Question about topical finasteride - beginning my hair restoration journey!

[mahhong]

I've been a lurker on these forums for what must be a good 6-7 years now. Started losing my hair around 26/27 and joined these forums then to get armed with as much info as possible.

 

At the time I never did anything about the hairloss, largely because I was concerned about side effects from oral finasteride. I did try the drug briefly twice and both times felt I had mild but persistent side effects, which resolved upon discontinuation (could have been purely psychological). I do believe it's a predominantly safe drug for the majority of people and am not a naysayer or conspiracy theorist, but I am still not entirely comfortable with the idea of using the drug in that form.

 

Anyway, the obvious result has been that my hairloss has progressed quite significantly in the last 6-7 years and I'm now pretty thin on top. I'm probably a NW5 and still have just enough on top to use some concealer and make the hair look at least half decent - but I'm most definitely getting to the stage where I really have to do something, and am planning my first HT within the year. The first port of call is, however - medication!

 

I've noticed recently that Hasson and Wong have developed a topical finasteride solution and, whilst I'm unsure about the oral version, the topical is definitely something I'd consider. If it's true it lowers DHT in the scalp but has much less of an impact on circulating DHT, that sounds fantastic to me. My plan is to get a baseline DHT reading, start the drug and then maybe get a second DHT reading 2-3 months later and see for myself.

 

Anyway, my story over, I have a practical question. If anybody uses topical finasteride out there (particularly the H&W variety) - how long does it take to absorb into the scalp? The reason I ask is I obviously use concealer daily now and have no plans to stop (my hair would look dreadful). But I'd obviously want to know the best time to use the topical and how long before putting my concealer on afterwards, so as not to compromise the finasteride or just get the concealer all messed up! I haven't really been able to find an answer so far!

 

 

 

P.S. - I've been lurking so long it's clear I've forgotten how this forum works - please feel free to move to the Hair Loss Drugs section if more appropriate!

Edited June 28, 2016 by mahhong