Yes. Minoxidil, orally, is a hypotensive medication, and taking it at varying times in the day may inadvertently increase the effective dose. Minoxidil can produce lightheadedness, which could be a sign of hypotension (low blood pressure).
I never considered that fin could make the individual hair follicles thinner. (Can it?) I’ve noticed after the one month mark that the density of my hair has gone drastically down.
Finasteride doesn’t cause hair follicles to become thinner. Finasteride will help reverse miniaturized hair to become thicker. If you believe to the contrary, purchase a micrometer from Amazon (only $22) and measure your hair thickness. This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09964YBMF?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
I take Dutasteride .5mg daily. Oral min 2.5 daily. Also do topical min twice daily. Multiple times a week I dermaroll. Never draw blood. I’ve done RU588. Not much lately. I’ve got the keto shampoo that maybe I remember to use once a week. I get the meds from my regular doctor. Got a cheap dermaroller on Amazon. The RU I got on eBay. Not a hair transplant. Can’t afford one and I have thin hair on the nape of my neck and above my ears.
This is very impressive for a 40-year-old male. Doctors often wonder when the scalp is slick bald, as the back of your head showed, whether the stem cells are still alive. Using you as an example, in your case, the stem cells were kicked into action with a good anagen response. I believe that the microneedling had a lot to do with it.
Cannabis and THC may have an effect on reducing the effectiveness of anesthetics used in hair transplants and other anesthetic procedures. This observation has been made by many hair transplant surgeons and substantiated by Anesthesiologists and the peer-reviewed article below.
A review of the anesthetic implications of marijuana use
Conclusion of the article: Anesthesiologists should query patients on the use of cannabis products during the preoperative evaluation, particularly if evidence of acute intoxication or withdrawal is present. Specific attention should be paid to the most recent use as well as the overall duration and frequency of use. In addition, anesthesiologists should inquire about the type of cannabis product used and the route of ingestion. These questions will help gauge the potential for acute intoxication, tolerance, or withdrawal. Clinical history and examination with pointed questions will be more important than quantitative factors such as toxicology screens, given the limitations of current toxicology screening methods for cannabis products due to the unique pharmacokinetics of cannabis metabolism and elimination. As use of highly potent cannabis products grows more common, patients may more commonly present with an altered sensorium that precludes the ability to query about cannabis use. Thus, when the anesthesiologist is called to care for patients with such a constellation of symptoms, a high index of suspicion and consideration of acute cannabis intoxication in the differential diagnosis may guide care of these patients.
Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2019 Jul; 32(3): 364–371.
Published online 2019 May 21. doi: 10.1080/08998280.2019.1603034
PMCID: PMC6650211
PMID: 31384188
What dose are you taking? Swelling in the face could be an allergic reaction or a dose that is too high. Let’s make a worse case and say that you are taking 5mgs daily; the risk you are facing is that the sac around the heart could fill with fluid, slowing heart function, and your facial swelling is a sign of it. Stop the medication and see your doctor.
So the biggest issue with going to a hair mill is that you dont know who the doctor will be? It’s just some random technician?
byu/SunilaP inHairTransplants
“I have a friend who went to NOW HAIR CLINIC, loved his results. But the more I google them I see a lot of negative reviews. I understand this is a hair mill clinic, you basically roll the dice. There is a chance you will get an amazing result or a bad one.
But this search is stressing me out. I dont think I can spend over $4,000 USD. I’ve gotten several consultations, many of these clinics said I need 3500-4000 grafts.
Can someone please just list out the top three choices in Turkey. I am coming from USA”.
It is more than just picking a clinic, possibly without or without a doctor. Even many of the doctors in Turkey and even many in the US, don’t know much more than to perform an FUE and stick the hairs in the recipient area. They always seem to quote too many grafts, showing no respect for the donor area reserves in the real case of failing to achieve your objectives. Also, understanding donor reserves addresses the likely progressive balding that occurs in every balding man. I visit clinics often, and I am amazed at what I see; failures to understand quality control mean poor graft survival and poor training that seems evident everywhere; placing the grafts in the wrong direction is more common than I imagined and finding in clinics everywhere by doctors or technicians who make the site’s produce poor directional control. I can continue, but more of these comments will not help you. Go to a really good doctor in the US and see what a good consultation is about and how it prepares you for a personalized Master Plan for now and your future hair loss. You ended your comment by asking for 3 recommendations, but I doubt any three recommendations will solve your problem.
Is reversing premature greying possible with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-20?
It seems to have value, according to what I have read.
I am scheduled for an upcoming hair transplant, and I am worried about having Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA). The surgeon didn’t understand when I asked him about DUPA in my donor area, and I don’t want to go forward if I have DUPA. Please help me with the diagnosis. Here are four pictures from my donor area.
The first picture qualifies for DUPA as there are many hypopigmented hairs in the field of view. The other photos show a much more straightforward case of DUPA. I define DUPA as miniaturization over 20% of the hairs in the donor area. The third photo shows well over 20% miniaturized hair, which you can count easily. I would want a more extensive evaluation of the donor area before tackling a hair transplant, but what is here strongly suggests DUPA. He met face-to-face with three doctors before speaking with me by phone. Shame on the doctor for (1) not understanding his concerns about DUPA, (2) not listening to his concerns, and (3) not making the diagnosis when he was before them. Some doctors just do this for the money and really don’t care what happens to these patients after the surgery. I tell the patient to ask himself the question: “Is this a doctor you trust?” This is a critical question everyone should ask before allowing them to work on their scalp.
I outlined in a circle (the third picture is the same photo as #2) with arrows and circles showing the hairs in the field that I think are miniaturized. As this is part of the donor area, it would worry me a great deal if a hair transplant was on the agenda unless, that is, a better and more comprehensive assessment of the donor area is performed. Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Dr. Robert Bernstein and I discussed DUPA and concluded that Finasteride works in most men to some degree. It is worth trying this for a year and then reassessing the patient’s situation as having great before pictures is invaluable.
I’m thinning in my crown area so it’s not easy to see the progress I’m making. So I decided to purchase a microscope for inspecting the scalp. I didn’t know I could get these on Amazon for couple of bucks. It was pretty fun looking at my scalp so close. The picture shown here is my crown area that’s thinning. I can definitely see a lot of things going on there. I’m on fin and oral min so I’m hoping those drugs will reverse the process I am seeing.
The picture of the crown shows significant hair loss, with many follicular groups having only one thicker and one thread-like hair (a remnant of the hair that used to be there). Some of the follicular groups have both hairs impacted and threadlike. This single photo shows almost all of the stages of the hair loss process. This active balding process will eventually lead to the remaining hairs thinning and possibly falling out.
I’m 25M I made a post a long time ago talking about my nonfin hair loss stack. It was actually working decently well for me but I got tired of using so many topicals so I just switched to Fin + min only. Ive been on that stack for about 6-8 months now. I don’t have a before or after because there’s been no drastic changes really. I’m maintaining but I’m way more carefree about my hair now. I used to not style it for years or blow dry it because I was scared it would make me lose hair faster. I was trying to change my lifestyle & do things like avoid coffee to try to slow or stop my hair loss
Now I just take my fin & do what I want with my hair. I actually style it when I go out now and I like how I look. I still have my insecurities but fin has definitely helped. I love the drug. It’s given me more confidence and that’s all I could ask for. I do have some side effect, which are quite manageable. The are: 1) Watery semen (by a little), 2) Nipple sensitivity, 3) I had an increase in sex drive at the start, slight decrease in sex drive now but I’m also cutting weight so that could be a contributing factor
This is not an atypical story. Most men with good results, just don’t talk about it, but bad results is like the news, everyone wants to hear about bad results from medications or even hair transplants.
Will Minoxidil stop irreversible hair loss if I stop taking Fin when trying for a baby?
The mechanisms of action of these two drugs are very different. If you had a successful experience with finasteride, stopping will cause you to lose all of its benefits, and I would not expect minoxidil to rescue you. Minoxidil can produce hair, but certainty and timing are two variables that might not coordinate with your desire to conceive a baby.
I (F27) have recently moved to UK . I don’t know if it’s the weather change or the water but I am losing a lot of hair. The wash days are an absolute nightmare. If this continues I believe I might go bald. If any kind soul here can suggest what can I bring in my hair routine to stop this severe hair fall and promote regrowth. I want to avoid surgery or transplant as much as possible.
What you describe is stress and stress hair loss can produce a telogen effluvium, reversible over time in most young females. You should see a dermatologist to manage your hair loss.
How often should it be done? I’ve seen lots of different suggestions e.g. twice a week, once a week, once every 2 weeks, once every 3 weeks, once monthly etc
I believe that microneedling should be done once a week. The purpose of microneeding is to create a wound and a healing cascade which generally cycles in one week. More often doesn’t do any good.
I’m 25 and I have a Norwood 2 and I’m just wondering at what age is your final Norwood apparent or predictable?
For most men, hair loss patterns can be picked up by the age of 26 with proper tools (Microscopic imaging and micrometers); however, this is not a 100% rule as I have seen men start their balding in their 30s, 40s, and even in the 50s.
If most hair loss occurs by 35 and then pretty much stabilises does that mean we can stop taking fin after 35?
Hair loss is progressive. If you are stable on finasteride, stop it, and you might find instant hair loss to a pattern that you should have had if you didn’t take finasteride. I call this “Catch-up Hair Loss,” which means that you lose all of the benefits plus what you fixed by going on the drug. Catch-up Hair Loss always occurs in men on long-term finasteride. This is a warning for you: don’t do something that you might regret, as so many people I have taken care of told me when they decided to stop taking finasteride.