Sublingual Minoxidil and Oral Dutasteride | 10+ Months Results

[noobineub]

22 hours ago, Viney said:

Hey, yes I stopped fin and have only been on dut and min since March 2022.

Sublingual min is likely only available here in Australia and oral and or sublingual min is only available with a prescription. Sorry but I'm not sure if they would provide it overseas. I think it would be unlikely to get a perscription without first having an in person appointment. I'm considering moving overseas so I will ask about this in my next appointment in September.

Hey thanks for the replies! Would you be able to provide me the contact details of your clinic so I could ask them directly? Am thinking of starting on a similar regime as you, unfortunately September would be way too long to wait. Thanks in advance!

[Viney]

13 hours ago, noobineub said:

Hey thanks for the replies! Would you be able to provide me the contact details of your clinic so I could ask them directly? Am thinking of starting on a similar regime as you, unfortunately September would be way too long to wait. Thanks in advance!

Look up Sinclair Dermatology East Melbourne and you should be able to find contact information online.

In my personal experience they had me first get a referral from my GP then they called me to arrange an appointment which they said the first one had to be done in person and not over video call.

Just trying to set your expectations as I think you might struggle but it doesn't hurt asking.

[-TheHairUpThere-]

Great stuff. I was taking 5 drops(7.5 mg)of Kirkland minox under the tongue and got great gains all over my head. Even my donor area. but also got tiny hairs on my upper cheeks and forehead so I stopped. Then I immediately went through a massive shed over the next couple months.

Think I'm gonna start back with 2 drops this time to reduce side effects. But no question that sublingual minox is the king of hair regrowth. 

[Scree]

On 7/19/2023 at 1:16 PM, -TheHairUpThere- said:

Great stuff. I was taking 5 drops(7.5 mg)of Kirkland minox under the tongue and got great gains all over my head. Even my donor area. but also got tiny hairs on my upper cheeks and forehead so I stopped. Then I immediately went through a massive shed over the next couple months.

Think I'm gonna start back with 2 drops this time to reduce side effects. But no question that sublingual minox is the king of hair regrowth. 

Hypertrichosis is a prevalent side effect of minoxidil at higher dosages. I got stronger eyebrows and a thicker beard now compared to before. Taking 5mg daily.

[Curious25]

Great Work ! 

[Viney]

Back with another update.

Medication and Timeline (remains the same as my last update):

• 15 January 2022 - 16 March 2022 - 1mg Oral Finasteride daily.
• 17 March 2022 - 24 July 2022 - 0.5mg Oral Dutasteride daily, 0.9mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily
• 25 July 2022 - 7 February 2023 - 0.5mg Oral Dutasteride daily, 1.8mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily
• 8 February 2023 onwards - 0.5mg Oral Dutasteride daily, 2.7mg Sublingual Minoxidil daily

I saw my dermatologist recently at the end of August. We compared the clinic controlled pictures against those taken back in January 2023 and there was an ever so slight improvement through the midscalp, crown and hairline. This was only slightly incremental so I didn't bother paying to get these pictures from the clinic as tell a whole lot new data since the last pictures from January 2023 which I have. My dermatologist said that at this point, 18 months into taking medication any further gains are likely to be very slight and not as dramatic as I had previously experienced in the first 12 months. He asked if I wanted to increase my minoxidil dosage but I said I'd rather maintain the current dose to leave room up my sleeve to increase if needed in future.

We took donor density counts again. I wanted to see if we 'lucked out' last time he counted my donor density and to get a better view of what's actually happening. Again he stressed there is variability in the counts as he can't ever know he's counting from the exact same location as last time. The results from this were a slight decrease on last time but well above the initial base line so I think we're getting a decent view at this point of what my actual donor density is on average. He didn't see any concerns with the decrease on the last count and put this down to the inherent variability. He said my donor was definitely well improved from baseline when he first saw me back in March 2022. He said it was darker and there was more double and triple follicular units rather than the high percentage of singular units I previously had. Data summarised below:

	Density cm2
Donor area:	Mar-22	Jan-23	Aug-23	Gain (on base)
Supra-auricular (above ear)	50	70	60	10
Mastoid (behind ear)	50	60	70	20
Occipital protuberance (back of head)	60	80	70	10
Average:	53	70	67	13

I told him someone should publish a study on donor density and its response to medication and he said "thanks for the idea, I might do that", so fingers crossed he actually follows through as I think this could be an interesting study.

We took pictures of my donor areas under dermoscope and although I have the images I don't think they're worth sharing here as I doubt they're very informative to anyone apart from dermatologists and hair transplant surgeons.

My own pictures outside in the light tell me my hair hasn't really changed since May 2023 which I think is a good thing (at least I'm not losing hair!). I'm still well above my base when I started medication in January 2022 so I'm stoked.

Left pic below is December 2021 right is September 2023:

 

Left pic below is May 2023 right is September 2023:

 

Still undecided if I want to pull the trigger on hair transplant and this uncertainty means it's a firm no at this point as I want to be absolutely certain when (or if) I do decide to get one.

Side effects seem to be staying away but I really am starting to think some of my eyebrow hairs are getting abnormally long and thick. Is this just evidence I'm getting old or is it the minox/dut causing it 😅? I am fairly certain there is more vellus hairs than previously around my face but I'll take the trade off and this definitely hasn't translated to increased body hair, only the hair around my upper face.

I'll try do an update with pictures comparing more angles at some point in the next 6 months as at this stage I should be more interested in tracking my hairline and midscalp rather than my crown.

Edited September 23, 2023 by Viney

[Al - Moderator]

You've gotten some excellent growth on just meds. I'd like to see another check again in 6 months to a year to see if it is decreasing or not.

 

[Melvin- Admin]

The meds are doing great. Forget about an HT.

[TheGreatPretender]

In your position I wouldn't even think about having HTs. One can barely notice that you had any hair loss so far. 

You're on point mate, amazing progress. 

[Gatsby]

This is one of the best results I have ever seen with medication. This also serves exactly as to why surgery is a last resort. If their was an award for best non surgical results @Viney then you’ve just made a clean sweep! 💯👌

[LeveledUp]

Why are you thinking about a transplant is that a joke lol

 don’t need one mate, keep that in the tank for the future 

[Viney]

5 hours ago, LeveledUp said:

Why are you thinking about a transplant is that a joke lol

 don’t need one mate, keep that in the tank for the future 

I've put it on hold for now but if you saw my hairline it's still very receded particularly in the corners or when I pull my fringe back. I can mostly hide it by bringing my hair forward or sweeping it across but when it's windy outside it gets really exposed.

I'll do updated pics from more angles early next year and you'll probably be able to see what I mean.

Regardless of the hairline issues above, I'm extremely happy (and grateful) and currently not looking into getting a transplant. Fingers crossed these meds keep working.

Edited December 28, 2023 by Viney

[Gatsby]

@Viney you were born for these meds! 👊🏻

[Viney]

2 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

@Viney you were born for these meds! 👊🏻

Would prefer if I was born to not require meds to maintain my hair 😅.