Lost, Won and Lost

[happysoul]

Hey guys,
I did my hair transplant almost 2 years ago. The growth was awesome in first year and had an awesome head with full of hair. I started applying Minoxidil 5% from the same week when the hair transplant was done. So its almost two years now. But from last one year, the growth has come down, infact more of shedding, thinning. Attaching two photos comparing today's status with last years. The difference is clearly visible. So before 2 years, not lot of hair. After hair transplant, good growth and now after 2 years, going back to same stage slowly. Read lot of posts here and recommendation is to start using finasteride along with minoxidil. I am using Regain Foam based because the other creates a lot of etching. Any suggestions please on finasteride + minioxidil combination as well as hopes for improving the density

 

[infamousrodi]

Should’ve started finasteride day one when you got the transplant to protect the hair from miniaturization again. the two have to go hand in hand, other ways you will end up like Tory lanez.

 

[happysoul]

Yes, rightly said. How should I start now ?
Any suggestions on whats the combination I should use. There are so many finasteride and minoxidil (foam vs non-foam) out there.

 

[Selb]

I would recommend, to limit sides, using topical dutasteride. From anecdotes, the sides are fewer compared to topical finasteride as dutasteride has a larger molecular size. This limits penetration into the blood stream and shouldn’t affect your serum dht as much as oral dutasteride for example.

 

[rapper dude]

I would recommend, to limit sides, using topical dutasteride. From anecdotes, the sides are fewer compared to topical finasteride as dutasteride has a larger molecular size. This limits penetration into the blood stream and shouldn’t affect your serum dht as much as oral dutasteride for example.

I take oral dutasteride, as I got older I had to increase dose from .5mg to 1.5 mg a day and have noticed far less hair loss

 

[infamousrodi]

How old were you when you got the transplant?

 

[happysoul]

35

 

[JohnSmith21]

I mean didn’t your doctor recommend finasteride when you got the transplant? You gotta take it to protect the hair that isn’t dht resistant. I’d start taking finasteride and get another transplant if you can afford it

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

I would recommend micro-needling once weekly of the entire scalp. This will help re-generate scar tissue and hopefully break down any fibrosis.

 

[happysoul]

I mean didn’t your doctor recommend finasteride when you got the transplant? You gotta take it to protect the hair that isn’t dht resistant. I’d start taking finasteride and get another transplant if you can afford it

He suggested but only for first 6 months.

 

[happysoul]

I would recommend micro-needling once weekly of the entire scalp. This will help re-generate scar tissue and hopefully break down any fibrosis.

Yeah I tried that before hair transplant for over 6 months.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Yeah I tried that before hair transplant for over 6 months.

It can take many, many months to break down scar tissue. You might also try the mechanical treatments/massages touted by Rob Winters. Some folks indicate improvement although I don't think much testing has been done. I stayed on min/finasteride for 20 years and had maintenance in pretty much the entirety of my fringe areas except in front of the ears. There's no point in people telling you, would have, should have, could have since you already had the transplant. There are a lot of inelegant practitioners who go into the transplant game just to make a buck since essentially any doctor can hang out his or her shingle.

 

[Ascension]

I would recommend, to limit sides, using topical dutasteride. From anecdotes, the sides are fewer compared to topical finasteride as dutasteride has a larger molecular size. This limits penetration into the blood stream and shouldn’t affect your serum dht as much as oral dutasteride for example.

Doesnt it limit penetration into the skin as well then? Making it useless if its doing what you are suggesting it should be doing by not entering the bloodstream

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Doesnt it limit penetration into the skin as well then? Making it useless if its doing what you are suggesting it should be doing by not entering the bloodstream

We apparently have no theory of shedding in general but what you are saying seems to make sense unless this is a rare med with an unusual dosing curve where less is more after a certain point. It might be that slow and steady is best in terms of combining improvement with the least amount of shedding but many guys (most?) never experience noticeable shedding on finasteride or duta or minoxidil.

 

[Ascension]

We apparently have no theory of shedding in general but what you are saying seems to make sense unless this is a rare med with an unusual dosing curve where less is more after a certain point. It might be that slow and steady is best in terms of combining improvement with the least amount of shedding but many guys (most?) never experience noticeable shedding on finasteride or duta or minoxidil.

Wait what are you talking about? I was talking about dutasteride entering the skin simply as a molecule.
But since you mentioned it i was shedding(?) 350 hairs a day when i started a topical diy which was stupid of me, gonna make a post about it soon. Almost 2 months on finasteride and 3 weeks on 1.25mg daily and shedding has definitely slowed a lot since the day i lost 350 hair and now its maybe around 60-70 that i can count in a 24 hour period but i would say closer to 100 if im being realistic, definitely visually way less than a few weeks ago.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Wait what are you talking about? I was talking about dutasteride entering the skin simply as a molecule.
But since you mentioned it i was shedding(?) 350 hairs a day when i started a topical diy which was stupid of me, gonna make a post about it soon. Almost 2 months on finasteride and 3 weeks on 1.25mg daily and shedding has definitely slowed a lot since the day i lost 350 hair and now its maybe around 60-70 that i can count in a 24 hour period but i would say closer to 100 if im being realistic, definitely visually way less than a few weeks ago.

It is just in reference to the fact that for most or all people, minoxidil's only drawback is the possibility of shedding and maybe never recovering. RI's obviously can have more sides as they are hormonal in nature but theoretically shedding shouldn't be a permanent side but many allege that so I have tried to conjecture ways to get the benefits of these stronger meds without the tendency to suffer disheartening sides or sheds which often put people back to square one if they desist from treatment:

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/news/education/understanding-shedding-hair-loss-treatment/

 

[Ascension]

It is just in reference to the fact that for most or all people, minoxidil's only drawback is the possibility of shedding and maybe never recovering. RI's obviously can have more sides as they are hormonal in nature but theoretically shedding shouldn't be a permanent side but many allege that so I have tried to conjecture ways to get the benefits of these stronger meds without the tendency to suffer disheartening sides or sheds which often put people back to square one if they desist from treatment:

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/news/education/understanding-shedding-hair-loss-treatment/

Yeah im still not sure about shedding myself but i know and asked people that have amazing hair specifically women and it seems they shed A LOT so idk its a versatile subject, currently still contemplating if im experiencing shedding or hair loss my self but im not stopping treatment lol.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Yeah im still not sure about shedding myself but i know and asked people that have amazing hair specifically women and it seems they shed A LOT so idk its a versatile subject, currently still contemplating if im experiencing shedding or hair loss my self but im not stopping treatment lol.

I never liked looking at hair in the brush cause it's sort of gross and it can be disheartening but I have noticed that most hair coming out now is either malformed or short and thin so I think that the quality of the hair being lost can be indicative as to whether it is a benevolent shed so to speak or not:

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/news/education/understanding-shedding-hair-loss-treatment/

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

male pattern baldness especially when combined with Telogen Effluvium issues is often an intractable problem and especially for younger guys who are used to science having solved other things or ameliorated them, like acne and dermatitis, to be told that balding in one's teens is a permanent situation and that the only recourse is a life-time of medication use can be staggering. Some of these guys are still virgins and haven't even "used" their hair yet so to speak. Others, like me were promised that we could grow long hair once we were out of our father's house. That didn't work out so well for me since my hair stopped looking good long at 17 although I didn't notice actual incipient baldness until I was almost 20 but it partially ruined college for me.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Btw, I know correct punctuation in English, but this site automatically corrects male pattern baldness, spironolactone and Telogen Effluvium when abreviated and spells them out usually with no regard to capitalization or place in the sentence. Please turn this "feature" off somebody....