About to start on finasteride (and maybe min and nizoral too) - potential improvements based on pics?

[NeedFin28]

Hi guys,
I'm a 28 year old who didn't really know the ins and outs of hair loss, so therefore I've lost a considerable amount of hair in the last 3 years due to inaction on top of the small amount I lost and didn't regain due to a cyst removal.

Having just realized the importance of finasteride to hair maintenance I would like to start taking it soon (1.25mg daily) while maybe also adding min and nizoral too if things are not going as good as hoped for.

So I'd like to know how much improvement (thickening and maybe regrowth, though I'd settle for just thickening) I can potentially expect from 2 years use of finasteride or a combo of finasteride+min+nizoral based on my pics, 3 pre shower and 3 post shower (sorry for quality, did the best I could)?

 

[Micky_007]

Hi, no one can predict accurately what your hair will look like in the future, but you could potentially completely reverse the thinning on your scalp. It seems your hairline is intact and you don't have any bald patches, so that means you have living hairs covering every area of your scalp.

So this makes it much easier to treat, fortunately.

I would recommend you use a 2% Ketoconazole Shampoo every day + Minoxidil 5% every day twice a day (morning and evening) + Microneedling at 1.5mm once a week.

Do this for at least 6 months before making any judgment as to whether you are improving or not, whilst taking good pictures like you have every 3 months.

I don't recommend anyone start of with Finasteride due to it's horrible side effects which are usually permanent. Like erectile dysfunction, impotence, low sex drive, low sperm count, penis shrinkage and mental side effects too. Lol definitely something you don't want to be trialing unless it's an absolute last resort.

It's possible to get the results of Finasteride if not better with other options as I had mentioned, without the side effects.

 

[NeedFin28]

Thanks for response, don't really too know much about microneedling/dermarolling so will research it more.

Nizoral contains ketoconazole so that should be fine and min (Rogaine) twice a day is fine.

I'd heard conflicting reports on finasteride, but majority positive and also saying side effects are rarely permament, so I would be prepared to include it at 1.25mg (which I originally mean't to post) but would consult with a professional(s) who is/are aware of my medical history first and would take the risk if they gave me the all clear, otherwise would try to get by with just the other three options.

 

[pegasus2]

You might continue to lose hair, or it might all thicken up. Add microneedling and you should have a lot of hair in 12 months. Your hariline is likely gone forever without a transplant, but you have a good chance of the rest filling in completely. Good luck.

 

[WaccWaccWacc]

You have good hair at 28. finasteride will likely keep it like that. finasteride + minoxidil + Keto, will likely give you back some density. If you add microneedling to that you’ll likely see an even greater density boost.

 

[Micky_007]

Thanks for response, don't really too know much about microneedling/dermarolling so will research it more.

Nizoral contains ketoconazole so that should be fine and min (Rogaine) twice a day is fine.

I'd heard conflicting reports on finasteride, but majority positive and also saying side effects are rarely permament, so I would be prepared to include it at 1.25mg (which I originally mean't to post) but would consult with a professional(s) who is/are aware of my medical history first and would take the risk if they gave me the all clear, otherwise would try to get by with just the other three options.

There's a lot of people who haven't had side effects to start with so their opinion on whether these side effects are permanent or not is biased. Only people who have experienced side effects can tell you for sure if sides are always reversable after stopping or not. And more often than not, they will tell you some sides are irreversible.

You need to keep in mind that most side effects are technically reversible like low sperm count, testicular pain, brain fog. But usually the permanent ones are penis shrinkage, erectile dysfunction and low libido which improves slightly after stopping use but never gets back to the same level. Most people who have had such sides say their libido have halved and so have their erection strength.

Also something to note is that often medical professionals rarely talk about the side effects unless you ask, so that should tell you a lot too. And the ones that do, often don't tell you about the outliers who do get permanent sides and it's actually a much higher % than is advertised. It's pretty well covered up but there's various forums dedicated solely to the side effects of Propecia and "Post Finasteride Syndrome".

But if you do decide to go onto Finasteride, people usually start of with 1mg which is the standard

 

[Micky_007]

You might continue to lose hair, or it might all thicken up. Add microneedling and you should have a lot of hair in 12 months. Your hariline is likely gone forever without a transplant, but you have a good chance of the rest filling in completely. Good luck.

Hi @pegasus2, what in your opinion is the most effective needle depth for microneedling? 1.5mm? 2.5mm?

Also, how often would you recommend microneedling be done at this needle depth for optimum results? The general consensus is once a week, but keen to hear your opinion.

 

[NeedFin28]

They only sell 5mg tablets of finasteride in Ireland (buying from abroad is considerably more expensive), so my only option is to get those quartered, hence 1.25 mg a day

 

[pegasus2]

Hi @pegasus2, what in your opinion is the most effective needle depth for microneedling? 1.5mm? 2.5mm?

Also, how often would you recommend microneedling be done at this needle depth for optimum results? The general consensus is once a week, but keen to hear your opinion.

Every 2 weeks. Needle depth will vary from person to person depending on skin thickness and how much hair you have in the way. 1mm is probably good for most people. A greater depth might be better, but we don't have any evidence of that, so the safe thing to do is stick to 1mm.

 

[Micky_007]

Every 2 weeks. Needle depth will vary from person to person depending on skin thickness and how much hair you have in the way. 1mm is probably good for most people. A greater depth might be better, but we don't have any evidence of that, so the safe thing to do is stick to 1mm.

Thank you for your response, it's appreciated.

 

[NeedFin28]

Hi again guys,
I just wanted to hopefully gain some clarity on the bare minimum results that I could expect implementing some of the suggested tips over a few months-2 years.

So to help gauge a prediction, I tried looking for images of guys on finasteride (at least if not other treatments) with worse hair than I currently have, who went to having better hair than I currently have without a transplant.

This guy was maybe the best example of someone worse than me who ended up at least slightly better than me.

So is that a fair comparison? Am I being too hard on myself by comparing this guy's pre-treatment inferior hair to mine? Or is it just pretty unpredictable as to what any guy can expect from finasteride? (I expect the latter to be the answer so maybe I should get on with things, hope for a slight improvement and don't expect any major thickening - in any case I won't post again till I start getting results, it probably is quite luck based)

 

[WaccWaccWacc]

Expecting results like that is not ideal. Very few get results like that solely from finasteride + minoxidil.

 

[Micky_007]

I'm regards to your doubts regarding my claims about how many people *truly* get side effects on Finasteride:

If Merck can cover up stuff like this, I'm highly sure they wouldn't hesitate to cover up any other negative results from studies, inflate positive results and thereby downplay the % of users experiencing negative side effects.

U.S. court let Merck hide secrets about popular drug's risks

Lawsuits claim baldness drug Propecia causes sex problems, depression. The judge sealed evidence – viewed by Reuters – suggesting the maker downplayed risks. A widow wants the truth out.

www.reuters.com

1100 law suits!!! And this was only from America!! I mean a law suit is a lot of effort, 95% of people who have issues with a drug wouldn't take the effort to resort to going through a whole law suit. Maybe at best a small percentage will maybe post their negative experiences online or on hair loss forums. So imagine how many other people would actually be experiencing side effects from Finasteride.

let people know the truth!!!!!

"More than 1,100 Propecia-related lawsuits filed across the U.S. against Merck were consolidated before Judge Cogan in so-called multidistrict litigation (MDL). Merck agreed to settle most of them last year for $4.3 million, to be divided among the plaintiffs. Prior to the settlement, plaintiffs’ lawyers cited internal company communications to allege that in revisions to the drug’s original label, Merck understated the number of men who experienced sexual symptoms in clinical trials, and how long those symptoms lasted. Merck settled before responding to the allegation in court."

Reuters asks judge to release secret Propecia documents

Reuters asked a U.S. judge on Thursday to unseal documents filed in court regarding potential risks associated with Propecia, Merck & Co's popular baldness drug.

www.reuters.com

So much for all that bullshit about only a" minority" get side effects on Finasteride lol.