Options for those in Australia

[Melvin- Admin]

13 hours ago, Viney said:

Back again with another update.

On recommendation of Bisanga I have visited a dermatologist interstate (at Gatsby's city) who has taken measurements on hair density and overall hair transplant candidacy. Unfortunately in his view I have a below average donor area (I will confirm the density per cm2 once I receive this data from the clinic). He thinks I am still an okay candidate as I have no miniaturization, no scalp issues and am in good health but should only focus on having a transplant on the hairline at this stage and be very conservative in my approach. He feels the 3,000 grafts I had been quoted by various clinics for my hairline is too extreme and won't leave me with enough donor for future procedures. This was a bit of the kick in the guts. He also said I'm currently a NW4 whereas most of the online clinics based on my pics had said NW3.

We're going to try and save my crown, to do this he has told me to stop taking Oral Finasteride (1mg daily) and change to Oral Dutasteride (0.5mg daily) in combination with Sublingual Monxidil (0.9mg daily). It seems like Sublingual Minxodil is a very uncommon treatment online. Since it was founded in Australia, perhaps you can only get it here? I suppose I will be the guinea pig and science experiment for everyone else... No significant side effects from the minox or dut so far but it's only been about 5 days, I kind of enjoy the taste of the sublingual minox when it dissolves below my tongue so that's a plus.

We will reassess the medication each 3 months but the dermatologist has told me it will be very hard to gauge the results of the medication unless I take it for a full 12 months. Happy to have met with this dermatologist as he seems pretty knowledgeable compared to who I can access locally so shout out to Bisanga for the great referral.

Main thing I took out of the visit was that I'm going to have to really spend some time ensuring I choose a doctor who prioritizes donor management and protecting the donor. I will also likely need to spend a bit extra to ensure the main doctor is punching the extraction sites to ensure the best use and protection of my donor. Challenges ahead but I'm optimistic it will all work out.

Thanks for updating us, I believe donor management is important for everyone. I do believe BHT does allow for great donor management. Check out @Gatsby donor after his last surgery.

[Viney]

4 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Thanks for updating us, I believe donor management is important for everyone. I do believe BHT does allow for great donor management. Check out @Gatsby donor after his last surgery.

Highly doubt I'm a good BHT candidate, but maybe the minox could change that? I've never left my face for more than 3 days without shaving so maybe I can grow more facial hair than I realise, but I still highly doubt it's thick enough.

With a virgin donor I doubt I'll need to look at that path - at least not for a hairline only transplant - we'll see what the doctors say once I give them my donor density data.

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by Viney

[Viney]

Quick update.

I haven't been currently consulting with any hair transplant places or really researching, just sticking to my regime for now by taking my meds in the morning then going about my day as normal. Timeline below for context.

Picture on the left 5 December 2021. Picture on the right 2 July 2022.

• 5 December 2021 - 14 January 2022 - No Medical Regime
• 15 January 2022 - 16 March 2022 - 1mg Oral Fin daily.
• 17 March 2022 - Current - 500mcg Oral Dutasteride daily, 0.9mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily

 

Edited July 3, 2022 by Viney

[Gatsby]

That's an excellent improvement alright!🙌 It can take up to two years to see the full benefits of medical therapy so keep going. You look like a great responder @Viney so I look forward to following your results as you continue with meds. Thanks for sharing! 👌

[Toot]

Wow that is a great result. I just read this thread as I follow Gatsby and find his insight is really helpful and informative. Question for you @Gatsby had you ever considered going to the UK or was Eugenics the best clinic you found based on your research?

[Eugenix Hair Sciences]

13 hours ago, Viney said:

Quick update.

I haven't been currently consulting with any hair transplant places or really researching, just sticking to my regime for now by taking my meds in the morning then going about my day as normal. Timeline below for context.

Picture on the left 5 December 2021. Picture on the right 2 July 2022.

• 5 December 2021 - 14 January 2022 - No Medical Regime
• 15 January 2022 - 16 March 2022 - 1mg Oral Fin daily.
• 17 March 2022 - Current - 500mcg Oral Dutasteride daily, 0.9mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily

 

You are Grade 3V on the Norwood Hamilton Scale of baldness.

You shall require:

Frontal zone: 2500 to 2700 grafts approximately

Crown and mid scalp: medications

Medications seem to have an amazing result in your case.

[Viney]

Upped my Minoxidil dosage today from 0.9mg to 1.8mg. Not because I wasn't happy with my current results but because I wasn't experiencing any side effects and 0.9mg is quite a low dosage. My derm started me on a low dose just to monitor how I reacted to the meds. I might take a photo this weekend just so I have something to compare with in a few months time.

Wish me luck.

 

Maybe once I have 9+ months of results to work off I should make a thread in the Hair Loss Drugs section. I don't think there's lots of documented results and examples on these forums with oral dut let alone sublingual minox.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Viney

[Viney]

5 December 2021 compared to 13 September 2022 - and in dire need of a haircut!

Timeline of meds:

• 5 December 2021 - 14 January 2022 - No Medical Regime
• 15 January 2022 - 16 March 2022 - 1mg Oral Fin daily.
• 17 March 2022 - 24 July 2022 - 500mcg Oral Dutasteride daily, 0.9mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily
• 25 July 2022 - Current - 500mcg Oral Dutasteride daily, 1.8mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily

Please note these two pictures weren't taken using the same camera. In February 2023 I'll post comparative photos taken by my dermo clinic in their controlled environment.

 

Couldn't be more pleased with how the midscalp has thickened. Still have a very average hairline and my crown isn't perfect but it's a huge improvement. No complaints from me (provided my donor hasn't regressed!).

Edited September 13, 2022 by Viney

[Gatsby]

Now I remember this thread!! 😉 @Viney that it is a massive change and improvement and a reason why medication should always be your first port of call under a doctor and why surgery should be a last resort. I would imagine that your donor would not have changed due to the meds you have been diligent with. Extremely happy (and thankful) for you man.👌

[Viney]

1 minute ago, Gatsby said:

Now I remember this thread!! 😉 @Viney that it is a massive change and improvement and a reason why medication should always be your first port of call under a doctor and why surgery should be a last resort. I would imagine that your donor would not have changed due to the meds you have been diligent with. Extremely happy (and thankful) for you man.👌

I was close to booking my flights to Turkey and transplant with HOI before I stumbled on this forum 😳.

@Britalian's Bisanga comment changed everything for me.

[Gatsby]

Just now, Viney said:

I was close to booking my flights to Turkey and transplant with HOI before I stumbled on this forum 😳.

@Britalian's Bisanga comment changed everything for me.

That's like the difference between looking like you or looking like me pre op!!!!! Patience may feel bitter but the fruit is always ripe! 🙏🙏

[Viney]

Quick update. I've continued on the same medication as July detailed in the posts above. I will do a write up with proper comparative pictures in the most harsh lighting possible in February 2023, provide donor density data comparisons, and will summarise my experience with oral fin, oral dut and sublingual minox.

I think I may have saved my crown for now with this medication, which was the goal my dermatologist set with me back in March this year. My hairline is still scuffed but it's improved. I comb a lot of hair forward to try and cover how receded the temples are but that was always going to be expected given how far my hair had receded before recommencing medication

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by Viney

[Gatsby]

@Viney that's an incredible transformation and is living proof that surgery is a last resort for good reason. Extremely happy for you mate. 💯👌

[Adrenaline7]

Very good results! Good on you for taking the advice and resorting to meds first. 
 

Wish I had similar results but been on Finasteride for over 7 months now and still nothing. Did you notice switching over to Dutasteride made all the difference? 

[Viney]

3 hours ago, Adrenaline7 said:

Very good results! Good on you for taking the advice and resorting to meds first. 
 

Wish I had similar results but been on Finasteride for over 7 months now and still nothing. Did you notice switching over to Dutasteride made all the difference? 

Thank you. Yeah, very glad I've been patient and followed the advice of many of the great surgeons recommended on this forum. In particular the advice received from BHR Clinic (Ian & Dr Bisanga) and also Eugenix.

 

In regards to benefits from switching fin to dut, honestly it's hard for me to tell. I did take finasteride on and off for about 5 years and not once did I ever notice it helped my hair. In saying that I wasn't strict enough and kept missing doses or I'd run out of pills then my chemist would have a 1 week delay in being able to supply more which would result in way too many inconsistencies in taking the drug.

For me I found I had less sides switching to dut from fin, my sides were already very minor anyway but that's been an added benefit.

I truly think the difference is the use of sublingual monixodil since March. If you haven't tried minoxidil consider giving it a go - topical or oral, just be consistent in your application. I can say I haven't missed a single dose of either drug since March.

If you're comfortable answering where in Australia are you based?

Edited December 9, 2022 by Viney

[Adrenaline7]

Ah, I see. Hard to tell then. 
 

I tried topical minoxidil and it made my body heat up and heart race so I stopped instantly. Have just added Dutasteride once a week on top of Finasteride 6 times a week to my routine to see if it makes a difference. 
 

I also just posted a thread on my progress (or lack of) on finasteride if you wanna check it out. 

[Spring15]

Great recovery on the meds, I'm just drinking minoxidil orally - so sublingual you just let the minoxidil sit under your tongue until it dissolves? I'm from NZ going to Dr Pekiner next year in Turkey

[Viney]

2 hours ago, Spring15 said:

Great recovery on the meds, I'm just drinking minoxidil orally - so sublingual you just let the minoxidil sit under your tongue until it dissolves? I'm from NZ going to Dr Pekiner next year in Turkey

Thanks Spring. These are minoxidil tablets specifically compounded for sublingual delivery. Not sure if they are available anywhere outside of my dermatologists clinic as the clinic owner holds the patent for the pills.

It is simply a minoxidil sugar pill which dissolves beneath the tongue over a period of about 5 minutes.

Drinking minoxidil sounds a little bit dangerous to me but I'm sure you know what you're doing.

Edited December 9, 2022 by Viney

[Doron Harati]

15 hours ago, Viney said:

Quick update. I've continued on the same medication as July detailed in the posts above. I will do a write up with proper comparative pictures in the most harsh lighting possible in February 2023, provide donor density data comparisons, and will summarise my experience with oral fin, oral dut and sublingual minox.

I think I may have saved my crown for now with this medication, which was the goal my dermatologist set with me back in March this year. My hairline is still scuffed but it's improved. I comb a lot of hair forward to try and cover how receded the temples are but that was always going to be expected given how far my hair had receded before recommencing medication

 

Great results, much better effect than the average for meds use only👍🏻

[Viney]

Unexpected update.

I had somewhat of a feeling in November last year I was losing a bit of ground in my hairline. It was just feeling a little harder to hide my receding points while combing my hair each morning.

I thought to myself well as long as the crown and midscalp still looks good I'm doing well. However, on taking a photo today I can't help but feel like I've lost a bit of ground in this area.

I might be over thinking and over analysing this but it looks like my hair is back to around September 2022 levels of thickness. It's been about 10 months since I started sublingual min and oral dut and I haven't changed my dosage or routine since back in July being 0.5mg Oral Dutasteride daily, 1.8mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily.

The weather has heated up a bit the last month or two with the summer in Australia but is hair shedding over summer a thing?

I know I'm still miles ahead of where I was when I started medication but I'm worried the honeymoon and growth phase might be over... I'm also worried my hair gains could be deteriorating. The crown and vertex to me appears weaker & thinner than in the December picture, and I feel like the thinning in my midscalp is more noticeable again.

I know this is a pretty short frame of analysis but this is the first time I think my hair has gotten what I perceive to be worse since commencing medication so I'm a bit alarmed.

 

I'm seeing my Dermatologist in two weeks, which will be in person for the first time since my initial appointment 10 months ago so I can ask about this, but he will be comparing me to my hair in March which is significantly different to now. Anything in particular I should ask him about or look to change/add to my routine? Do I have anything to be concerned about?

Edited January 18, 2023 by Viney