Redbone I wish you hadn't used the exact 51ml estimate that I gave him. It's going to sound like his company is precisely shorting the amount rather than just being sloppy. Let's not just raid the guy with responses. I said I sent him an email - let's wait before we all jump on the bandwagon. He is a lot less likely to give anyone a compensation if everyone makes claims that aren't as precise as my own. Here is the text of my first letter:
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Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2003 20:37:51 -0800 (PST)
From: "
Subject: Volume of product in your PG free minoxidil.
To:
RichardLeeMD@earthlink.net
Dr. Lee,
When I received the order referenced below I was
surprised at the apparent amount of Minoxidil solution
in the container; it seemed less than the amount I
typically found in a store-bought version. I decided
to suspend judgement for the moment, reasoning that
any number of factors could contribute to the apparent
difference but also decided to monitor both the number
and precision of the dosages. I used a dropper
applicator with a 1ml line and was always careful to
measure a precise dose, right to the bottom of the
meniscus. Tonight I decided it might be time to
reorder so I decided to measure out the remaining
amount. The total volume when adding the already
applied doses to the remaining doses was 51 ml. A 21%
difference is not insignificant. I had once read a
thread on a hairloss forum whose posters are frequent
customers of yours that they recently noticed a
decrease in the volume of the spironolactone cream in the
containers they received. Remembering this, I decided
to check out the forums and amazingly enough, the
fourth most current post was someone claiming the
exact same thing about the amount of solution in the
minoxidil order they recently received (though their
assessment wasn't exactly scientific). In any case,
the capacity for accurate measurement by the packagers
of your products is highly suspect. I plan on
reordering soon but want to be sure I'll be getting
what I pay for and that some form of compensation for
my previous purchase will be forthcoming.
I also have a question for you regarding the
application of the spironolactone 5% cream. About how much
cream is necessary for adequate saturation of roughly
20 sq inches of scalp? A 1/2 teaspoon? A teaspoon?
Is it simply necessary to see even the slightest oily
deposit to know you've got adequate coverage?
Thanks for your time and consideration and I'm at
least happy to report that the PG free minoxidil has
solved the irritation problems.
His response and my subsequent response are:
Michael,
>
> Thank you for your inquiry.
>
> There should be a minimum of 65 mL of solution in
> each bottle. This
> amount does not fill the 3 oz HDPE plastic bottle,
> which has a capacity
> of ~90 mL. Therefore, the bottle never appears
> filled when it is
> opened.
>
> If there has been leakage from the bottle, there
> will be a whitish,
> crystalline precipitate around the cap.
>
> It may not be possible for you measure the amount of
> liquid from this
> bottle because you have used some of it, but you
> could do so with your
> next order. The amount should be at least 65 mL (or
> ~2 oz). If it is
> less, I would be happy to send you a replacement
> bottle.
I thought I made it clear that I didn't ultimately
judge the volume based on "feel." I said that since I
was suspicious of the quantity at the outset I decided
to be extremely precise in my applications. I used a
dropper with a 1ml measuring line and always measured
the amount so that the bottom of the meniscus was
right at the line. I made exactly 27 applications and
when I measured the remaining solution last night, it
came to exactly 24ml. That's 51 ml. Even allowing
for 2ml of leakage (which was not apparent at the
screwtop) and a measuring error of 3ml (which is
highly unlikely), that is still 9 ml short of the
mark. I'm well-schooled enough in chemistry to make
the likelihood of a measurement error of that
magnitude highly improbable.
I'll await your response before deciding whether or
not I will reorder.
Yours Truly,
Keep in mind that I have Lee's standard 5% minoxidil, not Xandrox.