement. What I've been reading is 5% seems to be the upper limit for most minoxidil products, but the one I use has 15%. Any advice on whether I should continue using what I am using or perhaps switch to a lower concentration of minoxidil would be appreciated. Ingredients posted below:

Minoxidil: 15.0%

Finasteride: 0.1% (1mg of finasteride in 1 mL)

Azelaic acid: 5%

ABN Complex ^TM : (0.8%)

Retinol: 0.025%

Caffeine: 0.001%

Using 1mL per day

Hi Johnny,

Following. I had a very similar graft count FUT with Dr.Wong in mid-late May. Best of luck to you sir!