Great Success After 4 Months On Finasteride/minoxidil

SaigonBlues

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Yeah. It's easy to lose perspective. It's tough when a lot of western society is so focussed on looks. I would say I was a pretty good looking guy when I was younger. But losing hair really changes your looks and can really change how people view you. Your confidence can plummet. It seems crazy but when it happens you feel the reality of it.

I thought it wouldn't make much difference to me but as my hairloss got worse I felt my confidence drop and I started to not care about anything. Now that I can see some progress I'm starting to feel much better. My confidence is returning. I'm excited to see if I can continue to get results and get back to something resembling normal hair.

Hey Red, man, how are you? Has your hair improved? How are you coping? You mentioned progress. I hope you have your life back now.

It always breaks my heart to hear how you guys are suffering.
 

manda

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manda,

I just looked back at the thread. You were at 6 weeks. How are you, man? Were you able to halt the loss or improve your situation?


You have a crazy progress. However I wouldn't jump off or lower the minoxidil. Never change a working treatment my friend. You got results pretty fast so there's a high chance that you are a good responder to minoxidil.

I'm now almost 4 months into Finasteride 1,25mg and so far my shedding and itching has more or less stopped but my hair didn't improve so far. I'll wait until the 6 months mark to make a decision about jumping on minoxidil. I guess patience and consistency is key so I have to wait but I'm looking so much for regrowth. I hope I'll get it.
 

Red October

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Hey Red, man, how are you? Has your hair improved? How are you coping? You mentioned progress. I hope you have your life back now.

It always breaks my heart to hear how you guys are suffering.
Hi Saigon,

Things are good. I feel there's plenty of progress. Still not looking amazing or anything but it seems to be going in the right direction. I definitely feel my hair is thickening up. It seems to be moving at a much slower rate than yours. You must be a really good responder to minoxidil. I've found since getting a good derma-roller that the minoxidil seems to be absorbing better and thus giving better minoxidil results. Having said all that my hair is nowhere near what it once was (it's still very thin under harsh lighting) but I can't complain as I'm seeing progress. I'm hoping that by the end of this year it will be looking a lot better. I will re-assess then.
 

Red October

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Hey manda (and All),

Sorry I've been so quiet lately. The reason is because there's not much to update. It's been 8 months since I started Finasteride/Minoxidil. I still haven't experienced any sheds or any side effects. My hair is growing like crazy and I'm pretty much back to where I was at 18.

I'm taking 1.25 mg Finasteride per day, never missed any dose. The same goes for Minoxidil. I'm also making sure I get enough protein and vitamins every day.

I used to have long hair all the way down my back (college!) and am letting my hair grow to at least shoulder length now. Attaching a picture that shows me in the "awkward stage" between short and long hair. The hair is a lot longer than it looks. I'm styling it so it's not too puffy. I know it's a nice problem to have. I'm not trying to show off, just responding to manda's request for an update.

The bottom line is that a full recovery is possible, even if you're an old guy like me. So if you ask me, it's definitely worth giving Finasteride/Minoxidil a try. After I showed my progress to a friend, he also jumped on the same treatment and his progress is very promising.The question for me now is which med is responsible for my success. I might experiment with lowering minoxidil and see what happens.

Anyways, I wish you guys all the best. Try to stay positive (I know that's not easy). Let me know if you have any questions.

View attachment 116684
I'd say don't change anything if it's working man. You've had great results so stick with it.
 

transam

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Hi Saigon,

Things are good. I feel there's plenty of progress. Still not looking amazing or anything but it seems to be going in the right direction. I definitely feel my hair is thickening up. It seems to be moving at a much slower rate than yours. You must be a really good responder to minoxidil. I've found since getting a good derma-roller that the minoxidil seems to be absorbing better and thus giving better minoxidil results. Having said all that my hair is nowhere near what it once was (it's still very thin under harsh lighting) but I can't complain as I'm seeing progress. I'm hoping that by the end of this year it will be looking a lot better. I will re-assess then.
do you apply minoxidil right after you derma roll?...or wait 24 hours?
 

Red October

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do you apply minoxidil right after you derma roll?...or wait 24 hours?
Yeah. I'm following @Somebody 's method. I don't roll too hard so there may be only a spot or two of blood. I use 1.5mm most days and once a week I use a 2.0mm derma-roller. Only takes about a minute maybe two at most to derma-roll and apply minoxidil.
 

transam

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Hard to tell but my best guess is that hair was no longer miniaturized. Really just a guess though.
Question bro,
How long do you keep minoxidil on during the day?
Also, do you wash before each application?
Finally, do you moisturize your hair/scalp at all? I know liquid minoxidil causes dryness/and flakes for some..
 

Red October

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@SaigonBlues Would you say your hairline fully recovered? Just wondering how realistic it is to expect hairline recovery. Thanks.
 

SaigonBlues

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Question bro,
How long do you keep minoxidil on during the day?
Also, do you wash before each application?
Finally, do you moisturize your hair/scalp at all? I know liquid minoxidil causes dryness/and flakes for some..

I shower every morning. Although I only shampoo my hair twice per week, I always rinse my hair with cold water and apply conditioner with every shower, even if I don't shampoo.

After the shower, I apply the minoxidil, comb my hair, and leave it on all day. Before going to bed, I rinse my hair again with cold water to wash away any residue. I don't know if this is necessary but it has become a habit for me. After the rinse, I apply minoxidil, comb my hair, and leave it on all night.

Other than the daily use of a good conditioner, I do not moisturize my scalp. I don't have any issues with dry or flaky scalp.

BTW: I don't rub the minoxidil onto my scalp. I use the dropper to "draw" lines on my scalp and that's it. My fingers never touch the minoxidil.
 

SaigonBlues

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@SaigonBlues Would you say your hairline fully recovered? Just wondering how realistic it is to expect hairline recovery. Thanks.

Hey Red,

It's been almost 11 months since I started the treatment and once I hit the full year, I'll post some pictures.

But I can tell you now already that visually, I have fully recovered any hair loss. 100%. My hair looks and feels the way it was when I was a teenager. I say "visually" because I obviously never did a hair count when I was a teenager so I can't compare but it looks absolutely the same. The hair feels really thick and healthy.

Also, my hair was becoming grey but now it's black with a few greys. Now, I don't believe I reserved the greying of my hair but all the hair that I regrew are pitch black, covering the greys and making them disappear.
 

transam

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Hey Red,

It's been almost 11 months since I started the treatment and once I hit the full year, I'll post some pictures.

But I can tell you now already that visually, I have fully recovered any hair loss. 100%. My hair looks and feels the way it was when I was a teenager. I say "visually" because I obviously never did a hair count when I was a teenager so I can't compare but it looks absolutely the same. The hair feels really thick and healthy.

Also, my hair was becoming grey but now it's black with a few greys. Now, I don't believe I reserved the greying of my hair but all the hair that I regrew are pitch black, covering the greys and making them disappear.
congrats on your regrowth brother!
 

Moosey

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Are you asian in any way? I dont know why, but for some reason asians respond to hairloss drugs so much better than everyone else
 

JWM2

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Congrats! What brands of Finasteride and minoxidil are you using? And do you use Nizoral?
 

SaigonBlues

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Congrats! What brands of Finasteride and minoxidil are you using? And do you use Nizoral?

I buy the cheapest 5mg generic finasteride I found online (I'm in the USA). Not sure if I'm allowed to mention the name. I don't want to come across as someone who is here to advertise a store. It's $22.50 for 90 pills.

As for minoxidil, I buy the cheapest liquid minoxidil you can find on Amazon. It's about $24 for 6 months.
 

SaigonBlues

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This is my 1 year update. It's incredible that it has already been a year since I started.

There's actually not much to report. My hair has been growing. I now have a full head of hair with a lot of density. The hair is thick, shiny and healthy. There's no trace of hair loss anymore.

My routine is still the same: 1.25 mg Finasteride in the morning, Minoxidil 2 x per day, Nizoral 1% 2 x per week. I never experienced any sides or sheds.

I think this will be my final update since there's nothing really new to report.

I'm attaching a picture from this morning, right out of bed, combed my hair with my fingers. No products or anything else in my hair. I'm Norwood what now?
Aug 2019.PNG
Good luck, folks!
 

Derelict

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This is my 1 year update. It's incredible that it has already been a year since I started.

There's actually not much to report. My hair has been growing. I now have a full head of hair with a lot of density. The hair is thick, shiny and healthy. There's no trace of hair loss anymore.

My routine is still the same: 1.25 mg Finasteride in the morning, Minoxidil 2 x per day, Nizoral 1% 2 x per week. I never experienced any sides or sheds.

I think this will be my final update since there's nothing really new to report.

I'm attaching a picture from this morning, right out of bed, combed my hair with my fingers. No products or anything else in my hair. I'm Norwood what now?
View attachment 125842
Good luck, folks!

Great results, but what is your hair like when wet, is it still very thin?
 
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