4 Months on the Big three, big improvement!

[GoldenMane]

Yeah, 2-3 hours is about right for drying time, but to be honest after 10-20 minutes it'll be done dripping. You'll still have a damp scalp, but it only really drips for the first 10-20 minutes in my experience. Again, once a day works fine, if you want to go twice a day then it surely won't hurt! But if you ever decide that applying in the morning is a pain in the arse, then don't worry about it, it's no big deal, once a day is enough. Spectral UHP dried much faster, but it's pretty expensive stuff and doesn't grow any more hair than Kirkland!

I've read about the whole dark rings thing,a nd yeah it does sound worrying. I haven't experienced it anyway, and neither have the other guys I've met who are on the big three...

 

[BigTexasSexy]

I personally think I'll be switching to the liquid. I can't recall seeing any huge success with anyone using the foam...

zeroheat, arrowzeplin, and now goldenmane all had tremendous success using the liquid. Who knows!

 

[talmoode]

Thank you, GoldenMane for the reply! I have been on the Big 3 for 2 years now and I shed non stop. Would love to know what it would feel like seeing no hair fall when washing hair

 

[CliffLee]

I would think that after a shedding period, you would expect to see less hair fall. So, the finasteride forces the hair into its new phase and therefore there would be less hair to shed, since hair that would have shed, has already been shed - if that makes sense.

I have no data to back this, it just seems logical that you would see less hair in the drain after going through a finasteride shed.

 

[GoldenMane]

Is your hair getting thinner talmoode? Would you say that you have been successful, and that your hair is maintaining its density? Or is the hairfall having an impact? If it's not having any impact on density then I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[Grizz]

Good luck Grizz! You'll feel so much better once you start treating it. For me, even before I started seeing results, just taking that pill and applying minoxidil was the highlight of my day (sad I know!) because it made me feel proactive. Finasteride does work for 80-90% of guys so the odds are in your favour. My advice too is don't get worked up about possible side effects, I think many finasteride symptoms are pychosomatic. I'm not saying not to be cautious, do be aware of possible side effects, but don't think about them too much, I think there is some truth, but also that there's a lot of scaremongering going on regarding the reported sides.

finasteride is cheap and off patent, a lot of pharmaceutical companies have products they want to sell you... It's not in their interests for you to buy cheap off patent medication...

Thanks Traangas!

Cheers for the response bud! Thanks for the positive vibrations and I wish you continued success.

 

[Ventures]

great suscess, your hair loss looks more like difuse pattern.

 

[GoldenMane]

Yeah, I think you're right Ventures. There was some recession too I think, I've always had a high hairline, so it's difficult to say how much recession I've had, but you can see in the side photos that my hairline on the sides is advancing as miniaturised hairs are coming through thicker. I think that diffuse thinners may benefit more from finasteride, since they aren't trying to regrow hair on bald skin, instead just thicken up what we have, which finasteride seems to be quite good at doing.

 

[CliffLee]

Applied minoxidil 10 mins ago as you described. It went pretty badly. It was my fault for being an idiot but it dribbled down my forehead as I had my head tilted forward in the mirror, lol.

I have reasonably long hair (about half your length) with thinning in the temples and the frontal area of my head. I tried to do 0.25ml in each temple and then 0.50ml in the frontal area. I was going to use 1ml in the front but I thought it was quite a small area in itself anyway. Once I had applied it, I gently rubbed it in for a few seconds. Would you recommend 1ml in the front? I don't think I need any in the mid-scalp region at this stage.

I'm using the dropper that came with the minoxidil as the bottle cover - I'm assuming that's normal...?

 

[GoldenMane]

Ah you just need some practice... You have a lifetime ahead of you to master minoxidil application (can't decide if this is depressing or a good thing!)

What I do is apply 1 ml, or a little more at each temple, and draw the dropper back over my scalp, holding it close to my head. If you squeeze out bigger drops then it tends to hit the scalp and disperse/spread quite well, smaller drops and it just kind of gets in your hair. I haven't exactly mastered this yet, I still get a lot on my hair. Then I do the same at my crown, about 1.3 ml for my hair whorl and surrounding area.

I really can't say how much to use, it depends on then thinning area. Mine was diffuse, so I needed loads, you'll obviously need less than me. I'd say 1 ml may be enough, but if you want to be extra sure then use 2 ml, 1 ml for each half of your frontal area, or maybe 0.75 ml on each half. It's probably a bit excessive, you don't want loads of dripping. If you hold your head back for a few seconds after application, then it'll either stay in place or spread backwards over your head. If you have longer hair, then inevitably some will get on your hair, so you will need to use a bit more than the recommended amounts. A 6 month supply won't actually last you 6 months, I get about 3 months, 4 ml once a day.

I wouldn't rub it though, if you rub it you'll just get more on your fingers and less on your head. You can spread it a bit with the dropper, but it's best just to squeeze a drop of minoxidil, and let it spread. You'll get the hang of it soon enough!

 

[CliffLee]

Thanks once again for your help, really appreciate the time and detail.

I will stop rubbing the liquid and just let it dry naturally and will split the application over each half of my frontal area. Also, I'll increase the dose slightly as a lot of it is simply absorbed by my hair.

 

[I.D WALKER]

I think its ok to be a little aggressive when applying it. Its either going to work for you or it isn't. I have kept my hair very short since I started min. approx.6 months ago. I don't abuse my scalp but I do massage it into the targeted areas with my bare hands more vigorously now then I did when I first started. Of course I do a thorough handwashing immediately afterwards. Goldens right it takes practice and in time you will develop a method that works best for you. Best Wishes.

 

[GoldenMane]

No worries Cliff, just want to help out all my cursed brothers, maybe dispel some myths and spread a little hope, we all need it!

I.D if you rub or massage it though, then you're rubbing it off yopur head and onto your fingers. I don't think rubbing or massaging it in is such a good idea tbh.

 

[Charlito1989]

Hi Golden Mane,

Fellow male pattern baldness sufferer located in Dublin. Do you recommend Blackrock then? 24 year old probably 3v/4 on the scale looking for maintenance.

 

[GoldenMane]

Yeah Charlito, I absolutely do. It' a nice clinic, my consultant was friendly and informative. I found that he didn't like to give me definitive answers as to what my chances were or how my progress was going, but would rather take those photos and let them speak for themselves. They're professionals there, they also seem to be a lot more responsible than most consultants out there, they only perform transplants if you've been on finasteride for a year or two and are over 25, as opposed to some surgeons out there who will rush in. It's a pricey consultation fee at €240, but you get a prescription for a years supply of finasteride with that (the pills themselves will cost €50). Subsequent consultations will cost €80. At every consultation they take really good photos which are excellent for monitoring your progress. Best of luck man! Any questions I'd be happy to answer!

 

[isishearmyplea]

wow golden, your id suits you just fine . thanks for sharing and if possible take a look at my post to suggest anything. Thanks.

 

[BigTexasSexy]

Thanks once again for your help, really appreciate the time and detail.

I will stop rubbing the liquid and just let it dry naturally and will split the application over each half of my frontal area. Also, I'll increase the dose slightly as a lot of it is simply absorbed by my hair.

I'm also going to stop rubbing the minoxidil in, when I do I'll find like a dozen little hairs on my fingers. I'm worried that the rubbing pulls some terminal hairs out!

 

[I.D WALKER]

Always adhere to a method that is both safe and you are most comfortable with. Yes rubbing and/or any other approach for that matter that creates friction will likely result in more noticeable hair fall. That's the typical nature of male pattern baldness related hair loss as well as some other forms.. I think a gentler approach to minoxidil. application may be just as effective and possibly less detrimental. I am not convinced a more aggressive approach will alter+ or - our predisposed and final degree of male pattern baldness. Like seborrhea dermatitis vigorous minoxidil. rubbing just might cause it to progress more prematurely. Which certainly is not our desired effect. Thanx, All for sharing.

I'm also going to stop rubbing the minoxidil in, when I do I'll find like a dozen little hairs on my fingers. I'm worried that the rubbing pulls some terminal hairs out!

 

[GoldenMane]

Well minoxidil hairs don't immediately become terminal hairs, and in the case of hairs that have been restored from almost nothing, they may never become terminal. I think these intermediate vellus hairs are more prone to being pulled out or broken. But the main point of not rubbing is just sou don't get it in your fingers. The more you get on your fingers, the less remains on your head to actually do it's thing.

 

[BigTexasSexy]

They're definitely not vellus hairs. They're usually close to an inch long, have color, and are some what thick. I'm hoping they're just in they're just jump starting growth so they fall out and grow back again. But I agree that the vellus hairs are prone to fall out easily. If I tried, I could easily pull out a dozen of those suckers without that much tug