I Am Actually Regrowing My Hair + Hairline Without Min Or finasteride (mechanical Stimulation)

[Rudi]

I am using a dermapen..but find it difficult to hold it in the right position. I feel that a stamp may be easier to use..simply due to the larger surface. Am about to buy one.
Some online videos that show the guys using it on their scalp holding it not at a 90deg angle. Maybe they didn't care as it was just for demonstration purposes. Anyway, that reduces penetration depth. One can work it easily out by how much.
Nevertheless, I will see how the devices compare.

 

[MyThinningConfidence]

Hairline progress is going great, actually seems like one of the best places I'm experiencing regrowth. My hairline is still poor but it has came a very long way, like it's still quite bad but it's approaching just looking like a more mature hairline. No one really ever comments on the fact that I am balding anymore, it's more just that short hair doesn't suit me and I need a better haircut. Honestly super excited for when my hair grows out nice and long, it also feels great being able to walk around without a hat on, literally some days I actually go out in the wind on walks during the day when people are around and it feels great not being so drastically insecure. My hair isn't perfect and I am nowhere near liking it plus I could use some extra density at the front but my focus is slowly shifting from hiding that I'm balding to having an attractive haircut with what I've regrown.

 

[infinitepain]

I don't have the time to read your entire thread. You mentioned dermapens are better but dropped a dermastamp because it was sh*t. I've read above you are now using the derminator? it's the newer one? I want to buy one. Im just not sure about it yet, infection wise, it's a risk. How to avoid this risk? do the needles come ready to use or you have to sterilize them with alcohol of sorts or perhaps UV lights? Do you apply minoxidil right away? im worried that the fingertips will infect the open red spots and needless to say it must hurt like a b**ch to apply alcoholic soltuions

There's also the worry that dermapenning will make things worse inflammation wise

Btw I can see an improvement there. Your hair was a disaster on the first pics, I would have buzzed it a long time ago, now you can deal with a combover decently. Im going NW2 and using minoxidil as well as finasteride in topical format for a long time and it's accelerating, my temples and crown are thinning, I need to take action, the good news is im 30 and I have some white hairs which at least broscientists claim are male pattern baldness resistant.

 

[Tots7]

Good stuff man, definitely progressed! How many minutes of scalp massage are you averaging daily?

 

[Tots7]

As far as dermarolling do you do it by setting a set amount of minutes on each area or by doing what others mentioned with 5 passes horizontally vertically and diagonally?

 

[MyThinningConfidence]

I don't have the time to read your entire thread. You mentioned dermapens are better but dropped a dermastamp because it was sh*t. I've read above you are now using the derminator? it's the newer one? I want to buy one. Im just not sure about it yet, infection wise, it's a risk. How to avoid this risk? do the needles come ready to use or you have to sterilize them with alcohol of sorts or perhaps UV lights? Do you apply minoxidil right away? im worried that the fingertips will infect the open red spots and needless to say it must hurt like a b**ch to apply alcoholic soltuions

There's also the worry that dermapenning will make things worse inflammation wise

Btw I can see an improvement there. Your hair was a disaster on the first pics, I would have buzzed it a long time ago, now you can deal with a combover decently. Im going NW2 and using minoxidil as well as finasteride in topical format for a long time and it's accelerating, my temples and crown are thinning, I need to take action, the good news is im 30 and I have some white hairs which at least broscientists claim are male pattern baldness resistant.

I think risk for infection is quite low, when I was using the 1.5mm roller I used it for like 2-3 months without disinfecting because I was too depressed to go down the street and buy isopropyl alcohol so I was just using hot tap water. I think the risk for infection is quite low unless you're living in filth, I was unable to find a single person online that actually got an infection from microneedling. I would be using the Derminator 2 but the magnet in mine got demagnetized at customs so I was waiting on the replacement magnets they sent me, They actually arrived today and I'm waiting till tomorrow to finally try it out properly. Inflammation isn't so much as an issue with microneedling as it's acute inflammation as opposed to the chronic inflammation which causes the balding, the main difference is that the inflammatory response stops after it has healed where as chronic keeps going resulting in the build up of fibrotic scalp tissue.

My old hair was definitely a disaster in my older pictures, I had no idea how I survived with that but never leaving my house sure did help.

edit. Forgot to answer the minoxidil comment, personally I'm not using it myself but if you are you want to wait 24 hours after needling to apply minoxidil as it's originally a medicine for low blood pressure and if that absorbs systematically it can cause a whole host of issues.

 

[MyThinningConfidence]

Good stuff man, definitely progressed! How many minutes of scalp massage are you averaging daily?

Originally 5-10 minutes daily but I started with far more initially, it was hard to time as I'd slowly massage through the day but at the very start it could have been around 45minutes etc. Currently I'm going days without massages and only massaging a little bit per week, I've been meaning to be doing more it's just I'm far less motivated now and I've been focusing on other aspects of life away from hairloss, I'm even forgetting to consistently take my finasteride when it's literally the easiest part of my regime. I did get some quality massage time within January though as I went back to massaging 20+ minutes daily and also included massaging my sides more.

As far as dermarolling do you do it by setting a set amount of minutes on each area or by doing what others mentioned with 5 passes horizontally vertically and diagonally?

I don't have a set plan, I just try to get good coverage and stop when I feel it's adequate. I have always prioritized needling my hairline thoroughly and that has always appeared to be effective. I always needled the right temple more intensely and it always seemed like it was the side to gain the most regrowth.

 

[infinitepain]

I think risk for infection is quite low, when I was using the 1.5mm roller I used it for like 2-3 months without disinfecting because I was too depressed to go down the street and buy isopropyl alcohol so I was just using hot tap water. I think the risk for infection is quite low unless you're living in filth, I was unable to find a single person online that actually got an infection from microneedling. I would be using the Derminator 2 but the magnet in mine got demagnetized at customs so I was waiting on the replacement magnets they sent me, They actually arrived today and I'm waiting till tomorrow to finally try it out properly. Inflammation isn't so much as an issue with microneedling as it's acute inflammation as opposed to the chronic inflammation which causes the balding, the main difference is that the inflammatory response stops after it has healed where as chronic keeps going resulting in the build up of fibrotic scalp tissue.

My old hair was definitely a disaster in my older pictures, I had no idea how I survived with that but never leaving my house sure did help.

edit. Forgot to answer the minoxidil comment, personally I'm not using it myself but if you are you want to wait 24 hours after needling to apply minoxidil as it's originally a medicine for low blood pressure and if that absorbs systematically it can cause a whole host of issues.

So did you recieve the derminator 2? how did it go, im buying mine soon and doing it 2 times a month. Have you considered dutasteride?

 

[MyThinningConfidence]

So did you recieve the derminator 2? how did it go, im buying mine soon and doing it 2 times a month. Have you considered dutasteride?

It arrived much sooner than expected but sadly the magnet had became demagnetized likely by a large coil at customs coming into Australia so they sent me some replacement magnets which took some time to arrive. Actually arrived the other week and I was finally able to use my Derminator, seemed to be quite effective based on my first use although it is pretty loud. Even at 2.5mm it hurts far less than anything else I tried in the past and I honestly did expect there to be more blood. I'm unsure if it's even truly reaching 2.5mm but it's definitely penetrating my scalp with this replacement magnet and I need more time to draw a conclusion. I'll probably write a review on it once I've used it for some time. I also used it on my face without any issues it seems, I tried rollers and the Dermapen on my face and it just made things worse and even stretched some pores. The Derma pen also stretched 3-4 pores in a row under my eye a little but it appears to be recovering.

Currently yes I am actually considering Dutasteride, it's definitely better and I'm on the fence since it could increase my gains but it'd be sad to give up finasteride considering how cheap and easy it is to take plus the fact I've had zero negative sides. When I go to renew my finasteride prescription I'll bring up the possibility of dutasteride with my doctor.

 

[MyThinningConfidence]

Clean Dry and Wet Hair - 23rd of Feb
Crown is still a bit thin but my overall hair is becoming wonderfully thick, it's also very healthy feeling when clean and becomes quite fluffy with a slight wave/curl, actually received a compliment on my hair by someone online recently which feels nice haha. My fringe gets a bit crummy when my hair gets greasy but the consistency is only getting better, I've asked 4 people in person about my hairloss and none of them noticed they said. They were pretty shocked when I showed them my before pictures so that's assuring to a degree but I also debate if some of them were just being nice. I feel like my crown and hairline is a big giveaway but at least my hair is presentable without a hat when washed.

 

[JonnyGo]

Clean Dry and Wet Hair - 23rd of Feb
Crown is still a bit thin but my overall hair is becoming wonderfully thick, it's also very healthy feeling when clean and becomes quite fluffy with a slight wave/curl, actually received a compliment on my hair by someone online recently which feels nice haha. My fringe gets a bit crummy when my hair gets greasy but the consistency is only getting better, I've asked 4 people in person about my hairloss and none of them noticed they said. They were pretty shocked when I showed them my before pictures so that's assuring to a degree but I also debate if some of them were just being nice. I feel like my crown and hairline is a big giveaway but at least my hair is presentable without a hat when washed.

Damn I was just looking at your before pictures.
f*****g incredible results.
How much do you think finasteride helped you?

 

[MyThinningConfidence]

Damn I was just looking at your before pictures.
f*****g incredible results.
How much do you think finasteride helped you?

Initially not much at all but I think now my regrowth is getting very serious so I'd say that in the end finasteride actually helped quite a bit, I'm currently on month 5 of finasteride so I'm well into finasteride regrowth territory. It gets hard to say since it depends on genetics and the fact I have other treatments changes things up on top but I should be hovering over half or just over half of my total finasteride regrowth.

I'd probably put finasteride to second to microneedling actually and I think it's essential for anyone serious about regrowing and keeping their hair, even just for maintenance I think you really need it. I've had no sides and it's actually pretty affordable.

 

[DuckThisSheet]

@MyThinningConfidence holly f*** you have really gr8 results Congratz

1. Do you think, that everyone can see reults like yours, or you are just good responder?
2. What Norwood are you atm?
3. <Cant find> Since when are you microneedling?

 

[MyThinningConfidence]

@MyThinningConfidence holly f*** you have really gr8 results Congratz

1. Do you think, that everyone can see reults like yours, or you are just good responder?
2. What Norwood are you atm?
3. <Cant find> Since when are you microneedling?

1 - In theory everyone should be capable of regrowth but I'm also likely a good responder, possibly due to my age as I'm a lot younger than most people here and that seemingly plays a part in the healing process. I started balding at 12 so the hairs had plenty of time to be dormant so that's likely less of a factor.
2. - I'd say I'm a NW3 which still isn't amazing but it's pretty awesome coming from a NW4.5 with barely any density on top. I got little hairs forming pretty far into the bald zone on my temples so I might be able to eventually cap out at NW2-2.5 by the end of this year if I'm lucky.
3. I had an exact date somewhere but I got more serious with microneedling in June/July 2018

 

[tomJ]

Initially not much at all but I think now my regrowth is getting very serious so I'd say that in the end finasteride actually helped quite a bit, I'm currently on month 5 of finasteride so I'm well into finasteride regrowth territory. It gets hard to say since it depends on genetics and the fact I have other treatments changes things up on top but I should be hovering over half or just over half of my total finasteride regrowth.

I'd probably put finasteride to second to microneedling actually and I think it's essential for anyone serious about regrowing and keeping their hair, even just for maintenance I think you really need it. I've had no sides and it's actually pretty affordable.

Please change your title. It is misleading.

 

[MyThinningConfidence]

Please change your title. It is misleading.

I would but I'm unable to, I was initially regrowing my hair without min or finasteride so that part is true. I had initially divided the post into two parts but it just become a massive text wall so I moved the original regime/story to an older thread.

It's just that I was updating this thread and eventually I decided to jump on finasteride to help bolster and maintain, there's no real way to get around finasteride as 5a inhibition is essential if you're actually wanting to keep what you've regrown/slow down the balding process. There are ways to indirectly tackle it but they are less reliable and effective. Any natural alternatives that work like finasteride are pointless since the potential side effects stem from the inhibition of 5a not from finasteride itself in which case it's better to just take finasteride

You can regrow your hair without finasteride but if you actually care about keeping and maintaining your hair, you should seriously take it. I sadly can't change the title as it doesn't let me but I tried to make it clear with a statement at the top saying I went on finasteride plus clearly labeled albums.

 

[Pixie]

Clean Dry and Wet Hair - 23rd of Feb
Crown is still a bit thin but my overall hair is becoming wonderfully thick, it's also very healthy feeling when clean and becomes quite fluffy with a slight wave/curl, actually received a compliment on my hair by someone online recently which feels nice haha. My fringe gets a bit crummy when my hair gets greasy but the consistency is only getting better, I've asked 4 people in person about my hairloss and none of them noticed they said. They were pretty shocked when I showed them my before pictures so that's assuring to a degree but I also debate if some of them were just being nice. I feel like my crown and hairline is a big giveaway but at least my hair is presentable without a hat when washed.

Bro, what do you do to maintain that hair quality, it's beautiful. Please gib fill wash/condition routine. Also, how often do you needle?

 

[MyThinningConfidence]

Bro, what do you do to maintain that hair quality, it's beautiful. Please gib fill wash/condition routine. Also, how often do you needle?

I use anti dandruff shampoo containing zinc pyrithione almost daily and sometimes Nizoral but honestly I think it's just genetics. Before I was balding severely I always had nice hair quality that was soft and fluffy, when the balding ramped up my hair became very wispy and frazzled so I think this could just be it's prior state returning. I've attached a picture to show what I mean with frazzled/wispy.

I also try to needle weekly but the gaps lately have been a lot bigger, I also didn't even really needle for about a month around Jan-Feb since I was waiting for the Derminator. It's still a bit iffy now too since I'm holding off on needling since I'm booking a doctors appointment and I want my scalp in a normal condition.

 

[Mook]

I don't ever hear the crunching sound people mention, does that mean my scalp does not have any fibrotic tissue?

 

[bucksin5]

My hair has always been thin, but it got a lot worse recently. Shedding tons right now. I shaved it all off and initially for the first 2-3 months my hairs were quite dark and thick (obviously because they were very short, too). Once they became a bit longer and I used shampoo more often, rapid shedding and thinning started.

I also noticed i have very dry scalp and if I scratch a bit, there's scales and flakes coming off. Did you have that issue, too? When using Nizoral, my scalp gets even drier and my hair becomes brittle.