finasteride+revivogen+minoxodil+spironolactone+Cu peptides+....

[jimmystanley]

i'm using propecia and revivogen and am having pretty reasonable progress. anyone going all out?...or have any thoughts about this?

 

[mvpsoft]

Well, I'm using copper peptides 2x a day (Tricomin, but gradually switching to Folligen), 5% minoxidil 2x a day, 2% Nizoral 3x a week, Revivogen 1x a day, dutasteride, and I'm gradually introducing a 7% minoxidil formulation that also includes Retin-A. I'm also starting to use emu oil at night to help reduce irritation, and because Pickart claims that emu oil on the scalp triggers follicles to enter the growth phase. Right now I'm using the 7% minoxidil three times a week instead of the 5% minoxidil, hopefully working up to 7 times a week. Retin-A causes a lot of skin flaking, so you have to introduce it gradually. When my 5% minoxidil runs out, I may try the 15% Xandrox formulation.

I guess that's pretty much an all-out regimen, but I have very specific goals. First, I'm 48, my hair loss has been very gradual over 20 years or more, and my goal is to maintain as much as possible and get as much regrowth as possible for about a year before having a hair transplant. According to Dr. Wolf, one single session of about 1,500 grafts should be enough to rebuild my hairline. I wanted to determine how much regrowth I could achieve on my vertex and crown because I don't want to do any transplants there. No sense transplanting in areas in which I can achieve what I want with less invasive means.

If you're going to go all out, you want to have a specific game plan in mind that makes sense for achieving your goals. I've been on this regimen since August, and it's working. I have enough regrowth on my vertex and crown that my scalp coverage is noticeably better, and I'm starting to see modest regrowth on my hairline.

 

[not me!]

Mv,

Sounds like you have a fairly full plate. While you are right on target about the retin-A I feel that I should let you in on some speculation that several physicians have pointed out to me about the 15% Minoxidil.

It seems that bigger is not always better. You see, most medications act similar to a bell curve. You see imporvement with an increase in medication up to a point, but after that point it can actually cause a detriment. Studies are inconclusive as of right now to exactly what that point is, however.

I have read conflicting support for the 15%. Though at first light it appears to be a very good idea (I am a big fan of some of Dr. lee's research) it simply is not proven not to be a detriment.

I wish you the best, but I just wanted to point that out to you. You seem like a very informed hair loss sufferer that is attacking your affliction at all angles. I would be very interested in your progress after the phase-in of Folligen after a few months.

 

[mvpsoft]

So far all we know is that minoxidil is dose-dependent, and so far, it appears that the more, the better. Now, we know there is a point at which that won't hold, but if Lee is right that less than 2% of applied minoxidil is actually absorbed by the skin, then it is likely that 15% minoxidil will be more effective than 5%. Notice I said more likely, because we don't know for sure.

Actually my only reason for considering the 15% minoxidil formulation is that I'm applying a lot of topicals, and it's inconvenient. 1 ml or 15% minoxidil should be roughly equivalent to 3 ml 5% minoxidil. Switching would allow me to apply minoxidil once rather than twice a day.

 

[Bryan]

So far all we know is that minoxidil is dose-dependent, and so far, it appears that the more, the better. Now, we know there is a point at which that won't hold, but if Lee is right that less than 2% of applied minoxidil is actually absorbed by the skin, then it is likely that 15% minoxidil will be more effective than 5%. Notice I said more likely, because we don't know for sure.

The problem is that when you apply more and more topical minoxidil, your skin fairly quickly reaches a point where it's "saturated" with minoxidil, and cannot absorb any more (there was actually a study which measured that with multiple applications per day). I believe that the customary application of 5% minoxidil twice a day is already fairly close to that point of saturation. At the very least, it's certainly well-within the area of "diminishing returns".

Actually my only reason for considering the 15% minoxidil formulation is that I'm applying a lot of topicals, and it's inconvenient. 1 ml or 15% minoxidil should be roughly equivalent to 3 ml 5% minoxidil. Switching would allow me to apply minoxidil once rather than twice a day.

There's also another issue which argues against the use of Dr. Lee's 15% minoxidil: it uses glycerine as a vehicle, instead of propylene glycol. According to the Merck Index, "Propylene glycol permeates the skin better than glycerine". I really find it rather doubtful that Dr. Lee's 15% minoxidil is any better than standard Rogaine, but I'll believe it if he's ever able to provide proof.

Bryan

 

[mvpsoft]

On the permeability issue, that might be ameliorated somewhat with the use of Retin-A or some other exfoliant. Of course, it would work to increase absorption no matter what form of minoxidil one is using. And then again, if the idea is have one less topical application, adding a Retin-A application is hardly consistent with that. <g> If I can get my scalp used to twice daily applications of Minsaw-A, which is 7% minoxidil plus Retin-A, with a propylene glycol carrier, I'll probably just use that.

 

[bombscience]

Fortunately, the gylcerine in the 15% solution really helps my situation because I have an allergy to PPG. Additionally, I notice less shedding hairs than ever after starting 15%

 

[mvpsoft]

bombscience, do you find that the glycerin is less "greasy" than the ppg? Does Xandrox 15 dry faster than the Kirkland/Pfizer formulation of minoxidil?