Fashion Balding - anyone tried finasteride or minoxidil?

[FAB DRONES]

Scalp massage

 

[Atlas IV]

Not if you still have healthy hair.
Gotta take a look at the norwood scale to check your individual grade.
I think they only recommend transplants if you are above grade 3 or 4.
(I'm a grade 2>3 btw)

Probably for the rest of your life.

Your minoxidil dosage is on the higher end.
I would def check my heart condition ASAP, especially if you have heart issues in your family.
And if you have the means, drop the oral fina and do some kind of injection treatment.
Fina's side effects will come sooner or later, and you can never be sure if they'll be permanent.

Will look into the fina scalp injections. How often do you have to get them? And do you know what the dosage is per injection/session?

 

[POB]

How often do you have to get them?

Once every 30 days for the first 10 sessions.
Then once every 90 days (or if your hair starts to fall again).

And do you know what the dosage is per injection/session?

I think this is standard for everyone.
Mine were 3 syringes.

After 4 days of my first injection I've notice that there's no more shedding.
Seems to be very effective indeed.

 

[Alpha13SC]

I don t know if it was said before, but the protocol from MPMD is used by a friend of mine successfully. He regrowth about 2-3cm of hairline.

 

[Karea Ricardus D.]

DO NOT TAKE FINASTERIDE! There are entire forums like this one, dedicated to men who have destroyed their lives with this shit! They have depression, brain fog, they are impotent, they have tits, they can't get it up, What in the FUCK is the point of having a full head of hair when you can't get it up? DO NOT TAKE FINASTERIDE! If you end up on that forum YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

 

[Gaturro]

Will you apply the peptide in combination with microneedling?
Every study I've checked suggests that applying preventive hair-loss substances with small scalp perfurations is vastly superior to using lotions and shampoos.

Oops. Well, I didn’t know that. I guess I’ll have to go to a hair clinic too. Does the peptide do anything without microneedling? Because I’m not sure I can do it properly myself.

 

[POB]

Does the peptide do anything without microneedling?

Have no idea, but my guess is yes.
Probably not as good as with the micro perfurations.

DO NOT TAKE FINASTERIDE! There are entire forums like this one, dedicated to men who have destroyed their lives with this shit! They have depression, brain fog, they are impotent, they have tits, they can't get it up, What in the FUCK is the point of having a full head of hair when you can't get it up? DO NOT TAKE FINASTERIDE! If you end up on that forum YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

It's the same as with every other drug...some people will have little side-effects, some will have mildly, and some will get fucked-up pretty bad.
The main question is, which one are you?

You will only know AFTER you use it! And when you discover that individual truth, it might be too late.
There are better and safer alternatives, so why take that huge risk?

 

[Hue]

I've been dealing with hair loss since I was 24, currently 28.

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I'm on a few things to deal with this, and it's the combination that works for me. The interesting thing is... now that I have this cocktail, my hair is growing much faster and I feel like I'm 23 again.

Hairloss Solution (Source: More Plates More Dates Derrick )

1) Finasteride - I can absolutely agree with the comments above, that if this drug is taken alone, there's a significant chance you kill your testosterone, lose libido, lose drive, etc. After a few years of taking it (right around 26-27) I stopped being able to get up unless I was high momentum or it was day 7 of the testosterone-ejaculation cycle.... which is WAY too fucking early in life to not be getting hard. I think I may have had minor breast development, but the whole time I've maintained an "athletic skinny" build because of diet and exercise.

However, it did slow and eventually stop my hairloss.

2) Minoxidil Foam - Been using this for about 2-3 years now, and it works in combination with Finasteride to regrow hair. Starts with baby hairs in the areas you see balding happen the most, and then fixes the area.

Testosterone / Libido Solution (Source: Kinobody + Andrew Huberman )

1) Tongkat Ali - This is a root that if properly administered boosts your free testosterone, because it reduces the inhibitors of free T in your blood stream. It DOES NOT work like Testosterone Replacement Therapy and is NOT a steroid. It's a supplement, recommended to boost free T by Andrew Huberman and Greg O Gallagher. Honestly, this has been a HUGE HELP in my lifestyle and happiness since I started taking it. My hair also has grown thicker and faster than when I just used my hairloss solution.

2) L-Citrulline - "Nature's ED Fix", found in watermelons, but when taken as a supplement boosts NO2 in the body. I believe found in Beats as well to increase blood flow and the same effect. I take it before I workout once a day.

3) Boron - Less familiar with the exact mechanism here, but also increases Free T.


I'm extremely active and been hitting PRs in the gym for the last 7 months with this combination. I'd recommend doing your own research on these supplements and seeing what dosages work for you.

Derrick has self-guinea pigged all his stuff and is very well studied in endocrinology. He acknowledges the effects of taking DRUGS to deal with hairloss, and it absolutely comes with a risk.

Also, Kinobody is a total douchebag, but his shit absolutely works. I'm in the best shape of my life without taking steroids, and I feel amazing.

Andrew Huberman (recently exposed as a massive player, lol) is a neuroscientist that does extensive research on supplements and behavioral habits before sending it on his podcast.

 

[POB]

1) Tongkat Ali - This is a root that if properly administered boosts your free testosterone, because it reduces the inhibitors of free T in your blood stream. It DOES NOT work like Testosterone Replacement Therapy and is NOT a steroid. It's a supplement, recommended to boost free T by Andrew Huberman and Greg O Gallagher. Honestly, this has been a HUGE HELP in my lifestyle and happiness since I started taking it. My hair also has grown thicker and faster than when I just used my hairloss solution.

True. Although not 100% science approved yet, every meta-analisys suggests it really works to improve T-levels, including in hipogonodal men.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36013514/

2) L-Citrulline - "Nature's ED Fix", found in watermelons, but when taken as a supplement boosts NO2 in the body. I believe found in Beats as well to increase blood flow and the same effect. I take it before I workout once a day.

Every dilating vessel substance (in theory) should improve workouts/libido.
Personally, my go to supplement for this is ZMA.
Unless you eat oisters every day, or follows a strict red meat/seafood carnivore type of diet, you are probably defficient in zync.
And zync is the GOAT mineral for a hard pole.

Update
I'm 8 days after my first fina injections and oh my god guys...my hair looks amazing!
It's thicker, darker, and looking way more healthy.
I'll wait a bit to give my final veredict, but so far this treatment looks like money well spent.

 

[Atlas IV]

True. Although not 100% science approved yet, every meta-analisys suggests it really work to improve T-levels, including in hipogonodal men.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36013514/

Every dilating vessel substance (in theory) should improve workouts/libido.
Personally, my go to supplement for this is ZMA.
Unless you eat oisters every day, or follows a strict red meat/seafood carnivore type of diet, you are probably defficient in zync.
And zync is the GOAT mineral for a hard pole.

Update
I'm 8 days after my first fina injections and oh my god guys...my hair looks amazing!
It's thicker, darker, and looking way more healthy.
I'll wait bit to give my final veredict, but so far this treatment looks like money well spent.

Wow, that's awesome to hear man! How did you find a place to do the finasteride injections? I googled it for Bangkok but nothing came up. Doesn't seem to be anywhere near as common as the oral prescription.

@Hue,
That's very interesting about Tongkat Ali. I never heard of it, but definitely gonna read more and maybe give it a try. Also, are you still taking oral finasteride? If so what dosage, and have you noticed any change in the side effects you mentioned above?

 

[POB]

Wow, that's awesome to hear man! How did you find a place to do the finasteride injections? I googled it for Bangkok but nothing came up. Doesn't seem to be anywhere near as common as the oral prescription.

According to my doctor, it has been around since 2021!
But I have no idea how it works outside of Brazil.
Over here dermatologists have a lot of freedom to do a bunch of stuff....not sure how it goes on another countries.

 

[POB]

UPDATE:
Did the second session, so far so good, hair is still improving looks wise.
The solution is a mixture of minoxidil 5%, finasteride 5% and an anesthesic

@Atlas IV asked my doctor, he said you can find this treatment anywhere.
Moreover in Thailand, where they host the international congress of dermatology.

 

[ajacksb]

I'll repeat what others are saying about finasteride. I've heard some crazy stories about Post Finasteride Syndrome where men lose their libido forever after taking it. This applies to the topical cream, too.

If you can afford it, do a hair transplant. My friend did it for around $7000 (he was fully bald) and it looks great.

 

[Marty]

Let balding run it's course. For now that means rocking a shorter hairstyle. If/when I start balding at the vertex, just shave it all off. Useful advice on looking good bald.

I'm fine with option 1.

All the drugs and surgery sound horrible, but for what it’s worth, I’ll add my 2¢. At 38 I switched to a buzzcut on the excellent advice of a kind member of this forum, @-B-. At 46 I began to shave it completely. During these periods at least 3 girls I‘ve been with have somehow noticed my college graduation photo (in my younger days I wore it all slicked back Brezhnev-style) and remarked “Yeah, no. I totally wouldn’t have fucked you back then.“ So if you do choose to keep it natural, you may even end up getting better results than you did before.

 

[POB]

UPDATE: I'm 3/4s of the way for this first batch of the treatment.
Doing once a month injections.
Hair is looking dope!
Thick, healthy, people are noticing it too

After this first phase, I'll continue it with one injection every 3 months.
Which means only 4 injections per year!!!
I definitely recommend this treatment, especially if you are still at grade 2 like myself.

 

[Vibe]

Shaving your head fully bald and pulling it off is going to depend on your head shape. It looks better on some guys, and on some it just doesn't.

For guys worried about finasteride, they came up with a topical version a couple of years ago, that supposedly has significantly fewer side effects. I believe the standard dose for application is 4 sprays, you can start with something lighter like 1 spray and see how you react to it.

Around ~1% of men who take finasteride have side effects like loss of libido, erectile dysfunction and ejaculation disorders, however this side effect often diminish with continued use. In many cases, they resolve after discontinuing the medication.

An even smaller percentage of men 0.8% have permanent side effects where the symptoms continue even after discontinuing use, so I understand the apprehension.

A few friends of mine started balding early and they swear by red light hair therapy cap (low level laser therapy). Just don't get the commercial hat, you can get it from other places, for cheaper and with more laser diodes.

Minoxidil you have to keep spraying or you will lose your gains. The new hair follicles that grow on the top of your skull are still not DHT resistant. However, you can use it to grow a fuller beard and the gains ARE permanent.

If you decide on a hair transplant, doctors are still going to prescribe to you minox + fin, so you do not keep losing the rest of your hair. The hair they take from the back of your head is DHT resistant and won't shed, however you will still keep losing the rest of your hair in your DHT sensitive areas (crown, front), if you don't take some form of DHT suppressant.

You can also try finasteride alternatives like dutasteride.

You gotta hit hair loss with everything, most common protocol is:
1. Some form of DHT blocker usually Fin
2. Microneedling + Minoxidil
3. Ketaconazol Shampoo (this is low hanging fruit for hair loss, little side effects-good returns)
4. Low level light therapy (laser cap)
5. Palet Rich Plasma (PRP) - Also good for your face to keep a youthfull apperance

If you find that you don't like your head shape and don't want to shave, or if you decide that you don't want to do any of this some men take the option of getting a hair system (hair piece) or doing micropigmentation (tattoing small dots on your scalp, to make it look like you have hair).

 

[ulrich]

UPDATE: I'm 3/4s of the way for this first batch of the treatment.
Doing once a month injections.
Hair is looking dope!
Thick, healthy, people are noticing it too

After this first phase, I'll continue it with one injection every 3 months.
Which means only 4 injections per year!!!
I definitely recommend this treatment, especially if you are still at grade 2 like myself.

@POB, I’m getting interested.

Re you growing new hair or is it just making your existing hair thicker?

 

[POB]

@POB, Re you growing new hair or is it just making your existing hair thicker?

No new hair, just stopped the shedding and thickened existing folicules.
It's like normal finasteride but on steroids....same effect but faster and more potent.
Not cheap though...cost me 3k for 12 injections.
(also kept the minoxidil oral, which in combination with the injections makes it even better...though I'm growing some annoying back hair as a side effect...probably will have to laser it in the future).