Hair transplant diary (ongoing)

gmisk

Mongfinder General wrote: »

Yes, same thing. Use the foam, easier to manage.

Ah crap I ordered the liquid already
I already use the alpecin liquid (and quite like it) so hopefully it is similar....

at9qu5vp0wcix7

gmisk wrote: »

Ah crap I ordered the liquid already
I already use the alpecin liquid (and quite like it) so hopefully it is similar....

The liquid will be quick to dry if you have cut your hair short. I get a bit of irritation and residual flakes after it dries, but Nizoral shampoo helps. Look in to microneedling if you really want to get good results from minoxidil.

speedboatchase

gmisk wrote: »

Ah crap I ordered the liquid already
I already use the alpecin liquid (and quite like it) so hopefully it is similar....

I prefer the liquid. The foam just melts to create wet patches imo. I can't see how you can properly style your hair with it.

gmisk

Desmond Full Conduit wrote: »

The liquid will be quick to dry if you have cut your hair short. I get a bit of irritation and residual flakes after it dries, but Nizoral shampoo helps. Look in to microneedling if you really want to get good results from minoxidil.

Grand job.
Yeah it's been buzzed short hence me noticing a bit of an issue!
Must check out Nizoral!
Ordered a micro needling roller thing 1mm hope that is the right one

TheGambler15

I’m a bit wary of using finasteride in tablet form but will do if there’s no other option but does anyone know of a topical fin that can be used or where it could be got?

It seems that has less side effects compared to tablet form.

Monokne

Sure look, if you give it a go and you get side effects, you can just come off.

Monokne

gmisk wrote: »

Has anyone gone through webdoctor for finasteride?

I am hitting 40 this year, not had any real hair loss before,always had a bit of a widows peak (then again so does my dad and he is 70 with a full head of hair).
Other half shaved my head and it now looks like I am thinning a bit at the very top and at temples.
Not noticeable really as I am pretty fair.
But I guess better to start something like this now?

I have been using alpecin for maybe 5 years.

I did a couple years ago. Great. Very handy.

Also, finasteride has no effect on my libido whatsoever. I think it's about 1 in 10-20 who get that impact.

gmisk

I feel a bit thick....

I pointed out to my other half about weird hair loss at top of head...rest looks same....they then pointed out I have been wearing a large headset for about 8 hours a day in the exact bit I am losing hair...so it could be that....lol....I am also wearing a wooly hat last month or so (and I never wear hats)
Minoxidil and the pin roller thing on the way anyway just in case ha. Not gonna bother with tablets of any sort just yet will see how it goes

BorneTobyWilde

gmisk wrote: »

I feel a bit thick....

I pointed out to my other half about weird hair loss at top of head...rest looks same....they then pointed out I have been wearing a large headset for about 8 hours a day in the exact bit I am losing hair...so it could be that....lol....I am also wearing a wooly hat last month or so (and I never wear hats)
Minoxidil and the pin roller thing on the way anyway just in case ha. Not gonna bother with tablets of any sort just yet will see how it goes

Minoxidil is messy stuff. Whole head will have layers of gunk on it. I couldn't stand that stuff.


What you need is



Nu U Biotin

Zinc
Neocell Collagen + C
Nisim Biofactors Shampoo https://www.body4real.co.uk/nisim-biofactors-shampoo-sls-paraben-free/
Great shampoo, all hair fall stops with it, but would continue unnoticed at a very very slow rate
Vital to add some Finasteride. NO need to take 1mg . Webdoctor is great, so easy to obtain it there.
It will be a 5mg tablet. I got a 6 month supply 3 years ago, still have it. ie I take such a tiny bit every day. 1 tablet lasts me 22-25 days , I basically take a tiny scratch off the tablet. The size of, if you take a pen, and draw the smallest circle you can with it thats leaves a space in the middle, this would be roughly the amount I take, zero effect, it's such a tiny amount, but has totally stopped all hair loss.. a long with the others things mentioned. And thickened hair of course.

TheGambler15

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Minoxidil is messy stuff. Whole head will have layers of gunk on it. I couldn't stand that stuff.


What you need is



Nu U Biotin

Zinc
Neocell Collagen + C
Nisim Biofactors Shampoo https://www.body4real.co.uk/nisim-biofactors-shampoo-sls-paraben-free/
Great shampoo, all hair fall stops with it, but would continue unnoticed at a very very slow rate
Vital to add some Finasteride. NO need to take 1mg . Webdoctor is great, so easy to obtain it there.
It will be a 5mg tablet. I got a 6 month supply 3 years ago, still have it. ie I take such a tiny bit every day. 1 tablet lasts me 22-25 days , I basically take a tiny scratch off the tablet. The size of, if you take a pen, and draw the smallest circle you can with it thats leaves a space in the middle, this would be roughly the amount I take, zero effect, it's such a tiny amount, but has totally stopped all hair loss.. a long with the others things mentioned. And thickened hair of course.

Fair play, looks like you’ve maximised finasteride there and cut out the chances of the worrying side effects by taking little. Did you always just just a tiny bit of it daily?

Also, when ordering off web doc, do they prescribe it for you to buy in a pharmacy or can’t it be got online then?

Monokne

Do you have the worlds smallest pill cutter?

DeWanderer

I'm waiting on a prescription for Fintrid brand Finasteride. 5mg tablets, which I'll break up into 0.5mg ish tablets, if I can manage it.
I might eventually move up to 1mg (which is what the GP recommends).


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3481923/
This paper says the following in the discussion section:
"Efficacy has been demonstrated for all end points for finasteride at doses of 0.2 mg/day or higher, with 1 and 5 mg demonstrating similar efficacy that was superior to lower doses.[8,9,19] The drug may be therefore initially administered at 0.5 mg daily or one tablet alternate days, to gain confidence of the patient and the 1 mg/day dosage may be restored once patient is comfortable about the drug. The value of such a regimen was shown in a preliminary study.[20] However, further large, long term studies are needed to establish the value of such regimens."

I'll post here every few weeks and let it be know how I'm getting on.

DeWanderer

Anyone reading this taking Serenoa repens (Saw Palmetto)? If so, where are you buying it from. I was reading a paper on it. They were seeing good hair retention/stabilisation in their trials and even some evidence for improvement (increased hair growth). They included Finasteride as a comparison. The Fin of course had higher percentage of subjects with improvement.
See tables on page 5 of the following pdf. And also last paragraph on page 6:
"In our opinion, Serenoa repens could be
considered as a valid approach in treating low or
moderate AGA, and a good alternative for patientsin whom finasteride or other topical therapies cannotbe used. Sr resulted able to stabilize hair loss withouthaving any side effects. However, further studies will be necessary to explain the mechanisms that
lead to a different response ofthe two treatments and to support the claims of Sr efficacy."

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/039463201202500435&ved=2ahUKEwj_49OfiO3uAhUfSRUIHX0OBTIQFjADegQILRAB&usg=AOvVaw3j9mDmux6Pjq2HhypIHhWR


It should be noted here that it was a relatively small study and the authors have said more studies are needed.
They administered 320mg of Saw palmetto a day to each person.

Monokne

TheGambler15 wrote: »

Fair play, looks like you’ve maximised finasteride there and cut out the chances of the worrying side effects by taking little. Did you always just just a tiny bit of it daily?

Also, when ordering off web doc, do they prescribe it for you to buy in a pharmacy or can’t it be got online then?

You get a script to buy it in the pharmacy.

TheGambler15

DeWanderer wrote: »

I'm waiting on a prescription for Fintrid brand Finasteride. 5mg tablets, which I'll break up into 0.5mg ish tablets, if I can manage it.
I might eventually move up to 1mg (which is what the GP recommends).


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3481923/
This paper says the following in the discussion section:
"Efficacy has been demonstrated for all end points for finasteride at doses of 0.2 mg/day or higher, with 1 and 5 mg demonstrating similar efficacy that was superior to lower doses.[8,9,19] The drug may be therefore initially administered at 0.5 mg daily or one tablet alternate days, to gain confidence of the patient and the 1 mg/day dosage may be restored once patient is comfortable about the drug. The value of such a regimen was shown in a preliminary study.[20] However, further large, long term studies are needed to establish the value of such regimens."

I'll post here every few weeks and let it be know how I'm getting on.

I can get the prescription of web doc but I’m worried about the post fin issues more than issues during taking it. There are some worrying stories about people who came off it and went in a bad way mentally. I know these things are not a majority but the worry has to be there.

I have a decent head of hair now but I know it’s failing on me. I need to act on something before it’s too late but fin scares me. I did take viviscal and it possibly slowed down the process of hair loss but not by a lot. It’s a fairly costly product for something that doesn’t really work.

Monokne

To be honest mate, the issue here is your thinking rather than the drug. The chances that you take fin, come off it and are going to be in a bad way mentally are miniscule. As the old saying goes, you've a better chance of walking out and being hit by a bus.

There's never going to be a miracle pill or liquid that you just take and has no element of risk, so ultimately your choices will always be to jump in and give it a go, see how you get on, or accept that your hair is going to get thinner.

TheGambler15

Monokne wrote: »

To be honest mate, the issue here is your thinking rather than the drug. The chances that you take fin, come off it and are going to be in a bad way mentally are miniscule. As the old saying goes, you've a better chance of walking out and being hit by a bus.

There's never going to be a miracle pill or liquid that you just take and has no element of risk, so ultimately your choices will always be to jump in and give it a go, see how you get on, or accept that your hair is going to get thinner.

Fair point, well made. 🙂

DeWanderer

TheGambler15 wrote: »

Fair point, well made. 🙂

Not pointing you in any direction, but if I'd only a small amount of hair loss, I'd give saw palmetto a go. No known adverse effects at 320mg per day. It hasn't been proven in large scale trials, but data in one of those studies I've posted is very promising. And the author even states it's worth looking at for people with early stage male pattern Baldness. 320mg was used in trial. I wouldn't go with much more than that.

BorneTobyWilde

Monokne wrote: »

Do you have the worlds smallest pill cutter?

Geez I had one but no good for small cuts. I just use a small scissors , cut in two half, then use a half at a time, cutting little snippets off in palm of my hand. Grip the half in the scissors, then close hand so it doesn't fly lol. Then take away the half, and left with the little bit, even if it's not a clean cut, can be just debris, but that's fine. I'm drinking a cup of tea at this time, so I just lick my CLEAN hand, and take a drink of tea. Has work 3 year on, all I need is temples renewed,

going hardcore on pills for regrow is not me, best to just have it done via hair transplant. My hair has thickened over the years, all stable, just need to fill in the temples/ hairline.

TheGambler15

DeWanderer wrote: »

Not pointing you in any direction, but if I'd only a small amount of hair loss, I'd give saw palmetto a go. No known adverse effects at 320mg per day. It hasn't been proven in large scale trials, but data in one of those studies I've posted is very promising. And the author even states it's worth looking at for people with early stage male pattern Baldness. 320mg was used in trial. I wouldn't go with much more than that.

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/vitamins-supplements/supplements/saw-palmetto/

Something as basic as those? They’re 450mg but I assume a small bit more can’t do any harm? Anyone else on here try Saw Palmetto? I’ve seen it mentioned pages back but lots to go back through to find it.

Monokne

I have used saw palmetto. It's obviously hard to accurately track your hair loss but I felt I was still seeing hair on the floor of the shower after I'd wash my hair, when I was using it. With fin, that has pretty much stopped entirely.

Dr Cinik said it's roughly 70% as effective as fin in his experience.

Homelander

Saw Palmetto, kinda like Regaine, is probably good for people who are suffering natural, age-related hair loss which is very slow and would be reduced more to a crawl using those things.

Someone suffering from actual Male Pattern Baldness really needs Finasteride, Saw Palmetto or Regaine are gonna be fairly useless, like putting a plaster on an open wound.

TheGambler15

Monokne wrote: »

I have used saw palmetto. It's obviously hard to accurately track your hair loss but I felt I was still seeing hair on the floor of the shower after I'd wash my hair, when I was using it. With fin, that has pretty much stopped entirely.

Dr Cinik said it's roughly 70% as effective as fin in his experience.

70% for something without any of the very worrying albeit statistically rare side effects isn’t too bad? But I get where you’re coming from. It’s a slow down job rather than properly stop job.

Would the Saw Palmetto I have linked above do the job?

at9qu5vp0wcix7

TheGambler15 wrote: »

70% for something without any of the very worrying albeit statistically rare side effects isn’t too bad? But I get where you’re coming from. It’s a slow down job rather than properly stop job.

Would the Saw Palmetto I have linked above do the job?

If you take enough of it and drop DHT by the same amount as finasteride, you will experience the same side effects. Side effects are from reducing DHT, nothing intrinsic to finasteride.

Saw Palmetto drops DHT by up to 30%, finasteride by up to 70-80%.

BizWiz66

I have decided to have a HR transplant with Dr. Bisanga in Belgium. After exchanging a few emails/photos with one of his assistants it looks like I would need around 4/5k grafts. The doctor would like to visit me before we go ahead with the surgery though, so I am planning to fly over for a quick trip. Normally going from Dublin to Brussels and returning the same day it's pretty straight forward, however I was wondering if with the current restrictions I could be fined for travelling for a HT visit even if my return flight is scheduled for the same day, meaning that I am not going over for fun?

TheGambler15

BizWiz66 wrote: »

I have decided to have a HR transplant with Dr. Bisanga in Belgium. After exchanging a few emails/photos with one of his assistants it looks like I would need around 4/5k grafts. The doctor would like to visit me before we go ahead with the surgery though, so I am planning to fly over for a quick trip. Normally going from Dublin to Brussels and returning the same day it's pretty straight forward, however I was wondering if with the current restrictions I could be fined for travelling for a HT visit even if my return flight is scheduled for the same day, meaning that I am not going over for fun?

If you have a doctor’s letter then my understanding is that you can’t be fined but maybe someone else can add further to this with more concrete info.

Best of luck with it. The travel arrangements is nearly the worst part these days!

Monokne

spegnor87 wrote: »

Is there any point in having a hair transplant without medication?

In my opinion, there's not until you are of an age where male pattern baldness is no longer really active.

I am 36 having just had mine. If I didn't take finasteride I firmly believe my crown would thin a great deal and I'd definitely need a second at some point. Think it's important to lock in what you have if you are going to take the leap toi actually have the surgery.

I just started using Regaine foam. I'm forty years old and my hair is thinning a bit, a slight bald patch at the back but there's still growth there too, for now.

I'm not keen on taking any medication so hopefully this slows the tide a bit. I'll report back if I notice any positive results.

Dellboy2007

Monokne wrote: »

In my opinion, there's not until you are of an age where male pattern baldness is no longer really active.

I’m sorry but what do you mean exactly here?

Dellboy2007

DeWanderer wrote: »

Not pointing you in any direction, but if I'd only a small amount of hair loss, I'd give saw palmetto a go. No known adverse effects at 320mg per day. It hasn't been proven in large scale trials, but data in one of those studies I've posted is very promising. And the author even states it's worth looking at for people with early stage male pattern Baldness. 320mg was used in trial. I wouldn't go with much more than that.

The thing you have to remember about herbal products is, there is no where near the same level of research. The reason? Drug companies fund research and why the hell would they fund studies for a product that they can’t patent or profit from. Occasionally you will get the odd study which was mentioned but they are few and far between. I guess the follow on question is then, well how objective/accurate are the studies which are carried out by the drug companies/ researchers.

As an aside, you do see instances where herbal medicines will be made more potent and marketed as a pharmaceutical product, which is what happened when fish oil was patented as Lovaza (ethyl ester) for treatment of high triglycerides levels.