I just came back from the clinic, doctor prescribed me 1% topical finasteride with some vitamin pills (which i'll not use since they are 60$ ber month). We will see what topical finasteride will do but doctor said i have a good change to be a good responder because i indeed have many tiny hairs which are visible to the naked eye but they are not growing. Wish me luck guys ill report back in a couple of months. I hope for the best.
Yes probably safer to go with topical Finasteride over Oral tablet form. As mentioned, many people don't respond to Minoxidil, but a lot of people end up responding to Minoxidil once they combine Microneedling.
However, if you're Micro-needling + applying topical Finasteride, the Finasteride will go systemic and may result in side effects.
I usually advise people to only go onto Finasteride as an absolute last resort.
My advice would be to start off with Microneedling and Minoxidil, starting with a 1mm needle depth for microneedling and work your way up to 1.5mm needle depth. You should respond much better to Minoxidil then.
I would also advise you use a caffeine based shampoo almost every day (or at least 4 times a week). Alpecin C1 Shampoo and Alpecin Caffeine Liquid are good options that aren't expensive. There's alot of studies that show caffeine shampoo's have really positive effects on hair growth even similar to 5% Minoxidil but without the side effects. Your hair needs 10x more energy during the anagen (growth) phase so caffeine supplies it with this energy.
I would also suggest you use a 2% Ketoconazole Shampoo. (Theres other
Cheaper brands available because Nizoral is quite pricey). You only need to use the Ketoconazole shampoo once or twice a week for 4 weeks. After that, only need to use the Ketoconazole Shampoo once every week. Ketoconazole is in the "big 3" for Hairloss treatments so highly recommended you add it to your regime.
Also, the reason it's highly recommended you used multiple approaches as I mentioned as opposed to using just 1 treatment, is because it increases your chances of seeing results. There is no 1 treatment fix that encapsulates everything. Everything needs to be used in conjunction with something else.
As I mentioned, I really only recommend going onto Finasteride as an absolute last resort. I know your doctor and others here recommended you go on it. But I suggest you do your solid research on Finasteride because it is a potentially very dangerous drug with hectic side effects like erectile dysfunction, reduced sex drive, permanent impotence, reduced semen count. Always know exactly what you're getting yourself into and whether Finasteride is worth the risk. There are other safer alternatives as Finasteride that I mentioned. And since you still have many visible hairs, you still have time before resorting to Finasteride.
Remember, people respond differently to medication, so just because some people didn't experience side effects from Finasteride, doesn't mean others won't. In fact contrary to popular belief and false information, there's actually a majority % of Finasteride users that do actually get side effects. So something to really think about.
Remember, it will take realistically about 6 months to start seeing results, after consistent treatment. So don't expect any overnight miracles, it will take time. Lots of time. And lots of dedication and discipline.
